It’s the 30th Anniversary of The Outstanding Customer Service Representative of the Year (OCSRY) award for The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research. In this episode Co-Hosts, Mitch Dunford, MBA and Dustyne Bryant, CIC, CISR, MBA, talk with The National Alliance’s own Danielle Janecka about the history, opening, expectations, and deadline of the OCSRY award. Past winners, Ashley Fitzsimmons, CISR (2018 National OCSRY), Reuben Hall (2020 Ohio OCSRY), and Tracy Cotton, CIC, CISR (2003 North Carolina OCSRY) expand on what it was like to be nominated, win their titles, and what it has meant for their careers since receiving their titles.
About Our Guests:
Tracy Cotton, CIC, CISR
Tracy Cotton has been an underwriter, CSR, consultant, producer, marketer, and instructor in her 25+ year career in insurance. Now she is putting it all to work in a new role as Executive Client Manager for Starr-Mathews Agency in Chattanooga TN. She didn’t create this job but feels as if it was created just for her. She gets to work closely with middle market to large commercial clients to offer a more concierge level of service than either a typical CSR or producer can balance. Every day is different and she loves getting to help onboard new clients, and grease the wheels for more value added renewal reviews. She enjoys connecting with industry peers and is a founding member of the #5amclubins on Twitter. When she isn’t evaluating work comp audits and creating service plans, her passion is to get outdoors with her dog, Jasper. Although she still loves the mountains of Western NC, where she lived for many years, she is currently digging finding places to hike, backpack and paddle in southeastern TN.
Ashley Fitzsimmons, CISR
Director of Professional Development, Ohio Insurance Agents Association, Inc. Known as the Beyonce of Insurance, Ashley has grown up in insurance. She has real life experience on the agency side – for nearly the last decade. She has had to overcome the same daily struggles and has personally researched and implemented many tools and programs to help her family agency run more efficiently. Nine years spent as the fourth generation in a family agency located near Scranton, PA, obtaining her CISR designation, multiple speaking engagements across the country as well as being nominated the 2018 National CSR of the year has given her the knowledge and experience to help other agents thrive instead of just survive.
Reuben Hall
Reuben has been in the insurance industry for 5-1/2 years with experience on the agency side as well as the carrier side. Reuben works at Oswald Companies in Cleveland, OH as an Associate Client Manager in the Specialty Risk industry and has been there for 3 years. He is also a member of Oswald’s Young Professional’s Leadership Council where they look to recruit young talent to the insurance industry as well as participating in various volunteer opportunities in the community. Reuben is the 2020 CSR of the year for Ohio.
