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Fun Time News
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In this issue
-- Quote of the Month
-- On the Cutting Edge: PCs in Autos = Insurance Company Heart Failure?
-- Truly Frightening Factoid of the Month
-- Risk Management Tip of the Month -- News Flash: Jackie Chan Takes on The Man! -- The Greatest Insurance Story Ever Told SPECIAL EDITION: The Humble Origins of IIF -- Brand Tip: The Real Reason for the Bucks in Starbucks -- Nightmare on Employer Street -- Tales from the HR Crypt: Sexual Harassment -- Book of the Month: Satisfaction, by Chris Denove and James D. Power IV -- Product Deal of the Day -- Amaze Your Friends! Score an IIF Teddy! -- Picture of the Month! -- Feedback
We've got a incredible plethora of new offers and information this month. First, a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!! Our website is undergoing a complete facelift and upgrade, and you get to be the first to check it out! Let us know what you like, what you don't, and what we missed. It's all for you at InsuranceisFun .com! Now, on the the latest fun facts, information and IIF store Deals of the Season! |
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Quote of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I tell young musicians, ‘Don’t trust nobody but your
mama. And even then, look at her real good.’”
—Bo Diddley
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On the Cutting Edge: PCs in Autos = Insurance Company Heart Failure? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In response to a recent announcement at a large
automotive trade show in Las Vegas that several of
the nation’s leading automakers will begin equipping
vehicles with full broadband Web access, what could
only be described as a “Heart Failure Epidemic” swept
through the offices of America’s automobile insurance
carriers.
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Truly Frightening Factoid of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
According to a recent survey of teenage drivers by
Allstate quoted in Forbes magazine, 12.8% admit
they have read or written text messages while driving.
A survey of IIF staffers, in answer to the question “What do you think the other 87.2% were doing with that free hand if not texting,” turned up the following suggestions:
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Risk Management Tip of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are choking on an ice cube, don’t panic. Simply
pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and
presto! The blockage will be almost instantly removed.
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News Flash: Jackie Chan Takes on The Man! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Has a risk manager or underwriter’s seemingly “never-
ending-no’s” frustrated you to the point where only a
flying scissor kick and subsequent roundhouse elbow
to the chin would bring satisfaction? We in the
industry are used to this level of irritation. But action
film star Jackie Chan’s recent murmurings may have
some unsuspecting underwriters closer to “Kung Fu
justice” than they’d like:
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The Greatest Insurance Story Ever Told SPECIAL EDITION: The Humble Origins of IIF ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a dark and stormy Web site. In Utah, a young
woman gazed out her office window, dreaming of a
world beyond HR. In an insurance agency like so
many others, a CSR gazed forlornly at the pile of
work on her desk and asked herself for the hundredth
time why no one offered a coffee cup with a slogan
more interesting than “I hate mornings.”
Little did they know that at that very moment, in a small office on the East Coast in Springfield, Virginia, two grizzled veterans of the insurance wars huddled over a small scrap of paper. |
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Brand Tip: The Real Reason for the Bucks in Starbucks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a crowded Starbucks on a hazy morning, IIF Chief
Fun Officer Peter van Aartrijk made a startling
discovery that is sure to shake up the very essence
of our agency culture—all while nursing what he used
to think was the most important quality of Starbucks:
a pretty darn good cup of coffee.
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Nightmare on Employer Street ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We at IIF certainly hope you never worked for a boss
like this—but it sure sounds depressingly familiar!
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY - NEW OFFICE POLICY Dress Code:
Sick Days: We will no longer accept a doctor’s statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work. Personal Days: Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays and Sundays. Bereavement Leave: This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or coworkers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral arrangements. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early. Bathroom Breaks: Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the “Chronic Offenders” category. Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company’s mental health policy. Lunch Break:
Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere. The Management.
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Tales from the HR Crypt: Sexual Harassment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scenario: A group of female employees goes after
work to an “adult” store and makes purchases. The
following day, one of the ladies brings in an “adult
toy” and shows it off to other employees, laughing
and joking about it. Some employees find the entire
situation hysterically funny and join in on the joking.
Others, however, find the employee’s actions highly
offensive and complain about it to their supervisor.
Two questions: First, does this constitute sexual harassment? Second, what, if anything, should the employer do about it? |
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Book of the Month: Satisfaction, by Chris Denove and James D. Power IV ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interested in knowing where the standards for
customer service began? These two executives from
J.D. Power and Associates®, the authority on
consumer satisfaction, share what they’ve learned in
their tenure at helm of the company kissed up to
more than any in corporate America.
“Your customers should be your only source of referral generation.” Baloney! After all, everyone in our industry knows that cold calling is the only way to make a name. “500 ‘no’s’ is one step closer to a ‘yes,’ right? Not according to this book, which shows how the greatest companies in the world continue to swell profits through one major revenue stream: current customers. Read about business people whose lives have been enriched or soiled at the hands of happy or ticked consumers. And the secrets behind corporate America’s most coveted prize are finally revealed! Check it out! IIF Rating: 9 out of 10** **It should have been a 10, but one member of our distinguished panel of judges still can’t forgive J.D. Power for recommending his 1974 Vega. Let it go, Frank.
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Product Deal of the Day ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
’Tis the season! And IIF’s jolly elves and elfettes
have been working overtime dreaming up perfect gifts
for those insurance buffs on your holiday list. The
beautiful mug/tshirt set pictured here
is but one of the
literally hundreds of possibilities awaiting you even
now at the IIF Holiday Store! Plus, FREE GROUND
SHIPPING on all purchases of $50 or more until 11:59
p.m. on December 20, 2006.
If you don’t see what you want, e-mail or call. Don’t delay—we still have time to create the perfect IIF gift or gift set for your favorite folks! Just click the link below and you are on your way! |
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Amaze Your Friends! Score an IIF Teddy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes, we said amaze! Dumfound, even! Blow away!
And you risk not only their eternal gratitude, but the
chance of scoring a FREE IIF Teddy Bear with the
slogan of your choice! A $17.99 (plus S&H) value, all
yours—FREE. And for what? The mere forwarding of
this very newsletter to any number of your currently
unsubscribed and therefore un-IIF-enlightened friends.
And we’ll even make it easy for you: Just click on the following link, enter their e-mail addresses in the handy dandy form, add a personal message if you wish, click on “submit” and away you go! In order to score the Teddy, you must use this form—otherwise we’ll have no idea as to who did the deed and whose name goes in the hat for the prize! And not to worry— the only use IIF will ever make of your friend’s e-mail addresses is to forward them the free newsletter. We swear not to bombard them with spam, sell them to East Indian slavers, or submit their bank account numbers to various high-level government officials currently transferring money out of Nigerian bank accounts. So help us spread the IIF spirit. Click that link! |
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Picture of the Month! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Feedback ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Does our newsletter get you excited about
insurance? Or is it a monthly reminder of how much
we here at IIF need to get a life? Either way, we’d
like to know! Send your questions, comments, jokes,
stories, tuxedo sizes, restaurant recommendations,
poker strategies and stock tips to
newsletterfeedback@insuranceisfun.com.
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Quick Links ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
E-mail:
newsletter@insuranceisfun.com
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