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The internet has made insurance purchase easier. Now, the consumers have the option to buy insurance online. Buying insurance online appears to have a number of advantages. Firstly, people perceive online insurance hassle free and time saving. Secondly, the customers may avoid being pressured into buying insurance. Thirdly, People can compare rates and benefits and then apply online at the comfort of their home.

With online insurance getting more attention, is there still room for insurance agents in the market place?

"Would insurance profession obsolete like keypunch operator or typewriter?"

No, insurance agents are still relevant.

"Do we still require the service of insurance agents?"

Absolutely!

Insurance is still people business. We need to connect with people.

We can't shake hand over internet. We can't establish human touch with online customers. We can't talk to them eyeball to eyeball. We can't see their facial expression and we can't hear their voice. We don't know if they frown or smile. We have no clue if they sound certain or hesitant. We are not able to tell if they have hidden concerns or worries that would have been obvious if we are face to face with them.

Body language and tone of voice carry so many meaningful messages and all these messages are filtered the moment the customers communicate with us online. We can't share their feelings and many a time it is the emotion that triggers a person to take action. We don't know what excites them and what motivates them. If we knew, we would have asked the right questions to zoom the discussion into areas of their interest.

Insurance agents are still relevant and probably more than ever in internet age. E-Commerce has replaced human in many business transactions. Ironically, this creates a huge vacuum in human needs for affiliation and connection with people. People probably need attention and care more than ever. That explains why caring professions are predicted to be in great demand in years to come.

Irrespective of what happens, insurance agents have an important role to play. Insurance agents are to help people plan ahead against any unforeseen event that may have significant financial impact on them.

The mission of insurance agents is to make sure there are 3 square meals on the dining table even though the breadwinner is no longer around, to make sure the widow continue to provide the same kind of care and attention for her children without the need to worry if she has to make enough money to support the family and to make sure children can still pursue their dreams to further their education even though their parents are no longer in the picture.

There are 3 reasons why we need the service of the insurance agent:

1. Managing financial affairs can be a complicated process. There are many things to consider from financial security to estate planning, from education planning to retirement planning, from investment strategies to tax implication, etc. We need agents' help to put all these jigsaw puzzle pieces in the right perspective so that we understand our financial situations from a broader angle.

2. Medical diagnosis is always followed by prescription of medicines. Similarly, after fact find, an agent will analyze the customer's financial situation and priorities. The agent will then take into account of the customer's affordability, age factor and underwriting considerations to decide what sort of advice to be given. The agent has the knowledge where to get different plans from different companies before presenting the customer the packaged solutions in a more cost effective manner.

3. Everybody has unique financial situation and considerations. There is no one-size-fit-all product that can take care of specific needs of every individual. Getting an insurance plan without seeking professional advice from an agent is like taking aspirin as a quick fix to get rid of headaches without consulting any doctor. A person may end up getting himself an insurance plan that does not meet his needs like a patient ends up suffering from side effects caused by aspirin.

Insurance agents should always regard themselves as financial doctors who are in the position to analyze the financial situations of the people before prescribing the right financial solutions.

Many people may appear healthy, but if you take a closer look, a lot of them may have financial cholesterol. Many more suffer from financial hypertension and financial cancer. That explains why hundreds of thousands of people become bankrupt for not able to manage their financial affairs properly or become despair for lack of planning to encounter unforeseen events.

We need insurance agents to take care of our financial security just like we need medical doctors for the right medical treatment in order to stay healthy and stay free from sickness and pain.

"Is online insurance a threat to the existence of insurance agents?"

The answer is no. Not now and not in foreseeable future. Probably online insurance does more good than harm to insurance agents. With more insurance awareness created by internet, insurance agents can help online insurance customers further enhance their coverage from basic to a more comprehensive one. Only insurance agents can provide advice and solutions unique to the customers' situation.

I am an insurance sales coach who has been in insurance business in the past almost 2 decades. I have an website i.e. http://www.stories-connect.com and my blog is http://xoseph.wordpress.com

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