Today Ryan is sharing some insurance tips with you to help speed up the insurance shopping process for you and hopefully help you encourage to shop for coverage when you need too.
I hear complaints on how terrible it is sometimes to shop for insurance and I understand that. So, hopefully these tips will encourage you to follow them and make the process more efficient. Let’s jump right in!
Give Yourself Time
First and foremost, give yourself time. Give yourself plenty of time to have the conversations with agents, whether it be just the one independent agent you’re talking to or if you’re calling multiple agencies and you’re spending an entire day doing that, (you really don’t have to) ultimately, if you talk to one or two independent agents, that should be plenty to give you a lot of options to work with.
Typically speaking, 20 minutes to a half an hour should be plenty of time to give the information, or it should be plenty to get started. Sometimes the process can be drawn out depending on your household. For example, if you have agricultural farming, an in-home business or a certain dog breed there might be more information gathering needed that can delay it. But, overall, give yourself enough time to provide that information to the agent.
Documentation
Make sure you have a copy of your current declaration pages or policy ready. The documents will have ‘Declaration page’ at the top. If you don’t have them, reach out to your current insurance carrier or your agent and ask them to provide a new one. This should take a matter of minutes. They should be able to either fax, email or print a copy that you can swing into the office and grab.
Make sure it’s an accurate and current copy. Don’t provide one from two to three years ago. There are too many things that can change. For example, when a policy is renewed sometimes rules and limits can change. So, make sure it’s an accurate, current one.
Brownie points if you have the full policy. Sometimes there are very important pieces of information in the actual policy jacket. So, if you do have that, go ahead and send the whole thing to the agent you’re working with. The additional information will help save time during the underwriting process.
Household Members Information
Third, make sure you have information for anyone that’s living in the household or resident relative, even if they are not of driving age. If you want them covered as a passenger they need to be accounted for on the policy. You will need to have each household member’s:
- Full Name
- Their relationship to you
- Date of Birth
- Drivers’ license number (if driving age) Brownie points for a copy of the drivers’ license.
Quick Recap
Make time for the process. Declaration page – A copy of your current active declaration page is very helpful. And all your resident relative’s personal information. Hopefully those tips will help speed up the process and help encourage you to shop around if you are dissatisfied with your current insurance company or your agent.
Reach out to a local independent agent and see what they can do to help. Maybe they can find you some savings, maybe they can just help provide something more convenient that you’re missing now.
Written By: Ryan Miller, Licensed Insurance Agent, Michigan Insurance Group
