Insurance has split into two camps. Traditional retail agencies offer people and relationships. Fully digital players offer speed and convenience. Most customers want both, and they fall into the gap in between.
Closing that gap was the core of the talk David Hand and I gave at SIR 2025. Here is how I see it.
What a unified model looks like
In the model I believe in, customers can:
- Start online and finish in person, or the other way around, without starting over.
- Be routed intelligently based on how they shop, so a price-shopper and a first-time buyer get the help each one needs.
- Work with tech-enabled agents who use social media, AI, and automation to respond faster and spend more time advising.
- Get access to more carrier options through a local agency, which is the independent channel's biggest advantage.
How we get there
Bind online, with real-time carrier segmentation
Customers should be able to buy online when they are ready, with the right carriers shown for their situation in real time.
Better API integrations
Agency systems and carrier systems need to talk to each other. Every manual re-entry is a delay for the customer and a chance for an error.
Shared technology and education
Carriers can share tools and training with the agencies that sell their products. When agents know the technology well, customers feel the difference.
Self-service stations and smarter workflows
In the office, self-service stations and better payment and e-signature workflows let customers handle simple tasks themselves and free agents for advice.
Who has to move
No single player can close the gap. Carriers control much of the technology. Agencies own the customer relationship. Insurtechs bring new tools and new ideas. The progress happens when all three build together.
How can carriers, agencies, and insurtechs work together to serve tomorrow's customer better, without losing the personal touch that built the independent agency channel?
That is the question I keep coming back to. For the agency side of the answer, see Building a hybrid insurance agency.