As an insurance agent, you have a unique role in helping clients through traumatic life events. While you can’t be expected to take on the responsibility of a grief counsellor, supporting clients through tragic moments in their lives will strengthen your relationships.
In order to offer sensitive and effective support, it’s necessary for agents to understand the grieving process that clients undergo when coping with the aftermath of trauma. Whether they’ve survived a natural disaster like the floods in southern Louisiana and more recently in North Carolina or a more personal loss, most victims of trauma experience similar symptoms, according to the mental health experts at Helpguide. These may include:
Denial
Anger
Frustration
Guilt
Loss of focus
Hopelessness
Fear
Anxiety
Trauma victims may also withdraw from or lash out against those who most want to help, including their well-meaning insurance agent. What should you do?
During the first days and even weeks of grieving, your client may not have the attention or the desire to talk with you. Don’t take it personally. Give them as much space as you reasonably can, and keep touching base to let them know you’re there when they are ready.
Taking care of the practical business of filing claims is your job, and it’s the best way that you can help your clients through tragedy. However, in a distressed state of mind, that practical concern may read as insensitivity. Temper all of your requests with kindness, courtesy, and compassion.
You may choose to offer practical support in addition to your insurance services, especially in the event of a community tragedy. If your entire community has been affected by a disaster, your agents can show their support by volunteering on-site, taking up a collection to help victims, and making it easy for victims to file claims.
Remember that your clients will have a difficult time concentrating their attention on practical matters for a while. That makes it more important than ever for you to answer their questions promptly and in the simplest terms possible.
Don’t let the only conversation you have with traumatized clients be the practical, necessary ones. You don’t want your agency to be solely associated with tragedy. Instead, reach out to clients regularly just to check up on them. That will ensure that they consider you a trusted ally during times of crisis.