Trust and personal connection, not just digital innovation, drive growth for independent agencies in the insurance sector, according to Angela Ripley, president of VW Brown Insurance Service. “Traditional referral networks remained a critical driver of meaningful growth for independent agencies because they're built on trust, reputation, and personal relationships – qualities technology couldn't fully replicate,” she said.
Ripley made it clear that while technology streamlines administrative processes, it could not replace the human relationships that underpinned the most valuable referrals. “Digital tools could enhance referrals by tracking leads and so forth, from a more administrative perspective. However, that relationship process, I believed, was number one in the relationship with the customer,” she said. Agencies that blend longstanding personal connections with modern platforms are best positioned for growth, Ripley said, and technology should serve as an enabler rather than a replacement for the trust and reputation that drives referrals.
The insurance landscape has become crowded with online quoting tools and digital-first competitors, but Ripley viewed these developments as a catalyst for agencies to double down on the fundamentals of trust and service. “Customer expectations around trust and service were reshaping referrals because clients now sought more than just competitive pricing. They wanted personalized guidance, responsiveness, and confidence that their advisors really understood their needs,” she said. “In a market with commoditized online quoting and digital-first competitors, referrals were increasingly driven by the quality of the relationship and the client experience rather than price alone.”
Ripley challenged agencies that competed solely on cost, emphasizing the importance of expertise and advocacy. “I constantly said, are you purchasing insurance or are you purchasing coverage? It's more important for us to connect with our customers from the standpoint of what their coverage needs are, because no one asks at the time of claims how much their insurance premium is – they want to know how much coverage they have. So that's our opportunity to create that educational bond with the customer and be a trusted advisor.”
As carriers automate more of the claims process, agencies face a new test: preserving the personal touch that inspires word-of-mouth advocacy. Ripley said automation, when used correctly, could actually strengthen the agency-client relationship. “Agencies could preserve and elevate the referral-driving experience by focusing on human elements. It's pretty much the same thing I've been saying – it's just that bond you have with a customer that can help them through the process,” she said.
Automation provides agencies with more information and resources, but it is the agency’s role to translate those efficiencies into clear communication and support. “Carriers automating the claims process gave us more information to discuss with the customer and provided us with resources at our fingertips, rather than playing phone tag with an adjuster. It's eliminating those types of situations and providing us more resources to speak with our customers and answer their questions about the claims process, guiding them through the claims journey,” Ripley said.
Ripley’s focus on the claims experience is not about minimizing human involvement, but about elevating it. “It's about clear communication and anticipating concerns, offering personalized support when issues arise. By combining the efficiency of automation with empathy, expertise, and proactive problem-solving, agencies could redefine the client's experience, turning claims interactions into moments of trust and advocacy that inspired word-of-mouth referrals,” she said.
Looking ahead, Ripley saw promise in advanced CRM systems and AI-driven tools, but only when they reinforced – not replaced – the core strengths of independent agencies. “I believed advanced CRM systems and AI-driven tools allowed agencies to track client interactions, identify referral opportunities, and anticipate needs so outreach was timely and relevant,” she said. The challenge is not simply to adopt new tools, but to use them in ways that kept agencies top of mind with clients whose attention was increasingly fragmented. “Digital channels, email campaigns, social media, and personalized content helped agencies stay top of mind. As client attention became more fragmented, our ability to use our CRM and information pulled from agency management systems allowed us to ask for referrals more from our existing client database that we've developed,” Ripley said.
