1. Who owns the data, and where does it live?
Your book of business is your agency's most valuable asset. Ask where your data is stored, who can access it, and what you can export if you leave. Software that runs on a server deployed for your agency, with your data exportable on request, is a very different proposition from a shared platform you can't take your data out of.
2. How is it priced?
Pricing models vary: per user, per agent, per module, tiered plans with add-ons, or one flat fee. Ask for the all-in monthly number for your actual headcount and the features you need, and what changes when you add a producer. See how a flat $250 per month compares to what you pay today.
3. Is quoting built in?
If your producers re-key the same applicant into carrier portals all day, a built-in comparative rater pays for itself in time. Ask which lines it covers and which carriers it supports.
4. How does it handle commissions?
Reconciling carrier statements by hand is a monthly tax on your agency. Look for statement parsing, producer splits and a report that ties out to the deposit. Our page on commission tracking lists what to look for.
5. What about certificates of insurance?
If you write commercial lines, COI requests are constant. Ask whether the system issues ACORD 25 certificates from policy data and whether clients can self-serve from a portal. See COI software.
6. Does it pull carrier documents and downloads?
Download integrations such as IVANS, plus a document harvester, keep dec pages and policy documents on the right client without manual filing.
7. What does migration really look like?
Every vendor says they'll move your data. Ask exactly what comes across (clients, policies, notes, documents, open leads), who does the work, and how counts are reconciled. Read our switching checklist.
8. Who will you talk to when something breaks?
A ticket queue or a person who knows what a bad renewal week looks like? Ask who builds the product and how fast a feature request is heard.
9. Who built it?
Software designed by people who have run an agency tends to fit the way agencies actually work. DarkHorse AMS is built by working agency owners and runs every day at Signature Insurance. Read our story.
Next step
Write your nine answers down for each option you're considering, then book a demo and ask us the same questions.
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