Agents Speak Out: Carrier MFAs Are Inefficient Workflow

As consumers, we all hate to wait longer than necessary for basic service.

Independent agents are both consumers and service providers themselves — and they’re caught in the middle of a time trap called “MFA,” or multi-factor authentication, to log on to insurance carrier systems.

Here’s a common MFA scenario: Customers call their agent to inquire about a bill or policy. The CSR has to log onto the carrier system. A username and password aren’t enough. With increased security concerns and government regulations to protect data, the CSR has to wait for an MFA code to be delivered. Typically, that is sent via text or email, but often there are other carrier methods.

With the customer on the phone, sometimes the MFA email arrives too late for it to be valid anymore for that sign on attempt. So, the process repeats. Meanwhile, the customer is frustrated.

How bad is this situation?

Very bad, independent agents said in a survey by ID Federation, the nonprofit industry coalition that introduced SignOn Once as a more secure, efficient alternative to MFA.

Some key findings of the research:

• An average of 44% of carriers now require MFA — and it likely is higher since the study was conducted in 2024.
• Agents say they navigate an average of 2.7 MFA methods for each carrier, as different carriers have differing requirements. These methods include text, email or phone call; an authenticator app like Google or Microsoft; or fingerprint, face or voice recognition.
• Half of agents are authenticating at least six times a day. In an agency with 12 employees, that means more than 72 total MFA workflows. And many respondents said it’s a lot more than that.
• For 71% of agents, the time and effort to sign on to carrier systems has gotten worse. And 37% say it’s “much worse.”

ID Federation provides an alternative to MFA. It’s called SignOn Once. It’s a secure and efficient workflow that supports MFA without redundant entry. The agency management system securely connects a single user (for example, a CSR) with the carrier system, and the user has no further need to authenticate.

In the survey, one respondent said of the carriers’ MFA requirements:

“I get the reason they are doing it. Everyone is. But when you have a very secure alternative like SignOn Once, with all its benefits, I’m not sure why companies are not moving faster.”

Another agent wrote that the authentication workflows “have gotten ridiculous! One carrier has a MINIMUM 17-character password requirement changed every 30 days. I’m over it!”

Another said, “I understand the need for security, but the variety and complexity of the methods being used is frustrating, confusing and not user friendly.”

Agents also reported security concerns about employees using their personal cell phones to use the MFA process.

Click here to see the full survey results.

For more information on the research or on SignOn Once, contact Alvito Vaz, executive director of ID Federation, at alvito@idfederation.com.

Topics Agencies