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AI automations for small insurance agencies: 8 real examples
Updated October 18, 2026 · 8 sourced examples · no paid placement
Short answer: Small and independent insurance agencies mostly use AI for the office work around each policy: client emails and renewal messages, coverage comparisons and proposals, written procedures and staff questions, and a quick read on an account before a renewal call. Six of these 8 agencies name ChatGPT, Claude or Microsoft Copilot for at least part of it; the others use AI built into their agency software or a voice agent. The results are what each agency reported to the source, not promises.
Below are 8 documented examples from independent agencies and brokerages in the US, Australia and New Zealand, told by owners, CEOs and staff in trade-association surveys, the trade press and their own writing: who did it, what the automation does, what they reported and where the story came from. After that: what to watch out for and how to try one this week.
Other industries too: see real AI automations by task for any small business.
What these 8 businesses actually did
- Automated client messages at every renewal, claim and onboarding moment: Top O' Michigan Insurance (owner-told, via Agent for the Future: AI in action (Brian Bartosh, Top O' Michigan Insurance)). The team mapped five client "moments of truth" (quoting, onboarding, servicing, claims, and renewal and retention), found the triggering event for each in its agency management system, Applied Epic, used generative AI to write the messaging and built it into automated workflows. For example, when a renewal e-document arrives from a carrier, the system recognizes it and sends an AI-written message telling the client a new document is in the client portal. Staff were trained to prompt the AI tools and vet the outputs, ChatGPT or Claude is used to refresh the messages so they don't sound stale, and an AI tool transcribes and summarizes meetings and identifies next steps. Reported: Bartosh says the automated workflows took roughly two-thirds of routine activities and tasks off staff workloads. He credits consistent data entry, an agency objective for at least 20 years, as the base that made it work. Full case
- Client emails and branded email campaigns: Jon Peters Insurance Agency (Alabama) (press, via IndependentAgent.com (Big "I" agency AI survey): Using AI to Scale Marketing and Outreach in a Small Agency Environment). Staff use ChatGPT for Business to draft and polish client emails, write branded marketing and educational blog content, brainstorm campaigns and build HTML email templates with CRM merge fields that go out to clients through the agency's CRM. Agency Revolution First Draft also generates blog posts, and Canva is used for design. Reported: Tribble says a branded email campaign now goes from concept to implementation within one business day, or within a few focused hours. About 30% of the team uses AI daily. What didn't go as planned: hands-off automation, where AI actually does tasks, is something the agency hasn't figured out yet. Full case
- Proposals, coverage comparisons and client emails: Evergreen Insurance (Washington) (press, via IndependentAgent.com (Big "I" agency AI survey): How Evergreen Insurance Uses ChatGPT to Improve Efficiency Across the Agency). The leadership team uses ChatGPT for Business to work faster on client communications, proposals and coverage comparisons, to help build out a commercial lines niche, and to write the agency's standards, processes, SOPs and templates. Villafranca also uses it as a thinking partner. Reported: Three people in the office, the leadership team, use it extensively. Villafranca says getting the rest of the team to use it, and learning how to use it best, have been the hard parts. No time or dollar figures were given. Full case
- A dashboard of non-renewals, cancellations and lapses, plus certificate research: Silverio Insurance Agency (Massachusetts) (press, via IndependentAgent.com (Big "I" agency AI survey): Leveraging AI to Streamline Agency Operations and Support Staff Productivity). Silverio talked Claude through his ideas and built a "manager's dashboard" that shows potential non-renewals, cancellations, lapses and suspenses; he supplies the data the dashboards use. The agency's senior commercial lines account manager uses Gail, an insurance AI tool, to help her team analyze coverage, research certificates of insurance, create proposals and answer general insurance questions. Reported: Silverio calls Claude amazing at talking through what he wants and then possibly building it, but says many things still need so much oversight and guidance that they don't yet make sense to implement. No time or dollar figures were given. Full case
- A 12-month client summary before each renewal call: The Advisers (New Zealand) (press, via Insurance Business: How AI adoption gave a broker its time back). After moving its data and documents into JAVLN's cloud-based Officetech platform, the firm uses the platform's AI reporting to pull a client's recent file notes, correspondence, document changes and outstanding tasks into one summary on demand. Managers also use it to get a quick overview of an account when a colleague is on leave and that client calls. Reported: Tyson says the AI agent can cut that 30-plus minutes of preparation in half. He says consolidating the data into "one source of truth" came first. Full case
- Procedures, meeting notes and document comparisons for the whole team: O'Connor Insurance (North Carolina) (press, via IndependentAgent.com (Big "I" agency AI survey): One AI Tool, Endless Possibilities: How O'Connor Insurance Scaled Adoption Agency-Wide). Claude writes and improves processes and procedures, summarizes and analyzes meeting notes, reviews, analyzes and compares documents and contracts, drafts emails, checklists, summaries and internal guides, builds onboarding plans and training checklists, and creates documents, spreadsheets and slides. Team members build Claude artifacts and share them with each other. Reported: The agency scored several AI tools against a list of criteria before picking Claude, then rolled it out in stages: two testers, then the leadership team, then everyone. Fox says the shareable artifacts worked better than expected. The surprise was hitting the Team plan's usage limits mid-task. Full case
- A procedure manual staff can ask questions: Emerling, Floss, Murphy & Associates (New York) (press, via IndependentAgent.com (Big "I" agency AI survey): Using AI to Help Employees Find Answers Faster and Work More Efficiently). The agency is building a procedure manual in SharePoint so an employee can type a prompt into Microsoft Copilot and get the answer. It chose Copilot because it works with all of its Microsoft tools, and using it with a license keeps the agency's data safe. Reported: Still in beta: two employees are testing it to find issues before it launches to the rest of the team. Grucza says getting the documentation into one central place was easier than expected, and building up the knowledge base took longer than expected. Full case
- Phones, as one example among many: MeyerInsure (Australia) (press, via Insurance Business: This broker's AI answers the phone and admits it is not a person). After a developer cold-emailed her, she trialled a voice agent named 'Jess' that answers calls and tells every caller it is AI. She emailed clients a week before launch, framing it as a front door or concierge, and she watches calls closely and asks callers for feedback. Reported: She was 'blown away by just how natural the computer sounded.' Reactions were mixed: one client in his nineties called it a terrible experience, others were not negative though some were bemused, and fellow brokers were split. Her stance: 'If it's not working, I'll can it.' No call numbers reported. Full case
These are each company's own results with their own tools and teams, as reported by the source. Vendor case studies are written by the company selling the tool. None of them are promises.
What can an insurance agency automate with AI?
Client messages at each step. Brian Bartosh says Top O' Michigan Insurance mapped five client moments (quoting, onboarding, servicing, claims, and renewal and retention), found the event in Applied Epic that marks each one and had generative AI write the messages the system now sends. When a renewal document arrives from a carrier, the client gets a note that it is in the portal. Bartosh says this took roughly two-thirds of routine activities and tasks off staff workloads.
Emails, campaigns and content. At Jon Peters Insurance Agency, Jack Tribble uses ChatGPT for Business to polish client emails and build HTML email templates with CRM merge fields, and says a branded campaign now goes from concept to implementation within one business day. Evergreen Insurance's leadership team uses ChatGPT for Business for client communications, proposals and coverage comparisons.
Renewals and retention. Evan Silverio built a manager's dashboard with Claude that shows potential non-renewals, cancellations, lapses and suspenses, so service managers can see where the team needs help. Nic Tyson of The Advisers says the AI reporting in his firm's platform summarizes a client's last 12 months before a renewal conversation, cutting 30-plus minutes of preparation in half.
Procedures and staff questions. O'Connor Insurance gave everyone Claude for procedures, meeting notes, document comparisons and onboarding plans. Emerling, Floss, Murphy & Associates is building a SharePoint procedure manual that staff can query with Microsoft Copilot; two employees are testing it before launch.
Does an insurance agency need an AI receptionist?
Not to start. Seven of the 8 examples here never touch the phone. Laura Meyer of MeyerInsure in Ballarat, Australia, trialled a voice agent that tells every caller it is AI, and told Insurance Business that reactions were mixed: one client in his nineties called it a terrible experience. Her stance: "If it's not working, I'll can it." If calls are not your bottleneck, start with the office work above.
What to watch out for
A person still checks. Silverio says many things still need so much oversight and guidance that they don't yet make sense to implement. Bartosh's agency trained staff to prompt the AI tools and vet the outputs.
Getting the team on board. At Evergreen Insurance, three leaders use ChatGPT extensively and Patrick Villafranca says getting the rest of the team to use it has been the hardest part. At Jon Peters Insurance Agency, about 30% of the team uses it daily, and Tribble says hands-off automation is something the agency hasn't figured out yet.
Plans, limits and data. O'Connor Insurance hit the usage limits of Claude's Team plan mid-task. Emerling, Floss, Murphy chose Copilot because it works with its Microsoft tools and a license keeps its data safe. Tyson and Bartosh both say clean, consolidated client data came first.
Tools named in these examples
| Tool | Starting price (base plan) | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Free $0; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro $100/mo | 2026-10-17 |
| Claude | $17/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) | 2026-10-15 |
| Microsoft Copilot | Individuals: Microsoft 365 Personal with Copilot $9.99/mo; Business: Copilot add-on from $18/user/mo paid yearly (promo, normally $21) | 2026-10-17 |
| Canva AI (Magic Studio) | Pro $18/mo or $144/yr for one person | 2026-10-14 |
Starting prices from each vendor's pricing page on the date shown. AI phone and texting features can be priced separately from the base plan, so check before you buy. Gail, JAVLN Officetech, Applied Epic and Agency Revolution First Draft are built for insurance agencies; we haven't price-checked them.
How to start this week
- Pick one job that eats hours every week: renewal messages, coverage comparisons, certificate requests or the same staff questions. Start there, not everywhere.
- Write down what good looks like first: the message a client should get at renewal, the format of your comparison, or the steps of the procedure.
- Try it without client data. Paste a de-identified quote summary or your rough procedure notes into ChatGPT or Claude and ask for a draft, then have a licensed person check every coverage line.
- For messages, find the event in your agency management system that should trigger them (a renewal document arriving, a policy issued) and build the AI-written message into that workflow.
- Settle your AI rules before you scale: which plan you use, what data never goes in, and who checks the output before a client sees it.
Write client messages for every renewal, claim and onboarding moment with AI, then let your agency system send them automatically
The team mapped five client "moments of truth" (quoting, onboarding, servicing, claims, and renewal and retention), found the triggering …
ChatGPT
ClaudeAEApplied EpicPolish client emails and build branded HTML email templates for your CRM with ChatGPT
Staff use ChatGPT for Business to draft and polish client emails, write branded marketing and educational blog content, brainstorm campai…
ChatGPT
Canva AI (Magic Studio)ARAgency Revolution First DraftUse ChatGPT for Business for client emails, proposals, coverage comparisons and agency templates
The leadership team uses ChatGPT for Business to work faster on client communications, proposals and coverage comparisons, to help build …
ChatGPTBuild a manager's dashboard of non-renewals, cancellations and lapses with Claude, and use an insurance AI for certificate research and proposals
Silverio talked Claude through his ideas and built a "manager's dashboard" that shows potential non-renewals, cancellations, lapses and s…
ClaudeGGailHave AI summarize a client's last 12 months before every renewal conversation
After moving its data and documents into JAVLN's cloud-based Officetech platform, the firm uses the platform's AI reporting to pull a cli…
Give the whole agency one Claude team plan for procedures, meeting notes, document comparisons and onboarding guides
Claude writes and improves processes and procedures, summarizes and analyzes meeting notes, reviews, analyzes and compares documents and …
ClaudeTurn scattered agency procedures into a Microsoft Copilot knowledge base staff can ask questions
The agency is building a procedure manual in SharePoint so an employee can type a prompt into Microsoft Copilot and get the answer.
Microsoft CopilotSSharePointHave an AI voice agent answer an insurance agency's phone and say up front that it's AI
After a developer cold-emailed her, she trialled a voice agent named 'Jess' that answers calls and tells every caller it is AI.
Questions
What can a small insurance agency automate with AI?
The examples here cover automated client messages at renewal and other moments (Top O' Michigan Insurance), client emails and branded email campaigns (Jon Peters Insurance Agency), proposals and coverage comparisons (Evergreen Insurance), a dashboard of non-renewals and cancellations plus certificate research (Silverio Insurance Agency), a client summary before renewal calls (The Advisers), and procedures and staff questions (O'Connor Insurance, Emerling, Floss, Murphy & Associates).
Can I use ChatGPT as an insurance agent?
Agencies here do. Jon Peters Insurance Agency and Evergreen Insurance use ChatGPT for Business for client emails, proposals and coverage comparisons, and Top O' Michigan Insurance uses ChatGPT or Claude to write and refresh its automated client messages.
What are the best AI tools for insurance agencies?
There isn't one best tool. In these examples agencies use general assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot), AI inside their agency software (Applied Epic workflows, JAVLN Officetech) and insurance-specific tools like Gail. O'Connor Insurance scored several AI tools against its own criteria before choosing one. Start with the job you want to automate, then pick the tool.
How long does it take to get going?
It varies. O'Connor Insurance took several months from deciding to test to rolling Claude out to everyone, and Emerling, Floss, Murphy is still in beta with two testers. Tribble says the HTML email work started as multi-day sessions and now takes a business day or less per campaign. Silverio suggests dedicating a full day or two just to getting started.
Can someone set it up for us?
Yes. The $197 Quick-Win sets up one automation in accounts you own, live within 48 hours of getting access, with a refund if it is not live in 48 hours or is not doing its job in the first 14 days.
Related guides
- AI automations for any small business, by task
- AI automations for small accounting firms and bookkeepers
- All professional services AI examples
- AI for professional firm operations
- AI for professional firm client service
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