Regional Deep Dive: Digital Insurance Modernization in North America—Agent and Broker Enablement

Navigating the North American Insurance Landscape

North America’s insurance sector is at a pivotal crossroads. Carriers in the United States and Canada must contend with a patchwork of state and provincial regulations, deeply entrenched legacy systems, and a distribution model still dominated by independent agents and brokers. Meanwhile, policyholders—shaped by digital experiences in banking, retail, and beyond—now expect seamless, personalized, and digital-first journeys. For insurers, the imperative is clear: modernization is no longer optional, and empowering agents and brokers is central to sustainable growth.

The Agent and Broker Reality: Unique Regional Challenges

Despite the rise of direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels, independent agents and brokers remain the backbone of insurance distribution in North America, originating the majority of property and casualty (P&C) premiums. Customers value the expertise, trust, and personalized advice agents provide, especially when navigating complex coverage decisions. However, agents and brokers face persistent pain points that hinder productivity and satisfaction:

• Cumbersome Policy Servicing: Agents spend excessive time on administrative tasks, from processing policy changes to managing bill payments, often facing long wait times for carrier support and limited self-service options.
• Lack of Actionable Customer Insights: Most agency management systems (AMS) offer only basic alerts, leaving agents without the data-driven insights needed to proactively identify cross-sell opportunities or explain premium changes.
• Limited Digital Marketing Tools: Many agencies lack modern, integrated marketing platforms, making it difficult to automate outreach, segment customers, or track engagement.
• Opaque Underwriting Processes: Agents often struggle with a lack of transparency and access to underwriters, making it challenging to advocate for clients or explain policy decisions.
• Onboarding and Training Gaps: Newer agents face steep learning curves with carrier systems and products, with limited access to on-demand training and support.

These challenges are compounded by legacy technology and regulatory complexity, which slow innovation and inflate operational costs. Incremental change is no longer enough—insurers must embrace holistic digital transformation to empower their agent and broker networks.

The SPEED Framework: A Blueprint for Agent and Broker Enablement

Publicis Sapient’s SPEED framework—Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data & AI—provides a proven, holistic approach to modernization tailored to the realities of the North American market. Through SPEED, insurers can:

• Modernize Core Systems: Incrementally migrate and re-architect policy administration, claims, and underwriting systems to the cloud, focusing on high-impact areas first to minimize disruption.
• Personalize Engagement: Unify data across channels to deliver hyper-personalized experiences for both agents and policyholders, leveraging advanced analytics and AI.
• Automate Workflows: Streamline claims and underwriting processes with AI and machine learning, reducing cycle times and operational risk.
• Ensure Compliance: Embed robust governance, auditability, and privacy controls to meet the demands of state and provincial regulations.

Real-Time Data: The Foundation for Next-Gen Agent Enablement

In a market defined by regulatory complexity and rising expectations, real-time data is a game-changer. Solutions like Publicis Sapient’s Speed Layer platform decouple data access from legacy systems, enabling insurers to:

• Achieve near-instant system availability and millisecond-level performance for digital services.
• Break down data silos, creating unified customer and agent profiles to support hyper-personalized journeys.
• Power AI-driven fraud detection, risk assessment, and claims automation—improving accuracy and reducing losses.
• Embed robust data governance and compliance frameworks, ensuring transparency and auditability across jurisdictions.

Transforming the Agent and Broker Experience: From Pain Points to Productivity

Forward-thinking insurers are already seeing the impact of digital transformation on agent and broker enablement:

• Unified Agent Portals: Modern portals provide a single interface for quoting, policy servicing, claims submission, and customer communications. Real-time updates, automated notifications, and digital document management empower agents to resolve client requests quickly, reducing reliance on carrier call centers.
• Enhanced CRM Dashboards: By integrating carrier and third-party data, insurers deliver dashboards that highlight cross-sell opportunities, explain premium changes, and prioritize outreach to at-risk or high-value clients. AI-driven insights surface next-best actions, such as targeted communications or training invitations.
• Automated Marketing Tools: Carriers are extending digital marketing engines to agents, offering platforms for targeted campaigns, content libraries, and audience segmentation—enabling agents to expand their digital footprint and nurture relationships efficiently.
• AI-Driven Underwriting and Sales Support: AI streamlines underwriting by automating risk assessments, flagging exceptions, and providing real-time feedback. Agents can simulate policy changes and pricing scenarios, offering more transparent and responsive service.
• On-Demand Training Platforms: Digital education platforms provide agents with 24/7 access to product training, compliance updates, and best practices, supporting both new and experienced agents.

Addressing the Realities of the North American Market

Regulatory Complexity

Navigating a labyrinth of state and provincial regulations requires agility and real-time compliance. Publicis Sapient’s advisory-led approach, combined with advanced cloud and security solutions, ensures insurers can meet and exceed local regulatory standards while safeguarding sensitive customer data.

Legacy Agent Networks

Agent and broker networks remain central to distribution. Modernization efforts must empower—not bypass—these partners. By digitizing agent workflows, providing real-time access to product and customer data, and streamlining commission and onboarding processes, insurers can strengthen agent relationships and drive growth.

Evolving Customer Expectations

Today’s policyholders expect insurance experiences on par with leading digital brands: personalized products and pricing, seamless self-service journeys, and transparent, proactive communication at every stage.

Proven Impact: Success Stories in North America

• A leading U.S. insurer reimagined its operating model, putting customer and agent experience at the forefront and achieving a $5B+ uplift in revenue. Through journey transformation and integrated execution, the insurer now continuously optimizes both customer and agent experiences.
• Canadian insurers are leveraging digital lead management platforms and customer data integration to drive 10x improvements in lead conversion rates, streamline agent workflows, and reduce claims processing times by up to 80% through automation and guided digital journeys.

The Road Ahead: Building the Future of Agent and Broker Enablement

The future belongs to insurers who can harness data, cloud, and AI to deliver next-generation agent and broker experiences, operational excellence, and regulatory confidence. By modernizing core systems, embracing real-time data, and empowering both customers and agents, North American insurers can unlock new levels of efficiency, resilience, and growth—building businesses that are ready for whatever comes next.

Ready to transform your agent and broker experience? Connect with Publicis Sapient to start your journey today.