On many of this winter’s mornings, the voicemail at Partners Insurance Group’s five South Shore locations are full of new problems – a fender-bender here, some roof damage there. Ice damming has been a particular problem, and in one case a Partners customer had a roof cave-in.

Yes, it’s been a busy winter, said Larry Wilson, executive vice president at Partners, which is owned by Fall River’s Citizens-Union Savings Bank. Wilson and other Massachusetts agents have put aside most of their other work, including scouting for new business, in order to deal with the flood of weather-related problems.

This has been a packed season, said Francis Mancini, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents. Although they don’t make any more money off extra hours spent processing claims, an accident-heavy time like this is when agents cement customer loyalty, Mancini said.

“Times like these are when an agent earns the trust of their clients, which makes their clients want to do business with that agent [again],” he said. “These are times when agents can show their stuff.”

The unusual cycle of heavy snow, rain, freezes and thaws has led to plenty of ice dams slowly building up on roofs, said Doug Bailey, spokesman for Quincy-based Arbella Insurance. Auto claims have been up too, of course, but not nearly as much as homeowners insurance claims. Compared to January 2010, January 2011 saw a 21 percent increase in auto claims – but a 79 percent increase in homeowners’ claims, according to Arbella.

Fortunately, many of the storms so far have been at night or on weekends, so auto claims have been relatively light, Bailey added.

For Wilson, the claims have been frequent, but mostly for minor damage. For cars, it’s been windshields cracked from sand and ice on the highway, or small accidents. For properties, it’s internal water damage from ice dams.

But that means agents have a long list of customers who need help putting their property back together, or keeping it as safe as possible while waiting for overworked contractors to come make repairs. That’s where agents try to step in, making referrals or doling out advice to keep properties from sustaining more damage.

A few structures have had frozen pipes, for example – a serious but preventable problem solved by keeping thermostats a little higher on particularly cold nights or on weekends, Wilson said. Even drivers who take the time to get the snow off all their windows and roof can avoid the types of fender-benders he’s seen in droves year.

That kind of extra advice and follow-up can’t be neglected, he said.

“The key element is making sure you rise to the occasion.”