In this guide 6 sections
Start with one client list that holds every motor, health, fire and travel policy, whichever insurer issued it. Renewals, claims, premium receipts and commission statements then work from the same records. GullySystem’s General Insurance Agency Management Software provides that shared list for the agency’s staff. Sheets and insurer portals stop being the working record.
Put every client and policy in one list
Most agencies hold their book in several places. Excel sheets keep client details, each insurer’s portal keeps its own policies, and phones keep the call history. None of them shows a client’s whole cover.
Begin with a client record that carries contact details, KYC papers and links to family members or a business. Every policy the agency has placed is listed under that record, whichever insurer issued it.
A policy register sits across all clients. It records insurer, policy number, line of cover, premium, sum insured and period. Staff can then search by any of those fields instead of opening a sheet per insurer.
Record each line of cover with its own fields
A motor policy and a health policy ask for different facts. One generic row cannot hold both well.
Motor records carry the registration number, make and model, previous insurer, no-claim bonus and insured declared value. Health records carry members, ages, waiting periods, pre-existing conditions and portability history. Fire and travel policies carry the property or the trip.
Collect these fields once, at the enquiry. Quotes from each insurer are stored against it and compared side by side. The client’s choice is noted, and the policy is recorded with its copy filed under the client.
- Motor: vehicle details, previous insurer and no-claim bonus
- Health: members, waiting periods and portability history
- Fire: insured property, contents and sum insured
- Travel: traveller, trip dates and destination
Let the renewal list drive the calendar
Renewals are the steady income of a general insurance agency. A date missed means a lapse for the client and lost commission for the agency.
Once policies carry expiry dates, the system lists them by date, line of cover and insurer. WhatsApp, SMS or email reminders go out a set number of days before expiry and continue until the renewal is recorded.
Renewal callers work the list each morning. Each entry shows a status, so two staff do not ring the same client. Recording the renewed policy moves the client to next year’s list.
Track claims and check commission
A claim opens from the policy, so the insurer, number and client are already attached. Documents, calls and insurer or TPA replies are logged against it until it is settled or closed.
Premium collected from clients and paid to insurers is recorded with a receipt for each payment. Each insurer’s commission statement is then entered and matched to the policies sold.
Policies where the amount paid differs from the agreed rate are listed. The owner chases an insurer with a list of policies. The accountant reads receipts and commission figures from the same reports.
When a sheet and a phone are still enough
An agent with a few dozen policies can manage with a sheet and reminders on a phone. The setup work is not worth it at that size.
Software starts to matter with several staff sharing one client list, several insurers, and renewals falling due every week. Agents who sell life insurance should look at the Life Insurance Agency Management Software instead, since premium due dates drive that book.
Decide first which insurers and lines of cover go in, and how commission rates are written in your agreements. Where an agency owner cannot tell if that point has arrived, a technology audit from GullySystem, free of charge, will settle it.
Agency book audit sheet
Give every policy its own line, with columns for client, insurer, line of cover, expiry date, premium, commission rate and where the policy copy is kept. Fill fifty rows from your current files to see which fields are missing or scattered.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
What should an agency set up first?
Set up the insurers you hold agencies with, the lines of cover you sell and the fields you collect for each. Commission rates by insurer and product come next. Clients, running policies and expiry dates are then imported from your sheets and checked.
Can the agency keep working from insurer portals?
Yes. Policies are recorded in the agency system, and any link to an insurer’s portal depends on what that insurer offers. The portals stay where the insurer issues and services policies. The agency list becomes the working record.