Customer satisfaction within the insurance industry has decreased in the last six months, according to the Customer Respect Group, an international research and consulting firm based in Ipswich, Mass.

"The insurance industry seems stuck in a dilemma of whether to, or how to, improve customer-friendly policies," said Terry Golesworthy, president of group. "The industry has made the least progress of all major customer-focused industries. Moreover, companies continue to share information with third parties at a far higher rate. Our strong recommendation is that to avoid customer defections, insurers pay stronger attention to these issues."

Overall, the insurance industry's customer respect index slipped slightly from a CRI rating of 6.1 six months ago to 5.9 in the latest survey. This contrasts with the trend of slow but steady improvements being made in most industries, the group noted. The property and casualty sector had the best average with 6.2, followed by life and health with 5.9, and health-care plans with 5.4.