For some it's a battle, for others it's a complement. The direction of personal lines insurance is a source of continuing debate as insurers define and hone their channel strategies between agent-based sales and direct to the consumer.

As usual, technology is the key to defining the direction an insurer wants to travel and the success carriers can anticipate. Having the right systems in place often means getting beyond legacy systems, which inhibit both customer-facing and agent technology, points out Chad Mitchell, senior analyst, e-business and channel strategy, for Forrester.

“Companies that have done the heavy lifting over the last three years in updating the mainframes and bringing on agile technologies in the back office are going to enable channel integration,” he says. “They ultimately will be able to take advantage of the emerging technologies for the agent at the desktop, from a mobility standpoint, or directly to the customer. If those foundational elements aren't there, it doesn't matter where you invest the dollars because it will be very difficult to improve the agent experience or the customer perspective.”