Earlier this month we asked InsWeb auto insurance consumers a simple question: “How satisfied were you with your experience at InsWeb.com?” Recognizing that comparison shopping can take time, we waited seven days to survey consumers.

We are pleased to share that 76% of the respondents indicated a satisfying experience. However, we are more concerned with the 24% that were not — and we believe you should be too.

Why the Negative Experience
In our survey, if a consumer indicated a negative experience, we asked them “why” and “how can we do better?” Interestingly, the responses fell into two groups:

1. Quote price too high; and
2. Failure of agent to respond and provide a quote.

There’s nothing we can do about pricing, however, a consumer complaint about not being contacted, let alone not receiving quotes, is a breakdown that is well within any agent’s ability and financial responsibility to improve. Further supporting the negative open-ended feedback from InsWeb consumers is the hard fact that 7.2% of AgentInsider leads are never accessed by the agents that purchase them.

As a business person, you are the one investing in Internet leads. While the presentation of your identity and contact information conclude a consumer’s online shopping experience, their quoting information is simultaneously delivered to you — granting you the right to contact them immediately. Similar to walk-in clients, Internet consumers are motivated to purchase a new policy; but they demand your immediate attention. Even if the timing of a lead is not convenient to your busy day, the act of simply acknowledging the consumer’s presence is the most important path to success.

Effectively managing Internet leads requires some form of a response system. From a walk-in customer’s perspective, how would you interact with the prospect if you were out of the office visiting a client? For that reason, you must have simple processes in place for accessing and responding to new leads. Cover every detail and contingency, from the follow-up communication templates (email and phone scripts) to the delegation of responsibilities when you are out of the office.

If you find that your response capacity is limited by your ability to generate an accurate quote, remember that you can easily buy yourself extra time by simply letting the consumer know that you've received his/her quote request. If, however, you are you are challenged by your ability to physically access leads, there may be some tune-ups that AgentInsider can offer. Did you know that your leads can be sent to 5 different email addresses? Don’t overlook the opportunity of depending on your extended sales and support staff to follow-up on leads. Also, as new leads quickly overshadow older ones, recognize that your “AgentInsider Lead Access Reminder email” is a second chance at leads that you have not accessed for over 4 days. Remember, the chances are good that consumer still hasn’t found a quote.

We want AgentInsider’s quality leads to effectively contribute to your growing book of business. Although Internet leads require an approach that is different than traditional lead acquisition sources, the return on investment is unparalleled. As you continue to invest in Internet leads, remember that the cost of following-up on a lead is substantially less expensive than the cost of actually acquiring it.