Virtual Viewpoint: Many Agents On Their Own

“We've had a few interesting interviews with a number of agents about how they are using technology. You see varying degrees of success. A lot of them do feel like they are on their own. There is a great desire among agents to help support their customers—by getting access to policy administration systems, or being able to see the notes from claims adjusters to let [policyholders] know the status of their claim.

[Agents] feel like they have to handle some of this [technology] themselves, but you do see [carriers] that are very proactive. For instance, American Family has done a lot with their agents with social media. They've built Facebook pages for them and offer a social media toolkit for the agents to engage with their customers.

You see varying degrees of support, but to be honest, though, you see varying degrees to adoption on the agents' side as well.

There is a real distinction among the agents themselves. You have some who historically say, 'This is how we've always done it.' There's no succession plan on who is going to take over the agency and a fax machine is a technology innovation for them. Then you see others that are interested in using technology to better engage with their customers and deliver a better experience. They are looking at ways they can use technology to build the best agency.”