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2025 Guide: Choosing the Right Insurance Virtual Assistant Platform
Amir Prodensky
CEO
Sep 25, 2025
15 min read
A simple framework for picking the best assistant in 2025.
In the insurance industry, speed and responsiveness make the difference between keeping and losing a client. Customers now expect answers instantly, around the clock, and with the same level of personalization they experience everywhere else.
If brokers or carriers fall short, clients quickly start looking elsewhere.
That’s why virtual assistants are becoming essential. They provide a cost-effective way to deliver fast, consistent service by handling routine, time-sensitive tasks, freeing your team to focus on building relationships and closing business.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
What insurance virtual assistants really are (and aren’t)
Why they’re especially critical right now
How to choose the right platform for your needs
By the end, you’ll have a clear framework to evaluate your options and select a solution that helps your agency grow. Let’s get started.
What is an insurance virtual assistant?
An insurance virtual assistant is a digital tool that helps insurance professionals handle everyday tasks more easily. Think of it as a smart helper that can answer client questions, guide people through forms, or provide quick policy information.
Unlike a human assistant, it works 24/7 and never gets tired.
For brokers and carriers, this means less time spent on repetitive work and more time focusing on clients. Here are a few ways it helps:
Responds instantly to common customer questions
Assists with quotes, renewals, and claims updates
Frees up staff so they can focus on building relationships
It’s important to understand the difference between a general AI assistant and one built for insurance. A regular chatbot may give basic answers, but it often misses industry details. An insurance-focused assistant, on the other hand, is trained to understand policies, coverage terms, and workflows.
For example, Strada is an insurance-specific conversational AI platform. It’s designed to understand industry language, process tasks accurately, and fit into the way brokers already work. This makes it a reliable choice for real business needs.
That’s the power of insurance virtual assistant technology: it makes operations faster, smoother, and more client-friendly.
With that in mind, it’s easy to see why these tools are taking off in 2025.
Why are insurance virtual assistants so popular in 2025?
More and more brokers are hitting the same wall: too many client requests, not enough hands to handle them. Phones rang after hours, emails piled up, and staff felt stretched thin. By 2025, it’s clear why insurance virtual assistants have become so popular – they solve that exact problem.
Here’s why adoption is growing so fast:
Instant answers → clients can get policy details, claims updates, or quotes right away.
Cost efficiency → it’s far more affordable than hiring and training additional staff.
Always on → assistants are available 24/7/365, often with multilingual support to serve diverse customers.
Seamless integration → modern tools connect smoothly with existing insurance systems, so workflows stay consistent.
Strada is a clear example of how powerful this technology can be. It automatically resolves 60%+ of all calls, which means your lean team can shift to more strategic work. It’s available around the clock by phone or SMS, and it’s proven to be significantly more cost-effective than human agents.
Popularity aside, you might wonder: what real problems can a virtual assistant solve for your agency every day?
What problems do they actually solve?
Insurance professionals deal with a lot of moving parts every day. Calls, emails, and client requests pile up quickly.
That’s where virtual assistants come in, they take on the repetitive work and keep operations running smoothly.
Let’s use practical examples.
Strada’s AI assistants address several of the biggest pain points in insurance operations. They handle policy inquiries and quotes by capturing details instantly and providing quick answers, so customers never have to wait. In claims support, they manage FNOL processes, give status updates, and make the process far less stressful for clients.
They also take care of scheduling and reminders, with automated follow-ups that keep customers on track with renewals, payments, or appointments. Compliance is built in, with safeguards that protect sensitive client data.
And by reducing repetitive manual work, Strada allows teams to spend more time closing deals and building stronger client relationships.
Strada makes this even more practical with pre-built insurance use cases:
Use case | Description | Strada example |
Quote intake | Captures details instantly and frees producers to focus on closing sales. | Automates quote intake, instantly capturing client info and routing leads to agents. |
Renewals | Drives proactive retention campaigns and helps brokers keep more clients. | Sends reminders and calls proactively to increase policy retention. |
FNOL claims | Available 24/7 via phone or SMS to capture first notice of loss without delay. | Captures first notice of loss instantly, anytime, reducing delays and errors. |
Policy servicing | Zero hold time for certificates of insurance (COI), policy changes, and updates. | Provides immediate updates and COI delivery without putting clients on hold. |
Customer service | Covers both inbound and outbound questions, ensuring no call goes unanswered. | Handles all client inquiries, inbound or outbound, ensuring complete coverage. |
For an agency, adopting a virtual assistant for insurance agency needs like Strada means more than just saving time. It improves client experience, reduces costs, and ensures your team never misses a revenue opportunity.
Still, once you know the tasks a virtual assistant can handle, the next step is choosing the right type of platform for your needs.
What types of platforms are available?
Not all virtual assistants are the same. If you’re considering one for your agency or carrier, it helps to understand the main types of platforms on the market.
Each comes with strengths and trade-offs, so the best fit depends on your business goals.
1. Rule-based vs. AI-driven assistants
When it comes to a virtual insurance assistant, one of the first distinctions is between rule-based and AI-driven options. Rule-based assistants rely on pre-set scripts and workflows. They’re predictable and simple to set up, but they often struggle when conversations move beyond the script.
AI-driven assistants, on the other hand, use LLMs to understand intent, learn from interactions, and deliver more personalized responses by generating different types of content.
This makes them far better suited for handling the complexity of real client conversations.
2. Industry-specific vs. general-purpose tools
Another important difference lies in whether the tool is general-purpose or industry-specific. General-purpose platforms can manage basic tasks and FAQs, but they rarely capture the nuances of insurance.
That’s why industry-specific tools stand out. Take Strada, for example. It’s not just another chatbot. It’s built with insurance in mind, using models trained to understand the terminology and workflows of carriers, MGAs, and brokers.
The result is smoother conversations and more accurate outcomes.
3. Cloud-based vs. on-premise options
You’ll also need to decide between cloud-based and on-premise solutions. Cloud-based assistants dominate the market today because they’re easy to scale, require little upfront investment, and stay automatically updated.
On-premise systems, while less common, give you more control over your data and compliance requirements. The trade-off is that they typically cost more and take longer to deploy.
4. White-label vs. custom-built solutions
Finally, there’s the choice between white-label and custom-built solutions.
White-label assistants are ready-made platforms you can brand as your own, making them fast to launch and budget-friendly.
Custom-built assistants, by contrast, are tailored from the ground up to match your unique needs. They offer maximum flexibility and differentiation, but that usually comes with higher costs and longer implementation timelines.
When you’re comparing options, remember that the right insurance virtual assistant platform should balance flexibility, cost, and functionality. The best choice will align with your workflows, meet compliance needs, and deliver the speed and personalization your clients expect.
Additionally, look for platforms that offers:
Scalability → choose a platform that can grow with your business — handling higher call volumes, multiple communication channels, and a larger client base without adding extra staff.
Integration → make sure it works smoothly with your CRM, policy management systems, and marketing tools.
Analytics & Reporting → look for built-in tools that let you track performance, spot bottlenecks, and improve client service over time.
Picking a platform with these features will keep your insurance business competitive, responsive, and ready for a digital-first market.
Understanding the platform types is useful, but you’ll get the most value by matching features to your team’s actual workflows.
How do you decide what you need?
Choosing the right solution starts with understanding your agency or team’s specific needs. Not every platform fits every operation, so it’s important to take a structured approach before committing.
1. Identify pain points
Begin by listing the tasks that take the most time or create the most frustration. Common areas include:
Handling high call volumes
Managing policy inquiries and quotes
Processing claims or renewals
Scheduling and follow-ups
Pinpointing your bottlenecks ensures you select a tool that actually solves real problems.
2. Match features to workflows
Once you know your pain points, map them to platform features. Look for assistants that can handle the tasks that matter most.
For example, Strada is built to fit seamlessly into insurance operations. It’s infinitely scalable, handling thousands of calls at once, and requires no engineering lift, so deployment is quick and easy without heavy IT resources.
3. Evaluate budget and ROI
Consider not just the upfront cost, but the potential return on investment. A well-chosen solution can save hours of staff time, reduce errors, and even generate more revenue by capturing every incoming lead.
Built-in AI evaluation tools, like those in Strada, help reduce E&O risk, protecting your agency while improving efficiency.
4. Consider scalability for future growth
Your agency’s needs will grow over time. Look for a solution that scales alongside your business. A reliable insurance virtual assistant should manage increasing call volumes, additional channels, and expanding client bases without requiring costly upgrades or complicated reconfiguration.
Now that you know what your agency requires, let’s explore the features that make an assistant truly effective.
What features should you look for in an insurance agency virtual assistant?
When evaluating solutions, the right features make all the difference. A strong insurance agency virtual assistant should combine intelligence, flexibility, and seamless integration to truly support your team.
Here are the features you should consider:
Feature | Description | Strada example |
Natural language understanding and accuracy | Interprets client requests correctly and responds naturally to reduce errors and follow-up calls. | Provides accurate responses instantly for policy or claims inquiries. |
Omni-channel support | Handles multiple communication channels: phone, chat, email, and social. | Inbound + outbound AI phone agents, plus chat and messaging support. |
Claims and policy management integration | Connects with CRM, AMS, or API systems to streamline workflows. | Post-call workflows: send SMS/email, transfer calls, schedule appointments automatically. |
Data security and compliance | Ensures sensitive client information is protected and meets regulatory requirements (HIPAA, GDPR, etc.). | Fully compliant with industry regulations, keeping client data secure. |
Customization and branding flexibility | Reflects the agency’s voice and branding in client interactions. | Turns agency knowledge base content into instant, branded answers. |
Analytics and reporting | Tracks performance, identifies bottlenecks, and provides insights for optimization. | Built-in analytics offer powerful insights on call performance and efficiency. |
Now that you know which features to prioritize, the next question is where to find them. While there are platforms built specifically for insurance, many brokers start with general-purpose virtual assistant tools.
Here are some of the most widely used options:
ChatGPT (by OpenAI) → can handle client FAQs, draft responses, and integrate via Open APIs with CRMs or policy systems.
Google Dialogflow → popular for building chatbots that integrate with websites, apps, and communication platforms.
Microsoft Power Virtual Agents → easy to deploy for common inquiries and integrates natively with Microsoft 365 and Dynamics.
Amazon Lex → used to create conversational bots, integrates well with AWS services, and supports voice and chat.
IBM Watson Assistant → strong in natural language processing and customizable for industry-specific use cases.
Intercom → a customer support platform with chatbot capabilities, widely used for lead capture and client communication.
Drift → known for conversational marketing, but also used for customer support and real-time engagement.
Zendesk Answer Bot → helps automate customer service inside Zendesk ticketing workflows.
Freshchat (by Freshworks) → AI chat assistant for customer messaging, with integrations into CRMs and support tools.
While general-purpose assistants like Retell and its alternatives are flexible and powerful, they often lack the deep understanding of insurance workflows, terminology, and compliance requirements.
That’s where industry-specific solutions like Strada come in. These platforms are built with insurance in mind from day one, meaning they don’t just answer questions, they handle policies, claims, and client communications in ways that match how brokers actually work.
For most teams, that difference can be the key to saving time and delivering better client experiences.
But, even the smartest virtual assistant for insurance companies won’t add much value if it doesn’t play well with the tools you already use. That’s why integration is the next big piece to evaluate. Your AMS, policy management system, and communication channels should all connect seamlessly with your assistant, otherwise you’ll end up adding friction instead of removing it.
Let’s look at what that really means in practice.
What about integration with your existing tools?
Integration is a key factor when choosing an assistant. Your team already relies on multiple systems like CRMs and AMS, policy administration software, and communication platforms. An assistant that doesn’t connect seamlessly can actually create more work instead of reducing it.
Here’s a simple breakdown of the key integrations to look for and why they matter:
Tool / System | Why integration matters | What to look for in a virtual assistant |
CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) | Keeps client data consistent and updated automatically. | Bi-directional sync for contacts, leads, and activities. |
Policy management systems | Ensures accurate policy details in every client interaction. | Ability to fetch, update, and validate policy data in real time. |
Quoting & Underwriting tools | Speeds up response times and reduces errors. | API access to pull rates, eligibility, and submit applications. |
Claims management platforms | Streamlines claim status inquiries and updates. | Direct integration for claim lookup, filing, and follow-ups. |
Agency Management System (e.g., Applied Epic, AMS360) | Centralizes all client, policy, billing, and workflow data in one hub. | Real-time access to account details, tasks, and documents without switching systems. |
Marketing automation (e.g., Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign) | Personalizes outreach and keeps campaigns targeted. | Trigger campaigns, update client segments, and track engagement. |
Calendar & Scheduling (e.g., Outlook, Google Calendar) | Simplifies booking and reduces no-shows. | Automatic scheduling, reminders, and rescheduling features. |
Communication channels (Phone, SMS, Chat, Email) | Meets clients where they are, 24/7. | Omnichannel support with unified conversation history. |
Analytics & Reporting tools | Tracks performance and service quality across platforms. | Custom dashboards, KPIs, and export options. |
Strada exemplifies this approach with seamless native integrations (and API available as well) across all the tools from the table. It can be deployed quickly, providing immediate benefits without heavy IT involvement.
Fernanda Soares, Senior Manager at Tint, shares her experience of integrating Strada into the existing workflows:
"Leveraging Strada as a foundation, we’ve created Aimee, our AI agent, to seamlessly complement our support team. It allows us to scale with confidence, while ensuring that trust, governance, and human expertise remain central."
Once you see how it fits into your tech stack, it’s time to understand how pricing works and which model makes the most sense.
How do you compare the pricing models of the best virtual assistants for insurance agents?
Understanding pricing is key when evaluating solutions. There are several common models, each with pros and cons.
A subscription-based model charges a fixed monthly or yearly fee. This can make budgeting predictable but sometimes locks you into features you may not use.
In contrast, usage-based pricing bills based on volume calls handled, messages sent, or tasks completed. This can be flexible for smaller operations, but costs can spike during busy periods.
Some platforms offer tiered feature pricing, where more advanced capabilities come at higher tiers. While this can let you pay only for what you need, it’s important to watch for hidden costs like setup, training, or ongoing maintenance. These extra charges can quickly add up if not considered upfront.
With so many pricing models to weigh, it helps to see how the most common virtual assistant platforms stack up in practice.
Below is a simple comparison of popular general-purpose tools: what they typically cost, what they’re best at, and how well they fit the needs of an insurance agency.
Tool | Typical cost (entry level) | Best use case | Insurance fit (1-5) |
ChatGPT (OpenAI) | From $20/mo (Plus), usage-based for OpenAI APIs | FAQs, drafting replies, API integrations with CRM/policy systems | ⭐⭐☆☆☆ |
Google Dialogflow | Pay-per-request (free tier available) | Custom chatbots for sites, apps, channels | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Microsoft Power Virtual Agents | From ~$15/user/mo | Quick setup, works with MS 365 & Dynamics | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Amazon Lex | Pay-per-request | Voice + chat bots, AWS integration | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
IBM Watson Assistant | From ~$140/mo | Advanced NLP, customizable workflows | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
Intercom | From ~$29/seat/mo | Client messaging, FAQs, lead capture | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Drift | From ~$2,500/mo | Conversational marketing + sales | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Zendesk Answer Bot | From ~$55/agent/mo (with Suite) | Customer support inside Zendesk | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Freshchat | Free → from ~$19/agent/mo | Messaging + support automation | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
These general-purpose tools are powerful and widely used, but they aren’t always built with insurance in mind.
That means extra costs often creep in — from adjusting workflows, hiring consultants to customize them, or figuring out how to make them compliant with industry regulations.
By contrast, a platform like Strada is designed specifically for insurance. It already understands the terminology, processes, and compliance needs of brokers, carriers, and MGAs. In practice, that means faster deployment, fewer hidden costs, and a solution that fits your business right out of the box.
Price is important, but the right vendor can make or break your experience, here’s what to look for.
How do you evaluate vendors?
Choosing the right vendor goes beyond features and pricing. You need a partner you can trust to support your agency and deliver consistent results.
Here’s a quick checklist to help you evaluate them wisely:
Reputation in insurance → look for reviews, case studies, and testimonials from other brokers. Proven track record = better understanding of workflows, compliance, and client expectations.
Compliance & Data safety → ensure built-in compliance features (TCPA, SOC 2 Type II, etc.) and proven insurance use cases (quote intake, FNOL claims, policy servicing).
Customer support & Onboarding → prioritize vendors offering hands-on guidance, training, and ongoing support. (Strada example: forward-deployed engineering team).
Innovation & Roadmap → choose platforms that invest in regular product updates and new features to keep your business ahead.
Even with a great vendor, there are pitfalls you’ll want to avoid when implementing a virtual assistant.
What are the common mistakes to avoid?
Implementing a virtual assistant can transform your insurance business, but there are pitfalls to watch out for. Making the wrong choice can lead to wasted time, frustration, and lost opportunities.
One common mistake is choosing based only on price. The cheapest option might lack critical features, integrations, or compliance safeguards, creating more costs in the long run.
Another is ignoring staff and customer adoption challenges. Even the most advanced assistant for contact center automation won’t succeed if your team or clients aren’t comfortable using it. Planning for onboarding, training, and clear communication is essential.
Underestimating training and setup needs is another trap. Some platforms require significant IT resources, custom workflows, or lengthy configuration before they deliver value. Solutions like Strada reduce adoption risks with pre-built insurance workflows and no-engineering setup, helping teams get started quickly.
Finally, overlooking long-term scalability can limit growth. An assistant that handles today’s call volume but can’t scale with your business may force costly replacements down the line.
Here’s a quick table summarizing common mistakes and how to avoid them:
Common mistake | Impact | How to avoid |
Choosing based only on price | Missing critical features, integrations, or compliance | Evaluate total value, not just cost |
Ignoring adoption challenges | Low staff or client engagement | Plan onboarding, training, and clear communication |
Underestimating setup & Training | Delayed deployment, frustrated team | Look for pre-built workflows and easy setup |
Overlooking scalability | Limits future growth | Choose a solution that scales with your agency |
All these insights show why choosing the right assistant matters, and how testing, piloting, and comparing solutions sets you up for success.
Final thoughts
The insurance landscape has shifted: clients expect instant answers, and brokers and carriers can’t afford to spend their time buried in routine tasks.
That’s where virtual assistants prove their real value. Not as a shiny gadget, but as a practical way to keep your agency efficient, competitive, and client-focused.
We’ve looked at the features to consider, the pricing models to expect, and the general-purpose tools available. Each has its strengths, but they also come with hidden costs and the need for heavy customization if you want them to truly fit insurance.
That’s why more and more brokers are turning to solutions built for this industry from the ground up.
Strada is one of those solutions. It understands the language of policies, claims, and compliance without expensive adjustments. It’s already helping carriers, MGAs, and brokers streamline operations with AI phone agents that handle renewals, claims, and service seamlessly.
The result is happier clients, less stressed teams, and a stronger bottom line.
If you’re ready to see what this looks like in action, book a demo with Strada today. It could be the decision that takes your business from just keeping up to leading the way in a digital-first insurance market.
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2025 Guide: Choosing the Right Insurance Virtual Assistant Platform
Amir Prodensky
CEO
Sep 25, 2025
15 min read
A simple framework for picking the best assistant in 2025.
In the insurance industry, speed and responsiveness make the difference between keeping and losing a client. Customers now expect answers instantly, around the clock, and with the same level of personalization they experience everywhere else.
If brokers or carriers fall short, clients quickly start looking elsewhere.
That’s why virtual assistants are becoming essential. They provide a cost-effective way to deliver fast, consistent service by handling routine, time-sensitive tasks, freeing your team to focus on building relationships and closing business.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
What insurance virtual assistants really are (and aren’t)
Why they’re especially critical right now
How to choose the right platform for your needs
By the end, you’ll have a clear framework to evaluate your options and select a solution that helps your agency grow. Let’s get started.
What is an insurance virtual assistant?
An insurance virtual assistant is a digital tool that helps insurance professionals handle everyday tasks more easily. Think of it as a smart helper that can answer client questions, guide people through forms, or provide quick policy information.
Unlike a human assistant, it works 24/7 and never gets tired.
For brokers and carriers, this means less time spent on repetitive work and more time focusing on clients. Here are a few ways it helps:
Responds instantly to common customer questions
Assists with quotes, renewals, and claims updates
Frees up staff so they can focus on building relationships
It’s important to understand the difference between a general AI assistant and one built for insurance. A regular chatbot may give basic answers, but it often misses industry details. An insurance-focused assistant, on the other hand, is trained to understand policies, coverage terms, and workflows.
For example, Strada is an insurance-specific conversational AI platform. It’s designed to understand industry language, process tasks accurately, and fit into the way brokers already work. This makes it a reliable choice for real business needs.
That’s the power of insurance virtual assistant technology: it makes operations faster, smoother, and more client-friendly.
With that in mind, it’s easy to see why these tools are taking off in 2025.
Why are insurance virtual assistants so popular in 2025?
More and more brokers are hitting the same wall: too many client requests, not enough hands to handle them. Phones rang after hours, emails piled up, and staff felt stretched thin. By 2025, it’s clear why insurance virtual assistants have become so popular – they solve that exact problem.
Here’s why adoption is growing so fast:
Instant answers → clients can get policy details, claims updates, or quotes right away.
Cost efficiency → it’s far more affordable than hiring and training additional staff.
Always on → assistants are available 24/7/365, often with multilingual support to serve diverse customers.
Seamless integration → modern tools connect smoothly with existing insurance systems, so workflows stay consistent.
Strada is a clear example of how powerful this technology can be. It automatically resolves 60%+ of all calls, which means your lean team can shift to more strategic work. It’s available around the clock by phone or SMS, and it’s proven to be significantly more cost-effective than human agents.
Popularity aside, you might wonder: what real problems can a virtual assistant solve for your agency every day?
What problems do they actually solve?
Insurance professionals deal with a lot of moving parts every day. Calls, emails, and client requests pile up quickly.
That’s where virtual assistants come in, they take on the repetitive work and keep operations running smoothly.
Let’s use practical examples.
Strada’s AI assistants address several of the biggest pain points in insurance operations. They handle policy inquiries and quotes by capturing details instantly and providing quick answers, so customers never have to wait. In claims support, they manage FNOL processes, give status updates, and make the process far less stressful for clients.
They also take care of scheduling and reminders, with automated follow-ups that keep customers on track with renewals, payments, or appointments. Compliance is built in, with safeguards that protect sensitive client data.
And by reducing repetitive manual work, Strada allows teams to spend more time closing deals and building stronger client relationships.
Strada makes this even more practical with pre-built insurance use cases:
Use case | Description | Strada example |
Quote intake | Captures details instantly and frees producers to focus on closing sales. | Automates quote intake, instantly capturing client info and routing leads to agents. |
Renewals | Drives proactive retention campaigns and helps brokers keep more clients. | Sends reminders and calls proactively to increase policy retention. |
FNOL claims | Available 24/7 via phone or SMS to capture first notice of loss without delay. | Captures first notice of loss instantly, anytime, reducing delays and errors. |
Policy servicing | Zero hold time for certificates of insurance (COI), policy changes, and updates. | Provides immediate updates and COI delivery without putting clients on hold. |
Customer service | Covers both inbound and outbound questions, ensuring no call goes unanswered. | Handles all client inquiries, inbound or outbound, ensuring complete coverage. |
For an agency, adopting a virtual assistant for insurance agency needs like Strada means more than just saving time. It improves client experience, reduces costs, and ensures your team never misses a revenue opportunity.
Still, once you know the tasks a virtual assistant can handle, the next step is choosing the right type of platform for your needs.
What types of platforms are available?
Not all virtual assistants are the same. If you’re considering one for your agency or carrier, it helps to understand the main types of platforms on the market.
Each comes with strengths and trade-offs, so the best fit depends on your business goals.
1. Rule-based vs. AI-driven assistants
When it comes to a virtual insurance assistant, one of the first distinctions is between rule-based and AI-driven options. Rule-based assistants rely on pre-set scripts and workflows. They’re predictable and simple to set up, but they often struggle when conversations move beyond the script.
AI-driven assistants, on the other hand, use LLMs to understand intent, learn from interactions, and deliver more personalized responses by generating different types of content.
This makes them far better suited for handling the complexity of real client conversations.
2. Industry-specific vs. general-purpose tools
Another important difference lies in whether the tool is general-purpose or industry-specific. General-purpose platforms can manage basic tasks and FAQs, but they rarely capture the nuances of insurance.
That’s why industry-specific tools stand out. Take Strada, for example. It’s not just another chatbot. It’s built with insurance in mind, using models trained to understand the terminology and workflows of carriers, MGAs, and brokers.
The result is smoother conversations and more accurate outcomes.
3. Cloud-based vs. on-premise options
You’ll also need to decide between cloud-based and on-premise solutions. Cloud-based assistants dominate the market today because they’re easy to scale, require little upfront investment, and stay automatically updated.
On-premise systems, while less common, give you more control over your data and compliance requirements. The trade-off is that they typically cost more and take longer to deploy.
4. White-label vs. custom-built solutions
Finally, there’s the choice between white-label and custom-built solutions.
White-label assistants are ready-made platforms you can brand as your own, making them fast to launch and budget-friendly.
Custom-built assistants, by contrast, are tailored from the ground up to match your unique needs. They offer maximum flexibility and differentiation, but that usually comes with higher costs and longer implementation timelines.
When you’re comparing options, remember that the right insurance virtual assistant platform should balance flexibility, cost, and functionality. The best choice will align with your workflows, meet compliance needs, and deliver the speed and personalization your clients expect.
Additionally, look for platforms that offers:
Scalability → choose a platform that can grow with your business — handling higher call volumes, multiple communication channels, and a larger client base without adding extra staff.
Integration → make sure it works smoothly with your CRM, policy management systems, and marketing tools.
Analytics & Reporting → look for built-in tools that let you track performance, spot bottlenecks, and improve client service over time.
Picking a platform with these features will keep your insurance business competitive, responsive, and ready for a digital-first market.
Understanding the platform types is useful, but you’ll get the most value by matching features to your team’s actual workflows.
How do you decide what you need?
Choosing the right solution starts with understanding your agency or team’s specific needs. Not every platform fits every operation, so it’s important to take a structured approach before committing.
1. Identify pain points
Begin by listing the tasks that take the most time or create the most frustration. Common areas include:
Handling high call volumes
Managing policy inquiries and quotes
Processing claims or renewals
Scheduling and follow-ups
Pinpointing your bottlenecks ensures you select a tool that actually solves real problems.
2. Match features to workflows
Once you know your pain points, map them to platform features. Look for assistants that can handle the tasks that matter most.
For example, Strada is built to fit seamlessly into insurance operations. It’s infinitely scalable, handling thousands of calls at once, and requires no engineering lift, so deployment is quick and easy without heavy IT resources.
3. Evaluate budget and ROI
Consider not just the upfront cost, but the potential return on investment. A well-chosen solution can save hours of staff time, reduce errors, and even generate more revenue by capturing every incoming lead.
Built-in AI evaluation tools, like those in Strada, help reduce E&O risk, protecting your agency while improving efficiency.
4. Consider scalability for future growth
Your agency’s needs will grow over time. Look for a solution that scales alongside your business. A reliable insurance virtual assistant should manage increasing call volumes, additional channels, and expanding client bases without requiring costly upgrades or complicated reconfiguration.
Now that you know what your agency requires, let’s explore the features that make an assistant truly effective.
What features should you look for in an insurance agency virtual assistant?
When evaluating solutions, the right features make all the difference. A strong insurance agency virtual assistant should combine intelligence, flexibility, and seamless integration to truly support your team.
Here are the features you should consider:
Feature | Description | Strada example |
Natural language understanding and accuracy | Interprets client requests correctly and responds naturally to reduce errors and follow-up calls. | Provides accurate responses instantly for policy or claims inquiries. |
Omni-channel support | Handles multiple communication channels: phone, chat, email, and social. | Inbound + outbound AI phone agents, plus chat and messaging support. |
Claims and policy management integration | Connects with CRM, AMS, or API systems to streamline workflows. | Post-call workflows: send SMS/email, transfer calls, schedule appointments automatically. |
Data security and compliance | Ensures sensitive client information is protected and meets regulatory requirements (HIPAA, GDPR, etc.). | Fully compliant with industry regulations, keeping client data secure. |
Customization and branding flexibility | Reflects the agency’s voice and branding in client interactions. | Turns agency knowledge base content into instant, branded answers. |
Analytics and reporting | Tracks performance, identifies bottlenecks, and provides insights for optimization. | Built-in analytics offer powerful insights on call performance and efficiency. |
Now that you know which features to prioritize, the next question is where to find them. While there are platforms built specifically for insurance, many brokers start with general-purpose virtual assistant tools.
Here are some of the most widely used options:
ChatGPT (by OpenAI) → can handle client FAQs, draft responses, and integrate via Open APIs with CRMs or policy systems.
Google Dialogflow → popular for building chatbots that integrate with websites, apps, and communication platforms.
Microsoft Power Virtual Agents → easy to deploy for common inquiries and integrates natively with Microsoft 365 and Dynamics.
Amazon Lex → used to create conversational bots, integrates well with AWS services, and supports voice and chat.
IBM Watson Assistant → strong in natural language processing and customizable for industry-specific use cases.
Intercom → a customer support platform with chatbot capabilities, widely used for lead capture and client communication.
Drift → known for conversational marketing, but also used for customer support and real-time engagement.
Zendesk Answer Bot → helps automate customer service inside Zendesk ticketing workflows.
Freshchat (by Freshworks) → AI chat assistant for customer messaging, with integrations into CRMs and support tools.
While general-purpose assistants like Retell and its alternatives are flexible and powerful, they often lack the deep understanding of insurance workflows, terminology, and compliance requirements.
That’s where industry-specific solutions like Strada come in. These platforms are built with insurance in mind from day one, meaning they don’t just answer questions, they handle policies, claims, and client communications in ways that match how brokers actually work.
For most teams, that difference can be the key to saving time and delivering better client experiences.
But, even the smartest virtual assistant for insurance companies won’t add much value if it doesn’t play well with the tools you already use. That’s why integration is the next big piece to evaluate. Your AMS, policy management system, and communication channels should all connect seamlessly with your assistant, otherwise you’ll end up adding friction instead of removing it.
Let’s look at what that really means in practice.
What about integration with your existing tools?
Integration is a key factor when choosing an assistant. Your team already relies on multiple systems like CRMs and AMS, policy administration software, and communication platforms. An assistant that doesn’t connect seamlessly can actually create more work instead of reducing it.
Here’s a simple breakdown of the key integrations to look for and why they matter:
Tool / System | Why integration matters | What to look for in a virtual assistant |
CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) | Keeps client data consistent and updated automatically. | Bi-directional sync for contacts, leads, and activities. |
Policy management systems | Ensures accurate policy details in every client interaction. | Ability to fetch, update, and validate policy data in real time. |
Quoting & Underwriting tools | Speeds up response times and reduces errors. | API access to pull rates, eligibility, and submit applications. |
Claims management platforms | Streamlines claim status inquiries and updates. | Direct integration for claim lookup, filing, and follow-ups. |
Agency Management System (e.g., Applied Epic, AMS360) | Centralizes all client, policy, billing, and workflow data in one hub. | Real-time access to account details, tasks, and documents without switching systems. |
Marketing automation (e.g., Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign) | Personalizes outreach and keeps campaigns targeted. | Trigger campaigns, update client segments, and track engagement. |
Calendar & Scheduling (e.g., Outlook, Google Calendar) | Simplifies booking and reduces no-shows. | Automatic scheduling, reminders, and rescheduling features. |
Communication channels (Phone, SMS, Chat, Email) | Meets clients where they are, 24/7. | Omnichannel support with unified conversation history. |
Analytics & Reporting tools | Tracks performance and service quality across platforms. | Custom dashboards, KPIs, and export options. |
Strada exemplifies this approach with seamless native integrations (and API available as well) across all the tools from the table. It can be deployed quickly, providing immediate benefits without heavy IT involvement.
Fernanda Soares, Senior Manager at Tint, shares her experience of integrating Strada into the existing workflows:
"Leveraging Strada as a foundation, we’ve created Aimee, our AI agent, to seamlessly complement our support team. It allows us to scale with confidence, while ensuring that trust, governance, and human expertise remain central."
Once you see how it fits into your tech stack, it’s time to understand how pricing works and which model makes the most sense.
How do you compare the pricing models of the best virtual assistants for insurance agents?
Understanding pricing is key when evaluating solutions. There are several common models, each with pros and cons.
A subscription-based model charges a fixed monthly or yearly fee. This can make budgeting predictable but sometimes locks you into features you may not use.
In contrast, usage-based pricing bills based on volume calls handled, messages sent, or tasks completed. This can be flexible for smaller operations, but costs can spike during busy periods.
Some platforms offer tiered feature pricing, where more advanced capabilities come at higher tiers. While this can let you pay only for what you need, it’s important to watch for hidden costs like setup, training, or ongoing maintenance. These extra charges can quickly add up if not considered upfront.
With so many pricing models to weigh, it helps to see how the most common virtual assistant platforms stack up in practice.
Below is a simple comparison of popular general-purpose tools: what they typically cost, what they’re best at, and how well they fit the needs of an insurance agency.
Tool | Typical cost (entry level) | Best use case | Insurance fit (1-5) |
ChatGPT (OpenAI) | From $20/mo (Plus), usage-based for OpenAI APIs | FAQs, drafting replies, API integrations with CRM/policy systems | ⭐⭐☆☆☆ |
Google Dialogflow | Pay-per-request (free tier available) | Custom chatbots for sites, apps, channels | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Microsoft Power Virtual Agents | From ~$15/user/mo | Quick setup, works with MS 365 & Dynamics | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Amazon Lex | Pay-per-request | Voice + chat bots, AWS integration | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
IBM Watson Assistant | From ~$140/mo | Advanced NLP, customizable workflows | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
Intercom | From ~$29/seat/mo | Client messaging, FAQs, lead capture | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Drift | From ~$2,500/mo | Conversational marketing + sales | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Zendesk Answer Bot | From ~$55/agent/mo (with Suite) | Customer support inside Zendesk | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Freshchat | Free → from ~$19/agent/mo | Messaging + support automation | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
These general-purpose tools are powerful and widely used, but they aren’t always built with insurance in mind.
That means extra costs often creep in — from adjusting workflows, hiring consultants to customize them, or figuring out how to make them compliant with industry regulations.
By contrast, a platform like Strada is designed specifically for insurance. It already understands the terminology, processes, and compliance needs of brokers, carriers, and MGAs. In practice, that means faster deployment, fewer hidden costs, and a solution that fits your business right out of the box.
Price is important, but the right vendor can make or break your experience, here’s what to look for.
How do you evaluate vendors?
Choosing the right vendor goes beyond features and pricing. You need a partner you can trust to support your agency and deliver consistent results.
Here’s a quick checklist to help you evaluate them wisely:
Reputation in insurance → look for reviews, case studies, and testimonials from other brokers. Proven track record = better understanding of workflows, compliance, and client expectations.
Compliance & Data safety → ensure built-in compliance features (TCPA, SOC 2 Type II, etc.) and proven insurance use cases (quote intake, FNOL claims, policy servicing).
Customer support & Onboarding → prioritize vendors offering hands-on guidance, training, and ongoing support. (Strada example: forward-deployed engineering team).
Innovation & Roadmap → choose platforms that invest in regular product updates and new features to keep your business ahead.
Even with a great vendor, there are pitfalls you’ll want to avoid when implementing a virtual assistant.
What are the common mistakes to avoid?
Implementing a virtual assistant can transform your insurance business, but there are pitfalls to watch out for. Making the wrong choice can lead to wasted time, frustration, and lost opportunities.
One common mistake is choosing based only on price. The cheapest option might lack critical features, integrations, or compliance safeguards, creating more costs in the long run.
Another is ignoring staff and customer adoption challenges. Even the most advanced assistant for contact center automation won’t succeed if your team or clients aren’t comfortable using it. Planning for onboarding, training, and clear communication is essential.
Underestimating training and setup needs is another trap. Some platforms require significant IT resources, custom workflows, or lengthy configuration before they deliver value. Solutions like Strada reduce adoption risks with pre-built insurance workflows and no-engineering setup, helping teams get started quickly.
Finally, overlooking long-term scalability can limit growth. An assistant that handles today’s call volume but can’t scale with your business may force costly replacements down the line.
Here’s a quick table summarizing common mistakes and how to avoid them:
Common mistake | Impact | How to avoid |
Choosing based only on price | Missing critical features, integrations, or compliance | Evaluate total value, not just cost |
Ignoring adoption challenges | Low staff or client engagement | Plan onboarding, training, and clear communication |
Underestimating setup & Training | Delayed deployment, frustrated team | Look for pre-built workflows and easy setup |
Overlooking scalability | Limits future growth | Choose a solution that scales with your agency |
All these insights show why choosing the right assistant matters, and how testing, piloting, and comparing solutions sets you up for success.
Final thoughts
The insurance landscape has shifted: clients expect instant answers, and brokers and carriers can’t afford to spend their time buried in routine tasks.
That’s where virtual assistants prove their real value. Not as a shiny gadget, but as a practical way to keep your agency efficient, competitive, and client-focused.
We’ve looked at the features to consider, the pricing models to expect, and the general-purpose tools available. Each has its strengths, but they also come with hidden costs and the need for heavy customization if you want them to truly fit insurance.
That’s why more and more brokers are turning to solutions built for this industry from the ground up.
Strada is one of those solutions. It understands the language of policies, claims, and compliance without expensive adjustments. It’s already helping carriers, MGAs, and brokers streamline operations with AI phone agents that handle renewals, claims, and service seamlessly.
The result is happier clients, less stressed teams, and a stronger bottom line.
If you’re ready to see what this looks like in action, book a demo with Strada today. It could be the decision that takes your business from just keeping up to leading the way in a digital-first insurance market.
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2025 Guide: Choosing the Right Insurance Virtual Assistant Platform
Amir Prodensky
CEO
Sep 25, 2025
15 min read
A simple framework for picking the best assistant in 2025.
In the insurance industry, speed and responsiveness make the difference between keeping and losing a client. Customers now expect answers instantly, around the clock, and with the same level of personalization they experience everywhere else.
If brokers or carriers fall short, clients quickly start looking elsewhere.
That’s why virtual assistants are becoming essential. They provide a cost-effective way to deliver fast, consistent service by handling routine, time-sensitive tasks, freeing your team to focus on building relationships and closing business.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
What insurance virtual assistants really are (and aren’t)
Why they’re especially critical right now
How to choose the right platform for your needs
By the end, you’ll have a clear framework to evaluate your options and select a solution that helps your agency grow. Let’s get started.
What is an insurance virtual assistant?
An insurance virtual assistant is a digital tool that helps insurance professionals handle everyday tasks more easily. Think of it as a smart helper that can answer client questions, guide people through forms, or provide quick policy information.
Unlike a human assistant, it works 24/7 and never gets tired.
For brokers and carriers, this means less time spent on repetitive work and more time focusing on clients. Here are a few ways it helps:
Responds instantly to common customer questions
Assists with quotes, renewals, and claims updates
Frees up staff so they can focus on building relationships
It’s important to understand the difference between a general AI assistant and one built for insurance. A regular chatbot may give basic answers, but it often misses industry details. An insurance-focused assistant, on the other hand, is trained to understand policies, coverage terms, and workflows.
For example, Strada is an insurance-specific conversational AI platform. It’s designed to understand industry language, process tasks accurately, and fit into the way brokers already work. This makes it a reliable choice for real business needs.
That’s the power of insurance virtual assistant technology: it makes operations faster, smoother, and more client-friendly.
With that in mind, it’s easy to see why these tools are taking off in 2025.
Why are insurance virtual assistants so popular in 2025?
More and more brokers are hitting the same wall: too many client requests, not enough hands to handle them. Phones rang after hours, emails piled up, and staff felt stretched thin. By 2025, it’s clear why insurance virtual assistants have become so popular – they solve that exact problem.
Here’s why adoption is growing so fast:
Instant answers → clients can get policy details, claims updates, or quotes right away.
Cost efficiency → it’s far more affordable than hiring and training additional staff.
Always on → assistants are available 24/7/365, often with multilingual support to serve diverse customers.
Seamless integration → modern tools connect smoothly with existing insurance systems, so workflows stay consistent.
Strada is a clear example of how powerful this technology can be. It automatically resolves 60%+ of all calls, which means your lean team can shift to more strategic work. It’s available around the clock by phone or SMS, and it’s proven to be significantly more cost-effective than human agents.
Popularity aside, you might wonder: what real problems can a virtual assistant solve for your agency every day?
What problems do they actually solve?
Insurance professionals deal with a lot of moving parts every day. Calls, emails, and client requests pile up quickly.
That’s where virtual assistants come in, they take on the repetitive work and keep operations running smoothly.
Let’s use practical examples.
Strada’s AI assistants address several of the biggest pain points in insurance operations. They handle policy inquiries and quotes by capturing details instantly and providing quick answers, so customers never have to wait. In claims support, they manage FNOL processes, give status updates, and make the process far less stressful for clients.
They also take care of scheduling and reminders, with automated follow-ups that keep customers on track with renewals, payments, or appointments. Compliance is built in, with safeguards that protect sensitive client data.
And by reducing repetitive manual work, Strada allows teams to spend more time closing deals and building stronger client relationships.
Strada makes this even more practical with pre-built insurance use cases:
Use case | Description | Strada example |
Quote intake | Captures details instantly and frees producers to focus on closing sales. | Automates quote intake, instantly capturing client info and routing leads to agents. |
Renewals | Drives proactive retention campaigns and helps brokers keep more clients. | Sends reminders and calls proactively to increase policy retention. |
FNOL claims | Available 24/7 via phone or SMS to capture first notice of loss without delay. | Captures first notice of loss instantly, anytime, reducing delays and errors. |
Policy servicing | Zero hold time for certificates of insurance (COI), policy changes, and updates. | Provides immediate updates and COI delivery without putting clients on hold. |
Customer service | Covers both inbound and outbound questions, ensuring no call goes unanswered. | Handles all client inquiries, inbound or outbound, ensuring complete coverage. |
For an agency, adopting a virtual assistant for insurance agency needs like Strada means more than just saving time. It improves client experience, reduces costs, and ensures your team never misses a revenue opportunity.
Still, once you know the tasks a virtual assistant can handle, the next step is choosing the right type of platform for your needs.
What types of platforms are available?
Not all virtual assistants are the same. If you’re considering one for your agency or carrier, it helps to understand the main types of platforms on the market.
Each comes with strengths and trade-offs, so the best fit depends on your business goals.
1. Rule-based vs. AI-driven assistants
When it comes to a virtual insurance assistant, one of the first distinctions is between rule-based and AI-driven options. Rule-based assistants rely on pre-set scripts and workflows. They’re predictable and simple to set up, but they often struggle when conversations move beyond the script.
AI-driven assistants, on the other hand, use LLMs to understand intent, learn from interactions, and deliver more personalized responses by generating different types of content.
This makes them far better suited for handling the complexity of real client conversations.
2. Industry-specific vs. general-purpose tools
Another important difference lies in whether the tool is general-purpose or industry-specific. General-purpose platforms can manage basic tasks and FAQs, but they rarely capture the nuances of insurance.
That’s why industry-specific tools stand out. Take Strada, for example. It’s not just another chatbot. It’s built with insurance in mind, using models trained to understand the terminology and workflows of carriers, MGAs, and brokers.
The result is smoother conversations and more accurate outcomes.
3. Cloud-based vs. on-premise options
You’ll also need to decide between cloud-based and on-premise solutions. Cloud-based assistants dominate the market today because they’re easy to scale, require little upfront investment, and stay automatically updated.
On-premise systems, while less common, give you more control over your data and compliance requirements. The trade-off is that they typically cost more and take longer to deploy.
4. White-label vs. custom-built solutions
Finally, there’s the choice between white-label and custom-built solutions.
White-label assistants are ready-made platforms you can brand as your own, making them fast to launch and budget-friendly.
Custom-built assistants, by contrast, are tailored from the ground up to match your unique needs. They offer maximum flexibility and differentiation, but that usually comes with higher costs and longer implementation timelines.
When you’re comparing options, remember that the right insurance virtual assistant platform should balance flexibility, cost, and functionality. The best choice will align with your workflows, meet compliance needs, and deliver the speed and personalization your clients expect.
Additionally, look for platforms that offers:
Scalability → choose a platform that can grow with your business — handling higher call volumes, multiple communication channels, and a larger client base without adding extra staff.
Integration → make sure it works smoothly with your CRM, policy management systems, and marketing tools.
Analytics & Reporting → look for built-in tools that let you track performance, spot bottlenecks, and improve client service over time.
Picking a platform with these features will keep your insurance business competitive, responsive, and ready for a digital-first market.
Understanding the platform types is useful, but you’ll get the most value by matching features to your team’s actual workflows.
How do you decide what you need?
Choosing the right solution starts with understanding your agency or team’s specific needs. Not every platform fits every operation, so it’s important to take a structured approach before committing.
1. Identify pain points
Begin by listing the tasks that take the most time or create the most frustration. Common areas include:
Handling high call volumes
Managing policy inquiries and quotes
Processing claims or renewals
Scheduling and follow-ups
Pinpointing your bottlenecks ensures you select a tool that actually solves real problems.
2. Match features to workflows
Once you know your pain points, map them to platform features. Look for assistants that can handle the tasks that matter most.
For example, Strada is built to fit seamlessly into insurance operations. It’s infinitely scalable, handling thousands of calls at once, and requires no engineering lift, so deployment is quick and easy without heavy IT resources.
3. Evaluate budget and ROI
Consider not just the upfront cost, but the potential return on investment. A well-chosen solution can save hours of staff time, reduce errors, and even generate more revenue by capturing every incoming lead.
Built-in AI evaluation tools, like those in Strada, help reduce E&O risk, protecting your agency while improving efficiency.
4. Consider scalability for future growth
Your agency’s needs will grow over time. Look for a solution that scales alongside your business. A reliable insurance virtual assistant should manage increasing call volumes, additional channels, and expanding client bases without requiring costly upgrades or complicated reconfiguration.
Now that you know what your agency requires, let’s explore the features that make an assistant truly effective.
What features should you look for in an insurance agency virtual assistant?
When evaluating solutions, the right features make all the difference. A strong insurance agency virtual assistant should combine intelligence, flexibility, and seamless integration to truly support your team.
Here are the features you should consider:
Feature | Description | Strada example |
Natural language understanding and accuracy | Interprets client requests correctly and responds naturally to reduce errors and follow-up calls. | Provides accurate responses instantly for policy or claims inquiries. |
Omni-channel support | Handles multiple communication channels: phone, chat, email, and social. | Inbound + outbound AI phone agents, plus chat and messaging support. |
Claims and policy management integration | Connects with CRM, AMS, or API systems to streamline workflows. | Post-call workflows: send SMS/email, transfer calls, schedule appointments automatically. |
Data security and compliance | Ensures sensitive client information is protected and meets regulatory requirements (HIPAA, GDPR, etc.). | Fully compliant with industry regulations, keeping client data secure. |
Customization and branding flexibility | Reflects the agency’s voice and branding in client interactions. | Turns agency knowledge base content into instant, branded answers. |
Analytics and reporting | Tracks performance, identifies bottlenecks, and provides insights for optimization. | Built-in analytics offer powerful insights on call performance and efficiency. |
Now that you know which features to prioritize, the next question is where to find them. While there are platforms built specifically for insurance, many brokers start with general-purpose virtual assistant tools.
Here are some of the most widely used options:
ChatGPT (by OpenAI) → can handle client FAQs, draft responses, and integrate via Open APIs with CRMs or policy systems.
Google Dialogflow → popular for building chatbots that integrate with websites, apps, and communication platforms.
Microsoft Power Virtual Agents → easy to deploy for common inquiries and integrates natively with Microsoft 365 and Dynamics.
Amazon Lex → used to create conversational bots, integrates well with AWS services, and supports voice and chat.
IBM Watson Assistant → strong in natural language processing and customizable for industry-specific use cases.
Intercom → a customer support platform with chatbot capabilities, widely used for lead capture and client communication.
Drift → known for conversational marketing, but also used for customer support and real-time engagement.
Zendesk Answer Bot → helps automate customer service inside Zendesk ticketing workflows.
Freshchat (by Freshworks) → AI chat assistant for customer messaging, with integrations into CRMs and support tools.
While general-purpose assistants like Retell and its alternatives are flexible and powerful, they often lack the deep understanding of insurance workflows, terminology, and compliance requirements.
That’s where industry-specific solutions like Strada come in. These platforms are built with insurance in mind from day one, meaning they don’t just answer questions, they handle policies, claims, and client communications in ways that match how brokers actually work.
For most teams, that difference can be the key to saving time and delivering better client experiences.
But, even the smartest virtual assistant for insurance companies won’t add much value if it doesn’t play well with the tools you already use. That’s why integration is the next big piece to evaluate. Your AMS, policy management system, and communication channels should all connect seamlessly with your assistant, otherwise you’ll end up adding friction instead of removing it.
Let’s look at what that really means in practice.
What about integration with your existing tools?
Integration is a key factor when choosing an assistant. Your team already relies on multiple systems like CRMs and AMS, policy administration software, and communication platforms. An assistant that doesn’t connect seamlessly can actually create more work instead of reducing it.
Here’s a simple breakdown of the key integrations to look for and why they matter:
Tool / System | Why integration matters | What to look for in a virtual assistant |
CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) | Keeps client data consistent and updated automatically. | Bi-directional sync for contacts, leads, and activities. |
Policy management systems | Ensures accurate policy details in every client interaction. | Ability to fetch, update, and validate policy data in real time. |
Quoting & Underwriting tools | Speeds up response times and reduces errors. | API access to pull rates, eligibility, and submit applications. |
Claims management platforms | Streamlines claim status inquiries and updates. | Direct integration for claim lookup, filing, and follow-ups. |
Agency Management System (e.g., Applied Epic, AMS360) | Centralizes all client, policy, billing, and workflow data in one hub. | Real-time access to account details, tasks, and documents without switching systems. |
Marketing automation (e.g., Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign) | Personalizes outreach and keeps campaigns targeted. | Trigger campaigns, update client segments, and track engagement. |
Calendar & Scheduling (e.g., Outlook, Google Calendar) | Simplifies booking and reduces no-shows. | Automatic scheduling, reminders, and rescheduling features. |
Communication channels (Phone, SMS, Chat, Email) | Meets clients where they are, 24/7. | Omnichannel support with unified conversation history. |
Analytics & Reporting tools | Tracks performance and service quality across platforms. | Custom dashboards, KPIs, and export options. |
Strada exemplifies this approach with seamless native integrations (and API available as well) across all the tools from the table. It can be deployed quickly, providing immediate benefits without heavy IT involvement.
Fernanda Soares, Senior Manager at Tint, shares her experience of integrating Strada into the existing workflows:
"Leveraging Strada as a foundation, we’ve created Aimee, our AI agent, to seamlessly complement our support team. It allows us to scale with confidence, while ensuring that trust, governance, and human expertise remain central."
Once you see how it fits into your tech stack, it’s time to understand how pricing works and which model makes the most sense.
How do you compare the pricing models of the best virtual assistants for insurance agents?
Understanding pricing is key when evaluating solutions. There are several common models, each with pros and cons.
A subscription-based model charges a fixed monthly or yearly fee. This can make budgeting predictable but sometimes locks you into features you may not use.
In contrast, usage-based pricing bills based on volume calls handled, messages sent, or tasks completed. This can be flexible for smaller operations, but costs can spike during busy periods.
Some platforms offer tiered feature pricing, where more advanced capabilities come at higher tiers. While this can let you pay only for what you need, it’s important to watch for hidden costs like setup, training, or ongoing maintenance. These extra charges can quickly add up if not considered upfront.
With so many pricing models to weigh, it helps to see how the most common virtual assistant platforms stack up in practice.
Below is a simple comparison of popular general-purpose tools: what they typically cost, what they’re best at, and how well they fit the needs of an insurance agency.
Tool | Typical cost (entry level) | Best use case | Insurance fit (1-5) |
ChatGPT (OpenAI) | From $20/mo (Plus), usage-based for OpenAI APIs | FAQs, drafting replies, API integrations with CRM/policy systems | ⭐⭐☆☆☆ |
Google Dialogflow | Pay-per-request (free tier available) | Custom chatbots for sites, apps, channels | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Microsoft Power Virtual Agents | From ~$15/user/mo | Quick setup, works with MS 365 & Dynamics | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Amazon Lex | Pay-per-request | Voice + chat bots, AWS integration | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
IBM Watson Assistant | From ~$140/mo | Advanced NLP, customizable workflows | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ |
Intercom | From ~$29/seat/mo | Client messaging, FAQs, lead capture | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Drift | From ~$2,500/mo | Conversational marketing + sales | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Zendesk Answer Bot | From ~$55/agent/mo (with Suite) | Customer support inside Zendesk | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
Freshchat | Free → from ~$19/agent/mo | Messaging + support automation | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ |
These general-purpose tools are powerful and widely used, but they aren’t always built with insurance in mind.
That means extra costs often creep in — from adjusting workflows, hiring consultants to customize them, or figuring out how to make them compliant with industry regulations.
By contrast, a platform like Strada is designed specifically for insurance. It already understands the terminology, processes, and compliance needs of brokers, carriers, and MGAs. In practice, that means faster deployment, fewer hidden costs, and a solution that fits your business right out of the box.
Price is important, but the right vendor can make or break your experience, here’s what to look for.
How do you evaluate vendors?
Choosing the right vendor goes beyond features and pricing. You need a partner you can trust to support your agency and deliver consistent results.
Here’s a quick checklist to help you evaluate them wisely:
Reputation in insurance → look for reviews, case studies, and testimonials from other brokers. Proven track record = better understanding of workflows, compliance, and client expectations.
Compliance & Data safety → ensure built-in compliance features (TCPA, SOC 2 Type II, etc.) and proven insurance use cases (quote intake, FNOL claims, policy servicing).
Customer support & Onboarding → prioritize vendors offering hands-on guidance, training, and ongoing support. (Strada example: forward-deployed engineering team).
Innovation & Roadmap → choose platforms that invest in regular product updates and new features to keep your business ahead.
Even with a great vendor, there are pitfalls you’ll want to avoid when implementing a virtual assistant.
What are the common mistakes to avoid?
Implementing a virtual assistant can transform your insurance business, but there are pitfalls to watch out for. Making the wrong choice can lead to wasted time, frustration, and lost opportunities.
One common mistake is choosing based only on price. The cheapest option might lack critical features, integrations, or compliance safeguards, creating more costs in the long run.
Another is ignoring staff and customer adoption challenges. Even the most advanced assistant for contact center automation won’t succeed if your team or clients aren’t comfortable using it. Planning for onboarding, training, and clear communication is essential.
Underestimating training and setup needs is another trap. Some platforms require significant IT resources, custom workflows, or lengthy configuration before they deliver value. Solutions like Strada reduce adoption risks with pre-built insurance workflows and no-engineering setup, helping teams get started quickly.
Finally, overlooking long-term scalability can limit growth. An assistant that handles today’s call volume but can’t scale with your business may force costly replacements down the line.
Here’s a quick table summarizing common mistakes and how to avoid them:
Common mistake | Impact | How to avoid |
Choosing based only on price | Missing critical features, integrations, or compliance | Evaluate total value, not just cost |
Ignoring adoption challenges | Low staff or client engagement | Plan onboarding, training, and clear communication |
Underestimating setup & Training | Delayed deployment, frustrated team | Look for pre-built workflows and easy setup |
Overlooking scalability | Limits future growth | Choose a solution that scales with your agency |
All these insights show why choosing the right assistant matters, and how testing, piloting, and comparing solutions sets you up for success.
Final thoughts
The insurance landscape has shifted: clients expect instant answers, and brokers and carriers can’t afford to spend their time buried in routine tasks.
That’s where virtual assistants prove their real value. Not as a shiny gadget, but as a practical way to keep your agency efficient, competitive, and client-focused.
We’ve looked at the features to consider, the pricing models to expect, and the general-purpose tools available. Each has its strengths, but they also come with hidden costs and the need for heavy customization if you want them to truly fit insurance.
That’s why more and more brokers are turning to solutions built for this industry from the ground up.
Strada is one of those solutions. It understands the language of policies, claims, and compliance without expensive adjustments. It’s already helping carriers, MGAs, and brokers streamline operations with AI phone agents that handle renewals, claims, and service seamlessly.
The result is happier clients, less stressed teams, and a stronger bottom line.
If you’re ready to see what this looks like in action, book a demo with Strada today. It could be the decision that takes your business from just keeping up to leading the way in a digital-first insurance market.
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Phone AI agents for insurance distribution
© 2025 Strada API, Inc.
Phone AI agents for insurance distribution
© 2025 Strada API, Inc.
Phone AI agents for insurance distribution
© 2025 Strada API, Inc.