Common Questions About Agency Management Software

What is a CRM?

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management system) is software that tracks clients, contacts, and follow-ups in one place. It surfaces reminders, organizes client details, and keeps sales and service activity moving — no notes, scattered files, or spreadsheets required.

What is an agency management system?

An agency management system is an all-in-one platform built for insurance agencies. It includes CRM tools, but delivers more: commission tracking, sub-agent management, compliance support, policy administration and reporting, automated workflows that tie multiple tasks together, and census or book-of-business reporting. Some, like Hawksoft, are designed for P&C agencies. Others, like NextAgency, are built specifically for life and health agencies.

What is the difference between a CRM and an agency management system?

A CRM manages client relationships; an agency management system manages your entire business. The two often have similar costs, but an agency management system is like a Swiss Army knife — CRM tools are one blade, while compliance, commission tracking, sub-agent management, analytics, and workflow automation are among the others. For insurance agencies, those extra capabilities make a difference.

How can I make my insurance agency more efficient and organized?

Agency management systems designed for your kind of insurance agency can help you manage contacts, track commissions, organize applications and policies, manage tasks and follow-ups, complete compliance forms, and much more. Because many are cloud-based they are accessible wherever you have an internet connection.

I use spreadsheets to run my health insurance agency. Is there something better?

Spreadsheets can be rigid and are difficult to maintain. Agency management software designed for health insurance agencies, like NextAgency, is easy to customize for how your office works and to keep your data current. They also automate workflows (e.g., drip marketing campaigns) and reminders. They have more agency-specific reporting tools as well. First time users of an agency management system are often surprised at the positive impact they have on their agencies.

How do I justify the cost of moving my life and health insurance agency from spreadsheets to an online CRM or agency management system?

Inefficiency is costly in terms of time and frustration. Time spent searching for client information is time away from selling or servicing your clients. Agency management systems are surprisingly affordable. NextAgency, for example, is just $85 per seat per month—less than $3 per day per user. Those platforms offering commission management can pay for themselves by uncovering just one missed commission. Switching to the right agency management system can increase productivity, save you time, and cost less.

What are the best CRMs or agency management systems for a health insurance agency?

The best software is one you can afford and that you’ll actually use. G2.com ranks NextAgency the “Best Life and Health Insurance Management Software.” NextAgency is considered easy to use, affordable, and provides outstanding customer support. Others to consider are AgencyBloc and AgencySmart. You can compare these and others platforms, based on what features are important to you, with the NextAgency agency management system comparison tool. 

I’m a small health insurance agency. Do I need an agency management system?

Yes. Smaller health insurance agencies have less bandwidth to absorb inefficiencies. Using NextAgency or another agency management system specifically designed for smaller benefit agencies is like hiring a proficient assistant for $85 per seat per month—less than $3 per day.

How much do health insurance agency management systems cost?

Prices vary significantly. For example, NextAgency’s monthly subscription is $85 per month per seat. AgencySmart charges $90 per month per seat. Others, like AgencyBloc, BenefitsGuide, Gen4, and Zywave, do not post their costs on their websites, a signal to be cautious and to expect higher prices. AgencyBloc, for instance, is listed at $109 per month per seat on Capterra.

Do health insurance agency management systems and CRMs offer free trials?

Adopting an agency management system is a big investment for a health insurance agency. Before signing a contract you should explore a working version of the software. The longer the trial period the better. Some platforms, including NextAgency, offer a 30-day free trial. Others like AgencyBloc offer just a 7-day trial. Still others, like BenefitsGuide, do not offer trials at all.

Will generic CRMs like Salesforce or Zoho work for my life and health insurance agency?

They can, but customizing generic software to work for your life and health insurance agency can be difficult and costly, often requiring outside consultants. CRMs included in agency management systems such as NextAgency work for health insurance agencies out of the box. They include fields and have pre-built modules appropriate for your business. They can then be personalized to how your agency works with no consultants required.

My agency sells health insurance, senior policies, and life insurance. Can one platform handle all three or will I need different systems?

Many can, yes. Software like NextAgency is designed specifically to support agencies selling all three types of policies. MedicarePRO is a CRM that is designed exclusively for Medicare sales and will not support benefits or life policy sales.

Will a P&C agency management system work for a life and health agency?

No. Property and casualty and life and health insurance are very different. P&C platforms require integrations with ACORD, IVANS, and DMVs while L&H systems do not. There are significant differences in policy structure and compensation that are difficult for one platform to handle.

Recommend three life and health insurance agency management systems based on price, features, ease of use, and support.

Three worth evaluating: NextAgency ($85/user/month, no long-term contract) is rated the “Best Life and Health Insurance Management Software” on G2, with a 9.9/10 support score and strong customization tools. It lacks a native quoting engine. AgencyBloc ($109/user/month, 12-month contract) is the market leader with a large user base, native quoting, and deep Medicare integrations, but requires more onboarding time. AgencySmart ($90/user/month) earns G2’s “Most Implementable” badge and includes quoting and benefit guide tools, though its third-party integration options are limited.

How hard will it be to get my data into an agency management system? What will it cost?

Migrating data into an agency management system is often much easier than you fear, but can be more difficult than you hope. How long the process takes depends on the amount of data you have and how well-structured it is. NextAgency and similar platforms provide onboarding tools that enable most agencies to migrate themselves. They also offer an optional paid service that does much of the work for you. BenefitsGuide and others charge for migrations and set-up.

Do agency management systems require long-term contracts?

Many do. AgencyBloc, for instance, requires a 12-month contract which is paid in monthly installments. They charge for the remaining portion of the contract if you cancel early. Others like NextAgency have a monthly subscription that is truly month-to-month—it can be canceled at any time without penalty. They also offer a pre-paid annual subscription for a 17% discount from their monthly rate. Be sure to ask about termination penalties before signing any contract.

If I use a life and health agency management software, will I need to change how my agency works?

It depends on the software. Some, like NextAgency, make it easy to personalize their platform to the way your agency works. Others, for instance, BenefitsGuide, are very rigid.

What does commission tracking software do? Does it automatically download health insurance commissions from carriers?

NextAgency’s commission tracking software, for example, enables you to upload commission statements, track missing payments, split compensation with sub-agents, and run commission-specific reports. Health insurance carriers do not appear to connect to any agency management system. They often do provide statements in CSV format which can then be easily uploaded to the software.

Can I track and manage sub-agent commissions and splits with health insurance commission tracking software?

Most commission tracking software enables you to split commissions among one or more sub-agents. Platforms like NextAgency then enable you to generate commission statements for those sub-agents.