Do insurance brokers need a CRM as well as a broker management system?
The BMS is where policies live: clients, risks, insurers, premiums, documents and accounts. It's built for the book you have. A CRM is built for the book you want: prospects, their renewal dates, who's spoken to them and what's next. Personal lines brokers can often manage in the BMS alone; commercial brokers winning new business usually can't.
| System | What it does | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Acturis | Multi-insurer quoting, policy administration, accounts and reporting | Widely used by independents and broker networks; appointed representatives may be on it through their network |
| Open GI | Policy administration with a personal lines focus, also SME commercial | One of the two main UK BMS providers with Acturis |
| SSP | Policy management for personal and commercial lines, brokers and MGAs | Established across the UK and Ireland |
| BrokerCentral | CRM, broker management and policy administration for smaller brokers | Positions itself as a modern alternative to the larger systems |
| Salesforce or HubSpot | Sales pipeline and marketing | Good for prospects, blind to policies unless connected |
| Spreadsheet of prospects | A list of names and renewal dates | Common for commercial new business, and easy to miss dates in |
From vendor sites and trade press, September 2026. Links under Sources.
BMS vendors control what connects to them, and appointed representatives use whatever the network provides. We check the route with you, and the network if there is one, before we build anything that touches policy data.
How do we get renewal information from commercial clients on time?
A commercial renewal needs updated figures: turnover, wage roll, fleet list, claims since last year, changes to premises or activities. Clients send it late, the renewal is presented to the market in a rush, and the handler spends the last fortnight chasing.
- A request well ahead of renewal, listing exactly what's needed for that client's covers.
- Chasers on the channel the client answers, with a secure upload link.
- Each item marked off, and the handler told when the pack is complete.
- A flag to the account executive if a renewal is getting close with information still missing.
For personal lines, renewal notices are produced by your BMS under FCA rules on what they must show, including last year's premium, and on renewal pricing. We don't touch the notice; we can follow up clients who haven't responded to it.
Who answers the phone when a client needs to claim or change their policy?
Claims calls come at the worst times, and mid-term adjustments pile up: a new driver, a new van, a change of address, a certificate needed for a contract today. Most need a handler eventually, but the details can be taken straight away.
| The call | Voicemail | Answering service | AI receptionist |
|---|---|---|---|
| "I need to make a claim" | Call back later | Takes a message | Takes first notification details, gives the insurer's claims line where you've set one, and alerts the claims handler |
| "Can I add my son to the policy?" | Call back later | Takes a message | Takes the driver details for a handler to quote; never confirms cover |
| "I need my certificate for a contract" | Call back later | Takes a message | Logs it as urgent and tells the handler |
| "Can you quote for my shop?" | Rings another broker | Takes a message | Asks the basic risk questions and books a handler call |
| Record of the call | The voicemail | An email | A note against the client or prospect |
Everything it says is scripted and approved by you, because the FCA's Consumer Duty covers how you communicate with customers. More on our AI receptionist page.
How do we win new clients at their renewal date?
Commercial new business is timed by the prospect's renewal date. You learn it in a first conversation, then need to be back in touch at the right point months later, when they're ready to look at alternatives. Dates in a spreadsheet get missed.
- Every prospect's renewal date recorded, with the covers they hold and who with.
- A reminder to the account executive in good time before each date.
- An email to the prospect asking for their schedule and claims experience, followed up if they don't reply.
- Lost prospects kept for next year's date, with the reason noted.
If your BMS or CRM can do this cleanly, we'll say so. If not, we build it: see CRM and job management.
Where does AI help an insurance broker, and where should it stay out?
Reading documents
Schedules, statements of fact, proposal forms and claims histories read into structured notes for the handler.
Comparing renewals
This year's schedule against last year's, with changes to excesses, limits and endorsements listed for the handler to check.
Drafting
Market submissions and client emails drafted from the file, for a handler to edit and send.
Chasing
Renewal information, signed documents, direct debit mandates and outstanding premiums.
It should stay out of advice, recommendations and anything that tells a client they're covered. Those stay with your handlers.