INSURANCE COMPANY OF EAST AFRICA LIMITED
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title: Head of Agency
Responsible to : Manager, General Business
Persons directly supervised: Unit Leaders and Tied General Agents
Purpose of Position :
To monitor and coordinate implementation and maintenance of systematic and professional TGA recruitment, training and supervision mechanisms that fully develop and maintain productivity in the agency, in order for the Company to achieve its overall targets in ordinary life business and grow its market share.
Responsibilities : Business Development
• Assisting each Unit Leader (UL) and Tied general Agent (TGA) in achieving set production targets; monitoring persistency and quality of business, and controlling expenses to ensure that business is produced in a cost effective manner
• Ensuring achievement of higher individual TGA production (2 cases a week per TGA; and an activity ratio of 35% in the agency force) and lower turnover in each unit / agency
• Guiding field force in market planning so that they can better adapt to the realities of changing markets in their respective areas
• Meeting established business development and organic growth targets in sales, new business acquisition, renewals and premium income
• Evaluating market coverage and penetration, and proposing new methods e.g. designing mass prospecting strategies, for enhanced market coverage and penetration and directing the Agency Force to specific / designated markets
• Checking and confirming acquisitions from the agency force
• Identifying and studying the causes of Units’ / TGAs’ substandard performance and recommending specific action
• Identifying market opportunities and making recommendations towards development of targeted value-product offerings for viable market segments
• Gathering information on competitor activities to enable benchmarking in product quality, service delivery and customer retention
• Recommending and monitoring use of modern technology in the agency to solicit and acquire business: telephony, e-mail, e-commerce, etc
Agency Recruitment and Training
• Ensuring that the agency force training parameters set in the Company – related to Certificate of Proficiency, corporate profile, products, sales cycle, corporate image, markets and market segmentation – are implemented
• Ensuring that the agency force recruitment parameters set in the Company – related to level of education, numeracy, character, age, licensing status – are implemented
• Ensuring continuous prospecting for and recruitment of TGAs to maintain sufficient flow of new recruits, in order for the Company to operate with the optimal number
• Ensuring that TGAs are well versed and trained in their profession in order to increase sales, maintain the Company’s corporate image and public confidence
• Ascertaining the agency force knowledge and skill gaps, and making recommendations on appropriate training
• Developing the agency force proficiency in a wide range of activities, including data gathering, data analysis, use of the Weekly Planner, Diary and Prospect 100, qualifying appointments; coaching and counseling, supervising and planning
• Facilitating registration and preparation of eligible TGAs for the Certificate of Proficiency Examinations
• Regularly providing updates on TGA appointments and resignations / terminations.
• Developing leadership, team spirit, team loyalty, team building and problem-solving capabilities / skills in the agency
• Promoting the use of structured sales presentations, which convey the right ideas, placed in the right sequence, expressed and delivered with the right words and skills, to the right market
• Promoting and inculcating professional image in the TGAs, including dress, manner and the care with which sales materials such as proposals and policy documents are presented
• Enforcing continuous agency force professional training and development programme
• Validating non-productive TGAs / ULs in the agency, within the parameters set by the Company.
Staff / Agency Force Coordination and Support
• Validating that weekly produced and reported business by each UL is correct; that policy data are captured in the sub-system and transmitted to the H / Office
• Ensuring that risks accepted are paid for, through adequate premiums; and premiums properly accounted for
• Confirming that policy documents and endorsements match with the submitted underwriting list and are registered in the agency system before distribution to ULs / TGAs
• Ensuring TGAs recruited in the agency meet the prescribed Company TGA profile e.g. level of education, numeric, character, age and licensing status – and that individual TGA (active) files and historical records containing basic documentation e.g. national ID copies, passport size photos, referrers - are opened and professionally kept
• Coordinating and ensuring that each TGA in the agency signs the pre-contract, agency agreement and adhere to the prescribed professional code of conduct so prescribed.
• Facilitating registration and preparation of eligible TGAs for the Certificate of Proficiency Examinations (COP) in liaison with HO and reporting of results therefrom
• Collating timely annual registration and submission of qualifying agents to the HO.
• Coordinating the validation of commission and clawback statements before the processing of the agency payroll
• Timely submission of agency financial requests - new agents’ financial subsidy, commission advance, U/L car loan and other financial request - to the HO
• Promoting professional image in the agency - including dress, manner and the care with which sales materials such as proposals and policy documents are presented - maintaining public confidence in the Company
• Recommending Creation of new recruits in the commission payroll system
• Arranging for worksite marketing / client visits and meetings for ULs and TGAs; maintaining a suitable diary of all such contacts to facilitate follow ups
• Ensuring and promoting excellent branch agency force support to enable the Company retain existing TGAs / ULs, attract new ones and create a competitive edge
• Handling services related enquiries and complaints on the agency force.
• Maintaining constant / continuous communication with the agency force; ensuring it is within prescribed time scales; and harnessing head office support
• Ensuring that the Company transacts business with only licensed, ethical and professional TGAs
• Maintaining retention ratio at 70% by recruiting new TGAs to replace validated ones, among other measures
• Monitoring ULs adherence to and attending the regular meetings: one-on-one meetings with TGA; Early Bird meetings; weekly Unit meetings to be held at least once every week in the mornings; and weekly Agency general sales meetings held on every Thursday afternoon.
• Recommending and implementing financing incentives / awards for growing agency force, for training and production
• Identifying and recommending personnel in the TGAs with supervisory potential to be developed and prepared for future leadership appointments
• Following up and ensuring prompt payment of commissions and other TGA benefits.
• Setting up sales contests in conjunction with the manager, life and pensions and distribution of awards to the respective qualifying agents.
Customer Service Support
Supporting the Agency Office Administrator in:
• Ensuring that customer service standards are adhered to in respect of policy issues, payments of claims and benefits; and cheques are delivered to the policyholders promptly
• Handling client complaints in conjunction with the Manager
• Arranging for selected visits to specific agency clients with unique complaints and offering needed service
• Ensuring that the agency environment projects a good corporate image that attracts and retains customers
• Advising on improvements to customer service activities and standards with a view to maintaining a leading edge client service delivery system.
Management Reports
o Preparing and submitting agency performance statistics
Weekly / monthly / quarterly / annual reports such as
-no of trainings held including no of agents recruited, trained and retained per UL
-Licensed TGAs per UL
-Eligible TGAs registered for COP Exams per UL
-Market coverage and penetration adequacy
-Business promotions and worksite marketing
• Preparing weekly production bulletins against set targets
• Gathering competitive training and recruitment intelligence data and pass on to management
• Gathering and preparing market intelligence on products and services to facilitate development of new products and services to enhance the Company’s competitive edge
• Preparing and submitting business retention, persistency and portfolio balance reports on the Agency Force for use by management and sales units
• Following up, reporting and ensuring prompt payment of commissions / TGA awards and incentives for the agency.
• Any other report as may be requested from time to time.
Staff / Agency Force Supervision
• Ensuring proper delegation of work to ULs
• Training of agency support staff and agency force on work procedures and educating them on Company policies
• Holding meetings, discussions, and consultations with the support staff and agency force to ensure that any hindrances to job performance are addressed in good time
• Ensuring that individual TGA (active) files and historical records are opened and kept in a professional manner
• Ensuring that a high level of office etiquette is in place – such as cleanliness, dress code, observance of Office reporting time and departure hours by staff - and are according to Company policies
• Arbitrating on any conflicts within the agency force and support staff to ensure a harmonious working relationship with one another and with H / Office
• Ensuring high level of supervision, work discipline and morale within support / agency staff is maintained
• Ensuring that all working implements / Company assets are properly taken care of, including stationery / inventory
• Appraising support staff and ULs on their performance against set targets
• Preparing agency force ULs’ leave schedules
• Performing any other duties as may be assigned by management.
Educational qualifications, skills and competencies
• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree; a diploma in marketing (CIM) or an MBA with the marketing option is an added advantage.
• Ability to recruit, train, retain and motivate teams
• Experience in sales and marketing preferably in a financial institution
• Great interpersonal skills
• Proactive and innovative
• Leadership ability
• Solid commitment to customer service
• Extensive existing network.
How to Apply;
The applications should be addressed to;
The Human Resource Coordinator,
Insurance Company of East Africa,
Rwenzori Courts Building,
First floor, Nakasero road,
P.O Box 33953,
Kampala.
patience.arinaitwe@icea.co.ug
