Money well spent

Rough Notes, Mar 2003 by Ashenhurst, John

Hunter Insurance promotes its site through its newsletter, letterhead, business cards, agency brochure, and other communication opportunities. In addition, some of its site traffic comes from its carriers' agency locators. Wheeler points out that some agency locators are well designed, while others are not very consumer-friendly. The best locators allow the consumer to search for all relevant agencies within a specified number of miles from a ZIP code or city name.

Hunter Insurance doesn't yet provide much online self-service through its site. Wheeler is skeptical that consumers are willing to use quote engines that require a great deal of input and don't deliver reliable quotes. But he does look forward to providing policyholder selfservice, for instance, to review coverage or request a change.

The most important value of his site, according to Wheeler, is that it provides an Internet channel for that growing minority of prospects and consumers who want it. The current site, as Wheeler describes it, is "stage one" in an evolutionary process. As appropriate technology becomes available and the agency is ready to use it, the agency will broaden and deepen its site to provide its visitors more choices and services.

Agency sites provide value today

Perhaps value, like beauty, lies in the eye of the beholder; and thus the agency Web site success efforts briefly recounted here would look like a wastE of time to skeptical principals and conservative bean counters. On the other hand, it's hard to deny that these agencies and others like them receive real benefit from their sites. Admittedly, agency Web sites are not a life or death issue. Neither are management systems or even PCs for that matter. An agency can survive with little technology. And, one can survive without hot and cold running water. That doesn't mean it makes sense to do without it.

Agency Web sites don't need to change the world to be useful and act as an important part of agency marketing, sales, and service efforts. They don't need to be expensive or require much agency time-but if they're implemented, they do need to be taken seriously and accepted into the agency family to be a success. Is it time for your agency to get serious about having a site?

The author

John Ashenhurst and his company, Sound Internet Strategy, provide information and analysis (through his Web site, www.soundingline.com), consulting, Web site evaluation, and seminar services to independent agents and their trading partners. He can be reached at johnashenhurst@soundingline.com or (360) 376-1090.