What Is An Independent Insurance Agent and What Do They Do?

What is an independent insurance agent and what do they do? They’re not as mysterious as you might think! Independent agents are brokers, or professional middlemen, between insurance companies and people looking to purchase insurance.

Independent agents don’t work for a specific insurance company, but instead shop multiple insurance companies to find the best coverage at the most affordable rates for their clients. For example, a State Farm agent is a captive agent because he/she can only sell State Farm policies. But an independent agency, like SF Services, can shop all 20 of their carriers (Nationwide, Progressive, Liberty Mutual, Grinnel, and Openly just to name a few) at once.

As a quick overview, here are the biggest benefits of using an independent insurance agent:

• When you work with an independent agent, you have an insurance professional who is working for you, not the insurance carrier.
• With an independent agent, you only have to give your information to one person, and they do all the shopping for you. This saves you the hassle of getting calls from a bunch of different agencies and entering your private information into a bunch of different websites.
• You will almost always pay less for your insurance when you use an independent agent.
• You can depend on an independent agent to find you the best deal year after year. You don’t have to hassle with shopping for the best coverage and price every year, your independent agent is constantly checking who has the best coverage options at the best price, and will bring any suggested changes to you at the time of your policy renewal.

This is one of the biggest advantages of working with an independent agent. You have a person who is available when you need them and who will answer your questions without bias. If you have questions about coverage, billing or claims, and need assistance in resolving these issues, an independent agent will help resolve them in a fair and equitable manner. Armed with their expertise and experience, independent agents help you navigate through your many insurance needs, offering guidance on how to get the best rate for your insurance protection.

Building trust with your independent agent means they will advocate on your behalf when it comes time to file a claim. They have your best interests in mind and will do their best to get you what you need. An independent agent stays with you when it comes time to renew or switch companies as well. If you are unhappy with your current carrier, but only have one option to choose from, this may be a problem.

The independent agent will offer multiple options so that you can get the coverage that is right for you. Independent agents are not bound by the rules of policy wordings and exclusions like company agents are so they can offer more competitive pricing. Sometimes there is a trade-off between price and coverage, but an independent agent will make sure you get the coverage that is acceptable to you at the best possible price without compromising your protection.

An independent agent still works with many companies, but his or her loyalty belongs to you. Buying insurance can be complicated, but an independent insurance agent is used to sorting through all the information and finding you the best rates available so you can get more coverage for less money. Trying to figure out how much coverage you need and how to find the right policy is often a confusing task. Shopping online yourself can be a time-consuming and frustrating process because of the different terminology and complex plans that may not be explained in layman’s terms. You could end up with a policy that doesn’t offer the coverage you need or find it’s more expensive than what you are looking for.

An independent insurance agent works for you, and only you, so he or she will have all of your information at hand and will shop around for the best possible rate for your needs. You don’t have to fill out multiple applications or spend hours researching on your own, which means more time for you to do whatever it is that you want to do!

You will almost always pay less for your insurance when you use an independent agent. Remember, independent agents work with multiple companies to find you the most competitive policy – they aren’t limited to one company, and that’s why you get better coverage at a lower price. Independent agents will shop around until they find a policy that is tailored specifically to you, your needs and your budget. They understand that every person’s or business’s situation is unique, so they won’t try to sell you a “one-size-fits-all” insurance policy. They also have access to more options than captive agents, because they work with multiple companies offering several different types of coverage.

Furthermore, most insurance carriers go through cycles of ups and downs with their premium costs. If you work with a captive agent, you might find yourself stuck riding the wave of changes to your premium costs. But an independent agent is always on the lookout for the carriers with the best coverage rates. Still skeptical? Check out some of our testimonials and see how much people have saved by switching their insurance to SF Services.

Lastly, you can depend on an independent agent to find you the best deal year after year. You don’t have to hassle with shopping for the best coverage and price every year because your independent agent is constantly checking which carriers have the best coverage options at the best price, and will bring any suggested changes to you at the time of your policy renewal. Not happy with the experience with your existing carrier? No worries! Your agent can re-shop your policy at any point in time for almost whatever reason you need. Have your life or business circumstances changed and you need to consider updates to your coverage? Your independent agent will take care of all these adjustments and make sure you have exactly what you need.