Finding the Right AMS: How Health Insurance Agencies Can Navigate the CRM Landscape

As a health insurance agency, choosing the right agency management system (AMS) is crucial for your success. With numerous options available, navigating the insurance CRM landscape can be overwhelming. You need a solution that aligns with your agency's unique needs, whether you're a sole proprietor, small to large agency, or upline organization (GA, IMO, FMO). This blog will guide you through the due diligence process, helping you identify key components to consider and essential questions to ask potential vendors. 

What Is an Agency Management System (AMS)?

Before we get too far, let’s level-set on what an AMS is. 

An agency management system, commonly called an AMS, is a comprehensive software solution designed to streamline insurance agency operations. This powerful tool is the backbone of your agency, integrating various operations into a single, user-friendly platform.

At its core, an AMS functions as a specialized insurance CRM, tailored to meet the unique needs of insurance professionals. It goes beyond basic customer relationship management by incorporating industry-specific features. To find the right insurance CRM, health insurance agencies and uplines should look for systems that offer:

• Centralized client data management
• Insurance-specific policy management
• Built-in compliance tools
• Automated workflow processes & communication
• Commissions tracking & processing
• Robust reporting & analytics capabilities

An effective AMS can significantly enhance productivity, improve client service, and drive growth for insurance organizations of all sizes. 

Assessing Your Technology Needs & Options

When searching for the right agency management system, assessing your team’s specific needs is crucial. With many different systems on the market, it’s important to know how your technology will align. Some considerations to keep in mind:

• Specificity: Is the software made for your industry?
• Accessibility: Who has access to your book of business data? 
• Integrations Access: How well does it connect with your existing tools?
• Security: Does the technology meet your industry’s security needs?
• Compliance: Will the software help you stay compliant with evolving regulations?
• Audit Readiness: Will the software help your team prepare for and mitigate potential future audits? 

Another critical question is centralization.

There are many different solutions on the market, and each may focus on different parts of your process. However, using multiple solutions at once isn’t always the answer. The average insurance agency has up to 11 solutions within its tech stack. But with many systems at your disposal, you have many questions that come up, like:

• Which system will you use for an audit?
• Which system will have the latest customer information?
• What happens when you expand (add another office or other lines of business)?
• How will you keep it all in sync?
• Who will you call when there’s a problem?
• Which system is your one true source of data?

The last question to cover is scalability.

Whether you’re a sole proprietor, small agency, mid-to-large agency, or an upline organization, you want to ensure your technology is designed for you and your goals. It’s important to know if the tools you’re considering can help you not only today but also support the goals you have in the future. To learn more about how technology can align with different types of agencies at different stages of growth, check out our blog, Unlock Growth: Investing in Insurance Agency Technology.

Assessing the Team Behind the Product 

Considering new technology solutions requires significant assessments and due diligence. However, a key part of this process is looking at the team, the people, behind the product. Some questions to consider:

• Who is the company?
• What types of roles are represented in the company?
• Is the company connected to your upline/carrier partners, or is it a true third-party solution?
• If you have multiple upline/carrier partners, do you have to track each subset of data separately? 
• Can you continue using the software if you switch uplines or carrier partners?
• Is the company a competitor/do they sell insurance? 
• What security measures do they have in place to protect your client data?
• Is the company committed to and actively evolving alongside the insurance industry?

Knowing the answers to these questions can give you insight into which problems the company is trying to solve, who they ultimately serve, and how your organization factors into that equation.

Taking the Next Step in Your Technology Journey

The right AMS can be a game-changer for your agency, streamlining operations and driving growth in today's competitive insurance landscape. As you embark on your journey to find the ideal AMS for your health insurance agency or upline, remember that due diligence is key. Carefully consider your team’s unique needs, size, and growth trajectory. Ask probing questions about industry-specific features, totality, scalability, and the team behind the product. 

AgencyBloc's AMS+ solution is an agency management system designed for the individual health, group benefits, and senior insurance/Medicare space. Some of the key features our industry solutions include are:

• Health Insurance CRM: Centralize leads, clients, and policy data to make day-to-day record management easier
• Sales Enablement Tools: Drive productivity with automated lead routing, task management, and built-in compliance documents
• Policy & Customer Management: Simplify renewals, servicing, and client engagement 
• Agent & Downline Management: Efficiently manage internal, downline, and 1099 agents and agencies
• Stay Connected: Utilize VoIP (phone system), email marketing, and insurance workflow automation all within the same AMS
• Industry Integrations: Connect to quoting and enrollment platforms, lead generation tools, and other key solutions, helping you connect the dots and increase efficiencies
• Commissions Processing: Save time and uncover missing compensation from carriers and uplines, all built into your existing AMS
• Custom Reporting & Analysis: Gain actionable insights into operational performance

Our comprehensive, industry-specific platform is designed to help independent health insurance agents, agencies, and uplines streamline operations, boost sales, enhance client retention, and maintain compliance. 

Posted by Allison Babberl on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 in Insurance Agency Management System