Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/133826
continued single digits and the hiring process is very deliberate as the company wants to make sure new additions will fit in. Indeed, the average employee at Secura has been with the company for 12 years or more, and many have advanced degrees. That stability and expertise has become a cornerstone of building relationships with independent agents. The changes worked. As Secura entered the new millennium, its loss ratio improved and it began to see annual improvements in written premiums and a buildup of its reserves. A.M. Best consistently rates the company A with an excellent outlook for its financial strength and ability to meet its financial obligations to policyholders. "The culture was here, it just needed to be allowed to surface," Bykowski says. "The people here, their work is important to them." Watch Secura President, CEO and Chairman of the Board John Bykowski discuss the company's culture and how its collective personality helps make it an industry leader. Customer service: Not a cliché C O U R T E S Y U N I T E D WAY oe Dever can attest to just how committed Secura's employees are. Dever works with Insuramax, Inc., the first independent agency to sign with Secura when the company expanded into Kentucky in 1997. Dever has seen first-hand how the company has changed and has nothing but praise for its commitment to building relationships with agents. "They are the easiest company to work with by far," says Dever. "At every level, from risk management to marketing to underwriting, they take their role seriously and they take care of our clients." From left, John Bykowski, Mary Ver Voort, Pauline Mauthe and Clint Dusenbery of Secura entertained the United Way Campaign kickoff on the grounds at Secura in 2012 with a "Saturday Night Fever" theme. 26 | Insight • J u n e 2 013 Dever is quick to credit Bykowski for that approach. He says the company reflects Bykowski's values and commitment to customer service. To Bykowski, customer service is more than cliché promises. "He makes it very easy to call him," Dever says. "We've had issues over the years, and when he says it will be taken care of, it gets taken care of. The company permeates with his personality. They make you believe in them." That's not just Dever's personal opinion. Whenever his agency does customer satisfaction surveys, Secura is consistently ranked at the top, regardless of the product line. Other companies may score high in one product, but low with others, he says. Achieving those high marks from agents and customers is critical. In an age of online and direct sales, Secura still relies on a network of independent agents to sell its policies to customers in their geographic areas. Those independent agencies are always free to recommend another company. In fact, Bykowski believes the independent agent is a critical component in the sales process. While many companies have come to rely on Internet and direct sales, the agent acts as a counselor to the client, recommending the best policy, not just the cheapest, Bykowski says. In nearly 30 years of working as an independent agent, Tom Terry has written policies on behalf of many companies for his customers and represents more than 10 in his work with Keller-Lowry Insurance Inc., in Denver. His agency began working with Secura six years ago as the company expanded west. Not convinced the agency needed to represent another company, it only took a few transactions to realize there was something unique about Secura, Terry says. "In six years, I can only recall one phone call w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m