What Exactly Is An Auto Insurance Specialist

Do a search on the web for 'insurance specialist' or 'auto insurance specialists' and you will find hundreds of companies claiming to be auto insurance specialists and most probably are.  However, some companies bear the title undeservedly, and today we are going to discuss how to tell a real auto insurance specialist from a company that simply deals in insurance. 

Insurance is complicated.  It involves policies, deductibles, benefits, rates, agents and lots of words that the average person really doesn't know the definition of. As such, you'll want to choose someone that can define all of these terms for you, in a way that you will understand.  That's where an auto insurance specialist comes in. 

Auto Insurance Specialist isn't just a fancy title they get to use – it's your definition of their skills as an insurance agent, broker or company. Many companies advertise that they are 'auto insurance specialists' even through they may only write a hundred or so auto insurance policies per year, and mostly deal in homeowners, or commercial insurance. 

First, let's talk about the difference between an insurance agent and a broker. Either one may be considered an auto insurance specialist, depending on what he or she deals in most of the time. A broker is someone who works with a lot of companies and knows what policies they have available, and how to customize them for your particular needs.  They may also receive discounts since they are essentially sales representatives for insurance companies and may be able to pass some of those savings onto you.

A Car Insurance Agent is someone that is affiliated with a certain company (like Allstate or Geico) and can quote you rates, deductibles and what policies are available. They are generally who you go to, to set up your insurance, to pay the bill every month or year and can answer any questions that you have. Agents typically work on a commission basis as well, receiving X amount of dollars per month from each policy they write and maintain. 

To determine whether or not your agent or broker is auto insurance specialist ask them questions like how many auto insurance policies they write per year, how long they have been in the business and ask questions about the different policies they have. If they have to continually look up things, then they probably don't deal in auto insurance as much as a true auto insurance specialist.