How important is it for your agent’s office to be close to your home or work? For a lot of people, this is an important factor for choosing an agent. But for most people, choosing an agent based on the agent’s office location can be a mistake. Depending on your needs, the location of your agent’s office may not be important at all. This blog post will tell you when having an agent close to you is important, and when choosing the agent closest to you is a mistake.

Most insurance agencies are open from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Some agencies will open a little earlier, or close a little later. A few agencies will be open Saturday mornings. Almost all agencies offer to be open other hours, if scheduled by appointment, but I know from my experience this rarely happens.

Where are you from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday? Most people are at work, and they are unable to visit their agent’s office.

Whether you are at work or home, when you need your insurance agent or insurance company, what do you do? Most people pick up the phone and call. With today’s technology, e-mailing, texting, & social media are options for contacting your agent. If you never see your agent in person, having your agent’s office close to you is not important.

Although these newer communication options are good for letting your agent know you need something, a phone call is best to communicate properly. If you need something, like a car added or removed from your auto insurance policy, your agent is going to have additional questions to ask you. And how you reply to these questions will raise additional questions.

For example, if you buy a car for your daughter to drive, the agent will need to know if you or your daughter are the owner of it, or if it is co-owned. How you answer this question will lead to a discussion of what you need to do to insure it properly. A phone call can get the transaction done quickly and properly, reducing the chance of a miscommunication which can result in an uncovered claim.

Something as simple as updating your work phone number can lead to important additional questions, like do you have additional insurance needs, or insurance coverage you no longer need, unknown to you, due to a change of job. Or, maybe you now have a shorter or longer work commute, and more or less annual mileage on your car.

Maybe nothing has changed other than your work phone number, but you still need to receive an e-mail reply confirming your e-mail was received, and your work number was updated.

I once received an e-mail 6 months after it was sent. People don’t receive e-mails due to typos in the e-mail address or spam filters. It may be very 20th century, but calling your agent is still the best way to communicate with your agent or insurance company.

However, face-to-face interaction, by going to your agent’s office, is not necessary. Of course, people choosing an agent over buying direct from the insurance company, often do so because they want personal service. Some of these people prefer to interact with their agent in person.

Sometimes having an agent close to you is convenient. Some states require you to have an auto insurance id card to register a car. Some states require specific forms if you are stopped by the police and you don’t have a current auto insurance id card, or if the state thinks you do not have auto insurance. Some states require forms to be signed to drop or choose certain coverage. Many insurance companies require an application signed by you to start an insurance policy.

Most companies or agents can take care of this for you through fax, e-mail, or snail mail, but some people prefer to go in person to pick up or sign these documents.

If you pay for your insurance in cash, it is important to have an agent close to you, so you can get a receipt.

But most people should consider an insurance company’s price, reputation for service, and coverage over the location of the nearest agent. Once you know which insurance companies are good for you, choose the best local agent, not the agent closest to your home.

I was working at an agency for a major insurance company, and one of our customers mentioned he found out there was a new agency almost across the street from him. Our agency was about a mile from his home. The customer said if he had known about the other agency, he would have chose them because they were practically on his door step. I explained our agency had been in business for over twenty years, owned by a successful agent with a lot of influence at the company, and the agency at his door step was a brand new agency run by a person new and inexperienced in the insurance business. Our agency was not only close to his home, but we were a better choice to service his policies.

Obviously, I am biased toward my own ability to provide excellent service, but choosing our agency over a brand new, inexperienced agency representing the same company with the same price should be a no brainer.

Be careful when being contacted by agents giving you insurance quotes. Ask where their agency is located. If their location is far from your work or home, and there are other agents representing the same company or companies closer to you, ask why you should choose them.

I once interviewed with a Texas based independent agency, where they wanted me to sell auto & home insurance for them from my home in Oregon to Oregon residents. The policies I sold would be serviced from their agency in Texas. Oregon customers are not better served by an agency outside the state. Agencies inside the state are more familiar with Oregon insurance law, and are a much better choice.

Why buy Hartford insurance from a Texas agency, when there are local Oregon agencies offering the same Hartford insurance at the same price? If you are okay without a local agent, you might get a better deal by buying direct from The Hartford, than choosing the Texas agency. The out-of-state agency may say they represent 40 companies, but you can find local agents representing the same 40 companies.

However, when it comes to life insurance, choosing a good out-of-state agent can be a lot better than the average local agent. Life insurance agents push to meet with you in person, because they know if they can meet with you face-to-face, they are much more likely to close a sale. Agents meeting with you hate to leave your home without a check from you.

When you are ready to buy, it’s okay to meet with the agent you have chosen. But until you are ready to buy, don’t let a life insurance agent into your home. There is more to know about life insurance agents, and I will write a separate blog post about choosing a life insurance agent at a later date.

When it comes to auto, home, and other types of property & liability insurance, don’t choose an agent farther from your home unless you are convinced they are a better choice.

I have been called by State Farm agents located 10-15 miles across town from my home, when I have a State Farm agent down the street from me. Due to my insurance experience, I don’t need the services of an agent, but if I am going to choose a company with local agents, I’m going to use one close to me with good service.

People without my insurance background can benefit from a really good agent, which can be hard to find. My next blog post will show you how to recognize the qualities of a great agent.

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