Rewarding careers in customer relations

“I put a smile on when a call comes in.”

Lori, a Snapshot® specialist at Progressive, approaches each day with this attitude as she settles in to take calls from customers. In her role, she helps customers with questions about their policies and Snapshot®–Progressive’s user-based insurance program that aims to provide a tailored rate based on an individual’s driving habits. She keeps a small mirror with the word “‘smile”’ written on it near her workstation to remind her that customers “can hear her smile.” For Lori, smiling does more than just set the tone for each call, it lays the foundation of what she hopes will be a long-lasting relationship between Progressive and the customer.

Composed of approximately 10,000 employees spread across the US, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) often serves as the first point of contact a person has with Progressive. CRM contributes to Progressive’s success by starting, deepening, and extending relationships with our customers. Representing the brand using multiple communication channels—from phones to email, online chat, and even social media—CRM’s mission is to deliver the easiest and most caring experiences in the industry. CRM approaches all customer interactions as an opportunity to provide custom, personalized solutions while also advocating for those they’re privileged to serve.

Here’s a glimpse of what a typical day looks like for Lori and Dustin (a multi-product agent), as well as their customer relations career paths.

Putting Customers First

Dustin, a multi-product agent, handles calls from customers insuring multiple assets—such as home and auto. Typically averaging between 20-30 service and sales calls a day, he sees himself as a “solution provider,” approaching each interaction with a “customer first” mindset. He views these interactions as an opportunity to make a lasting impression, seeing himself as an advocate for the customer by letting them know he’s there to help. He believes making this commitment to the customer can help build trust and create a sense of ease.

Lori, who averages between 40-65 service calls a day in her role, shares a similar enthusiasm for helping the customer. As a Snapshot® specialist, she relishes the opportunity to work with customers who have recently purchased policies with Progressive. She ensures to take extra time to make customers feel welcome and thank them for choosing Progressive.

Room to grow

Dustin and Lori share an eagerness to learn and master additional skills. Dustin, who started as a sales representative, worked towards, and was eventually promoted to a senior multi-product agent, where he creates custom experiences for customers insuring multiple assets. He’s since joined the Proof of Concept (POC) team within the multi-product group, taking calls while testing new offerings, services, or even systems with customers. He was motivated to continue learning and to take on more complex roles, stating, “I wanted to do it all.” He attributes Progressive’s encouragement of self-development and our training department for spurring his continued growth.

Lori started as a services representative and eventually found her new home as a specialist on the Snapshot® servicing team. Lori credits her willingness to be teachable and her ability to take on additional skills as paving the way for her promotion to a Snapshot® specialist. Lori also speaks highly of the training at Progressive and encourages her peers to utilize the available resources Progressive offers, stating “don’t assume that you know” and “you can’t do it alone.”

Dustin’s advice to someone considering a role in customer relations is to not worry if you don’t understand insurance. He sees customer relations as a great way to learn about insurance and gain skills that are transferable into other roles—whether within CRM or to other parts of the company. “We’ll teach you the basics of insurance and other skills needed to be successful.”

Ready to learn more about a career in customer care? Check out our current job openings in Customer Relationship Management.