Case study
How we're rebuilding a specialty insurance agency with AI
This is a specialty insurance agency we co-own. Here is what we built, what is still in testing, and what we've learned so far.
Why this business
We tell clients to hand the busy work to AI. So we did it in a business we co-own first. A specialty insurance agency runs on intake, follow-up, and reminders, which is good work for AI.
The setup
- A CRM is the pipeline. Every lead lands there and has a stage.
- AI assistants do the repeat work: marketing drafts, lead research, quote intake, and follow-up.
- A person on the switch. Email follow-up goes through a human approval step before it sends.
- The tools are one option. Others work too, or you can build your own.
What's built vs. what's in testing
| Piece | What it does | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CRM and pipeline | Holds every lead and shows its stage | Built |
| Quote form | Captures the details needed to quote, and sends them into the CRM | Built |
| AI marketing assistant | Drafts posts and content for review | Built |
| AI lead research | Finds and researches likely customers | Built |
| AI quote intake and follow-up | Reads new requests and drafts the next step | Built |
| Email follow-up with human approval | AI drafts the email. A person approves it before it sends. | Built |
| Automated review requests | Asks happy customers for a review at the right time | Built, in testing, not live |
What we've learned so far
- Start with one job. Follow-up was the first job worth handing off.
- Keep a person on the switch. AI drafts fast. A person catches the things AI misses.
- The CRM comes first. AI is only as good as the system it writes into.
- Test before it goes live. Review requests are still in testing because the timing and wording need to be right before customers see them.
No results or numbers yet, on purpose. We'll add them once we have real data we can stand behind.
Watch it: Main Street AI Show, Episode 1
How to Get More Google Reviews with AI (Small Business) | Main Street AI Show Ep. 1
Episode 1 covers review requests: why reviews matter for a small business, how we set up the requests, and why we're still testing before we turn them on.
Video coming soon