Great People; Insufficient Compensation
Pros
Ample training is available for the Customer Service Rep/Licensed 440 position: online training, as well as coaching by the Agency. The small agency that I worked for had great synergy and we worked together as a team. The Customer always came first, and we went the extra mile (or two) to resolve any problem that they brought to our attention. Pleasant work environment and continued growth in product/industry knowledge encouraged.
Cons
I did my homework before signing on with Allstate and was expecting more financially from the CSR position than what actually panned out. After becoming employed I learned that each Agency compensates their CSRs at the level they choose. There is no Allstate "standard" pay schedule. I was hired at $12/hr and from other Allstate reviews expected that the SOP was to be bumped up after the first three months. That didn't happen, so I found myself in a 40-hr+/week position that didn't pay enough to make the bills, even with the small bonuses from sales. I grew to know the clients and really enjoyed working in the agency, but reluctantly had to resign after 6 months due to not being able to afford to stay on. Allstate's Agent Support line for the agencies is terrible. When we needed information in order to resolve a Customer's concern or problem with their policy; or had an issue with the Allstate proprietary software/programs, calling the agent support line was an exhausting exercise in frustration. We were shuttled from person to person and each support person would give us a different "right" answer. They obviously lacked the product/procedure/software knowledge neccessary to assist us. Completely unacceptable, if the Agency is the face of "Allstate" to the Public, and the Agency personnel don't receive the necessary support to help the Customer and build their confidence in the brand. Corporate is aware of the problem but moves extremely slowly to address known issues.
