Personal Lines: Carrie McHale, Managing Director
Each issue, we’ll feature one of TPG’s business divisions to gain a high-level view of their work. This quarter, we spoke with Carrie McHale, managing director of our personal lines division, about how the team is working to elevate and innovate their service.
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Let’s talk about the growth happening in TPG’s Personal Lines division.
Our team has done an amazing job bringing new clients to TPG through their connections in the community and through referrals from existing clients. The rate increases we are seeing with all insurance carriers and all insurance policies alike come with a significant amount of work. But it does give us an opportunity to review our clients’ policies, make recommendations, and realign their programs to meet their needs. Our team is doing a fantastic job in this regard.
What are your current department goals?
Our first priority is making sure clients know us and know who their personal insurance advisor is. Because of TPG acquisitions, some clients are just now getting to know their TPG advisors. We’ve been reaching out to clients prior to their insurance policy renewal with a questionnaire about what may have changed in their lives. We find that it’s fairly common for something to have changed in every household which requires an update to a policy – maybe the roof has been replaced, they have made their vacation home a short-term rental or they have a major remodel planned. And we are always looking for opportunities to add policy discounts – we love to call our clients with discounts! Overall, our department goal for the year has been getting to know our clients as people.
How has your industry changed in the past few years?
It’s all changed because of the pandemic, with new challenges that we’ve never experienced in this industry before. Getting a car repaired, for example – it’s now a monumental event! It used to take maybe a couple of days to get work done – now, maybe three months! And that means rental car coverage is not enough. And the mechanic is waiting on parts to be delivered. There are labor shortages in the shops. In the meantime, because of the pandemic, insurance carriers had to lay off staff and are today struggling to find replacements. It’s really been a big struggle for our clients.
How is TPG innovating and leading the way?
We are working toward automating the client connection with their personal advisors, through personally recorded videos, online questionnaires, get-to-know-us email newsletters, and more. Not every agency has the resources to carry this out. We hope to see an increase in engagement with the videos and online questionnaires within a year – it’s such a simple, easy way to connect quickly with our clients. We’re also upgrading our agency management system, which will allow us to do even more – for example, texting our clients directly.
We’re also looking into artificial intelligence (AI) as a way to help identify clients who may need assistance or service on their policies. It’s a win for us, as well as for our customers.
As you know, TPG leans into our five core values – play well with others, own it, be curious, have fun and live well, and be a champion. Which of these is currently resonating with you?
It’s to own it. It’s 100% of what we’re about in our agency and within my team and clients. Any client of TPG will be well cared for. We’re big believers in taking responsibility. It’s who we are.
For enquiries about our Personal Lines division, contact personallines@tpgrp.com.
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