Doing Insurance The Tompkins Way
On the home page of the Tompkins Insurance Agencies website, a slogan reads: “The way insurance should be done.”
According to CEO and President David Boyce, this commitment means always being there for customers when they need assistance.
“Significant storms in March of 2017 had our people taking 1,000-plus claims a day,” he told Insurance Journal. “We extended our hours and efforts significantly, worked weekends and saw staff volunteering to do whatever it took to deliver on the promise that we sell to our clients, which is to be there when they need us most.”
Batavia, N.Y.-based Tompkins Insurance Agencies — winner of Insurance Journal’s 2018 Best Agencies to Work For East Region Gold Award — touts its 24/7 customer service as one way it is able to go above and beyond in serving its community.
“Every day, not just in words but in action, our team delivers on our core values of commitment to customer, to community and to employee,” one employee wrote in an anonymous survey.
Boyce, who initially entered the insurance industry by following in his father’s footsteps, said he believes Tompkins Insurance Agencies is able to continuously deliver on its customer service values because of its people and its culture.
“While I’m extremely proud of this nomination, I’m not surprised,” he said. “Although I’m the leader, I know we are who we are only because of our employees.”
Employees who nominated the agency expressed similar thoughts when asked why they feel Tompkins is a great place to work.
“Tompkins is not just a job, but a culture,” one employee wrote in the survey. “I have never worked for another company where the employees are happier to be a part of something bigger and something special.”
To illustrate this, employees expressed in the survey that every year, they are recognized for milestone anniversaries at an offsite location with lunch, personalized speeches and a gift.
“I am always amazed at how many employees celebrate 20, 25, 30 and even 40 years at the company,” an employee wrote.
Other employees pointed to the fact that the work environment at Tompkins Insurance feels like a family.
“One thing I noticed when I was hired were the two welcome cards I received …” an employee wrote in the survey. “This was a nice touch and showed that they care for their employees. Within my first two months of hire, I have the opportunity to help out with three charity programs representing Tompkins. This is a testimony to their community involvement.”
Boyce echoed these thoughts, stating he believes the agency is different because it lives its values through a work environment that drives employee growth.
“I truly believe this is a great place to work and will continue to be a great place to work, because of our people and our culture,” he said, adding Tompkins Insurance aims to enable employees to be committed to the communities where they live and work, and to the customers they serve.
“This is validated by the number of new employees that are referred to work for our agency by our existing team, and the fact that we have a number of examples of multiple family members working for our company,” he said.
Indeed, employees made it clear in the survey that Tompkins’ commitment to serving its community by offering 24/7 customer service and participating in charitable initiatives, as well as serving its employees by creating a family like work environment, has not gone unnoticed.
“As I walk into our building, I look up to our symbol on the exterior and am thankful and proud to work here at Tompkins,” one employee said.
“It’s just a great place to be.”