In the past I have addressed this subject and encouraged agencies to review their promotional material to see how the agency is being positioned. The reason for this is that there is the possibility that certain words or phrases that agents use to promote themselves can potentially increase the standard of legal liability that they will held to. Agents should avoid words like "expert" or "specialist" or phrases such as "we will make sure that you are properly covered". At the time of a claim problem, these words or phrases could come into play to determine potential negligence.
There is an additional element that I want to add to this message. This deals with the signature line that individuals include on their e-mails. Recently I have had conversation with a number of agents whose signature line "scared me". There is a very good chance that these statements help that producer / CSR write more business. While it hard to argue against that benefit, if I were the customer for that agency and had a loss that was not covered, I would definitely look to bring that "marketing" statement into play.
So, when examining your agency's marketing message, be sure to review more than just your website and hard copy written material. Look at the signature line of your e-mail, any marketing statements included on insurance proposals, business cards, phone recording that play when a customer gets put on hold, etc. Also, producers should be advised to exercise some caution in the words / phrases they use when interacting with their prospects / customers.
If you plan to continue to use this message, that is fine as long as you understand that there is a potential drawback but maybe there is a better (and safer) way that speaks to the quality of your people and the expertise of your agency.
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