Can Your Agency SOPs Pass the 7-Eleven Test?

In 2001, Holt High School senior English teacher Brenda Lynch introduced a principle that still holds up in every professional setting today. It’s helped me be a better writer and I think about it a lot when I’m consulting insurance agencies. The principle is called the 7-Eleven Test.

To paraphrase: Anyone in any 7-Eleven should be able to read your writing, understand what it is about and what you're trying to communicate. Everyone goes to 7-Eleven at some point. Could be a doctor or a lawyer. Could be someone who didn't graduate high school. Your writing should be clear and without any assumptions about the reader's prior knowledge or experience.

That’s the 7 Eleven Test and it’s exactly the standard all businesses should strive for when developing their Standard Operating Procedures.

If someone needs to Google a term or call you to clarify then your SOP isn’t clear enough. The goal is not to simplify your process, but to explain it so clearly that anyone could follow it, regardless of experience or background.

Why It Matters in Insurance Agencies

Agency operations are full of complex tasks like issuing certificates, updating policies and processing renewals. Without a defined process all of those activities require someone already knowing how the sausage gets made.

That’s a risk.

If your documentation assumes prior knowledge, new hires struggle. Cross-training fails. Delegation gets delayed. Worst of all, you become the bottleneck.

Passing the 7-Eleven Test makes your operations resilient. It turns your know-how into repeatable, transferable instructions.

The Big Idea: No Assumptions, No Jargon, No Gaps

When you apply the 7-Eleven Test to SOPs, you commit to:

• Defining every term
• Explaining every step
• Avoiding acronyms unless you’ve already spelled them out
• Including context, not just commands
• Documenting each step with words, images, and/or video

How to Build a 7-Eleven–Approved SOP

Here’s a six-step checklist to make your documents bulletproof.

1. Say Who This Is For

Be explicit: “This process is for an account manager handling commercial renewals.”

2. Start With the Goal

Tell them what they’re doing and why: “This SOP walks you through sending a 30-day renewal reminder. This helps reduce non-renewals and keeps our retention high.”

3. Define Every Tool and Term

• AMS: “Agency Management System – our central hub for client and policy data.”
  
• COI: “Certificate of Insurance – proof of a client’s policy details, issued on request.”
  

4. Break It Into Steps (With Screenshots or Videos If Possible)

1. Log into the AMS using your agency credentials
   
2. Search for the client using their full name
   
3. Navigate to the “Renewals” tab on their profile
   
4. Click “Create New Email” and choose the template titled “30-Day Notice”
   
5. Verify that all fields are correct, then click “Send”

5. Include a Visual or Example

A screenshot of the email template. A mock client profile. A sample of a completed task. Arrows and highlighted fields. This helps eliminate guesswork.

6. Anticipate FAQs

“What if the client has multiple policies?”
“What if the email template is missing?”

Write out the answers. Preempt confusion.

Real-World Use Case

Imagine you’re onboarding a brand-new hire. They’ve never worked in insurance. They’ve never seen your AMS. But they can read and follow instructions.

If your SOP passes the 7-Eleven Test, that person should be able to walk through your process and complete the task without pinging you for help every two minutes.

That’s operational excellence. That’s scale.

Encouragement & Action

Choose one process in your agency today. Pull up the current SOP or training doc and ask yourself: Would the night-shift cashier at a 7-Eleven understand this?

If not, revise it. Add context. Define your terms. Break the steps down like you're teaching a 15-year-old.

Your future self (and your next new hire) will thank you.