A guide to help you select the best insurance agent for you
What to Look for in a Insurance Agent
Insurance is so much more than just finding the lowest price possible. But price is of course important! With so many insurance agents in California how can you select the perfect one for you?
Fast
With the internet California residence are finding that it is very easy to obtain insurance quotes instantly. Today we are living in the information age and you want an insurance agent that is fast and responsive as well. If it takes you too long to obtain a quote from an agent you should already lose confidence right there. If you have to leave a message and if your call is not returned immediately that agent is probably not good for you. From our reviews it is clear that residents in California prefer getting their insurance manners taken care of efficiently and would rather not spend all day worrying about their insurance policy. We have plenty of other things to take care of in our life! So when you ask for a quote see how fast the agent is able to provide what you are looking for.
Easy
Depending on your insurance agent your experience can be difficult or easy. It is difficult if your agent makes you go to their office just to obtain a simple quote or for you to sign some forms. There is too much traffic to drive through just to take care of paperwork in California! Some may even require you to pay a fee for making changes (broker fee). You want to find an agent that makes not only starting your policy easy for you but also an agent that will be easy to get of a hold when you have to make a change or when you have a question. When talking to an insurance agent try to get a sense of how easy it will be to deal with the agent.
Affordable
No matter how fast and easy the insurance agent is making insurance for you the agent is not good for you if the price that is being offered is just out of your budget. The insurance agent should be sensitive to your budget and should try everything possible to make the policy affordable by asking all the right questions to find all the possible discounts you are eligible for. Sometimes the agents’ insurance company is just plain too expensive for you and that is not the agent’s fault. So make sure not only is the insurance agent a good one but make sure the company they represent is a affordable one as well!
Intelligence and Integrity
A professional insurance agent first of all has a license from the California Department of Insurance. But there are a lot of people working at unethical agencies or brokerages that are selling insurance without a license which is frankly illegal. Simply ask for the insurance license number go the California Department of Insurance website and check if the representative has a license or not (You can check by name or license number). You can also see if there are any justified complaints are recorded on the website. Not only should the representative be licensed the agent needs to know what they are talking about. Selling insurance is a responsible job especially when it comes to explaining coverage in an easy to understand way. You need to be able to understand and feel that your agent is a expert in the field of insurance or you may be left without critical coverage. And you do not want to find out after an accident! Ask the agent some questions and see if they know what they are talking about. Your conversation with the agent should not be only about price. Also checking to see if the agent has any reviews. With the help of social media (Such as Yelp) you can find many information that you can use for reference.
Commitment and Experience
How long has the representative been an insurance agent? Is this their full time career? Are they a successful insurance agents that has helped many clients in many different and unique situations? There are agents that work from home after their real full time job. Agents that have a license but have only helped out a few family and friends here and there. Well from what I have heard there is nothing more frustrating than having your policy transferred from one agent to another. Ideally you will have an insurance agent that you are going to be working for years. So make sure this agent is taking their job seriously and is going to be there for you when you need them!
Staff
If your agent is even just a little successful the agents should have thousands of clients. But you need an agent that is fast and easy. So how do you not end up in a situation where you have to talk to that one specific person and that person is not available? Should you have to wait? What if you just having something really easy to take care of or just have one simple question? For these reasons you want to have an agent that has staff, assistants and/or customer service representatives on their team. If the agent is working by himself or herself that may not be the type of operation you want to trust your financial future with!
Personality
Insurance is not the most fun thing to talk about or buy in the world. So at the very least try to find an agent that has a nice personality, is genuinely caring and a pleasure to work with. You do not want an agent with a huge ego that is hard to deal with. An ideal insurance agent for most people is friendly and professional.
With these tips we hope you find an insurance agent that you are going to be comfortable for a long time! If you are looking for a good agent in California please click here to see our agents at the Kitajima Farmers Insurance Agency or simply contact us by calling 949-544-5252. Thanks and we hope to hear from you soon!
