Amy Watkins is 2026 South Carolina Outstanding CSR of the Year

Amy Watkins of Upchurch & Jowers Insurance Agency Inc in Camden, SC, has been named the 2026 SC Outstanding CSR of the Year. This award is the highest honor in our state for insurance customer service reps who have distinguished themselves through contributions to their industry.

Amy was recognized last month during the awards banquet of the IIABSC Annual Convention in Greenville, SC.

The Outstanding CSR of the Year award is sponsored by Risk & Insurance Education Alliance, the same organization that brings you the CISR, CISR Elite and CIC designation programs. The annual contest is open to all industry professionals with a primary responsibility for customer service duties, regardless of association affiliation or professional designation.

Nominees were required to show commendable service to their agencies, their industry, and their community as well as write an essay on the following prompt:

Reflect on what you love about this industry, what first drew you to it, what continues to inspire you, and why the work matters to you. Consider your professional journey, including key moments, challenges, or milestones that have shaped your growth, the skills and values you are most proud of developing, and how these experiences have influenced the way you show up in your role. As part of this reflection, look ahead by sharing how your passions and experiences continue to motivate you, the impact you hope to make moving forward, and how you see yourself contributing to the continued success and evolution of this industry.

AMY’S WINNING ESSAY

I did not choose insurance. I chose a schedule.

When I first entered the property and casualty insurance industry, I was a single mother with a young child. I needed to support my family, and I wanted a job with a more “normal” schedule and routine. A position at a captive agency offered that, so I took it. I certainly was not dreaming about policy forms, endorsements, or explaining to someone that “full coverage” is not actually a coverage.

What I did not know then was that I had found an industry that fit me.

I quickly learned that insurance is about far more than selling a policy or processing a renewal. It is about trust. Clients trust us with information about their homes, businesses, finances, and families. They trust us to ask questions they may not know to ask and to recognize risks they may not see. Sometimes, it is our duty to protect our clients even from themselves. Anyone who has worked in insurance long enough knows exactly what I mean.

Over the years, I discovered that I genuinely enjoy the problem-solving side of insurance. No two clients or accounts are exactly alike. Just when you think you have seen everything, the phone rings and the industry humbles you once again. There is always a new exposure, a difficult coverage question, a changing carrier appetite, or a situation that requires you to stop and look at the problem from a different angle.

That challenge is what turned my job into a career.

My career has taken me from a captive agency into the independent agency world and allowed me to grow in ways I never expected when I accepted that first position. We are often the connection between the client, the carrier, the underwriter, and the claims professional. On any given day, we may be an educator, problem solver, researcher, negotiator, or simply the calm person on the other end of the phone.

I believe one of the most important skills I have developed is the ability to explain insurance in a way that makes sense to people who do not work in insurance. Technical knowledge is essential, but reciting policy language is not the same as helping a client understand it. My job is to take something complicated and make it relevant to their real life or business.

That also means being willing to have difficult conversations. It is easy to provide excellent service when the answer is yes. The real test comes when the answer is no, the premium increased, the carrier changed its underwriting requirements, or the option a client wants is not the option I believe best protects them. I have learned that clients may not always like the answer, but they appreciate knowing that I will tell them the truth, explain their options, and do everything I reasonably can to help.

Some of the most important lessons of my career have come during moments when a client was frustrated, overwhelmed, or dealing with a loss. For me, it may be another workday. For that client, it may be one of the worst days they have experienced. Remembering that changes the way I communicate. Sometimes the most valuable thing I can do is listen, slow the conversation down, and help the client understand what happens next.

Some of the most important lessons of my career have come during moments when a client was frustrated, overwhelmed, or dealing with a loss. For me, it may be another workday. For that client, it may be one of the worst days they have experienced. Remembering that changes the way I communicate. Sometimes the most valuable thing I can do is listen, slow the conversation down, and help the client understand what happens next.

I have also learned that a good CSR never really stops learning. The insurance industry will not allow it. Regulations change. Technology changes. Carrier appetites change. Forms change. Systems update, usually right after you finally figure out where everything was. New risks emerge, and our clients’ businesses evolve. Staying effective requires curiosity and a willingness to admit when you do not know something and then find the answer.

My involvement with the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of South Carolina Young Agents Committee has strengthened my appreciation for that continued learning and for the relationships within our industry. It has allowed me to connect with other insurance professionals, hear different perspectives, and contribute beyond my daily responsibilities.

I would not be the insurance professional I am today without people who were willing to answer my questions, challenge me, and teach me. Because of that, I want to be that resource for others. As I continue to grow in my career, I hope to mentor newer insurance professionals and help them recognize the opportunities available in this industry. Yet insurance has given me a career I am proud of, challenged me to grow, and introduced me to people who have had a lasting impact on my life.

I would not be the insurance professional I am today without people who were willing to answer my questions, challenge me, and teach me. Because of that, I want to be that resource for others. As I continue to grow in my career, I hope to mentor newer insurance professionals and help them recognize the opportunities available in this industry. Yet insurance has given me a career I am proud of, challenged me to grow, and introduced me to people who have had a lasting impact on my life.

The future of our industry will undoubtedly include more technology, artificial intelligence, and automation. However, I do not believe technology will replace the human side of insurance. A system can process information. Artificial intelligence can analyze data. Neither can replace the trust built when a client knows the person on the other end of the phone understands their business, remembers their concerns, and will be there when something goes wrong.

That human connection is what continues to inspire me.

I did not choose insurance when I accepted my first job. I chose stability and a schedule that worked for my family. But somewhere along the way, I chose to stay. I stayed because I discovered that I was good at solving problems. I stayed because there is always more to learn. I stayed because I value the relationships I have built with clients, coworkers, underwriters, and other insurance professionals.

Most importantly, I stayed because the work matters. Property and casualty insurance protects homes, businesses, livelihoods, and futures. As insurance professionals, we have the opportunity and responsibility to help people prepare for circumstances they hope will never happen and guide them when they do.

What began as a job became a career, and that career became something I genuinely care about. I look forward to continuing to learn, serve my clients, support my colleagues, and contribute to the insurance industry that has given me so much more than the “normal” schedule I was originally looking for.

Amy Watkins of Upchurch & Jowers Insurance Agency Inc in Camden, SC, receives the 2026 SC Outstanding CSR of the Year award from Board Chair Robbie Nalley at the awards banquet of the 128th Annual Convention held Oct. 18-20 in Greenville, SC. View convention report with links to photo gallery.