In Q4 2025, as part of our Commercial Insurance Monitor research, Corporate Insight conducted a survey of 214 independent insurance agents to understand what drives their carrier selection decisions, what frustrates them most about the quoting and servicing process, and where they see the biggest threats to their business. The findings from the resulting Commercial Insurance Monitor survey report offer a clear-eyed look at how carriers can better serve the agents who write their business.
Underwriting Appetite Is a Competitive Differentiator
When commercial lines-focused agents were asked which factors matter most in choosing a carrier, underwriting flexibility and appetite came out on top at 39%, nearly 50% more important than competitive pricing, which landed at just 26%. That dichotomy is striking, especially when you compare it to personal lines agents, for whom competitive pricing is a top factor cited by 69% of respondents.
Ease of doing business (35%) and product breadth and coverage options (32%) rounded out the top priorities for commercial agents—both of which speak to efficiency and flexibility rather than price. Carriers that are hard to work with, regardless of their premiums, are going to lose business to those that make agents’ lives easier.
The Administrative Burden Is Unsustainable
One of the report’s most striking findings has nothing to do with technology features or commission rates. It’s about time. The majority of agents (61%) report spending 60% or more of their day on administrative tasks rather than selling. Only 16% describe their days as skewed toward selling.
The single most time-consuming task is communications about their clients’ claims, cited by 58% of commercial agents. Regulatory compliance documentation and billing and payment processing tied for second at 42% each.
For carriers, this represents a genuine opportunity. Agents route business to the partners who make their lives easier. Investments in AI-assisted claim status updates, cleaner regulatory communication tools, and streamlined billing workflows have the potential to meaningfully move the needle and be rewarded with more business. Agents who find that one carrier consistently reduces their administrative drag are going to lean into that relationship.
The Quoting Process Is Still a Bottleneck
More than half of commercial-focused agents (55%) report that their typical quote cycle takes four to seven days. Only 7% can complete the process in one to three days. This timeline is a competitive liability. Business owners have grown accustomed to speed in nearly every other purchasing context, and insurtech competitors are explicitly targeting the quote turnaround gap as a wedge. Carriers that can compress the timeline through automation, cleaner submission guidelines or pre-underwriting triage stand to capture frustrated agents looking for a better experience, without having to compete on price to do it.
The Bottom Line
The data from this survey paints a consistent picture: winning in commercial lines is more about reducing friction than maximizing features. Agents need carriers willing to write complex risks, able to provide transparent claim tracking, capable of integrating with the systems agents already use, and fast enough in underwriting to keep pace with today’s business expectations.
Carriers that crack even two or three of these priorities will stand out in a market where most agents are quietly frustrated but resigned to the status quo.
Corporate Insight’s Commercial Insurance Monitor tracks the digital customer experience across leading commercial lines insurance carriers, providing the competitive intelligence insurers need to identify where they stand and where future opportunities lie.
Learn more about Commercial Insurance Monitor or request a demo to see how CI research can upgrade your customer experience.
Justin Suter is the director of thought leadership at Corporate Insight.