The survey found that while 98 percent of carrier executives say that making business easier (MBE) is "a critical part of their corporate strategy," except for information technology, there appears to be little need for change in their corporations.

However, this stands in stark contrast to the data compiled from independent agents indicating that carriers need to make improvements in a host of areas.

In a rating index of six different business factors, executives gave themselves much higher marks than agents for their company's underwriting response, underwriting flexibility, agency needs, claims handling promptness and fairness.

Only in the area of technology did agents and executives place the same importance on the need for improvement in the industry.

The report indicates that many executives are satisfied that their businesses do not need to make significant improvements in the area of MBE, opening up competitive opportunities for those that take a more critical view and seek improvement.

The report recommends carriers set goals for MBE improvement "in a clear and detailed way" to determine what they want to accomplish. Those goals can include staff spending more time with agents to understand their underwriting needs or granting agents greater authority to field personnel or agents.

Companies also need to establish metrics in order to understand progress and success, which could include time spent meeting agents or discussion of successful business arrangements, the report said.

The full report is available through Deep Customer Connections for $199 from the Acton, Mass.-based consulting firm at http://tinyurl.com/29fdk3z.