Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Online Car Insurance Quotes: Compare Several Offers

By Dan Carter


If you were looking for online car insurance quotes a decade ago, all 'online' probably meant was that you could communicate with your agent via email, rather than through letters in the post. You still would have probably started by speaking with an agent, by telephone, if not in person.

In the past, it seemed ridiculous to assume that any agent would give up their secret weapon in the fight for new clients. Most of them would never even think about handing out a quote to a potential client if they didn't actually come to their office for a real meeting.

That has changed recently, as website sales have replaced an even larger share of agents. This change has been driven by young, urban customers who prefer to do as much of their business over the web as possible. This results in less and less business for agents, who become less effective. That in turn results in forcing older and less sophisticated customers to start using the web as well, since companies are spending more and more effort on web sales.

With people becoming busier and busier, online car insurance quotes have steadily increased in popularity. Clients are now more willing to make big purchases without ever seeing a salesperson and more aware of the terminology involved and the options they can purchase. In short, clients demand more self-service than in previous years.

This has all served to make formerly unknown car insurance firms into viable entities. Every customer online started looking for a free auto insurance quote with no strings attached, and true discount auto insurance - before the market leaders were prepared to offer them. By focusing on this change in customer appetites, small companies were able to become national players.

It seems that now, every American insurance company now offers online car insurance quotes in some form or another. The much greater number of competitors can be a good thing, as competition often leads to lower prices and/or better service from insurance companies.

The key to a low rate on your auto insurance policy to to compare quotes from several companies. These days it is a simple matter of going online and getting quick and private rate quotes. Don't settle for renewing with your current company without comparing the cost and coverage available.

The discount car insurance industry has been changed forever by technology. Ten years ago, before promises of free quotes and huge savings become the norm, it was far more difficult to get quotes and take the time to compare them properly. There are many new competitors in the car insurance business, all seeking to make their mark through lower prices and/or better service when you need them.

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