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Customer service is more than crucial to an insurance agent’s business. It’s also an important sales and customer retention strategy. Here are a few ways to manage your relationships with customers better—and give back in a way that keeps them around, even if they get a lower quote elsewhere.

Stay in touch through the claims process. This isn’t just the job of the carriers claims department. The claims process can be sensitive on both sides, and it’s easy for communication to break down. Stay in touch periodically as much as a month after the claim was filed. Defer specific questions that the claims department has to answer, but be sure your customer sees you as a sympathetic ear and an advocate for them.

Refer your clients. If you need to refer a client to claims or another department, ensure they get a live person. If possible, forward the call to a person who will pick up, stay on the line to provide introductions and answer initial questions, but avoid forwarding a customer to an endless phone tree or someone’s voicemail.

Always offer opportunities to save. Be on the lookout for discounts your customers might be eligible for, and get in touch to tell them. Or bring them up during a phone call about other issues, if they have the time. Customers see this as an extremely positive event, and will likely remember that you kept in touch with these opportunities. Even if it reduces your sales numbers, it’s well worth it. It demonstrates your value where your customers feel it most—their bank account.

Keep in touch via phone, email, newsletter, and other methods. Stay in touch with your customers, even when there are no pressing issues to deal with. Use the phone, email, or other methods your customers prefer—you can ask them how they prefer you keep in touch with them as part of the on-boarding process. Make sure your top revenue clients hear from you on a fairly regular basis, and that you keep in touch even with smaller clients periodically.

Get back to people quickly. If your customer has to contact you, chances are something is wrong. Many people get back to phone calls and emails within 24 hours, but it’s best to get back same-day, even if you’re busy—faster if it’s an urgent issue. Make sure your customers know that their problems are your priority.

Great customer relationship management is just another facet of sales. It keeps your customers coming back, it keeps them recommending you, and it keeps them staying with you even when they know they can get lower premiums elsewhere. If your staff has excellent customer focus skills, your business is likely to thrive.