The new guide by the Council for Estate Agencies to standardise online ratings of property agents across the real estate industry is a good move (New guide standardises ratings of property agents, Oct 23).

It will help home buyers identify and select the agents they want to handle their property transactions. At the same time, it will push agents to maintain professional standards and weed out errant agents.

It would be useful to have a similar rating system for insurance agents.

It would be a helpful tool for consumers to find out how reliable an insurance agent is, his skill level, experience and number of years of service with a given insurer.

Such indicators are relevant for policyholders who prefer dealing with a representative over a longer term rather than a job-hopper who might leave them in the lurch, forcing them to rebuild confidence and trust with the new agent who takes over their case.

In the long term, ratings can help to ensure a high level of professionalism in the industry and act as key performance indicators for the personnel. It is an invaluable resource for consumers.

Goh Ai Fong