The ROI of an AI-enabled renewal workflow: Real results from real brokerages

There’s a constant battle in insurance brokerages, especially in personal lines. While this part of the business brings steady revenue, it comes with rising complexity, higher premiums, and ever-increasing client demands. Teams are stretched thin, expected to do more with less, and there’s no easy way to cut corners — every renewal carries risk, and hiring isn’t a sustainable fix.

Most leaders know the current approach can’t last, but working harder has felt like the only answer, until now. With AI-enabled renewal automation, brokerages finally have an alternative. The question is no longer if you should hire more people, but how to do more with the team you have, improve client experience, and unlock real capacity for growth. Suddenly, a scalable and sustainable future feels within reach.

What freeing up thousands of hours really looks like

It’s easy to talk about “time savings,” but it’s another thing entirely to see how that time gets put back into the business. In most brokerages, personal lines renewal reviews are the single biggest drain on staff resources. Each review can take anywhere from 15 minutes to well over an hour, especially when you factor in searching for documents, double-checking details, and handling follow-up. Multiply that across hundreds or thousands of renewals every month, and you get a sense of the operational drag this process creates.

AI-driven automation, like Quandri’s Renewal Intelligence Platform, rewrites that equation. Instead of having advisors manually sift through policy documents, compare data points, and flag discrepancies by hand, the platform takes on that work automatically. 

It reviews every policy for premium changes, coverage gaps, and potential risks, then flags what actually needs a human touch. This means brokers can spend less time on busywork and more time on meaningful client interactions or strategic planning.

Vienneau Insurance saved 6,000 hours per year, equivalent to the output of almost three full-time team members, without expanding payroll. At Mackay Insurance, 200 hours a month suddenly became available for higher-value activities, whether that meant deeper client outreach or staff training and development. Blue Ridge Risk Partners saw their requoting process shrink from an hour and a half per policy to just five minutes, freeing up a staggering 16,000 hours for their team to invest back into client relationships or new business growth. At Harvard Western, advisors cut their pre-call preparation time by 75%, which means faster, better conversations with clients.

What’s striking is that these brokerages didn’t just “get by” with fewer staff. They were able to redeploy talented people into roles that actually drive the business forward—focusing on client engagement, cross-sell opportunities, or even new product development. For these teams, automation wasn’t about replacement; it was about unleashing capacity that was trapped in the weeds.

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Proactive retention isn’t a buzzword — it’s how brokerages thrive

If you ask any brokerage owner or leader what keeps them up at night, it’s almost always about keeping clients happy and loyal — especially when market conditions are challenging. Everyone knows retention is critical, but proactive retention, where you’re reaching out to clients before issues become problems, has always been the gold standard. The reality, though, is that being truly proactive has traditionally required more time and staff than most brokerages could spare.

With AI-enabled renewal reviews, brokerages no longer have to pick and choose which clients get a personal touch. The technology surfaces exactly which policies need attention—highlighting clients who’ve experienced premium hikes, whose coverage doesn't meet brokerage standards, or who have shown other signals that they might be at risk. Advisors walk into every conversation armed with context and insight, making it easy to reach out before the client starts shopping elsewhere or feeling overlooked.

For example, at KJ&A Insurance, the ability to proactively identify and connect with at-risk clients resulted in a reduction of 240 cancellations per broker, per year. That isn’t just a number; it’s hundreds of families and individuals who stayed with their trusted advisor, simply because someone had the time and data to reach out before frustration set in. Across the board, brokerages are reporting 5x increases in client contact and response times that are ten times faster than before.

And it’s not just about the numbers. Advisors report feeling more in control and less stressed, able to anticipate client needs instead of constantly scrambling to catch up. Clients notice too —they feel supported, seen, and valued by a brokerage that’s acting in their best interests.

As Miguel Reynaga of KJ&A puts it, he went from losing clients on a weekly basis to holding on to every policy by having timely, personalized conversations. When your team has the tools to deliver that level of care, it’s no longer about playing defence. It’s about building deeper relationships that drive referrals and long-term growth.

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“From a client’s perspective, we are doing the work for them before they even need to worry about it.” — Rebecca Reed, McFarlan Rowlands

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Why accuracy and consistency are more valuable than ever

No matter how experienced your team is, a manual renewal process opens the door to human error. Advisors are juggling multiple things at once, and even the most attentive broker can miss a coverage change, overlook a premium jump, or forget to document a conversation. These minor oversights can quickly escalate — leading to unhappy clients, lost business, or, in the worst-case scenario, expensive E&O claims.

AI-powered automation shifts this dynamic completely. Every policy is reviewed according to a consistent, comprehensive set of criteria. Instead of relying on memory or sticky notes, brokers get a standardized checklist that flags any premium increase, missing endorsement, or other detail that might require attention. This uniformity means nothing gets overlooked, and clients get a better, more reliable experience every time.

“Thanks to Quandri, our brokers can more efficiently serve a client that’s calling in. They simply go to the activity and see any difference in premium or coverage—and they’re able to address it in real-time.” — Kari Schill, Schill Insurance

But the value goes deeper than just reducing mistakes. Automation provides a full audit trail, documenting every step and change right in the broker management system. For leadership, this means peace of mind. If a client calls in or a regulator asks questions, you can demonstrate exactly what was checked, when, and by whom. Compliance isn’t a scramble anymore — it’s baked right into the process.

In a world where one missed detail can turn into a costly complaint or lawsuit, this level of consistency is more than a nice-to-have. It’s a core business need.

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Scaling isn’t about hiring more; it’s about working smarter

Growth is on every brokerage’s agenda, but traditional scaling—simply adding more people to keep up with rising volume—doesn’t work like it used to. The reality is that the labor market is tight, costs are up, and hiring takes time. The challenge isn’t just finding talent, but using existing talent more effectively so the business can handle more without burning people out.

Renewal automation is a force multiplier. By taking on the repetitive, manual aspects of renewal reviews, AI-powered platforms let brokerages do more with the team they already have. This shift doesn’t just help you “get by” with fewer hires; it lets you redeploy experienced people to higher-impact roles, where they can drive revenue, develop new business, or support strategic projects.

Take Schill Insurance, for example. By automating their renewal reviews, they quadrupled their capacity in just six months without adding more staff. In fact, they saw a 17% reduction in staffing needs for renewals, freeing up resources to support growth initiatives elsewhere. 

Harvard Western and McFarlan Rowlands saw similar results, repurposing between 3-5.5 FTE to drive more value. 

For these brokerages, automation isn’t about cutting jobs—it’s about giving the team the space to thrive. When the routine work is handled, your advisors have more time to focus on what makes your business unique: building relationships, identifying opportunities, and shaping the future of your firm.

“Quandri didn’t just save us time, it gave us room to grow.” — Shawn Kelly, Vienneau Insurance

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Faster response times keep clients loyal and teams less stressed

In the insurance world, speed isn’t just a bonus — it’s a differentiator. Clients want answers quickly, especially when it comes to something as crucial as their coverage or premiums. But when your team is bogged down by manual review processes and chasing paperwork, it’s almost impossible to deliver the kind of fast, informed service that today’s clients expect. Every hour or day of delay increases the chance that a client will feel ignored and potentially start looking for alternatives.

When AI handles the legwork — pulling data, analyzing changes, and even drafting proactive client emails — your advisors can respond to questions or concerns in minutes, not hours or days. This means less scrambling and fewer bottlenecks. Instead of playing catch-up, your team can be out in front, making a great impression with every touchpoint.

By automating data gathering, analysis, and even the drafting of proactive client emails, brokerages dramatically cut their response times. KJ&A saw a 10x improvement. Mackay Insurance made renewal review 35x faster.

The impact is immediate. Teams feel less pressure and more confident. Clients feel heard and supported. And the brokerage builds a reputation for responsiveness that pays off in retention and referrals.

The path to ROI isn’t years away — it’s measured in months

If you’ve ever rolled out new technology and waited years to see a real return, you might be skeptical. But the brokerages using Quandri’s Renewal Intelligence Platform are reporting measurable impact within months, not years. Implementation is hands-on and designed to minimize disruption, so your team is set up for success right from the start.

“Usually, it takes multiple years to see a return on investment from new technology—but our team is already experiencing that within months. That’s truly remarkable.” — Christa O’Neil, McFarlan Rowlands

The most common regret we hear? Leaders wish they’d jumped on AI-enabled workflows sooner. 

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Measuring what matters: Calculating your brokerage’s ROI

So, what could this look like for your business? Here are four questions that start the ROI conversation:

1. How many hours do your brokers spend on manual renewal reviews each month?
2. How many clients are you unable to reach proactively today — and what’s the value of saving just 1% more?
3. What would freeing up your top talent for higher-impact work mean for growth, retention, or innovation?
4. How many hires are you planning just to keep up — and what could you do with that budget if you didn’t have to?
   
   

Across our customer base, brokerages see annual review completion speeds increase by 80% and client retention rates rise by more than 1%. Those results cascade into better margins, happier teams, and more sustainable growth.

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Automation is the future of personal lines 

The stories and numbers from leading brokerages make it clear: renewal automation isn’t a luxury or a side project. It’s becoming the foundation for how modern insurance brokerages operate, grow, and deliver value — both for their clients and their teams. 

The bottom line? If your team is feeling the strain of rising complexity and thinning margins, it’s time to think differently. AI-enabled automation, like Quandri’s Renewal Intelligence Platform, can help you break the cycle of burnout and bottlenecks, so your brokerage isn’t just surviving, but thriving in a changing industry.

Request a personalized ROI demo today and start building your future-ready brokerage.