Build a Custom Voice AI for Your Independent Insurance Agency
Choose a provider based on their integration with your Agency Management System and their pricing model. A custom-built system gives you total control over call logic and avoids per-seat software fees.
The system's complexity depends on the number of call paths and the specific AMS integration. A simple lead qualification agent that connects to a modern CRM via API is a 2-week build. A multi-purpose agent for quotes, claims, and service that integrates with an on-premise Vertafore AMS takes longer.
We built a qualification agent for a 7-person commercial insurance agency handling 50 inbound calls daily. The system qualifies new leads, routes service calls, and logs every summary to their CRM in under 90 seconds per call. It was built and deployed in 3 weeks, saving each producer over an hour per day.
What Problem Does This Solve?
Most agencies first try cloud contact center platforms that offer "AI" features. These tools use rigid, menu-driven flows (press 1 for sales, 2 for service) that frustrate callers. Their speech recognition fails on industry terms like "commercial auto liability" or "inland marine," leading to misrouted calls and lost leads. The per-minute, per-agent pricing model becomes expensive, costing hundreds per month for even low call volumes.
A regional agency with 8 producers tried a well-known contact center solution to handle after-hours calls. The bot could not access their AMS, so it could not answer simple policy questions. It routed every call to a general voicemail box, creating a 4-hour backlog of calls for producers to manually review each morning. After two months and $1,200 in fees, they turned it off because it created more work than it saved.
These platforms fail because they are designed for massive call centers, not for the specific workflows of an independent agency. They lack the deep integration required to check policy details, identify high-value leads from existing clients, or create detailed records in specialized systems like Applied Epic or HawkSoft.
How Does It Work?
We start by mapping your existing call flows for lead intake and customer service. We identify the exact questions needed to qualify a commercial lead versus a personal lines inquiry and what data points must be captured for each. We use the Claude API to build a conversational agent that can understand natural language, not just keywords.
The core logic is a Python application built with FastAPI. When a call comes in via Twilio, the audio is streamed to a speech-to-text service that creates a transcript in under 4 seconds. This transcript is sent to the Claude API, which generates a contextually aware response in about 300ms. The system can access a read-only replica of your AMS database, cached in Supabase for speed, to retrieve policy information or client history.
This entire application is deployed on AWS Lambda, which means you only pay for the exact compute time used. For an agency handling 2,000 calls a month, hosting costs are typically under $50. The system scales automatically to handle call spikes, processing up to 15 concurrent calls without performance degradation. We use httpx for non-blocking API calls to your other systems and structlog to write detailed, queryable logs for every single call.
A complete call summary, transcript, and structured data (e.g., lead type, contact info, requested policy) is posted directly to your CRM or AMS. The entire process, from call start to CRM record created, completes within 2 minutes, with a full audit trail for every interaction.
What Are the Key Benefits?
Live in 3 Weeks, Not 6 Months
From kickoff to your first live call in 15 business days. A focused build cycle means you see results immediately, not after a long implementation.
Pay for Usage, Not Per-Agent Seats
A one-time build fee and low monthly hosting costs on AWS. Your bill does not increase when you hire more producers.
You Own The Code and The Logic
We deliver the complete Python source code to your GitHub repository. You are never locked into a proprietary platform or vendor.
Monitors Itself, Alerts on Failure
We use AWS CloudWatch to monitor system health. You get a Slack alert if transcription API latency spikes or error rates exceed 2%.
Connects Directly To Your AMS
Native API integration with industry platforms like Applied Epic, Vertafore, and HawkSoft. The agent works with your agency's source of truth.
What Does the Process Look Like?
Week 1: Workflow Discovery & Access
You provide current call handling scripts and grant read-only API access to your AMS/CRM. We deliver a detailed call-flow diagram for your approval.
Week 2: Core Agent Development
We build the conversational logic using the Claude API and connect it to your data sources. You receive a link to a text-based demo to test the logic.
Week 3: Telephony Integration & Deployment
We connect the agent to a phone number via Twilio and deploy the system on AWS Lambda. You receive a live phone number for final user acceptance testing.
Weeks 4-8: Monitoring & Handoff
We monitor live call performance, tune AI prompts based on real interactions, and document the system. You receive the full source code and a runbook.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What affects the cost and timeline of a build?
- The primary factors are the number of distinct call paths (e.g., new business vs. service requests) and the integration complexity of your Agency Management System. An agency with a single inbound lead flow and a modern, cloud-based CRM will have a shorter build than one with five call types connecting to a legacy, on-premise system. We define the exact scope and fixed price after the discovery call.
- What happens if the AI cannot understand a caller?
- If the agent fails to understand the caller's intent after two attempts, it executes a graceful handoff. It says, 'I'm having trouble understanding. Let me connect you to a human agent right away,' and transfers the call to a pre-defined number. The full transcript and a 'human handoff' flag are logged in your CRM so your team can follow up and we can improve the prompt.
- How is this different from a platform like RingCentral or Five9?
- Platforms like RingCentral provide broad business telephony and IVR features for large teams. Syntora builds a specialized AI agent that executes your agency's specific business logic. We provide deep integration into your AMS to have intelligent, data-aware conversations, rather than just routing calls based on keypad presses. It is a custom production system, not a generic software subscription.
- Can this handle requests for certificates of insurance (COIs)?
- Yes. A common workflow we build is COI requests. The agent authenticates the caller using their policy number and phone number, confirms the certificate holder's details, and triggers an automated workflow to generate and email the COI from your AMS. This fully automates one of the most frequent and time-consuming inbound requests, freeing up your account managers.
- How do you ensure compliance with call recording laws?
- We build consent logic directly into the start of the call flow. The agent explicitly states, 'This call will be recorded for quality purposes.' It will not proceed until it receives verbal confirmation from the caller. Call recordings can be stored directly in your own secure AWS S3 bucket, ensuring you maintain full ownership and control over sensitive data.
- Does my team need technical skills to maintain this?
- No. The system is designed for operational autonomy. We set up logging and alerting to notify you of any issues. The optional monthly maintenance plan covers prompt tuning, dependency updates, and API changes. You receive a runbook that a contract developer could use for major modifications, but no day-to-day technical involvement is needed from your staff.
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