Short answer: Hire a producer when your service team has room to take on more clients and you need new revenue. Hire a CSR when service is slipping or your producers spend their days on service calls. The two roles need almost opposite traits. A successful insurance producer has drive, confidence and the composure to hear “no” and call the next prospect. A strong CSR has patience, careful listening and a steady hand with details.
This guide is for insurance agency owners deciding who to hire next. It explains what producers and CSRs do, the personality traits that make each one succeed, how to screen for those traits before the interview, and how to tell which role your agency needs first. The role descriptions and qualities come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Producers vs CSRs: what each role does
An insurance producer is the licensed person who sells policies and brings in new clients. A customer service representative (CSR) keeps current clients covered and happy: policy changes, billing questions, certificates, claims help and renewals. In short, producers grow the book of business and CSRs protect it.
| Producer | CSR | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Find prospects, quote, explain coverage and close new policies | Service current clients: changes, billing, claims help, renewals |
| License | Required in every state where they sell, with separate licenses for life and health and for property and casualty | May need a state license when they give insurance information; rules vary by state |
| Success looks like | New policies written and a growing book | Clients who renew and refer |
| Core traits | Initiative, self-confidence, composure after rejection, persuasion | Patience, listening, problem-solving, accuracy |
The license rules come from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook pages for insurance sales agents and customer service representatives. Check your state insurance department for the exact rules where your agency works. For pay, the BLS puts the median annual wage for insurance sales agents at $62,280 in May 2025.
What personality traits make a successful insurance producer?
A successful insurance producer is self-starting, confident with strangers, steady after rejection, good at building trust and good at working out what each client needs. The BLS lists five qualities for insurance sales agents: initiative, self-confidence, interpersonal skills, communication skills and analytical skills. Here is what each one looks like in a candidate.
1. Initiative and drive
Producers have to find their own clients. The BLS says insurance sales agents “need to actively seek out new clients” to grow the business. In a candidate, look for someone who built something without being told to: a side business, a sales record, a referral network. Ask what they did in their last job when no one handed them work.
2. Self-confidence and composure after a “no”
Prospecting means hearing no again and again. The BLS says agents must be persuasive “and able to maintain composure if rejected.” A producer who takes each no personally may stop making calls. Look for candidates who can describe a lost sale calmly and say what they did next.
3. Interpersonal skills and trust
People buy insurance from someone they trust. The BLS points to building trust both while networking and with current clients, including when they file a claim. Strong producers stay in touch after the sale, which is where renewals and referrals come from.
4. Communication and listening
A producer has to listen first and then explain a policy in plain words. The BLS names both: listen to clients and clearly explain suitable policies. A candidate who talks over your questions in an interview will talk over prospects too.
5. Analytical skills
Matching coverage to a client’s risks takes judgment. The BLS says agents must evaluate each client’s needs to pick the right policy. This matters more in commercial lines, where one account can carry many risks.
Which traits to screen for first: screen producers for drive and composure after rejection first. Product knowledge, quoting systems and even the license can be learned after you hire. Drive and composure are part of how a person works, so measure them before you hire instead of hoping training will add them.
What traits make a good insurance CSR?
A good insurance CSR is patient, listens carefully, solves problems and stays polite with upset clients. The BLS lists communication, customer-service skills, interpersonal skills, listening, patience and problem-solving for customer service representatives. Those traits keep clients renewing, which is the CSR’s real job.
Producer traits and CSR traits pull in opposite directions. A producer is rewarded for pushing toward a yes. A CSR is rewarded for slowing down, getting every detail right and calming a client who is having a bad day. Some people are strong at one and worn out by the other. Our guide to insurance customer service skills covers the CSR side in depth.
How to screen for producer traits before the interview
The best way to screen for producer traits is to measure them before you meet the candidate, then use the interview to test what the results flag. Three steps work for most agencies.
- Use a personality assessment that separates sales and service potential. Have every applicant take a pre-hire assessment before you schedule an interview. Compare results with your best producer and your best CSR, so you know what good looks like in your own office.
- Ask for a one-way video interview. A short recorded answer to “Tell me about a sale you lost and what you did next” shows confidence, tone and how clearly the person explains things, before you spend an hour on a call.
- Run a structured interview with a rejection role-play. Ask every candidate the same questions. Then play a prospect who says no twice, and watch whether the candidate stays calm, asks a question and tries again.
The same assessment can help with the team you already have. One insurance agency had its whole staff take IdealTraits pre-hire assessments after a new CSR struggled:
“Needless to say, my customer service person came back as a salesperson. Since I changed her position to sales, she has been doing great. She has really helped my growth this year.”
Shirl Crowe, insurance agency (IdealTraits customer stories)
Want to see how agencies check sales and service fit before the first interview? See IdealTraits for insurance agencies.
When to hire a producer, and when to hire a CSR
Hire a producer when you need new revenue and your service side can absorb more clients. Hire a CSR when service is slipping or your producers are stuck doing service work. If both are true, hire the CSR first, because a new producer brings in clients your team cannot yet serve well.
Signs you need a producer
- Your CSRs have room to handle more clients without delays.
- You have training time and a mentor for a new producer.
- Your cash flow can carry a new producer while they build a book.
- You are opening a new office, a new line or a new market.
Signs you need a CSR
- Clients wait longer for callbacks, changes or certificates.
- Your producers spend much of their day on service requests instead of selling.
- More clients are leaving at renewal.
To split tasks across producers and service staff, write down who owns each kind of request: new quotes go to producers, changes and billing go to CSRs, and renewals go to the CSR with a note to the producer when a client could use more coverage. A clear split keeps producers selling and gives CSRs a full, steady workload.
Hire CSRs who can grow into producers
Some agency owners hire CSRs who could later move into sales. A CSR learns your carriers, your clients and your office before ever making a sales call. When you hire a CSR, check whether the person also shows some sales traits, and talk about the path to a producer role early. That path also helps you keep good people: a CSR who can see a way to grow has a reason to stay. The same goes for your best producers: talk with them early about their next step, such as a bigger book or a team to lead.
It can work the other way too. A producer who dreads prospecting but loves helping clients may do better in service.
Frequently asked questions
What is a CSR in insurance?
A CSR in insurance is a customer service representative who helps current clients with policy changes, billing, certificates, claims questions and renewals. CSRs keep clients covered and renewing, while producers sell new policies.
Do insurance CSRs need a license?
Insurance CSRs may need a state license, depending on the state and on what they do. The BLS says customer service representatives who provide information about finance and insurance may need a state license, and that the rules vary by state, usually with an exam. Check with your state insurance department before a CSR quotes or discusses coverage.