5 Signs Your Insurance Agency Is Ready for AI

Despite how prominent AI has been in the news headlines over the past years, many insurance agencies still assume it’s not for them. bolt Solutions often hears worries that it’s too sophisticated and expensive, or will prove too disruptive to their current operations. AI for insurance agencies, however, could be the very tool you need to tackle the everyday challenges holding you back. Think of missed calls, re-keying data over and over, inconsistent follow-ups, and growing workloads. 

If you’re struggling, insurance agency automation could deliver immediate (and measurable) value. But many leaders hold back, misjudging their readiness and delaying adoption of the very tools that could reduce wasted agent time, increase their quoting capacity, and vastly improve their customer experience. AI isn’t just for “tech companies,” it’s for any company with pain points that need solving. You’re likely more AI-ready than you think.

Why Many Insurance Agencies Assume They Aren’t Ready for AI 

Many agency leaders hold back from exploring insurance agency automation because they’ve simply assumed they can’t achieve it. They’re picturing complex integrations, rife with delays, and needing months to implement. If they’ve considered AI at all, they’re probably imagining it is only for large or regional agencies – the sort with their own dedicated IT departments and deep pockets. And while they know that insurance workflow automation could solve many of their issues, they’re scared to disrupt the inefficient, but familiar, “way we do things.”

They’re understandable concerns. But they’re also misplaced. Modern insurance agency automation doesn’t need you to rebuild your tech stack into an intimidating colossus or hire a full-time team of data scientists. Today’s automation tools are designed specifically for smaller and independent agencies operating with lean teams and limited resources. And most will work alongside your existing agency management system (AMS), not in place of it. In short, they create relief, not disruption, for what’s plaguing today’s insurance agencies.

In the recent InsureTech Live webinar, where bolt Solutions was a key speaker, Nga Phan, Head of Product at bolt Solutions, noted that the goal isn’t to replace the agent or their skills, but rather “combining the two in the most seamless way that fits with the agent and the agency processes, so that it becomes natural and that it’s more easy to adopt.”

AI for Insurance Agencies: The 5 Signs You’re Ready 

So, with a field of specialist AI tools ready to support you, and an easier implementation cycle than you may have anticipated, what are the signs your agency is ready for AI?

1. You’re Missing Calls (or Relying on Voicemail)

What happens when the phone rings after hours? Or during busy periods? If you’re relying on voicemail, or your customers are experiencing long hold times and high IVR drop-off rates, you’re losing opportunities every time.

We already know that prospects shopping for coverage won’t wait. An MIT study shows that leads contacted within 5 minutes are five times more likely to close than leads contacted within ten minutes. At half an hour, it’s 21 times less likely. If you’re taking hours – or days – to answer, they will move on to a more responsive agency.

Here’s where an AI receptionist could be capturing every call, routing it as needed, and even handling initial response and information gathering without intervention. It works 24/7 and never needs a break. If missing calls are costing you business, you’re AI-ready.

2. You’re Re-Keying Data, Over and Over

How many times do your producers have to enter the same customer information? For most, this workflow looks something like this:

• A prospect fills in your web form
• A CSR takes notes during the call
• These are transcribed into the AMS
• It’s re-entered, over and over again, in every portal during quoting

One report suggests workers wasted 257 hours every year on inefficient processes, and the same again on duplicative work. That’s 12 lost work weeks a year.

Here’s where AI intake could be eliminating your rework. From structured interviews to validating information in real time and delivering quote-ready applications directly into your workflow, it has you covered. If your agents are slowed down by repetitive data entry, insurance workflow automation will bring immediate relief. 

3. Leads are Slipping Through the Follow-Up Cracks

You probably recognize this pattern, too. A lead comes in, is assigned to an agent… and sits untouched, as the agent handles their backlog of renewals, existing clients, and other new inquiries. Remember the stat we noted above? By the time they can respond, the lead is cold, and the prospect has gone elsewhere.

Using AI for insurance agencies ensures a regular process. Automated follow-ups keep leads warm, and task reminders can be automated to ensure producers stay on track. If inconsistent callbacks are harming your conversion rates, insurance agency automation can keep you on track.

4. Quoting Delays Make Your Agents Unresponsive

Multi-carrier quoting is another time sink, especially for personal lines quoting. Customers now expect fast turnarounds, but pulling and assembling quotes from five or six carriers manually takes time. Especially when that’s not the only quote your agents need to get out the door.

AI quoting assistants help you accelerate the process, not only through the minimal data re-entry we’ve already explored, but through retrieving quotes faster and organizing comparisons clearly, keeping your agents working efficiently. If quoting backlogs slow your agents down, insurance workflow automation has a solution, compressing speed-to-bind and improving your competitive positioning.

5. Your Staff Are Overwhelmed or Burnt Out

It’s not easy to work in the current environment. Not only are 52% of employers in insurance reporting staff shortages, but the remaining staff who have to carry the extra workload are feeling increasingly burnt out, even leaving the industry altogether. 

When your team is underwater like this, customers also suffer, mistakes increase, and you risk losing your most talented members. Insurance agency automation helps to lift this pressure, handling repetitive work faster, so they can focus on what counts: advising and building relationships.

How to Start Small With AI

You’ve probably seen a couple of the 5 signs in your own agency. But you’re also probably still wondering how to start AI in an insurance agency when your last tech investment was your AMS.

Luckily, you don’t need to automate everything all at once, no matter how tempting AI for insurance agencies now sounds to you. Start with just one, focused workflow with sharp pain points, where the value will be clearest. Run it as an AI pilot for insurance operations – you can always expand further afterwards. 

Typical high-value workflows are your phones and communications, intake, or quoting. Set success metrics that matter for you. This could be drop-off rates, handle time, quote volume, or conversion percentages. Then implement and run your pilot for 30–60 days.

This approach lets you build your confidence with quick wins and real data. You and your producers can see the impact, and you’re measuring results (and learning implementation lessons) from day one, setting the groundwork for bigger rollouts down the line. 

How bolt Solutions Supports Low-Friction AI Adoption

bolt Solutions makes AI for insurance agencies accessible and practical, unfolding at your speed and as you need. And unlike some AI tools, we understand the industry’s intricacies as well as insurance agency automation, with a purpose-built platform designed with agencies like you in mind. As Dave Rose, a bolt Agency Leader who also joined us on the ITL webinar, notes:

“When I’m working with our AI team, they understand the pain points. They understand insurance. And it makes it a much easier process because we’ve already built it for agencies like mine. ”

We offer you simplified access to vital insurance workflow automation, including:

• Our AI Receptionist captures every call, reducing drop-off
• AI Intake that ensures consistent, quote-ready applications
• AI Quoting Assistance that automates (and speeds up) multi-carrier quoting
• Fully compliant governance controls, to ensure consistent accuracy and oversight, and offer audit-ready trails

Dave shared the results he’s seen in his own agency through using bolt Solutions as their partner agency for safe, controlled AI adoption. Namely, a halved drop-off rate from implementing an AI Receptionist, and an internal transfer rate reduction of 30%. He has seen his agency’s manual workload reduced by 25%, and still, their conversion rates have almost doubled, with policy growth of 30%–40%. 

Get Started With AI for Insurance Agencies

If you’re ready to find a smarter, more efficient way of working with insurance workflow automation, you can start by identifying the most common pain points and bottlenecks holding you back. Then:

1. Map those pain points to appropriate AI modules that can solve them.
2. Start with a contained pilot, as we described above, and tie it to measurable outcomes.
3. Be sure to keep your agents involved from the start to build confidence and showcase results.
4. Set regular, weekly reviews to refine and improve your workflows.

With a measured and defined approach like this, you can start small and see big benefits, no matter the size of your agency. 
With a partner like bolt Solutions, you don’t have to explore insurance agency automation on your own. Remember, agencies aren’t adopting AI to get “tech-savvy” points. They’re implementing it to relieve rising workloads and meet growing customer expectations. AI for insurance agencies offers a path to greater speed and capacity without impacting consistency or service. If you’re ready, bolt Solutions is here to help you take the first step – book a demo today.