AI for agencies
The best AI tool for an independent agency is the one that finishes a real servicing task inside your own systems. Tools fall into six types: AI workforces, market-search tools, insurance platforms, operational-execution vendors, AMS-native AI and general assistants. Pick by testing one recurring task, not by comparing feature lists.
Talk through your agency's workflows
See Decla with your team
Book a demo to walk through how Decla fits the day-to-day work your agency team handles, and where to start.
See Decla on your own taskOn this page
Six types of AI tools for agencies
Vendor descriptions below reflect how each vendor publicly describes itself, checked October 29, 2026. Ask each vendor to demonstrate the same task before treating a description as proof.
| Type | What it does | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| AI workforce inside your systems (Decla) | Connects to your agency management system (AMS), email and carrier portals and does back-office work inside them: reads requests, looks up clients and policies, pulls carrier documents, fills forms and drafts replies. Your team reviews the work before it goes out. | Does the result land in your AMS, and can you read the saved value back? Which steps stay with a person? |
| Market-search and appetite tools (for example Outmarket) | Help find carrier appetite and markets for a risk. | What happens after the answer: tracing the current source, preparing the artifact, scoped review and any connected action. |
| Insurance platforms with modular AI (for example Cara) | Publish a modular insurance platform and an Applied Epic integration announcement. | Which tasks run in your systems, and whether the integration covers your workflow. |
| Operational-execution vendors (for example Fulcrum) | Market operational execution for agencies. | Source collection, document checking, review and an auditable result on your task. |
| AMS-native AI (Applied Systems, Vertafore, EZLynx and others) | AI features built into the agency management system you already use. | Which tasks they cover, and whether email and carrier-portal work sits outside them. |
| General assistants (for example ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot) | Answer questions and draft text. | Whether they connect to your AMS and portals, and who performs the next action. |
How to choose
Test one recurring servicing task, such as a certificate of insurance request or a loss run request, with a named owner and a clear definition of done.
Name the task and the definition of done.
Choose a task that crosses your AMS, email and at least one carrier. Write down what finished looks like, and who reviews it.
Run the same task through each shortlisted tool.
Use redacted or approved sample material. Compare the finished artifact, not the demo.
Check the evidence of completion.
For a record change, read the saved value back. For a message, check sender, recipient and final text. For several carriers, expect a result per carrier.
Decide scope.
Start with the scope the evidence supports, for example preparation with human review, and expand only with separate evidence.
Where Decla fits
Decla is AI software for independent insurance agencies and brokerages. It works with Vertafore AMS360, Applied Epic, HawkSoft and Momentum AMP / NowCerts, plus Microsoft 365 / Outlook and Google Workspace / Gmail, and also connects to AgencyZoom, BenefitPoint and IPFS. Your AMS stays your system of record, and your team reviews what Decla prepares.
For a side-by-side method, see the buyer’s guide and the comparison pages linked below.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best AI tools for independent insurance agencies?
It depends on the task. The main types are AI workforces that work inside your AMS, email and carrier portals (such as Decla), market-search tools, insurance platforms with AI modules, operational-execution vendors, AMS-native AI features and general assistants. Test one recurring task in your own systems before choosing.
Which AMS systems does Decla work with?
Vertafore AMS360, Applied Epic, HawkSoft and Momentum AMP / NowCerts, plus Microsoft 365 / Outlook and Google Workspace / Gmail. Email, document and carrier portal workflows also work without an AMS connection.
Does Decla replace our AMS?
No. Your AMS stays your system of record. Decla reads from it for context and writes back the updates your team would otherwise make by hand, like activity notes and attachments, with your approval.