That’s according to research with 4,600 consumers conducted in October 2009 by Forrester Research Inc. and reported by Mark Ruquet in an article in National Underwriter Property & Casualty.

This research scored independent agents at 74 percent, which Forrester dubs as “okay.”

“Okay” can have a couple of meanings: “pretty good” and “mediocre.” My sense is that the research points to the latter meaning.

The survey also asked consumers to rate insurance carriers for three aspects of service:
– “meets needs” … the rating was “good”
– “easy to work with” … the rating was “okay”
– “enjoyable” … the rating was “good”

Insurance carrier USAA was the highest rated of 13 insurers, leading the way with a score of 82 percent, nine points ahead of the next-best company in the research. No carrier reached Forrester’s standard for excellent of 85 percent.

The insurance business overall scored “okay” with a median percentage of 72 percent.

The National Underwriter article noted that the study’s researcher reported: “For agents, the customer experience is tied to how well the carrier treats its customers…. When the carrier is not committed, it reflects on the agent.”

Here’s more on the study from Laura Mazzucca Toops of insurance trade publication American Agent and Broker, who wonders why “independent insurance agents don’t get no respect.”

Is an “okay” rating good enough for the independent insurance agents out there? My sense is that independent agents work far too hard to settle for that. What do you think?

– Charles Wasilewski