Companies Respond to PIACT Performance Survey

The Professional Insurance Agents of Connecticut announced that its recent company performance survey has “garnered positive feedback from the companies about which its members responded.”

The survey polled independent agents on companies’ handling of claims, products and pricing; treatment of agents; marketing support; technology; claims handling; service and underwriting. Among the companies who commented were NLC Insurance Cos., Travelers Property Casualty and Chubb Group.

“We wanted the companies ranked in this survey to use the results and gain a better understanding of where they stand with their independent insurance agents,” stated Robert B. Gyle, IV, CIC president of PIACT. “Likewise, PIACT believes that it is equally important for the agents to receive feedback from the insurance companies, which will foster better relationships and ultimately benefit our customers.”

NLC president and CEO, Judy S. Jackson commented: “I am convinced that this type of survey is a very good thing for our industry. Empirical information on what our customers think about our service and products is surprisingly difficult to obtain and we truly appreciate what we learned from your survey. We will continue to strive to make NLC a great company for our independent agents.”

Travelers VP-agency marketing Loren Shoemaker stressed that, “We are entirely committed to the partnership with our agents and brokers, and were pleased to receive recognition from them in the PIACT study. We were especially gratified to be listed among the top companies in service and technology, as we have dedicated tremendous resources to those areas. The true value of the study, however, lies in its usefulness to us in evaluating how we can improve utilization by our partner agents to maximize service to their customers and profit margins for their organizations.”

Chubb’s John Bidwell, who heads the group’s strategic marketing unit, indicated that “PIACT’s survey helps us stay focused on providing independent agents with the products and services they need to grow their businesses profitability during both hard and soft insurance markets. During the current difficult marketplace, independent agents clearly appreciate our efforts to continue to provide the best products, claims service and marketing support available.”