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So, You Want To Work In Insurance? Here’s How to Become a Customer Service Representative

A blog about becoming an insurance customer service representative

Suppose you want to work in insurance, or maybe you’re just curious about how to get your foot in the door, with minimal experience. Putting your soft skills to the test as a customer service representative (CSR) might be the route for you.

What is an insurance customer service representative?

Customer service representatives, or CSRs for short, are the people who help you when you call your insurance provider and have a question. They don’t sell Insurance — they provide service to customers. Customer service reps help people figure out the details of their insurance policies, process claims and change their policies. 

Many CSRs specialize in working with customers in specific business areas, such as home or auto insurance, while others handle questions and claims across all lines.

What are the Skills You Need to Become an Insurance Customer Service Representative?

You need several skills to work in insurance and become an insurance customer service representative.

First, you need to have empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and relate to someone else’s feelings. As a CSR, you will be talking to people in different moods or situations. You will deal with angry, sad, frustrated, and happy people. To do your job effectively, you must learn to empathize with people’s feelings.

Second, you need to have patience. Not all customers are easy to please. One way or another, you will deal with customers who are challenging to deal with. Having patience will help you deal with these customers more effectively. 

You should also be able to keep your cool no matter how much the customer becomes difficult for you to handle. Insurance companies often receive more calls than they can handle during certain times (such as during hurricane season). Hence, representatives need to be able to handle stress without taking it out on clients. This is especially true if you’re dealing with difficult callers—you’ll want to remain calm and professional even when they’re not.

Third, you should have excellent communication skills. You need to learn how to communicate your message clearly and effectively so that customers can understand what you’re saying, or they can ask questions anytime they don’t get something. That means learning how to speak and write clearly and concisely so that your message comes across clearly without misunderstanding or confusion.

Fourth, a customer service representative needs to understand the language used on policies and contracts to effectively explain their contents to customers. For example, if a client doesn’t understand what the term “deductible” means, the representative should be able to explain it clearly and coherently.

In summary, to be a CSR you have to keep yourself calm, your customer calm, and efficiently communicate to serve their needs. Easier said than done! 

You don’t need a college degree or even a high school diploma to become an insurance customer service representative, but some skills will help you succeed. 

This is one job where what you know and who you are is at least as important as what’s on your resume.

The first step to becoming an insurance customer service representative is finding a job—and that’s not always easy, but the insurance industry is always hiring! 

With these skills and the opportunities available, check out our open positions and reach out to a Questpro recruiter. We are happy to help get your foot in the door with insurance companies across the country! 

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