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Workflow friction and re-keying slow insurance agents’ carrier placements

In an Ivans survey of more than 700 agents, 90% said friction has pushed them to shift business away from carriers, with re-keying cited as the top pain point by 74% of respondents.

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Workflow friction, especially re-keying data, is driving independent insurance agents to place business with fewer carriers, according to a survey by Ivans. In its 2026 Agency-Carrier Connection Report, Ivans found that 90% of agents said they have reduced business with a carrier due to process friction rather than because of price or product.

Re-keying data ranked as the leading workflow pain point for 74% of agents. When agents described what most influences placement decisions, a simpler quoting process beat commission, with 65% pointing to superior product offerings and 60% citing simple quoting, compared with 32% for commission.

Ivans also highlighted digital workflow priorities, saying policy download was the single most valued capability, with 94% of agents ranking it as a priority. Beyond download, 93% said ease of use with carrier technology mattered most, including easy quoting and submission cited by 86% and speed to bind or issue cited by 75%.

Agents writing more than 75% of their books in commercial lines, about 10% of the survey sample, reported re-keying data issues more than 70% of the time versus 62% overall. Ivans added that this group uses manual methods more often, with 49% using email and 7% using dedicated submission capture software, and that 54% said they lose commercial deals each month because they cannot reach the right markets quickly enough.

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