Story · Insurance · Mergers
Merging four agencies into one, without losing a renewal
Growth by acquisition is how independent agencies grow. It is also how they end up with four email domains, four agency management systems and four sets of carrier logins that nobody can keep straight.
Three companies, three accounting systems, nineteen years of records. The plan that worked was the one written for the client, not for a vendor.
The three-company merger Gold Star survey"Resolved it quickly without downtime. Thank you!"
Karen, door and hardware companyMore from the survey wallThe situation
Each acquired agency had its own way of working and its own IT vendor. Producers kept using the systems they knew. Renewals were being worked in two places. The owner wanted one agency, not a federation.
What we did
Zach sequenced it agency by agency: inventory, data mapping, a cutover date chosen around renewal cycles, and one week of side-by-side operation before the old system was archived readable. Email moved to one Microsoft 365 tenant with the old addresses forwarding so no client email was lost. Carrier portal logins were consolidated into a password manager with multi-factor.
Each acquired agency's staff got the same onboarding a new client gets, ticket by ticket, so nobody was left guessing.
"Every acquisition is a small onboarding. Treat it like one and the merger stops being scary."
How the account manager puts itWhat changed
ResolvedOne agency management system, one email domain, one helpdesk. No renewals lost during any cutover. The owner has since acquired again and called us before signing.
The guide behind this story
ChecklistIT due diligence when buying a business
The technology questions to ask before the letter of intent, what the answers do to the price, and how integration goes when it is planned.
Read the guideOrder the internet circuit the week the lease is signed. Carriers take six to twelve weeks. Nothing else on a move fails as often.
The relocation checklist Did you knowA backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a plan. Ask for the date of the last tested restore.
What to actually testQuestions people ask about this
When should IT be involved in buying another agency?
Before the letter of intent if possible. Data and system questions affect what the acquired book is worth and how long integration takes.
"Thanks for the hard work. I was kept informed with regular updates until the concern was resolved."
Jeff, insurance brokerageMore from the survey wall- A technician who knows your setup takes every request. Not a dispatcher, not a queue.
- Every closed ticket is surveyed and a partner reads every response.
- 99.5% of surveys come back positive.
- Family-owned since 2005. 21 years in the same corner of Wisconsin, not going anywhere.
"Thanks for the hard work. I was kept informed with regular updates until the concern was resolved."
Jeff, insurance brokerageTalk to a partner, not a sales script.
Tell us what is going on. A partner will call you back the same business day, look at what you have, and tell you honestly whether we are the right fit. No pricing pressure, no pitch deck.