Would you like a simple way to give your clients more value without selling anything to them? Show them how to set up the emergency contacts on their smartphones.

It’s an extra touchpoint with your clients. When I’m with them, I’ll ask, “Did you ever set up your emergency contacts?” or “What happens if you lose your phone?” Any Apple or Android phone can be set up so when someone finds it, they can press a button, bypass the security system and reach your emergency contacts.

So, if I lose my phone and someone finds it and goes to the emergency contact, they will call my wife, and the call shows up on her phone with my name and my number. That’s important because when people receive a call from an unknown number, they’re probably going to think it’s a scammer and not answer it. You can even add a message with an in-case-of-emergency (ICE) contact entry to return the lost phone for a reward.

I actually have three contacts on my phone. My first ICE contact is the same as my second contact, which is my wife’s phone number. The third one is my brother, so in case there’s a medical emergency, and I’m at a hospital unable to speak for myself, and the doctor can’t get a hold of my wife, my brother is next in line. 

Even first responders are trained to look for the ICE contacts on phones when they come upon an accident scene or medical emergency with an unresponsive person. The emergency bypass function can even provide access to details like blood type, medication and allergies if the phone owner filled out that information on the phone’s health app. The Emergency SOS function not only calls local emergency services but also sends a message to your emergency contacts with your phone’s current location, even if you previously disabled location sharing services.

Showing clients something this simple is an added value you can easily provide. When I show clients how to do it on their phone, a lot of them are surprised to learn about it, and they love it. You’re just doing this small technology hack, and it gives senior clients a feeling of comfort. As their advisor, you’re winning their confidence because you’re showing them how to set up their phone to make their lives easier. You’re giving them something without expecting to get anything back.

James Savage is a 15-year MDRT member. Contact him at jasavage1@live.com. To find recent videos about how to set up ICE contacts, go to youtube.com and type in the search field “how to add emergency contacts to iPhone” or “how to add emergency contacts to Android phone.”