For insurance brokers, operational efficiency and client service are more critical than ever. As the industry faces mounting pressure to do more with less, Applied Systems is betting that the future of agency management lies in transforming core systems from passive data repositories into active engines of productivity and collaboration. “It’s about going from a system of record to a system of action,” Anupam Gupta, chief product officer at Applied Systems, said, speaking to Insurance Business at Applied Net 2025 in Las Vegas. “The more the system is where your work is happening - because the system is guiding you along and giving you the right data – the more efficient you become for your clients.”
Gupta described the “digital round trip” as the next evolution in agency management, where every step of the policy lifecycle – from sales and marketing to servicing, finance, and carrier submissions – is streamlined and accelerated. “We want to speed up this whole lifecycle, to accelerate the round trip so the agent can get time back and become more efficient,” he said. “It’s not just about internal workflows; it’s also about better collaboration with carriers. The more you can speed up the round trip, the more you improve both efficiency and collaboration.”
This approach reflects a broader trend in the insurance industry, as brokers across North America increasingly seek technology that enables faster, more seamless interactions with both clients and markets. According to recent industry surveys, digital adoption among independent agencies continues to rise, with workflow integration and automation cited as top priorities for growth and retention.
For brokers, the promise of efficiency is straightforward: less time on busywork means more time advising clients and driving growth. “Every single one of our users said what they look to the agency management system for is operational efficiency. The more time you spend on manual things, the less time you have to spend with clients,” Gupta noted. “The biggest goal for the agency management system is efficiency. Period.”
Collaboration is the other side of the coin. Gupta pointed out that inefficiencies often arise in the back-and-forth between agencies and carriers. “For example, a carrier might not even look at 35-40% of the submissions they get, even if it’s in their appetite, because they have so much stuff on their side. How do you make collaboration better so the right opportunities surface to the top, the right data is there, and applications aren’t incomplete? That’s where collaboration truly comes in.”
Applied’s vision is to infuse AI and data into every workflow, not to eliminate jobs, but to give brokers more time for what Gupta called “hero work” – the high-value activities that drive agency performance and client satisfaction. “If you get time back, what would you spend it on? Our surveys show brokers want to spend it advising clients, identifying coverage gaps, and growing their business,” he said. “That’s what we’re enabling.”
Gupta drew a distinction between “horizontal” AI - general-purpose tools like ChatGPT – and “vertical” AI, which is tailored for insurance. “You can put a document into ChatGPT and get some answers, but 70-80% accuracy isn’t good enough when you’re balancing your books or paying your producers,” he said. “Insurance has specific nuances – different carriers use different terms, different formats. You need to go deep into the data, understand those nuances, and reason with the data. That’s why our bet is that no one will do insurance AI better than Applied.”
Recent acquisitions, such as those of Planck and Cytora, reflect Applied’s commitment to building insurance-specific AI talent and solutions. “We needed the right talent. These teams are 100% focused on insurance AI, and that’s what it takes to solve the real problems brokers face,” Gupta said.
Integration was another priority. “Users don’t want to go to a separate pane of glass for every tool. Everything we’re doing is to add value to the agency management system and bring AI into the workflows brokers use every day,” he said. Whether it’s Applied Epic or EZLynx, Applied’s goal is to ensure that new features – like document search, account rounding, or reconciliation – are embedded directly into the systems brokers already rely on.
Looking ahead, Gupta highlighted two innovations he believes will be “game changers” for brokers. The first was Autofill, which uses AI to extract data from documents and automatically populates forms. “Manual data entry is one of the biggest pain points for brokers. Autofill will take data from different documents and fill out the forms for you. All you have to do is confirm or edit if something isn’t right. That saves hours and improves data quality across the board,” he said.
The second is Epic Max, designed to help brokers find information faster and automate routine tasks. “Anytime a client calls an agent – say, to change a policy – the agent has to find information, go through steps, respond to emails. Epic Max will help you find information quickly and automate follow-ups, so you can spend more time on client service and less on admin,” Gupta explained.
He emphasized that these innovations are being developed in close partnership with brokers. “We don’t just build products in the lab and hope they work. From the earliest stages, we validate concepts with users, run pilot programs, and get feedback on what’s missing or what could be better,” he said. “That way, we know we’re solving the right problems.”
While Applied’s vision is ambitious, Gupta acknowledged that implementation is not without hurdles. “Brokers want integrated workflows, but change management, data migration, and training are always challenges. We’re focused on making the transition as seamless as possible, but we know it takes time and partnership to get it right,” he said.
Applied’s investments in AI and workflow integration are aimed squarely at helping brokers do more of what matters – serving clients, growing their business, and staying competitive in a rapidly changing market. “It’s about making the agency management system not just a place to store data, but a place where work happens – a system of action,” Gupta said.
