Branislav Urosevic | Insurance Business
Clients want speed, but not robots. Mitch experts say AI helps with tasks, yet real conversations still drive trust, clarity, and de-escalation
Automation may be transforming the insurance industry, but when it comes to customer service, one thing hasn’t changed – people still want to talk to people.
“Automation and AI are valuable tools,” said Aaron Blackwood (pictured left), senior sales manager at Mitch Insurance Brokers, “but most people still prefer a real conversation when it comes to their insurance.”
Blackwood said that while chatbots can make service faster, clients still look for expertise and reassurance when it comes to coverage decisions.
“I have never had a client tell me they’d rather get their answer from a robot,” he said.
Most customers, he added, want a knowledgeable person who can explain what their policy actually means – especially at the time of a loss. That human connection, he said, “has not come down in value.”
Cassie Gilroy (pictured right), senior manager, personal lines service at Mitch, said the same holds true from a broker’s perspective. “Insurance is a very intricate product,” she said. “There’s so much that goes into what might be on a policy or how it might affect an individual’s situation.”
She noted that while automation has its uses, overreliance on it can introduce new risks – especially if the technology provides incorrect guidance. “To use a chatbot to try and figure that out – not from the customer side but from the broker side – putting your trust into a bot to give the right answer,” she said. “We’ve seen what happens when big companies get it wrong. The impact of incorrect information can be huge.”
Clients want answers now – and brokers are feeling it
Asked about the biggest service challenge facing brokers this year, Gilroy didn’t hesitate.
“Rising client expectations,” she said. “How do you give the immediate answer that they’re looking for, maintain your workload, keep up to date on all of the changes that are happening in the industry? It’s not an easy job.”
Gilroy said her team is focused on giving brokers the tools to balance responsiveness with quality – using automation “where it makes sense and only where it makes sense.” Cross-training and collaboration, she added, have become essential.
“We’re talking to our team a lot about looking for problems that clients don’t know they have,” she said. “How do you anticipate what questions a client may not even know they have, and prevent a future problem from occurring or from them getting upset when they receive their paperwork?”
That mindset, Gilroy explained, requires more than technical expertise. “Knowing insurance is one thing,” she said. “Knowing people – dealing with different personalities, de-escalating potential tense situations – all of those things go into the broker’s role as well. It’s far beyond just insurance knowledge.”
Leadership under pressure
The growing demands from clients aren’t just testing front-line brokers – they’re putting new pressure on leaders to keep teams motivated and resilient.
Gilroy said much of that learning has been hands-on. She’s had to adapt quickly to a workplace where burnout risk is rising. “I’m learning on the fly sometimes,” she said. “When I have a teammate who is maybe overwhelmed, burning out, stressed – how can I support them in a way that makes them still want to come to work and do their job and not feel that way?”
That support, she added, now goes beyond technical coaching. “There’s been a lot of learning from me on how I support people from an emotional standpoint instead of just an educational standpoint.”
Blackwood said it comes down to leadership fundamentals – consistency, empathy, and forward focus. “It’s about supporting those beside you, working for you, working on the team,” he said. “Leaders need to support, listen, and focus on feed-forward coaching – helping people get better in their next play, not dwelling on the last one.”
For both, the challenge is maintaining morale in an industry where stress can easily outpace recognition.
“Insurance is the product nobody wants to buy, but everyone needs. Nobody wants to pay for something they hope they’ll never use, but when the moment comes, they want to know their coverage is right,” Blackwood said.
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