Agency Profile: D.C., Diversified

Klinger Insurance­ Group

Germantown, Maryland
Founded: 1993
Employees: 11

Reflecting the community it serves is the goal of this U.S. military veteran-owned agency based in greater Washington, D.C. That means CSRs collectively speak eight languages: Thai, Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and English.

It also means Klinger Insurance Group supports military veterans, including Priscylla Ramos, commercial lines account manager, who is currently on active duty with the National Guard. Owner Robert Klinger is the regional director of Disabled Veterans Insurance Careers, which educates, trains and creates jobs for veterans in the insurance industry. The agency also supports Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion, Purple Heart Association, Wounded Warriors, Hiring Our Heroes and Wreaths Across America at the Arlington National Cemetery.

SARAH SUN, SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

We truly care about our clients and want to deliver value, not just sell a product. Dedicated CSRs spend as much time with clients as they need. We educate them and answer their questions. With our VoIP phone system, we can record and track calls for quality assurance. We can also have a coach on the phone in a new CSR’s ear to give pointers during a client call. The client can’t hear what the coach says. It’s a great tool to help train CSRs and producers on cold calls.

The phone system also lets us track how many phone calls each CSR makes and receives, the duration of the calls, how long clients are on hold and more. This helps me make sure I have enough staff to properly manage my client’s expectations. Our agency is researching a new agency management system and a new marketing software, so we can “touch” our clients 18-20 times throughout the year.

ROBERT KLINGER, PRESIDENT & CEO

We have the “buy local, shop local” attitude, and building centers of influence in minority markets is a cornerstone of our agency. When a client calls in, they can speak to a live agent who speaks their language. They get personalized service and are treated like they are our No. 1 client. Because our CSRs speak the various languages represented in our community, we can sell to local businesses, such as dry cleaners, restaurants, nail salons, construction, beer and wine stores, tech companies, and wholesalers.

We like to hire military vets and give them a career opportunity they may not have considered before. Military vets have a lot to offer in the civilian workforce. We firmly believe veterans are great in the insurance industry because in the military, they constantly evaluate risks and so are great at risk management. They are responsible, accountable and maintain millions of dollars of equipment. They are good at teamwork and have great leadership skills. They are flexible, able to multi-task and able to adapt and overcome most obstacles. They have good communication skills and are punctual and attentive to detail.

Our most recent producer was trained through the Hiring Our Heroes program and the Independent Insurance Agents of Maryland program that trains veterans for insurance careers. Another employee earned her p-c license and became a U.S. citizen in December. She joined the National Guard and is on active duty. We are very proud of her, support her ambition and eagerly await her return in September as a lean, mean fighting machine.

PRISCYLLA RAMOS, COMMERCIAL LINES ACCOUNT MANAGER

Because we have niches in various markets and various languages, it is important for the staff to understand the risks we write. We like to take our staff on field trips to understand the type of industries we write, their risks and exposures, and how we mitigate the risks. Most importantly, we help them understand the appropriate coverage needed for each type of industry, so they can properly advise the clients. Each producer must walk into 25 businesses and make 100 cold calls a day. To retain producers, we offer them a competitive compensation package along with marketing leads, marketing opportunities and mentoring.

We believe in on-the-job training and require all employees to study and pass their p-c exam within the first 90 days of employment. Carrier reps come to the office to train new CSRs and producers. CSRs train producers to perform all CSR duties, so they understand what CSRs need from producers. During the training process, Bob Klinger mentors new producers. Some clients allow Bob to walk the producers through their businesses, where Bob will show the producers what to look for in terms of risks and exposures, type of structure, safety and security.

Our new employee who is in the National Guard nominated Bob for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve’s Patriotic Employer Award, which Bob was awarded in May 2016. The ESGR fosters a culture in which all employees support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the U.S.