The Problem: Independent Agencies vs. Renewals
For independent agencies handling small commercial lines, renewal cycles are brutal. Instead of a single crunch season, agencies face renewal crunches that periodically occur depending on the programs in place and the seasonality of certain products. Peak cycles create bottlenecks from client delays, data collection, and mounting submission prep. Each policy may only yield a modest commission, but still demands 6–10 hours of staff time to renew (Vertafore, Applied Systems). (Vertafore, Applied Systems).
With hundreds of renewals piling up, agencies often fall behind, risking client churn, rushed quotes, and lost revenue. Retention suffers too: firms without proactive renewal workflows report retention rates as low as 75–80%, vs. 93–95% for tech-enabled peers (Reagan Consulting, McKinsey).
On the other side of things, clients can be slow to respond, which slows down the intake of required renewal info. To make matters worse, commercial accounts require more data, customization, and sometimes layered markets or specialty carriers.
Why Renewal Crunches Keep Coming Back
Renewal crunches don't follow a single calendar—they hit agencies in waves depending on the programs and lines of business in play. For example, employee benefits often renew in January or mid-year, commercial property can spike around hurricane or wildfire seasons, and specialty programs bring their own underwriting calendars. The result? Agencies are juggling multiple crunch periods, staggered deadlines across the year.
This creates a second challenge: unpredictability. Overlapping renewals, client delays, and seasonal risks often collide without warning, leaving staff scrambling to keep up. That irregularity makes it harder to allocate resources and nearly impossible to standardize workflows without technology.
Agencies that don't modernize face another risk: competitors who already use AI and automation to handle renewals more efficiently. As programs diversify and risks evolve, crunch periods aren't going away, they're intensifying. Agencies that adopt AI now will be positioned to scale, retain more clients, and reduce staff burnout.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Even a 5% drop in retention can have a compound revenue impact over 2–3 years, especially in commercial lines, where average account value is high and acquisition costs are steep.
The Solution: AI for Commercial Renewals
A conversational AI assistant built for commercial insurance automates the time-consuming, repetitive steps in the commercial renewal process. It engages clients early, gathers documents, sends reminders, triages submissions, and provides 24/7 support—without human chasing or manual follow-up. Here's how it works using our product, Olivo, as an example:
1. Pre-Renewal Information Gathering
An AI assistant can proactively reach out to commercial clients via email, SMS, or AI virtual assistant to complete information collection. Olivo can collect updated business information such as revenue, number of employees, new equipment, and so on. It can ask pre-underwriting questions such as if there have been any changes in operations or risk exposures. Finally, AI virtual assistants can gather documents. Even when contacting client by phone, Olivo can send an SMS with a link to upload financials, certificates, and other important paperwork.
2. Automated Reminders & Follow-Ups
AI virtual assistants can send polite, timely reminders to clients who haven't submitted required documents. These reminders can be triggered based on policy renewal dates and client responsiveness. For example, if one client typically takes 2 weeks to respond to your emails, Olivo can be programmed to send alerts ahead of time.
3. Instant Pre-Qualification & Triage
AI can help triage commercial submissions by identifying missing information, flagging risks that require specialist handling, and routing to the appropriate broker or underwriting partner.
4. 24/7 Client Access
With staff stretched thin, an AI virtual assistant can still answer client questions about renewal timelines. Additionally, during the renewal process, intelligent AI like Olivo have the specialized knowledge which allows them to provide guidance on required documents. Finally, clients can book meetings with their broker when needed using various calendar integrations, further reducing back-and-forth.
5. Back-Office Integration
Speaking of integrations, modern AI assistants can be integrated into CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce or Applied Epic), document management systems, email, and scheduling tools.
Example Workflow for AI powered Commercial Renewals
Step 1: AI scans CRM for policies renewing in 90–120 days
Step 2: Sends personalized emails asking clients to update info
Step 3: Gathers docs, flags issues, and routes complete submissions
Step 4: Sets reminders or meeting links for brokers
Step 5: Keeps clients informed and engaged without human follow-up
The Benefits for Independent Agencies
- 1
Faster Submissions: AI collects business info, financials, and risk data via email, SMS, or AI virtual assistant, weeks before deadlines hit.
- 2No More Chasing: Smart reminders keep clients engaged and files moving forward—automatically.
- 3Better Retention: Timely outreach, cleaner submissions, and proactive service reduce the risk of client fatigue or defection.
- 4More Quoting Time: With intake automated, producers can focus on advising clients and exploring better market options.
- 5Lean Operations: Agencies cut down on manual hours—essential when policy commission doesn't justify heavy labor investment.
The Bottom Line for Independent Agencies
Conversational AI helps agencies do more with less – a must in small commercial business where margins are thin, but service expectations remain high.
About Koïos Intelligence
Founded in 2017, Koïos Intelligence's mission is to empower the insurance and financial industry with the next generation of intelligent and customized systems that are supported by Artificial Intelligence, statistics and operational research. Combining the knowledge of our lead experts in Insurance, Finance and Artificial Intelligence, Koïos is developing new technologies that redefine the interactions between insurers, brokers and customers.