How Was The Survey Done?

This “Risk Manager Choice Award” special section, produced in partnership with National Underwriter, summarizes highlights from the 255-page report of the “2009 Flasp?hler Commercial Lines Survey,” initiated in 2007 and conducted biennially.

Because the results of this study are used by many leading carriers in their marketing and customer service efforts, accuracy is paramount.

The commercial lines carriers who were rated in this survey were chosen based on recommendations from several leading commercial writers, risk managers and from National Underwriter.

The risk managers completing the survey were those identified by commercial carriers as industry leaders, and by those identifying themselves as having significant authority in evaluation and selection of commercial lines insurers for their organization.

The survey questionnaire was developed based on input from risk managers, commercial lines carriers and National Underwriter.

To further increase accuracy, adaptive interviewing methodologies were used in fielding this survey. Adaptive interviewing recognizes that each respondent's experience is different and so, too, should be each set of questions.

Rather than put every question to every risk manager, only questions about issues known to be important to each risk manager were asked. Also, each risk manager was only asked to evaluate carriers with which they were familiar.

Importantly, adaptive interviewing removes much of the bias toward larger carriers common in such surveys.

A total of 411 interviews were completed out of a target group of 2,004 risk managers. Overall results are accurate to within plus/minus 4.7 percent, at a 95 percent level of confidence.

Flasp?hler Research Group was founded in 1983 and has completed surveys in 95 countries and a dozen languages. The company specializes in B2B research and works primarily in the insurance/reinsurance industry.