I don't want to revive the old discussion about whetherinsurance agents are a dying breed, but it would be foolish toignore the changes in the industry—particularly for personal linesagents—and what the future holds for them.

There remains a need for trusted advisors in insurance and thatwill never change. People who don't seek counsel on importantissues are either incredibly smart or incredibly foolish—with amuch heavier emphasis on the latter.

Not everyone knows what the best coverage is. Technology canplay a role in helping to determine that, but self-help quizzeswill never probe into your life the way an experienced agentcan.

With the constant push/pull on the price of a personal autopolicy, there may come a time when it doesn't make financial sensefor an agency to bother marketing such policies unless it serves asa loss-leader for agencies to maintain a full-service status,particularly for customers too valuable to lose.

Maureen Boeing, chair of the ASCnet user group, points out thatagencies have lost a fair number of policyholders in recent yearsto direct writers, but she believes there is a place for agenciesin the personal lines. Young adults may not fear going online toshop for a personal auto policy, but they have seen the comfortlevel their parents have developed with an agent and shouldappreciate how that makes difficult decisions easier to make.

Still, as business rules have made underwriting online or onyour smartphone a simple process, smart agents need to push theirexpertise to a new generation. If the industry continues the rapidpace of change—and who here doesn't believe it will—more customerswill be turning to technology for their answers.

Karlyn Carnahan, a principal with Novarica, believes carriershave to weigh the push for direct sales against the challenge theyface to provide those potential customers with the best informationto make the right choices on coverage. Carriers have relied onagents to serve that need, but now have to weigh the choicesbetween what is best for the company and best for the policyholder.Hopefully, those needs will merge.

Carnahan feels insurers will develop more sophisticated methodsof integrating third-party data into the information they offeronline. She also believes social media will grow and fill in thegaps that are left by the continually shrinking agencyworkforce.

Most of us have been using friends and family for advice longbefore the term “social media” came into play, but making the bestdecision somehow seems scarier when we turn to Facebook foranswers.

Smart agents can't ignore the valuable tools their customershave at their fingertips and must find a way to incorporatetechnology into their traditional role of advisor. There willremain a place for agents in the next decade, but like seeminglyeverything else in the world, there will be changes.