When you’re trying to find out which clients will leave you a positive review and which customers may be a retention risk, you need a simple, quick survey people will respond to.

The Net Promoter Score (NPS®) survey is an easy and effective way to measure client loyalty and receive specific feedback from your customers. If you don’t use the Net Promoter System in your agency, you need to start.

The NPS survey will help you learn how your clients feel about you. Your promoters, those who score a 9 or 10 on the survey, are most likely to refer others to your agency or leave a review. And your detractors, those who leave a 0-6 on the survey, have a high likelihood of leaving in the next year.

Once you implement the surveys and start getting back the data, you will want to address the feedback you receive. Here’s how to do that.

1. Call your detractors

Clients who leave a 0 through 6 on the NPS survey represent your biggest retention risk. Giving them a call to address their concerns within 48 hours increases their chances of being retained by 55%. These calls can be difficult, but these talking points will help you navigate the conversation based on the specific feedback they provided (or didn’t).

2. Pay attention to trends

Once you’ve surveyed enough customers, you may find there are general themes affecting client retention you hadn’t noticed before. For example, clients could frequently mention how happy they are with the onboarding process because they love the welcome cards you send. Take that feedback and think of ways to make them feel special throughout the year as well. Alternatively, policyholders with a certain product or provider might make up the majority of your detractors. If that’s the case, offer a coverage review a couple of months before their policy is up for renewal to see if there’s a better fit.

3. Send relationship-focused communication

Nearly 30% of detractor comments mention not hearing from their agent enough. Lack of meaningful communication is the most significant contributing factor to clients becoming upset. In fact, 42% of insurance customers said communication was the top reason they would or wouldn’t recommend their agent to a friend or family member. You need to take proactive steps to improve communication and make your clients feel special. Check in with clients throughout the year. Send them cards for their special occasions. Email them videos and news stories you think they’ll enjoy. These touchpoints make customers feel valued. They’ll stick around longer and be more open to purchasing additional coverage if they know you care about them outside of renewal times.

4. Keep adding value

Clients need to feel like your agency is giving them the guidance they need outside of claims or renewal times. As their agent, you are the expert on insurance. Review your customers’ policies to identify any coverage they may be missing. For example, your homeowners may not be aware they’re missing flood coverage and they’ll appreciate it when you reach out. Send an article with marketing tips for small business owners to your commercial clients to help them grow their company. Or email your auto policyholders a video with winter driving tips to help keep them safe on the road.

5. Make NPS a focus for employees

Improving your agency’s NPS is a team effort. Make sure your employees understand how their NPS affects retention and revenue. Your top performers can share things they do differently to help others increase their NPS. Set goals throughout the year, like having fewer detractors who mention a lack of communication around renewal time.

6. Always respond to customers

About 15% of detractors say they're upset because their agent didn't get back to them. Make sure it’s clear how your customers can get in touch with you during the onboarding process. Be available in a variety of ways, including email, phone, text and web chat, so clients can communicate in a way they prefer. Return all messages and calls.

For even more details on how to improve client loyalty, check out our guide on improving your NPS.