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Erin has more than 20 years of experience in employee benefits, including extensive knowledge in group health, dental, vision, life, disability and cafeteria plan administration. Her knowledge of the market, coupled with her strong understanding of state and federal legislation as it relates to employer sponsored benefit plans, make her a valuable member of the R&R Insurance team. Erin’s strong communication skills, focus on service, and attention to detail make her a welcome extension of the HR department for the clients she supports.
What motivated you to become an insurance professional?
I actually fell in to the career by chance. I had been training sea lions at the zoo for about 8 years and realized that it wasn't going to provide an opportunity for me to support myself long term. I worked with a recruiter to look for other opportunities and was hired by The Barrington Group. During my time at The Barrington Group I worked in account management, project management, mergers and acquisitions, and finished my career there as the Director of Operations for Account Managers and Implementation Analysts.
The Barrington Group was acquired several times and after Ceridian purchased the organization, they moved the operation to Florida. I moved to Frett Barrington and learned the broker side of things.
What do you love most about your work?
I love the challenge of retaining solid knowledge of all of the different lines of coverage, carriers, and products specific to each carrier. I love trying to understand how the chaos of local and national politics impacts the market.
I love taking a very complicated subject and making it easier for clients and prospects to understand. It is very rewarding to complete a meeting and hear something like, "Wow, you make it sound so simple" or, "I never understood it until you explained it to me".
Most of all, I love the relationships I've developed with the clients I've worked with over the last 15 years. I am honored to have the trust they place in me, particularly when people reach out asking for help on very personal, complicated issues. It's great to have employees know and greet me by name, and it's great to have clients that know you so well they've become more like friends and they prefer a hug instead. I never would have thought I'd make the jump from sea lions to insurance, and I certainly never thought I'd love the insurance industry as much as I do.
What has been your biggest success in the past year?
I think my biggest success has been time management. It sounds simple, but the ACA changes have created an environment where so many clients renew in the same 3 month time frame, it can be very challenging to stay on top of everything. I developed a plan and schedule to meet with each client, discuss the market and the impact of the ACA, and strategize the best options for their health plan renewal. When the renewals were released, I was able to quickly communicate their options so clients had the information they needed to make educated and timely decisions about their plan selections.
I also added 33 new lines of coverage, most of which were for clients that were new to the organization.
How do you help your customers overcome their challenges?
I listen first, then ask questions to make sure I really understand what the challenges are. I also ask questions to make sure I understand what their goals and priorities are. I use my knowledge and resources to present options and help them make informed decisions.
What are you most looking forward to with your work in the year to come?
I am looking forward to settling in with R&R. I think it's going to take a while for us to understand each other's processes and implement best practices.
Education
- Bachelor of Fine Arts, Communication
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Registered Health Underwriter (RHU)
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