he auto insurance business line of health insurance
has gone to war online. products. The internet has become
Insurance companies such as a showcase for "bargain" policies
esurance have emerged from and for new products.
nowhere to capture a significant
portion of the auto insurance Limits to Online Insurance Sales
market, wholly through online
marketing and sales. Theirs is a Fortunately for the independent
completely electronic empire. The agent, in the insurance business
company is underwritten by an the "devil is in the details."
established insurance firm and Health and life policies can be
provides all of its customer complicated agreements; people
service through a half dozen who are buying them need to
regional call centers scattered understand the importance of
around the country. every clause in the policy. While
they can read a policy that has
Auto insurance is perhaps the been purchased online, they may
most egregious example of well have difficulty finding
insurance/internet collision. someone who can explain it to
Every major insurance company them if it hasn't come through a
offers "quotes" online for health local insurance agent.
insurance, life insurance,
property and casualty and a host Accordingly, the big firms like
of lesser policies such as Metlife, Aetna, Farmers and
motorcycle and watercraft Allstate will provide quotes
coverage. Long term health online but then will usually
insurance is the new online direct online inquiries to local
product that many insurance agents. There are a number of
companies are featuring, even large firms that take pride in
those that don't carry a full their network of local agents and
use the national websites to Oregon. With a well designed
support their independent agents. website a local firm can blow
itself up into a regional
The Value of a Local Agency enterprise. 800 numbers
Online contribute to this image as do
expanded business hours and
There are also quite a few online claim forms. Those claim
independent insurance agencies forms may simply generate a phone
that have developed websites call from the office to the
trumpeting their independence and customer, but to the policy
claiming it as a virtue. While holder it seems like a large
local agencies don't carry business entity providing full
competing products, they will service and attentive support.
carry different types of policies
from an assortment of firms. The An independent agent can promise
more aggressive independent something that no online
agencies use 800 telephone insurance sales operation can
numbers and online quote deliver: a face-to-face
inquiries to make themselves conversation and a step-by-step,
appear larger than they perhaps page-by-page explanation of an
are. Agents must be licensed to insurance policy. Agents can use
operate by the state where they the websites operated by the
are doing business; there aren't underwriters they represent: many
many locally based agencies that of the national websites have
are licensed in more than one excellent FAQs on their policies
state. and explanations of policy
options. It's a good place for a
That doesn't mean that an agency consumer to start, and the
in Eugene Oregon, for example, independent agent can link his
can't service the entire state of agency's site to those
informative pages - and then reel independent agent, both by online
the customer back in. Like presence and through the use of
politics, in the end all search engine optimization.
insurance is local. A website can
expand what local means for an
About the Author:
Madison Lockwood is a customer relations associate, specializing in small business development, for Apollo Hosting. Apollo Hosting provides website hosting, ecommerce hosting, vps hosting, and web design services to a wide range of customers.
Read more articles by:
Madison Lockwood
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
