FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions is a Great Place to Start Learning about RJF Agencies
If you don't see your question, simply use our Quick Response form to find your answer.
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 About RJF - general |
How many employees do you have?
At last count, about 155 employees and growing…
Our main headquarters is in Minneapolis at 6000 Nathan Lane North Minneapolis, MN 55442. Here are directions and a map.
Why do you claim you have more integrity?
Because our process is open and transparent. If you want to know how much we are making in our consulting or insurance brokering with you, ask us. We’ll tell you.
Every contract with a client comes with an accountability plan. It shows what you expect from us and what we expect from you. There are no hidden fees, no hidden agendas, and there’s no question we won’t answer.
If I get a better price, why should I care about the integrity stuff?
There are no free lunches. Every “better price” comes at a trade-off of some kind. Wouldn’t you rather work with someone who will sit down with you and do a side-by-side comparison to explain what those “hidden costs” are?
Everyone says they have integrity. How do you prove it?
You’re right. We can’t. Everyone in our industry talks about integrity. The question is, do they “walk the walk”? Our risk assessment is free. Let us do one for your business, talk to our people, and then afterwards, you tell us if you believe we have integrity.
What does RJF stand for?
RJF stands for Russell-Jeatran-Fleming. Bill Jeatran purchased the company from Charles (Chick) Russell, and shortly thereafter Tim Fleming joined the company. It has been RJF ever since.
I don’t trust insurance companies. What makes you different?
When you work for a firm like RJF where ethics and values are at the core of everything the company does, something amazing happens. Our people can focus on helping our clients reduce risks, cut costs, improve safety, and make their employees healthier, happier and more productive.
And that makes for a positive and vital relationship between our people and our clients. Find out what we mean by filling out our Quick Response form or call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033.
Do you offer insurance?
Yes we do. RJF is an insurance broker although we prefer to think of ourselves as a risk management consultant. The two services dovetail nicely because as we lower our clients risk levels through loss control, we can often get them better rates on their insurance or better benefits for the same money they are paying now.
Are you a broker or a consultant?
Although we consider ourselves first and foremost a consulting firm, we are also an insurance broker. We prefer to help our clients lower their risk through loss control so we can either get them better insurance benefits for the same money or get them lower insurance rates.
Is there a benefit to going with a private firm as opposed to your big public competitors?
It’s a pretty simple equation: Do you want a firm working for you whose first priority is to you or a firm whose first priority is to the stockholders? Because we are a private firm, we have greater flexibility in how we serve our clients.
| How RJF operates / What to expect |
How are you different from my current broker?
We won’t know that until we sit down and talk. Some of our clients are happy with their current broker and that’s fine with us. If you have a good relationship with your broker and they are serving your interests well, then we have no reason to replace them.
However, one of the things that sets us apart from most brokers is our willingness to be a facilitator between the insurance carrier and you. We also constantly review your firm and let you know why claims are happening so we can work together to reduce them.
We also do a lot of employee surveys to help you understand what the employees really want in a benefits package. And we train and educate your employees about their benefits, something a lot of our clients find difficult to do themselves.
Why not give us a call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033 or fill out our Quick Response form to find out? It will cost you nothing.
How do you plan to save us money?
That’s the beauty of our free risk assessment. It costs you nothing but it helps us build a better perception of what you’re doing now versus what we can do for you in terms of cost savings. And if we can’t save you money, the assessment will tell you.
Why should I trust you? I’ve had the same broker for years.
That’s fine. We aren’t in the business of breaking relationships. If you are comfortable with your broker and believe they are serving your best interests, then you should stay with them.
Let us do a free risk assessment. Then you’ll know if there are other things besides insurance where you can enjoy cost savings. And every smart business owner wants to reduce their costs.
To begin with, before you sign anything, you get a free risk assessment. This report will tell you:
- If we can increase your benefits at the same or lower cost
- If we can lower your risk and therefore, cut your overall costs
- What other programs or services we have that will benefit your firm
- If you should hire RJF as if we were an employee
From there, we’ll go over the assessment with you to decide “what you need”.
Something else you get is the “intellectual property” that comes with dealing with RJF. A lot of brokers say they have experience but too many of them just have a handful of people and “farm out” everything. We have the experienced and knowledgeable staff “in-house” to give you the services you need.
But don’t take our word for it. Read some of the case studies and testimonials from our clients. We have plenty to choose from.
What do you mean by “hire RJF as if we were an employee”?
It refers to hiring one of our consulting teams to serve either full time or part time as your HR department or Wellness team or Safety consultants or other service you don’t want to hire a full-time direct employee to handle.
Similar to any other employee of your firm, the RJF consulting team you retain should have a strong understanding of your expectations, a plan to exceed those expectations, a process by which they can be measured and a clear understanding of compensation. All that is negotiable.
When do you become my broker?
After we’ve performed and discussed your risk assessment and you decide you want to retain our services.
How do we measure what our broker does against what you can do? And what does it cost…really?
That’s what our free, and we mean free, assessment does. We really prefer to be a risk management consultant than just a broker. Our assessment will lay out what your current broker is doing for you, what your current loss control program is achieving and what we would do differently. Then you can make a side by side comparison.
My business is unique. How do I know you’ll understand my business?
RJF has been around for a lot of years. In that time, we have worked with many different businesses. In fact, we have programs and teams developed specifically for certain industries and may already have programs that fit your business.
It’s our flexibility and willingness to learn from clients that makes us adaptable to any unique business. Fill out our Quick Response form or call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033 to find out.
My business is on the fast track. Can you keep up as we grow?
We know your goal is to grow your business. And growth can often lead to another state, another country, or even another continent. As the Minneapolis office of Assurex Global, RJF Agencies we will continue to serve you and manage your risks no matter how or where you grow.
Can you guarantee you'll save us money?
As much as we’d like to, we can’t. There is no guarantee we can lower your costs. While most businesses can benefit from our analysis, there are some businesses we just can’t help.
However, the only way to know for sure is to fill out our Quick Response form or call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033. It’s a free risk assessment. It costs you nothing.
What if we’re a new firm with no claims history?
While a claims analysis is extremely beneficial, there are other methods and processes we can use to look for cost savings and loss control. Take a minute, fill out our Quick Response form, and find out if we can help.
What do you mean by Loss Control?
RJF Agencies believes the most important service we can give to our clients is to help them prevent losses in the first place, or help them be prepared to recover from losses if a disaster happens. Learn more…
Will all this “analysis” interfere with my employees?
We understand you have a business to run. Our teams have the flexibility to work with your employees in whatever arrangement is most efficient for them.
How many “teams” do you have?
Flexible teams are why we can help so many businesses in so many ways. Our teams include a Safety Consulting team, Claims Management team, Employee Benefits team, Human Resources team and other teams that are often formed just to help your specific firm.
Is RJF an insurance broker?
RJF is a lot more than just an insurance broker. We like to think of ourselves as a risk management consultant. Our goal is to lower your overall costs by working with you to reduce your risks and exposures, keep your claims at a minimum, and keep your premiums at their lowest. To find out more, take a minute to fill out our Quick Response form or call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033.
What if all I want is insurance?
While RJF believes that insurance is not always the cheapest nor the most efficient option, as a broker we represent many insurance companies. We can help analyze your business risks and find the best insurance to cover your needs. Take a minute to fill out our Quick Response form or call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033.
Do we get “assessed” by one person and then get passed to an underling?
The person you start working with is the person you will continue to work with. We are a relationship-based organization. We prefer to form lasting relationships between our people and our clients. That way, the person from RJF who works with you on a daily basis has a personal interest in working for your best interest.
How do we hold you accountable?
From the beginning, we establish a written action plan based on accountability. This action plan not only holds our people accountable to you but also lists a set of conditions we expect from your firm. It holds both sides accountable.
How many carriers do you work with?
We have relationships with a multitude of carriers. Give us a call at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033 to find out more.
How do you help with compliance issues?
It seems like every week either the State or Federal Government is tweaking or changing the rules. That’s why RJF has retained an employment law attorney and an HR/employee benefits compliance consultant to help our clients stay out of trouble.
We also provide support through our internal Human Resource consulting area to provide up-to-date expertise and support to the companies we partner with.
We have most of our employees here but also have some out-of-state. How do we manage our out-of-state employees?
RJF is a long-standing partner of Assurex Global so we can help our clients manage their regional, national, or international program. Through our partnership, we have offices in every state and almost every country in the world.
Furthermore, through Assurex Global, we have created a no cost, web-based, encrypted system for companies to share their vital insurance and company information with other offices in a HIPAA compliant manner.
Why don’t you fill out our Quick Response form or call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033 to learn more about this advantage?
Most every broker talks about data and reporting. What do we do with it?
For the most part, data is available to any company with over 100 employees. Depending on your requirements, we can develop a monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual reporting system for making appropriate recommendations.
We have a unique approach that uses modeling to show you where you’ve been and where you are likely to go if current trends continue. Then we develop a program from that information to help you find the most available savings with the least amount of disruption to your employees.
To learn more, fill out our Quick Response form or call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033 to learn more about this advantage?
I don’t have time for assessments. What’s involved?
Actually, there’s very little disruption to you or your employees. A few short interviews with you to get an overall picture of where you see issues. The rest is handled with lower management personnel, emails and phone calls. The majority of our work is data mining, information modeling, and reviewing documents.
How much is this assessment going to cost me?
Your risk assessment is free. Without it, we wouldn’t have hard data to show you what we can do for you. It’s our marketing tool and we absorb the cost because it rarely shows that we can’t save you money. And for the few people we can’t help, it’s a necessary cost of doing business.
My agent reviewed my policy last year. Why do I need a “risk assessment”?
A risk assessment is not a policy review. It is an extensive review of losses, claims and benefit use over time, plus a review of health, safety and loss control policies.
Then we can compare your losses to others in your industry and other industries within your state. This way, we can give you a complete overall picture of your risk situation, something most companies have never done.
Why should I have RJF do everything?
Because once we have a firm grasp on your situation from the risk assessment, we can use our extensive knowledge and experience to create comprehensive policies to cut your losses and improve your bottom line throughout your company.
What other companies in my industry have you worked with?
The odds are, with our wide ranging experience, we’ve worked with other firms in your industry. However, we won’t know that until we sit down and talk to you. Fill out our Quick Response form or call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033.
How do we get started? What’s the first step?
The first step is always the risk assessment. This will do three things:
- help us establish a baseline
- help you get a firm grasp on your losses, claims and benefit use over time
- help us determine where to devote our resources to improve your health, safety and loss control policies
If you’re ready to get started, fill out our Quick Response form or call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033.
How do you get paid?
That actually depends on you. And what you’re comfortable with. We can negotiate a fee-based, commission-based, or performance-based payment plan.
| Risk Management / Insurance & Benefits |
Risk management is a multitude of practices and methods that help reduce risk to your employees and your company. It can include:
- analyzing your claims and loss history
- comparing your practices with industry standards
- training your people to recognize and manage risk
- instituting wellness programs to keep employees healthy
- helping sick or injured employees get back to work sooner
- reducing your overall risk so claims are minimized
These practices and others achieve our ultimate goal of lowering your insurance premiums, lowering your claims losses, reducing your expenses and growing your bottom line. To learn more, visit our About RJF page…
Is Risk Management only for big companies?
Not at all. Almost any size firm can benefit from risk management. Our experts will work with you to help you understand your risks and reduce them to help lower your insurance costs.
Why don’t you fill out our Quick Response form or call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033 to find out?
When you say “partnership”, does this mean I have to wait years for any improvement in my loss control?
While the biggest changes don’t happen overnight, we can often find immediate savings for most firms. But the big savings gradually build over time as our various programs and training begin to pay off.
Isn’t “wellness” just the latest industry buzzword?
Like any new idea, Wellness programs can be very successful if handled properly. Many large corporations with effective Wellness programs have seen improvements in worker health, reducing sick days and insurance claims.
Unfortunately, many smaller companies cannot afford to hire a full-time wellness expert. With RJF’s Wellness team on board, you can enjoy wellness consulting for your employees without hiring a full-time wellness expert.
Can “Wellness programs” really make a difference to my bottom line?
Yes. Big companies have been enjoying the benefits of Wellness programs for years. RJF believes it’s time for small to medium sized businesses to get the same cost saving benefits.
What is Assurex Global?
Assurex Global is the third largest insurance brokerage group in the world. With over 500 offices in 74 countries, we can offer locally-based services to any office or plant anywhere in the world. And to make certain all our partners offer the same high standards of service, they go through a review process every three years.
Can you compare my benefits and insurance against others in my industry?
We certainly can. It’s a major part of the free risk assessment we do.
Can you manage national and international exposures?
RJF is a long-standing partner of Assurex Global so we can help our clients manage their regional, national, or international program. Through our partnership, we have offices in every state and almost every country in the world.
Furthermore, through Assurex Global, we have created a no cost, web-based, encrypted system for companies to share their vital insurance and company information with other offices in a HIPAA compliant manner.
Why don’t you fill out our Quick Response form or call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033 to learn more about this advantage?
How much will this cost me?
We can’t answer that until we do your risk assessment. But since the assessment is free, it won’t cost you anything to find out and you will learn some very valuable information about your company. It’s a no-lose situation for you.
How are you going to change our long-term risk management culture?
We work with your people on a regular basis. First we help management understand what changes are necessary. Then we work with them to create and implement training programs to make safety, wellness and loss prevention second nature to your employees.
What process do you go through to get us insurance?
We do our risk assessment and use that to try to figure out if we can help you. Then we look at your situation and needs and try to find the right carrier for you.
We know the marketplace and we have relationships with many carriers so we can help you establish your own relationship with the right carrier.
We consider our relationship with you and the carrier a three way relationship. If you’re happy with your current carrier, we’ll work with them.
Our carrier comes out and looks at our safety issues. What makes you special?
For one thing, having someone come out once a year and look at your “issues” is not going to improve your situation. Our Safety Team works with you regularly to create a paradigm shift in your company through training and diligence.
Not to mention that if you have our consulting team working on your safety issues, you don’t need to hire a full time safety consultant.
How do we manage our company’s health care costs and premiums?
There are four things to look for when creating a strategy to manage costs:
- What is driving your costs over your recent history (3-5 years)?
- What are the age, gender, and location of your covered employees and their families?
- Where is the care going? Inpatient, outpatient, emergency room, office visits? Can you alter use habits? Can we negotiate better deals from a different health carrier?
- What strategy are you using to influence your employees? Would it be better to communicate with and educate employees or redesign your plan to better fit employee usage? And have you created a benchmark to determine success?
How do you benchmark our current plan against other Minnesota employers and my industry specifically?
Our annual survey, offered in conjunction with Milliman Actuarial, allows companies to analyze how your current plan design, contribution and overall costs compare to other companies in Minnesota and in many cases, within your industry.
This helps companies determine whether they are over-providing or under-providing benefits to their employees.
How do you negotiate with health plan providers to make sure our company gets the best deal?
You need to think like an underwriter. They have a natural aversion to risk. Our risk assessment gives us the ability to understand what is driving risk in your company.
We can then use that information to create a plan to lower risk, control loss, and show the underwriter that you have a handle on your issues and a concrete plan to deal with them.
This makes underwriters much more willing to listen to your story and offer you a better deal.
Can you help us educate and communicate with our employees about their benefits?
Finding the time to communicate with employees can be a challenge for many companies. There is also the issue that employees often don’t want to communicate with the company.
We use a three point plan to help communicate with and educate your employees:
- We provide an employee survey to determine where to focus your education opportunities. When we understand employee priorities, we can tailor the message to their wants and needs.
- We identify the most effective mix of communication strategies; payroll stuffers, posters, memos, and newsletter articles. And we make sure your carrier prepares enough materials so you can deliver these messages monthly.
- We communicate with the home and spouse. Most employers have 50% or more of their total utilization by dependents and spouses. If the information doesn’t get from the employee to the spouse, no amount of “in office” education will make any change in utilization.
How do you help our company recruit and retain the best employees?
Let’s face it. Your employee benefits plan must be tailored to the type of employee you are trying to find or retain. For instance, attracting older employees requires a plan with lower out-of-pocket and higher contribution plans. Attracting younger employees requires a plan with a high deductible and low premiums.
Your benefits plan needs to be designed to target the demographic you’re most interested in attracting.
In addition, RJF not only specializes in employee benefits but we also focus on the culture your company wants to build or maintain such as dress codes, managing sick time, etc.
How do you determine whether our company should be fully insured or partially self-insured?
While we have the capability to determine this in-house, we also partner with a nationally known actuarial firm to answer this question for many of our client companies.
Our models will determine what level of insurance you should maintain prior to marketing. That way you know you’ll get the appropriate coverage at the best rate.
Our company is interested in implementing a Health Savings Account. What should we know about this plan?
According to our 2007 statewide survey, 23% of companies are currently offering this type of plan and 36% are seriously considering it for 2008. For that reason, we have an entire list of discussion points to help firms make the final decision.
Contact RJF at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033 and ask to speak to someone in sales about these discussion points.
Learn more about the services RJF has to offer. Get started with our Quick Response form or call us at (763) 746-8000 or (800) 444-3033.
