Agency Profile: Manage Risk First

Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance, Inc.

Jackson, Mississippi
Founded: 1911
Employees: 180

Helping clients identify and manage risk is the first focus of Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance with four locations in Mississippi, three in Florida and one in Tennessee. Commercial business dominates the mix at 68%, and the firm, owned by Trustmark National Bank, markets itself as a team of trusted risk management advisers. 2016 revenues are projected to reach $36.6 million, marking an increase of $3.1 million since 2014.

ROGER ELFERT, AGENCY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

When recruiting producer talent, we are more interested in individuals who possess consultative selling skills rather than traditional transactional selling skills or insurance experience. Individuals must possess the skills that will allow them to overcome one of the biggest hurdles: customers who have been trained to price shop. Our new producers spend their first several months in our one-year Insurance Development Associate program rotating through all departments within our agency, gaining valuable insight. Each producer then decides which area of risk management they would like to focus on, and training is tailored to fit their focus.

TIFFANY JOHNSTON, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION MANAGER

My focus is creating efficiency and consistency in our work processes. When we bring a new product into the agency, I learn its functionality first, and then we determine how to best integrate the product into our processes. As we deploy a new product to account managers, we vet it based on how the producers will use it, not just to what it can do. Next, we conduct training and inform employees about what they can expect from the product. Finally, we follow up to be sure we are using the product properly to its full advantage.

Applied Epic management, Applied Mobile and Zywave have enabled us to streamline and standardize workflows and create an efficient, seamless experience for our clients. We also use these systems to increase productivity and sales while enhancing the customer experience. We upgraded from Applied Tam to Epic because of its ability to help us streamline processes, perform audits and maintain consistency in our operations.

SCOTT WOODS, PRESIDENT

Our primary focus is to help customers identify and manage their risk profiles, therefore making their companies safer places to work and conduct business. It is important for us to really understand the customer’s business operations, not just match a policy to the type of industry or SIC code. In doing so, we continue to cultivate our resources to meet our clients’ needs, which range from human resources management, safety and compliance, and best practices information to certificate management and workers comp premium recovery.

We also facilitate training solutions to help clients address various risks—sometimes at no cost and other times on a fee-for-service basis. We tailor services to the customer’s needs.

Hospitality, employee benefits, bonding and construction were our agency’s original specialties and remain so today. We’ve added specialties in public entities, professional liability, management liability, petroleum, real estate and manufacturing. Growing our geographic footprint and expanding our market niches through mergers or establishing de novo offices provide future opportunities.