Knowing what insurance agents do will give you a better perspective on whether you need an insurance agent or not. Personal lines insurance agents handle auto, home, umbrella, motorcycle, RV, and boat insurance policies. Insurance agents setup new policies, maintain existing policies, and help with the claims process.
Insurance Agents Setup New Insurance Policies
One of an insurance agent’s jobs is to sell insurance. It means taking a potential client’s information and running it through the agent’s appointed insurance carriers. Agents guide clients through the insurance process explaining coverage and giving advice. Agents can help you make an informed decision when it comes to what type of coverage you should purchase.
Agents know all the discounts available through their insurance carriers. They are trained to know how to make sure you have the coverage you need. Insurance carriers can have different rules. An agent will know what is legal and against policy per their particular insurance carrier. For instance, some insurance carriers require a vehicle titled to the named insured in order for the policy to be enforceable, while some insurance carriers do not care who is on the title.
Setting up a new policy does not necessarily mean copying your existing policy. A skilled agent will be able to review your policy and give tips on saving by possibly changing coverage or finding new discounts. Or in contrast, maybe you are under insured. An insurance agent will be able to pinpoint both, where your current policy excels or falls short.
Insurance Agents Maintain Existing Policies
Make Changes: Insurance policies need maintenance. Families change, vehicles change, and your preferred coverage can easily change. Insurance agents make changes, accept payments, and print important documentation like proof of insurance for clients on a regular basis.
Coordinate with Lenders: Insurance agents also coordinate with lenders and mortgage companies on a regular basis. Your lending institution wants verification of coverage and your insurance agent assists in the verification process. Setting up loss payee information and faxing and emailing verification is also on the list of tasks an insurance agent covers.
Being able to depend on a single person or a small group of people working at a local office is still important to many people. Insurance agents provide a personal touch which cannot be provider through a customer service number. When you have an insurance related question, it is important to be able to get information from a reliable source you can trust. Local insurance agents are able to build strong relationships with their clients.
Insurance Agents Help with Claims
Call Claims In: At the time of a claim, an insurance agent can really come in handy. Insurance agents and claims adjusters do have different jobs. However, and insurance agent can make the claims process go smoother. Lots of agents call claims into the service center for their clients. Sometimes filing a claim can be a tedious and annoying process. Skip that part of the process by letting your insurance agent take care of it for you.
Give Claim Advice: Insurance agents can also give valuable advice when it comes to insurance claims. If you have recently had multiple claims, an insurance agent can go over your specific situation to determine the most cost effective route for you to go. In some cases, it is not filing the claim.
Assist with a Claim: Sometimes a claim may not be going well. Letting an insurance agent know about the issue could help get it resolved faster. Your issue with a claim could involve a number of different things. Agents are good at resolving miscommunication issues and other common claim problems. An agent will not know a problem exists if you do not let him know. So keep up the communication between you and your agent to ensure good customer service.
Insurance agents have a long list of small tasks to keep them busy throughout the day. Answering questions about rate changes, looking for the best deals for clients, and helping with insurance claims is a big chunk of their daily activities.
