AI for insurance brokers: quick answers on admin, and a person for anything that needs advice
A small insurance brokerage answers two very different kinds of messages. Most are admin: when is my renewal, where do I send photos, can I have a copy of my certificate. A few carry real weight: does my policy cover this, which policy should I choose, I've had an accident. An AI agent can take the admin off your team on WhatsApp, email and Messenger, and collect the facts of a claim quickly and kindly. It must never tell a customer whether they are covered or which product to buy, because that is regulated advice. This guide covers the whole brokerage, every channel and where that line sits.
What customers ask
- When is my renewal date?
- Can I have a copy of my certificate?
- Where do I send photos of the damage?
- How do I make a claim?
- Does my home policy cover accidental damage?
- Can I add my partner to my car policy?
- Which is the best van insurance for me?
The first four are admin with a known answer or a document to send. The last three look simple but are not. Whether a policy covers something depends on the wording and the circumstances. Adding a driver changes the risk and the price. Recommending a product is advice. The agent answers the first kind and collects details for the second.
Claims need special care. A customer who has just had a burst pipe or a car accident is stressed. A calm, quick reply that collects the facts and tells them what happens next is valuable, as long as the agent never says whether the claim will be paid.
An example conversation
This illustration shows a first notice of a claim on WhatsApp. Names and details are examples.
| Who | Message |
|---|---|
| Helen | Hi, a pipe burst in our kitchen last night and the floor is ruined. What do I do? |
| AI agent | I'm sorry, Helen, that sounds stressful. First, if water is still escaping, turn it off at the stopcock. Could you send your policy number or postcode, photos of the damage and a short note of what happened and when? |
| Helen | Policy HH-00000. Happened about 11pm. [3 photos] |
| AI agent | Thank you. I've passed your photos and details to Sam in our claims team, who will contact you today with the next steps. Please keep any receipts for emergency repairs and don't throw away damaged items until Sam has spoken to you. |
| → Passed to Sam, claims: escape of water, kitchen floor, photos attached | |
| Helen | Will we be covered? |
| AI agent | Sam will go through that with you, as it depends on your policy and what happened. |
Outcome: a claim reported with everything the claims handler needs, at night, in one chat. The agent gave practical steps from its notes and handed over. When asked about cover, it did not guess.
A second example: a renewal
| Who | Message |
|---|---|
| Raj | When does my van insurance renew? And can you send my certificate? |
| AI agent | Hi Raj. Your van policy renews on 14 December. I've attached your current certificate. We'll be in touch with your renewal terms about three weeks before. |
| Raj | Any chance of a cheaper price this year? |
| AI agent | I've asked Leah, your broker, to look at your renewal and contact you. |
| → Passed to Leah: Raj asks for a better price at renewal |
Names and details are examples. The agent answered from the policy record and sent the document. Price and product questions went to the broker.
What the agent handles, and what goes to your team
The agent can handle:
- Renewal dates, policy numbers and copies of documents, if your AI agent can reach your policy system
- How to make a claim and what to send
- Collecting photos, receipts and a description of what happened
- Office hours and how to reach the claims line
- Renewal reminders for customers who expect them
It should pass these to a person, and then stay out of the chat:
- Whether something is covered, and every recommendation about products or cover levels
- Every claim, after collecting the first details
- Changes to a policy, such as adding a driver or changing an address
- Complaints, cancellations and payment problems
- Customers who seem vulnerable or in distress
The rules that matter in insurance
- No advice and no cover decisions. The agent never says "you're covered" or "you're not covered", and never recommends a product.
- Every claim goes to a person after the first details are collected.
- Treat customers fairly. The same question gets the same answer, and anyone who seems vulnerable gets a person.
- No card or bank details in the chat. Payments go through your normal process.
Insurance is regulated. Your regulator and your insurers set rules about advice, claims handling, complaints and vulnerable customers. Check what they say about messaging and AI, and write the parts that apply into the note.
Which channels to connect
| Channel | Who uses it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Customers sending photos and quick questions | Good for claims photos and renewal questions | |
| Documents, renewals and business customers | One email to one person; most brokers' main channel | |
| Messenger | Local customers who find you on Facebook | Useful for general enquiries |
Start where customers already write to you. Replies to people who wrote in are what Spaces is for, and each account stays inside safe sending limits.
The notes to give your agent
Here is an example note for a small brokerage. Names and details are examples.
You answer messages for Ashby Insurance Brokers on WhatsApp, email
and Messenger. We arrange home, car, van and small-business insurance.
Office: Mon to Fri 9am to 5:30pm. Claims line: 0800 000 0000.
You can give renewal dates and send copies of documents for the
customer you are speaking to, after checking their policy number
and postcode.
For a claim: say sorry, give the practical steps below, collect the
policy number, photos and what happened and when, then hand to Sam
in claims. Tell them Sam will contact them today.
Practical steps: for water, turn it off at the stopcock if safe. Keep
receipts for emergency repairs. Don't throw away damaged items until
Sam has spoken to them.
Never say whether something is covered. Reply: "That depends on your
policy and what happened, so Sam will go through it with you."
Never recommend a product or level of cover. Pass to the broker.
Never change a policy. Collect the request and pass to the broker.
Never take card or bank details.
If a customer seems distressed or vulnerable, hand to a person at once.
Complaints go to Leah. Sign off as "Ashby Insurance".Wording that works
| Situation | Weaker reply | Better reply |
|---|---|---|
| "Am I covered?" | "Yes, accidental damage is included." | "That depends on your policy and what happened, so Sam will go through it with you." |
| "Which policy is best?" | "Our premium plan is the best value." | "Leah, one of our brokers, will look at what you need and contact you." |
| Claim at night | "Please call in the morning." | "I'm sorry. Could you send photos and what happened? Sam will contact you first thing." |
| "Add my partner to the car" | "Done!" | "I'll pass that to Leah, who will confirm any change to your price." |
Set it up step by step
- List your admin questions and answers, and the documents the agent may send.
- Write the advice, cover and claims rules word for word.
- Decide how the agent checks who it is talking to before sharing policy details.
- Add Spaces to the AI agent you already use. The agents page has the steps for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and others; you sign in through your browser and approve the connection. Chat apps such as Claude or ChatGPT act when you ask them in a chat, so for replies around the clock use an always-on agent such as Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw or Hermes.
- Connect the account customers use most, then the others.
- Test a renewal question, a claim, a "am I covered?" question and a complaint.
- Have your compliance lead read the first month of conversations.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Letting the agent read policy wording and tell customers what it means. That is still a cover decision.
- Sending policy documents without checking who is asking.
- Leaving vulnerable customers with the agent.
- Sending renewal offers to people who are not customers. Reminders are for customers who expect them.
What if...
| If this happens | What the agent should do |
|---|---|
| Someone asks about another person's policy | Say it can only discuss a policy with the policyholder. |
| A customer is in danger or injured | Tell them to call emergency services, then hand over. |
| A customer wants to cancel | Explain how cancellation works from the notes, and hand over. |
| A customer disputes a claim decision | Apologise, take the details and pass to your complaints lead. |
| A third party writes about an accident | Collect their details and hand to claims. |
Checklist before you go live
- The cover and advice rules are in the note and tested.
- Every claim reaches a named claims handler.
- Identity checks happen before policy details are shared.
- Your compliance lead has approved the note.
Where to start
Start with admin and the first notice of a claim, on the channel customers use most. Those save the most time and help customers when they need it.
Advice and cover decisions always stay with people. While you build trust, ask your AI agent to hold replies as drafts, and nothing goes out until you approve it.
Who you message
Pricing
FAQ
Should the agent handle claims?
We suggest it collects details and photos and passes every claim to a person. It can give practical steps from your notes, such as turning off the water, but never says whether a claim will be paid.
Can we send renewal reminders?
To customers who expect them, for example because they asked. Not unsolicited campaigns to people who are not customers.
Can the agent tell customers what their policy covers?
No. Whether something is covered depends on the wording and the circumstances, and that is for a person to say. The agent passes those questions on with the details.
Can it send policy documents?
Yes, if your AI agent can reach your policy system, and only after checking who it is speaking to. Your agent can send documents as attachments.
What about vulnerable customers?
Tell the agent to hand to a person as soon as a customer seems distressed, confused or vulnerable. Fair treatment matters more than speed.
Does our regulator allow this?
That depends on where you are and your permissions. Check your regulator's and your insurers' guidance on messaging and AI, and have your compliance lead approve the note.
What happens when a chat is handed over?
The customer stays in the same chat and Spaces marks it as taken over by a person. The agent sends nothing more there until it is handed back.