AIBA Member: Britton & Britton Insurance Services
Riley BrittonRiley Britton wants you to know that you have a choice when it comes to insurance policies. Unlike agents who work for one company, Britton and Britton Insurance works with several insurance companies to customize policies to suit its clients’ specific needs. Motivated by a desire to educate and inform customers about the myriad choices available to them, Britton and Britton specializes in stellar personal service.
Britton and Britton Insurance has been a family-owned and -operated independent insurance provider for over 25 years. Robert and Margaret Britton started the business in San Antonio, where son Riley began working with them as soon as he was able. “I started helping out at the office when I was in middle school,” Riley admits. After graduating college with a photography degree, he realized that he needed a solid career to support his artistic leanings and set out to expand the family business. He started a new location from scratch in Austin 14 years ago and is now in the process of taking over his parents’ San Antonio business and managing it here.
Riley’s clients are able to conduct most or all of their insurance business online, or they can work with him directly. The convenience of the Internet is great, Riley says. But we also want to be a service that educates and offers options. We can customize a product and give our customers a choice. With us, one size does not fit all.
Being independent gives Britton and Britton the freedom to offer several unique and unexpected choices, including auto insurance discounts for drivers of hybrid or electric cars and boats as well as owners of green homes. Another green discount program is available for folks who drive less than the average person. If you are retired, work from home, live downtown, bike, walk, take the bus or rail on a regular basis, you are rewarded with lower auto insurance rates. “When you talk about being ahead of the curve and changing the industry, this is one for the books,” Riley says.
Britton and Britton is a comprehensive agency, offering home, auto, business and watercraft policies and everything in between. Pet injury coverage is available as part of an auto insurance policy, and event and wedding insurance is becoming something of a norm. “Liability coverage for weddings, special events, even house parties is an affordable way to protect the valuable things and moments people want covered,” Riley says. Some venues require this type of coverage and wedding planners consistently suggest that their clients buy it. It also shows that insurance companies are trying to be more fun.
Riley Britton stresses the importance of asking questions and being fully informed before buying an insurance policy. Products vary by company. People get lured into thinking that it’s all about price, but it’s not just about that. It’s about coverage. When you are buying based on price, you may not be getting the coverage you think you are getting. He is passionate about sharing the knowledge he has gained over the past 20 years or so, but he also has an easy-going, service-oriented style. “We’re candid and open, but not high pressure. We just want to put together the policy you feel is best for your needs.”
In keeping with Britton and Britton’s laid-back, independent nature, Riley insists on supporting local businesses almost exclusively in both his personal and professional life. He prefers to meet clients at local coffee shops to discuss business if an email, phone call or office visit isn’t convenient. Getting to know his clients and making them feel comfortable in their favorite coffee bar, no less, is an essential part of providing them with the best, most suitable coverage. Can you say the same of your insurance agent?
Britton & Britton is located at 700 Lavaca St., Suite 1400, 334-6330. www.BRITTONandBRITTON.com.
David Lauterstein is the co-founder of Lauterstein-Conway Massage School (and an AIBA Board Member). He is the author of the books, Putting the Soul Back in the Body and the much-heralded Deep Massage Book published in 2012. He has taught throughout the U.S. and internationally since 1984. In 2012 he was the recipient of the Jerome Perlinski Teacher of the Year Award by the American Massage Therapy Association.
