The most common question agency principals ask before outsourcing is: "What exactly can I hand off?" The answer is more than most people expect. A large portion of the daily and weekly workload in a commercial or personal lines agency is administrative — it requires process knowledge, AMS familiarity, and attention to detail, but it does not require a producer's license.
This checklist is organized by workflow area. Use it to identify where your team's time is going and which tasks are candidates for immediate delegation to an insurance virtual assistant.
Certificate Processing
Certificate work is typically the highest-volume delegable task in any commercial lines agency. Everything below can be handled by a trained VA:
- Issuing standard ACORD 25 (GL) and ACORD 28 (property) certificates from your AMS
- Adding certificate holders and additional insureds to existing certificates
- Preparing certificates with custom description-of-operations language (once policy endorsements are in place)
- Handling NY-specific COI requests for DOB, DOT, NYCHA, and school district projects
- Managing auto-issue certificate workflows and certificate holder databases
- Responding to certificate request emails and logging turnaround times
- Distributing completed certificates to requesters by email or fax
See our detailed guide on what a COI contains and the most common mistakes, and how to handle COI requests at scale.
ACORD Form Preparation
- Completing ACORD 125, 126, 127, 130, 131, 140 applications for new business and renewals
- Updating prior-year ACORD applications with current exposure values at renewal
- Filling out carrier-specific supplemental applications (contractors, professional liability, cyber, etc.)
- Preparing submission packages for underwriters — ACORD, supplementals, loss runs, and supporting documents
- Entering application data into carrier portals for comparative quoting
For a breakdown of which ACORD forms apply to which coverage lines, see the ACORD forms guide for insurance brokers.
Policy Management
- Processing endorsement requests — adding/removing drivers, vehicles, locations, additional insureds
- Policy checking: comparing new declarations pages against binders for coverage discrepancies
- Carrier download reconciliation — reviewing and accepting or correcting automated policy downloads in the AMS
- Monitoring pending cancellations and non-payment notices; preparing reinstatement requests
- Document indexing — attaching policy documents, endorsements, and correspondence to the correct client record in the AMS
- Maintaining coverage summaries and policy schedules for each client
- Processing mid-term coverage changes and updating the AMS accordingly
Renewal Preparation
- Generating renewal lists from the AMS by expiration date range
- Ordering loss runs from carriers (by portal, email, or letter)
- Ordering motor vehicle records (MVRs) for commercial auto renewals
- Sending client information request letters and following up on outstanding responses
- Updating exposure values and payroll figures on renewal applications
- Preparing complete renewal submission packages
- Issuing updated renewal certificates immediately after bind
For a detailed breakdown of the renewal workflow by phase, see the guide on insurance renewal support and what to delegate.
Underwriting Support
- Ordering CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) reports
- Ordering MVRs for individual drivers
- Preparing loss control documentation and follow-up correspondence
- Compiling statement of values schedules for property submissions
- Preparing additional insured and loss payee documentation
- Chasing outstanding underwriting information from clients
- Logging submission activity and carrier responses in the AMS
Accounting and Finance Support
- Direct-bill reconciliation — matching carrier remittance statements against AMS records
- Agency-bill invoicing — generating and sending premium invoices to clients
- Commission statement reconciliation
- Premium finance agreement preparation
- AP/AR data entry — logging payments received and outstanding balances
- Return premium processing and client refund documentation
Client Communication and Administration
- Responding to standard client inquiries — coverage questions that do not require licensed advice (e.g., "can you resend my certificate?", "what is my policy number?")
- Sending renewal reminder letters and expiration notices
- Preparing annual coverage review packages for account managers
- Maintaining client contact information in the AMS
- Following up on outstanding signed applications or missing documents
- Logging all client interactions in the AMS activity log
What Stays with Licensed Staff
To be clear about the boundary: coverage analysis, binding decisions, limit recommendations, carrier selection, and any advice about whether a client should purchase a particular coverage remain with licensed producers and account managers. The back office handles the documentation, data entry, and administrative preparation that surrounds those decisions — not the decisions themselves.
The practical result is that your licensed staff spend their time on client relationships, coverage strategy, and new business — not on pulling loss runs, updating ACORD forms, or issuing certificates.
Where to Start
The easiest entry point for most agencies is certificate processing — it is the highest-volume delegable task, has clear turnaround standards (30 minutes during business hours is a reasonable SLA), and requires no producer involvement once the underlying policy and endorsements are in place.
From there, most agencies add ACORD preparation and renewal support within the first 60 days, once the VA is fully embedded in the AMS and familiar with the agency's client base.
For a broader look at the outsourcing decision, see the insurance back-office outsourcing complete guide. To discuss your specific situation, book a 20-minute call with the Clermont Global team.
