To paraphrase the late, great RodneyDangerfield, independent insurance agents don't get norespect.

It's bad enough that a recent career survey ranked yourprofession below janitors, bookbinders and even editors (see myrelated blog, ”At least you're not a roustaboust“). Now, thelatest Forrester Research consumer survey reveals thatyour customers don't even find you fun.

The survey, conducted over the Internet lastOctober, gave independent agents an overall score of “okay” from4,600 consumers who had interacted with a variety ofcompanies. Forrester asked consumers to rate insurance companies onthree areas: “meets needs,” “easy to work with” and “enjoyable.”Several insurers, including USAA, Liberty Mutual, Progressive and The Hartford, were ranked “good” byrespondents. But when it came to being “enjoyable,” consumers ratedindependent agents “poor,” while giving them “good” ratings for“meets needs” and “easy to work with.”

What does this mean? Evidently it's not an ease-of-useissue; respondents ranked agents “good” on meetingcustomer needs and being easy to work with. And it's not justa carrier issue, either. Savvy carriers know, and slowercarriers are discovering, that it's not enough to simply provideease of use through technology and real-time services — in fact,that's just the starting point (see this related article onDeep Customer Connections' recent survey onagents telling carriers they need more ease of use).

From just looking at the numbers, the problem seems to be withthe agency system itself, as several carriers got high marks fromconsumers as being enjoyable to work with. Granted, the results maybe skewed because of the focus on personal lines insurancepurchasers, but this dissing of insurance agents shouldn't be thecase. It all boils down to the perception of insurance agent asunnecessary middleman, useful perhaps, but more likely just anotherroadblock between the customer and the underwriter.

The irony is, agents are in a much better position to deliverreal customer satisfaction — and yes, even “fun” – than anyinsurer ever could. In our monthly agency success stories, wespeak with agency owners, especially those in small towns orrural areas, who don't think twice about emergency customervisits, of knowing the names and ages of teenaged drivers about tobe added to a family's auto policy, of engaging customers inintimate conversations to discover their plans for thefuture and how insurance coverage can help protect thoseplans. These agencies and their employees are also connectingto their communities through charitable work, recruitment at areaschools, and other ways to create engagement with customers andprospects. It's a testament to the level of service thatevery independent agent should beproviding to valued customers, especially at a time when everycustomer counts.

And inevitably in today's world, part of that customer outreachis through intelligently developed and executed social mediaplanning. Maybe that's where the smart carriers have an edge onagencies — they have the financial wherewithal and staffing toplunge right in. (Luckily, you don't need these resources tomake good use of this new tool: check out ACT's recommendations for creating a social mediapolicy for your independent agency).

With more insurers, including traditional directwriters, using multiple distribution methods, the stakes arehigher than ever for agents to prove themselves invaluable to theircustomers — not just by meeting their insurance needs in a smartand timely way, but by engaging with them on multiple levels.

What's your agency doing to build your brand perception withyour customers?