What should I look for in an insurance company or agent?
Agents and companies are there to help you. At the most basic level, any agent or company representative should be able to answer all of your questions about insurance, provide you a thorough assessment of your insurance needs, and offer you a choice of insurance products to meet those needs. Also, any insurance agency or company should provide you with prompt, quality service in the case of a claim. (Ask questions like, do they provide 24-hour claims service.)
Just as important is the level of professional confidence and personal comfort you feel with the company representative or agent.
An often overlooked factor to keep in mind is that there are two kinds of insurance agents and two kinds of insurance companies. There are companies who sell insurance directly to you and there are companies who sell insurance through agents. There are also two different kinds of agents: those who represent one insurance company and those who represent more than one insurance company.
Agents offering the policies of one insurance company through their agencies are often referred to as "captive agents." Agents offering the policies of more than one insurance company (but limited to companies who sell through independents) through their agencies are called "independent agents." You should do a through self-evaluation of what your insurance needs are and select a company that best fits YOU!
This Information was Provided by The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. I am an Independent Insurance Broker and am here to Serve you in any way. Please call or email me anytime!! Thanks and Peace! Sincerely, Brian Dee Counterman, LUTCF