Certified Insurance Service Representatives (CISR)
Iowa
Choose 5 of 9 to Improve Your 9 to 5
The Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) designation empowers outstanding individuals to provide exceptional account management and customer service.
​
The Certified Insurance Service Representatives (CISR) designation program is a nationally recognized educational program for customer service representatives. This practical program includes 9 courses focused on minimizing E&O claims and understanding and analyzing risks and exposures. Some working knowledge of the applicable policies is required.
29% of surveyed CSRs expressed an interest in advancement opportunities in agency management. —CSR Profile
CISR Agency Operations can transform you into an indispensable team player in any insurance agency or give you the confidence to move into another position. As you work with colleagues and customers, you’ll discover an enhanced self-assurance and a greater understanding of the dynamics within insurance organizations. Also, understanding how agencies function is essential training for both insurance agency and company personnel.
Topics:
Legal & Ethical Requirements
The Insurance Agency
The Insurance Industry and Marketplace
Communication and Technology
Agency Workflow Concepts
Agency Workflow Steps
Account Management
Errors & Omissions
State CE credit is approved in all states. To determine specific credits for your state, go to the CE Guide.
Gain confidence with commercial casualty exposures and coverages and learn the CGL policy inside and out.
This CISR Commercial Casualty I Course strengthens your ability to have productive, confident interactions with your commercial customers in the area of commercial casualty exposures and coverages. You’ll improve your understanding of legal liability and what creates liability exposures. The focus of this course is the Commercial General Liability Coverage Form. Also addressing additional insured exposures and the coverage available to meet them, the course provides a strong foundation that is valued by insurance professionals.
Topics:
Essentials of Legal Liability
Commercial General Liability
Additional Insureds
Those who completed the Insuring Commercial Casualty Exposures course (which was available before Commercial Casualty I and Commercial Casualty II) may choose either Commercial Casualty I or Commercial Casualty II as part of their five courses to earn the CISR designation, but not both. State CE credit is approved in all states. To determine specific credits for your state, go to the CE Guide.
One objective of this course is to clarify who is and who is not an insured in specific situations as defined by the Business Auto Coverage Form.
This course, like Commercial Casualty I, expands your ability to have a confident relationship with your commercial customers in the area of commercial casualty exposures and coverages. In Commercial Casualty II, the focus is on the Business Auto Policy, the Workers Compensation Policy, and Excess Liability Policies. You will improve your understanding in each of these vital areas.
Topics:
Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability
Introduction to Business Auto Coverage
Excess Liability and Commercial Umbrella Policies
Those who completed the Insuring Commercial Casualty Exposures course (which was available before Commercial Casualty I and Commercial Casualty II) may choose either Commercial Casualty I or Commercial Casualty II as part of their five courses to earn the CISR designation, but not both. State CE credit is approved in all states. To determine specific credits for your state, go to the CE Guide.
Insurance Service Representatives can benefit from an understanding of the risk management process.
Knowing the types and classifications of exposures their clients face helps them to design more effective insurance and risk management programs. This course provides tools and techniques to identify exposures, assess their impact on clients’ assets and operations, consider a variety of loss funding/insurance options, control losses and claims, and finally implement risk management and loss control procedures and monitor their progress.
Topics Include:
Introduction to Risk Management
Risk Identification
Risk Analysis
Risk Control
Risk Financing
Risk Administration
State CE credit is approved in all states. To determine specific credits for your state, go to the CE Guide.
Gain a grasp of the types of commercial property, be able to identify parties with an insurable interest, and understand the difference between direct and indirect loss.
Commercial property insurance is one of your business customers’ greatest concerns. You’ll improve your cross-selling abilities with up-to-date knowledge of commercial property coverage and reduce E&O exposures. Insuring Commercial Property gives you the skills to address these issues with greater ease and confidence.
Topics:
Fundamentals of Commercial Property Insurance
Building and Personal Property Coverage Form
Causes of Loss Forms
Basics of Time Element Insurance
Basics of Commercial Inland Marine Insurance
State CE credit is approved in all states. To determine specific credits for your state, go to the CE Guide.
Identifying the right personal automobile policy and being able to modify it appropriately are skills valued by clients and their families.
After taking the CISR Insuring Personal Auto Course, you’ll be able to assist your clients in identifying their exposures and more effectively advise them of policy limitations or exclusions that may apply, including ways to provide the needed coverage.
Topics:
Introduction to the Personal Auto Policy
Personal Auto Policy Definitions and Liability Coverage
Medical Payments/Personal Injury Protection
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists Coverage
Coverage for Damage to Your Auto
Coverage for a Rented Vehicle
State CE credit is approved in all states. To determine specific credits for your state, go to the CE Guide.
Nothing hits home more than a personal lines loss. Client retention depends on developing relationships and learning to identify the specific exposures each client contends with.
The CISR Personal Residential Course helps you develop the expertise to guide your customers through the often complex and confusing process of purchasing homeowners insurance. More importantly, you will be able to provide practical information that will help clients make decisions for protecting their most valuable assets and their financial future in the event of a loss.
Topics:
Personal Residential Concepts
Homeowners Policy Property Coverages
Homeowners Policy Liability Coverages and Policy Conditions
State CE credit is approved in all states. To determine specific credits for your state, go to the CE Guide.
While Personal Lines business may be your primary focus, cross-selling life and health products is a proven revenue generator and client retention tool. Grow your skills and grow your value for your future and for your agency!
This course helps build a better understanding of what your clients need to know about life and health insurance. Explaining the benefits of having the proper life and health insurance is key to the financial well-being of your clients’ families and businesses.
Be better prepared to answer questions about analyzing the need for and placement of life insurance. Health insurance includes a diverse assortment of policies, from medical expense coverage to vision care and dental coverage, plus a variety of delivery systems and health plans designed to manage the high cost of care.
Topics:
Introduction to Life Insurance
Term and Permanent Life Insurance
Common Characteristics of Life Insurance Concepts
Healthcare Policies
Federal Regulation and Consumer-Driven Health Plans
Medicare
State CE credit is approved in all states. To determine specific credits for your state, go to the CE Guide.
Learn how to tailor insurance & risk management programs to meet client needs.
This course examines coverage exclusions and limitations in the most current ISO Homeowners 3 – Special Form and the ISO Personal Auto Policy.
Learn to address exposures created by business activities, the ownership or use of recreational vehicles and watercraft, and the need for additional coverage through Personal Umbrella Liability and Catastrophe Coverage.
This course is best taken after CISR Personal Residential Property & CISR Personal Auto Exposures.
Topics:
Business Activities of Personal Lines Clients – Unique exposures to in-home businesses, types of loss, risk management considerations, and methods of insuring exposures.
Recreational Lines – Identify exposures faced by personal lines clients with recreational vehicles and watercraft.
Personal Umbrella/Excess Liability – Understand Personal Umbrella Liability/Excess Liability Coverage concepts and identify and compare policy differences.
Personal Lines Catastrophe Coverage – Coverage solutions and risk mitigation methods or resources available to personal lines consumers for catastrophic perils.
Personal Lines Emerging Risks – Basics of how emerging risks develop, risk management process essentials, and how to apply the risk management process to an emerging risk.
State CE credit is approved in all states. To determine specific credits for your state, go to the CE Guide.
The CISR designation program is a practical program, focusing on minimizing E&O claims and understanding and analyzing risks and exposures. The program consists of nine one-day courses that are sure to raise the standards of customer service. CISR is an intermediate-level program; therefore, it assumes some working knowledge of the applicable policies. To earn the CISR designation, you must complete five courses and successfully pass the examination that follows each course within three calendar years following the year in which you pass your first exam. To keep the designation, you must update each year with additional continuing education courses offered by Insurance Agents & Brokers. The CISR designation identifies individuals who are committed to continually striving for the highest standard of professional and personal growth!
CISR is first and foremost a continuing education opportunity. Students will attain knowledge and skills to help them perform better in their jobs, and licensed people will earn credits toward their state CE requirements.
​
CISR also provides an opportunity to earn a professional designation by taking and passing the optional exams at the end of each course.
​
Whether you want to improve your knowledge of a particular topic, earn your state-required continuing education (CE) hours, or complete the entire program and earn a professional designation, CISR can meet your education needs, and the one-day classes allow for maximum benefits with minimum time away from the office. You gain knowledge, prestige, continuing ed credit, and the competitive edge!
This question requires some clarification. CSR (Customer Service Representative) is a job title, while CISR (Certified Insurance Service Representatives) is a nationwide professional designation program offered in Iowa by PIA.
Any employee of an agency, insurance company, or insurance–related business, including agents and agency managers, is eligible to attend CISR courses. While the program is ideal for agency CSRs, agents, agency principals, and other agency employees will also benefit from CISR. Licensed employees will earn CE credit, but no license is required to attend. The top-quality course materials and intermediate-level instruction enable many unlicensed employees to follow the courses and benefit from them.
You must complete five courses and successfully pass the examinations that follow each course within three calendar years. Once you have done this, you will have earned the right to use the designation as indicated in your Congratulatory Packet from the Alliance 2-4 days following the posting of your final pass letter to your profile. In addition, you will be eligible to attend special programs designed exclusively for CISR designees.
If you hold the CISR designation and pass the other four CISR course exams, you will earn the CISR Elite designation! These additional passes must be achieved in a three-year time frame. Obtaining the status of being a CISR Elite is evidence of commitment to the agency, the client, and the participant's personal growth. Earning the CISR Elite designation represents increased specialized knowledge, increases earning power, enhances professional status, and creates more value for your agency or company.
Once you've completed the program, you can maintain your designation by attending an update course by the end of your birth month each year.
Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) course
Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) course
Ruble Seminars: Dues Required
William T. Hold Seminars
Don't confuse your CISR update with your state CE requirement. CISR updates are annual.
Dynamics of Service is an agency-tested training system designed to increase performance, professionalism, and job satisfaction throughout your agency. The class concentrates on insurance-specific customer service training, with a special focus on customer service issues, including account development and E&O loss prevention. Dues-paying CISRs can use Dynamics for their annual update, but this class is open to anyone and would benefit anyone who works at an insurance agency/company. William T. Hold Seminars Are Available to All Insurance Professionals
These innovative 7-hour courses are now available whether or not you are seeking or hold a designation. This means more educational choices for producers, account executives, account managers, and all company and agency personnel. More subjects, more opportunities, more educational choices....that’s what everyone is requesting. The William T. Hold Seminars explore current and relevant topics for producers, account executives, and account managers. The classroom agendas are created from more than 40 topics, ranging from personal lines to commercial lines to life and health to risk management. The information is reinforced with excellent workbook materials and informal Q&A with the faculty -- experienced insurance industry professionals.
All insurance professionals are eligible to attend William T. Hold Seminars and benefit from the following:
Generous CE credit
Expert instruction
State-specific topics and in-depth discussions
Satisfies the annual CISR and CSRM update requirements
AND NO TEST!
Each WTH is planned individually, so there is no standard curriculum. The WTH class is intended to cover topics either not covered in the nine regular CISR classes or to cover a more advanced version of something that is touched on in one of the regular classes. Because each WTH is unique and the agenda may not be determined until a few months out, CE credit information may be unavailable until a month or so before the class.
No. There are no make-up tests in the CISR program. To retake an exam, you have to retake the class and the fee is the same (i.e., no discount).
No. The Society of CISR only provides pass-fail information. However, you can get an exam review from the Society. Call them at 800-633-2165 to request the exam review. They will evaluate your exam and send you a report that analyzes your strong and weak points.
Yes. As long as you are present for the entire course, you will earn state CE credit, regardless of whether you even take the exam. Most other states seem to have similar policies, but if your resident license is in a different state, please review your state's CE law.
Yes. Depending on your staff size, it may be cost effective for you to schedule a CISR class at your office or at a nearby location. Call PIA at 402-392-1611 or e-mail us for more details.
Please visit the www.riskeducation.org
CE credit for classroom/PIA webinar programs, like CISR, is earned by attendance and varies by state/program; you are not required to take the exams. CISR classes also qualify for credit in all other states that require CE, so CISR can be used to earn credit toward many nonresident licenses you may hold.