NU Online News Service, Aug. 13, 2:17 p.m. EDT

National Underwriter, in partnership with Flasp?hlerResearch Group, will launch a survey of independent agents thismonth that will result in the inaugural "NU ProducerChoice Awards," to be unveiled in the Oct. 18 edition.

The survey will focus on the key factors agents consider whenevaluating commercial insurers, then will ask agents to rank theirmost preferred carriers overall, as well as their most preferredcarriers for 14 specific lines of business.

The goal is to identify how agents determine whether to staywith carriers or take on new ones, as well as who they consider"best of breed" when it comes to different products and supportcapabilities.

The results of a similar survey by Flasp?hler of commercialinsurance buyers appeared in the Oct. 19, 2009 edition ofNU as the "Risk Manager Choice Awards."

Using unique Flasp?hler methodologies and computer-assistedinterviewing techniques, all surveys will be adaptive in nature.This means the survey will adapt itself to the knowledge andinterests of each participating agent.

"This technique ensures that producers taking the survey onlyrate those commercial lines writers with whom they are familiar,"said Rick Flasp?hler, president of the Kansas City, Mo.-basedresearch firm. "Furthermore, they only rate their commercial lineswriters on issues that are important to the particular producerbeing interviewed."

Mr. Flasp?hler went on to explain that "while typical surveyscan often be biased toward larger competitors, adaptiveinterviewing levels the playing field. What matters most in anadaptive survey is not how many 'votes' a writer receives--whichfavors larger competitors--but rather, how highly each commerciallines writer is rated by those familiar with each writer."

In addition to the survey results, additional articles in theOct. 18 edition will cover the open-ended responses from producersabout the challenges they face in the soft market and tougheconomy.

Interviews will also be conducted with some of the carriersranking high in the survey to share the secrets of their successfulrelationships with agents.