Blog · Insurance
How to evaluate an insurance live transfer vendor: a checklist for agents
A practical checklist for insurance agents comparing live transfer vendors: consent records, DNC scrubbing, screening scripts, exclusivity, recordings and return policies.
1. Consent records, not promises
Ask for a sample consent record: the exact disclosure language the consumer saw, the source page, the timestamp and the phone number. Under the TCPA, prior express written consent is still required for autodialed or prerecorded marketing calls to cell phones, and statutory damages run $500 to $1,500 per violation. A vendor who cannot produce transaction-level records on request is a risk to your agency, whatever the price.
2. DNC and litigator scrubbing
Confirm the vendor scrubs against the National Do Not Call Registry, state DNC lists, its internal do-not-call list and TCPA litigator lists, and ask how often. Ask how opt-outs are recorded and passed on to you.
3. The screening script
Request the actual script. You want enough questions to confirm intent, state, and your key criteria, and no more. Very long scripts reduce the number of consumers who stay on the line; very short ones send unqualified calls. The script should never imply the caller represents a carrier they do not.
4. Exclusivity
Get exclusivity in writing. Ask whether the same consumer is ever transferred or sold to another agency, including later as an aged lead.
5. Recordings and disputes
Every transfer should be recorded, with state-appropriate recording disclosure. Ask about the dispute window, what counts as a returnable call (wrong state, no intent, dead air, already insured with you) and how credits are applied.
6. Capacity control
You should control daily caps, hours and your transfer line. Transfers that arrive when no producer is free are wasted for both sides.
7. Reporting and feedback loop
Good vendors report daily and ask for your quote and bind outcomes so they can adjust targeting. Ask what reports you get and how fast scripts or filters can change.
8. Start with a pilot
Run a small, time-boxed pilot with clear success criteria (contact-to-quote and quote-to-bind rates) before committing volume. You can see how we handle each of these points on our insurance live transfers page.