Merchants Insurance Group - Customer Service

Customer Service

In an industry where true product innovation is difficult and uncommon, Merchants has differentiated itself from its competitors primarily on the basis of service and automation. Merchants recently reorientated its service model around independent agents’ perspectives whereby service is tailored and delivered according to the agents’ needs (“customer focused”). This approach to service is referred to as “outside in”, as opposed to more typical “inside out” company orientations to customer service. The concept of "outside-in" was borrowed from the software industry, where "outside-in software development" has enjoyed broad and growing popularity.

In support of the “outside in” service model, Merchants also restructured its back office processes and computer systems to provide its agents with accurate and immediate “real time” information about their mutual clients (policyholders and claimants). The "outside-in" approach to agent service has been an important factor in Merchants' revenue and profit growth over the past five years, as it has been for other organizations outside of the insurance industry.