It’s interesting to watch how our industry is reacting to all the incredible advanced technology available now.

This is particularly true of AI. 

The promise is bright indeed, and there appears to be no limit to what it can do.  It seems to me, however, that with every step forward we take using technology, there is an equal and opposite force opposing it.  Take online auto claims, for example.  AI has made it possible to adjust many claims from a simple photo, but at the same time it has enabled massive fraud through fake photos. 

The amount of information available to an agent today has exploded, allowing many to become “expert” on complex insurance topics.  But this information comes at a cost.  We’ve discovered that it is prone to error, so an actual expert still needs to review it. 

With AI, everyone became a good writer overnight, but we quickly realized that we don’t like one “universal” voice, tone, or artificial writing style.  Turns out that we prefer to hear what an actual human thinks, even with all the flaws. 

AI and its various incarnations have enabled us to imitate and replace many of the common human/client interactions within an agency, but the result many times looks like a frustrated client yelling into the phone “I want a human!”  (or some variation on that theme).

All this supports the idea that nothing comes without a cost.  By gaining, you can easily lose.  Unless, of course, you’re conscious of the value of what you already have and protect it.  I have always taught agencies that technology should never be used to prevent client service, but rather to enhance it, and this rings truer now more than ever. 

Whenever we think we can just implement technology without threatening something valuable in the agency, it’s time to slow down and take inventory of the things we have that make us who we are. Things like a good reputation for personal service, solid client recommendations built on years of industry experience, or a referral ecosystem built on trust. 

These things (and many more like them) are easy to take for granted and equally easy to lose if you’re not careful in how you use technology.  In our never-ending pursuit of efficiency through technology, we are also at risk of running roughshod over the very principles that make our agencies great if we aren’t careful.  The point is simple.  Know who you are, what makes you great, and protect it as you implement new technologies.  Technology will never make a bad agency good, but it can make a good agency either great or terrible. 

Disclosure: No AI was used in the writing of this article.