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Automation brings small-group benefits back for some agencies
Insurance Business reports that agencies said small-group work was too manual for the commissions, but tools like automated data entry are changing that cost equation.
Insurance Business reports that some benefits agencies stepped away from small-group business because of punishing margin economics, particularly the heavy manual work tied to spreadsheet-based data entry.
At Applied Net 2026, Tammi Shapiro, SVP and GM of benefits at Applied Systems, described an agency that decided small-group benefits were “too much work” after concluding the effort required manual systems and commissions did not justify it.
The outlet says that agency later returned to selling benefits after adopting Epic’s benefits experience, including Autofill to streamline data entry, describing it as bringing the line of business “back on the books.”
Insurance Business adds that the manual burden on small-group accounts had pushed benefits off the table for some agencies focused on property and casualty, and that automation is beginning to change the calculation.