At SFM, we know that some of the best ideas for improving our services come directly from the people who use them every day.
That’s why our User Experience team and Strategic Business Units established the “Agency Insight Panel” last fall, creating a new way to gather feedback from agency professionals and better understand their needs.
The Agency Insight Panel brings together frontline agency staff members, who regularly work with customers, SFM underwriters and systems such as SFM Agency Manager (SAM). Their firsthand experiences provide valuable insights into what’s working well and where we have opportunities to improve.
In our first year, 33 panel members participated in the program. We hosted in-person meetings in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota, along with a virtual meeting that included participants from Tennessee, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and other parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. These conversations allowed us to hear a wide range of perspectives from agencies of different sizes and locations.
Panel discussions have focused on topics that directly impact the agent experience. Participants shared ideas for enhancing SAM, including ways to streamline the application process and help agents answer customer questions more efficiently. We also discussed opportunities to reduce friction in key customer journeys such as onboarding, billing and premium audit.
The feedback we’ve received has been invaluable. Insights from panel members have helped shape enhancements that are currently underway and have informed plans for a future redesign of SAM.
The Agency Insight Panel is just one of the many ways SFM gathers feedback. We also have an Agency Advisory Council made up of agency leaders, as well as our ongoing efforts to learn from agents through surveys, usability testing, interviews and other conversations throughout the year. Together, these activities help ensure that agent perspectives are consistently reflected in the services and tools we provide.
We are committed to listening, learning and continuously improving. By understanding the challenges agents face and the opportunities they see, we can make meaningful enhancements that make their jobs easier and create a better experience for everyone who works with SFM.
If you have a suggestion, idea or issue you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you. Email us or reach out to your underwriter.