Eventually, the connection between insurance carriers and the independent agents that sell their products will become simpler, but until the two sides agree on what's best for each of them—individually and collectively—there remains a level of complexity in distribution management, according to Deb Smallwood, founder of Strategy meets Action (SMA). SMA recently conducted a survey of insurers and agents on distribution management.
"Insurers are offering portals, comparative raters, upload to agency management systems, email and PDF," she says. "Depending on the line of business and the sophistication of the agent, some insurers allow agents to key data into their policy administration system and then upload it. They either upload to a comparative rater for personal lines or small commercial, or upload in real time to the carriers' rating systems."
The technology platform puts a strain on relationships between carriers and agents because of what Smallwood sees as conflicting priorities.
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