The following article was written in association with EZLynx.
EZLynx has seen rapid growth among small and medium-sized independent agencies in the US, capturing nearly 60% of new agency management system purchases in its segment this year. According to president Michael Streit (pictured left) and SVP - product management Brenna Johnson (pictured right), much of this momentum comes from a focus on making powerful technology accessible and easy to use - an approach that has shaped both the company’s product philosophy and its response to the evolving needs of independent agents.
Streit explained that EZLynx’s core strength is in delivering sophisticated automation and reporting in a single, native platform designed for agencies that want to avoid complex integrations and customizations. “We have the most complete automations, sophisticated reporting, and we’re embedding AI in the product. Yet it’s built for small agents – so it’s a single stack, every technology native in one platform. If you’re a small independent agency that doesn’t want to hook up complicated tech or customize things, you can buy your rater, CRM, renewal management, reporting, policy management – all in one tech stack that’s not only easier, but makes those powerful things more accessible,” he said.
Since joining Applied Systems, EZLynx has accelerated investment in product and engineering and improved its ability to match agencies with the right solution. “We’ve become good at understanding if an agent is a better fit for Epic or EZLynx. It’s not as simple as big or small – there are other dynamics,” Streit said. Johnson added that the company’s core values – think, commit, and care – are foundational to its approach: “It’s not about copying what someone else has done. It really comes from a place of understanding our customers and what’s the best way to solve their problem.”
A major focus in the past year has been commercial lines. Johnson noted that commercial business is more complex and less linear than personal lines, making it harder for agents – especially those growing their commercial book – to know what data to collect or how to avoid wasted effort. “If you don’t know when to use a commercial rater or go direct to a carrier, you can waste a lot of time on dead ends. The process takes a long time, and agents don’t trust the systems, so they go outside them. Then there’s no data in the system to give owners visibility into who’s writing what, or where submissions stand,” she said.
EZLynx’s solution is to guide agents through the process, serving up the right questions, providing appetite indication, and automating rating and form generation when possible. “The innovation is in guiding agents through the process, not assuming everything will be ratable like personal lines,” Johnson said. The company’s approach is informed by customer surveys, agency visits, and user experience research, with a focus on reducing time spent on data entry and information search.
A tangible example of customer feedback influencing product design is the recent CRM revamp. Johnson explained that after integrating feedback from agency visits and user research, EZLynx completely changed the CRM user experience, leading to a doubling in the number of agencies using the sales center regularly.
Streit pointed out that small agencies face unique challenges in scaling and staffing. “Our customers are really small business owners. It’s hard to scale a small business without making big step investments in headcount. The insurance industry labor market is tight and aging, so it’s hard to find talent. Our focus is on helping agencies make as much money as they can with the resources they’ve got, and helping those resources get as much done as possible,” he said.
Recent advancements at EZLynx have centered on commercial lines, marketing workflow, and reporting. Johnson highlighted that the updated marketing workflow reduces the time spent creating campaigns and content by 20%, and the new reporting platform includes AI-powered account summarization to help agents quickly get up to speed on client activity. “The quality of how quickly you can get data from documents or voice calls into the system without a human having to transcribe it has leaped forward,” she said, adding that natural language tools are being developed to let agents ask questions and get answers directly in EZLynx.
While technology can make adoption easier, Streit acknowledged that change management and training remain important hurdles. “When you have a smaller agency, it’s easier to roll things out. Training three CSRs and two producers is different from training a large team. The simplicity of our system makes it easier to adopt, but we still have to manage change carefully and support users through transitions,” he said.
Looking ahead, Johnson said that EZLynx will continue investing in commercial lines, core AMS improvements, and AI-driven automation, with a focus on reducing manual work and making advanced technology accessible.
As independent agencies continue to navigate a tight labor market and growing operational demands, the emphasis on efficiency and practical technology solutions is likely to remain central. EZLynx’s recent investments and product updates reflect broader industry trends toward streamlined workflows and accessible AI. The company’s ongoing development, shaped by agent feedback and changing market needs, underscores the importance of aligning technology with the day-to-day realities of agency operations.
