As an insurance agent today, it’s important to support clients with more than just insurance. Otherwise, another agent might swoop in and steal your clients with the promises of additional services and support.
Right now, OSHA compliance is an essential area of support, particularly due to the new OSHA recordkeeping requirement going into effect July 1. Don’t worry if you’re not completely comfortable with OSHA compliance yourself—the important thing is getting the right information and support to your clients. This blog will overview exactly how you can support your clients’ OSHA needs, so an OSHA-savvy agent doesn’t try to lure them away.
Focus on the new OSHA rules
If you haven’t already, the first order of business is connecting with your clients immediately about the new OSHA rules. As a quick summary, businesses with 250+ employees (and smaller businesses in certain high-risk industries) are required to electronically submit their OSHA 300A data directly to the IRS. The deadline to submit 2017 data is July 1, 2018.
If your clients miss this deadline, they could be facing huge fines and potentially even a full OSHA audit. Help them avoid those consequences by doing the following:
- Identify any of your clients who have 250+ employees or fit the designated industries (find a full list here).
2. Call each client or send an email, asking if they’re aware of the upcoming OSHA deadline and prepared to comply. Stress that the deadline to comply is fast approaching (July 1st).
3. If a client is unaware or has questions, provide this compliance guidebook or this high-level infographic as educational material on the new requirement.
4. Offer to meet and discuss the new rule, to help ensure their business fully complies.
Even if clients are already aware of the upcoming deadline, they will appreciate that you checked in to offer support. For those clients who weren’t aware or not yet prepared, you will have provided tremendous value to their business.
Simplify OSHA compliance
While the new requirement is the priority for now, OSHA compliance is something you can help clients with year-round. Many agents have found success offering their clients a technology-based solution to simplify the complicated OSHA requirements they must follow every year.
For example, OSHAlogs is an easy-to-use app that allows employers to quickly report and record injuries, generate required reports with the click of a button, and access key metrics to evaluate and improve their safety program.
Use as a prospecting strategy
Even though we’re talking about client servicing in this blog, it’s easy to use these strategies for prospecting as well. You can be the OSHA-savvy agents stealing clients from your competitors. Use the exact same process described above to reach out to prospects and provide critical educational materials. If their current agent hasn’t discussed the new rule with them, you will look like a rock-star and could pave the way for the AOR.
Learn the details of the new OSHA requirement in this infographic. More importantly, share it with your clients and prospects right away to ensure compliance with the July 1 deadline!
