What should I look for in an Insurance Agent?

What should I look for in an Insurance agent?
Agents are there to help you. At the very least, any agent should be able to answer all of your questions about insurance, provide you with a thorough assessment of your insurance needs and offer you a choice of insurance products to meet those needs. Also, any insurance agency should provide you with prompt, quality service in the case of a claim.
Just as important is the level of professional confidence and personal comfort you feel with the agent.
Another important factor to keep in mind is that there are two kinds of insurance agents:
First is "Captive" or "Exclusive" Insurance Agent – This type of agent represents a single insurance company or a specified group of insurance companies, meaning they can only offer you one quote, or price, for an insurance policy.These agents are easily identified, as the sign in front of their building is typically the name of a large insurer.
Second is "Independent Agents" these have at their disposal the ability to quickly check prices and coverages with dozens - if not hundreds - of different insurance companies. Since rates vary widely an independent agent can very likely get you a better deal than you can get for yourself. They can even get you insurance from a 'direct writer' like you could get for yourself.

Whether you're looking for your first agent or thinking about switching agents or companies, it's a good idea to keep these points in mind:
Personality- Ensure you feel comfortable talking to you agent.
Credentials - Go on to their website and read the agents Bio's to get a better feel of the people you'll be working with.
Complaints- Check out the Better Business Bureau for any complaints made against the Agency.
Reviews- Review sites can provide good insight to the service of a company. Check out place's like Yelp and Google +

Keep in Mind - The greater the number of companies an agent is capable of working with, the greater the number of different quotes you can compare prior to choosing an insurance company.