360 Lead Management – The Future of Insurance Sales

Speaker: Maciej Wir-Konas – IT Project Manager with 10+ years of experience in large-scale insurance technology projects.

Lead management remains one of the most persistent operational challenges in the insurance industry. Disconnected data sources, legacy systems that don’t talk to modern CRM platforms, and manual handoffs between sales and customer service all slow down the path from lead to policy — while customers increasingly expect fast, personalized responses.

In this session, Decerto moved past the theory and walked through how a real, large-scale CRM integration project solved these problems in practice. Drawing on a completed implementation for Warta (HDI/Talanx Group), the session showed how connecting Salesforce with Decerto’s Agent Portal (eAgent) created a unified, real-time view of every lead — and what that meant for agents, managers, and customers.

Watch the recording to discover:

Challenges in Lead Management for the Insurance Industry

• Integration issues between data sources and CRM systems
• Real-time data synchronization
• Optimizing sales and customer service processes

Case Study: Salesforce & Warta Integration

• Project objectives – key business goals
• Implementation stages – business analysis, UX design, system integration
• Benefits for agents – 360° customer view, personalized offers, higher sales efficiency
• Agile & Scrum – how these methodologies supported successful project delivery

The Impact of CRM on Sales and Customer Relationships

• Refining sales strategies with CRM
• Cross-selling opportunities and customer loyalty through data-driven insights

Q&A and Summary‍

• Live Q&A – answers to participant questions
• Key takeaways – how to replicate this success in your own organization

Missed the live session? Watch the recording or read the full transcript below.

‍

[Speaker: Maciej Wir-Konas]

Good morning. My name is Maciej Wir-Konas, and I am the head of Agent Portal and the project manager at Decerto. I have been working with insurance companies for over ten years, and therefore, I understand the challenges insurers face, and I recognize that effective lead management is critical to success in the insurance industry. Nowadays, insurers continue to struggle with system integration, data issues, and inefficient processes.

So first of all, let's talk about challenges, and I will provide you with some statistics. Then I will move on to the case study and a quick demo.

Okay, so integrating data from various systems is one of the main challenges in lead management. Insurers often face problems with outdated, incompatible systems, which makes data management difficult. Additionally, the lack of standardized data formats results in errors or inefficiencies.

We can divide those problems into four main areas.

One is data silos, in which customer data is often stored in multiple systems, making consolidation difficult.

Another one is legacy systems. So many insurers rely on outdated technologies that are not compatible with modern CRM platforms.

Manual data entry, in which leads may be lost or duplicated due to human error. And also lack of standardization, so inconsistent data formats lead to discrepancies and complicate analysis. According to a McKinsey report, in 2024, sixty-five percent of insurance companies in the US and Europe planned to increase investments in digital technologies, including CRM system integration, to improve data management and operational processes. Modernizing the data management system is essential. Integrating advanced technologies with existing CRM systems is key to improving its operational efficiency.

Okay, so another crucial aspect is real-time data synchronization. It plays a critical role in lead management. A lack of up-to-date information may result in for example, lost clients. So modern CRM systems should ensure real-time data updates from multiple sources so that, for example, sales teams always have access to current information. What about key challenges in this area? So, update delays. Leads must be updated instantly to avoid lost sales opportunities.

Multi-channel data collection. So data from various sources, for example website, phone, social media, or referrals, must be synchronized in real time. System compatibility.

So connecting different databases and CRM systems into one consistent ecosystem. And also customer expectations. So clients expect immediate responses. And of course, delays can result in lost sales.

Okay, so also a study from Deloitte from 2023 revealed that even seventy percent of European customers expect consistent service both online and offline, highlighting the importance of real-time data synchronization. Customer preference diversity requires insurance companies to deliver consistent service across all channels. Real-time synchronization is essential to ensuring a seamless customer experience.

Okay, so what about optimizing sales? We can say that lead management optimization involves automating processes, smart lead prioritization, and personalized offers.

Cohesive, smart collaboration between sales and customer service teams makes lead nurturing more effective, increasing conversion rates and customer satisfaction. We can distinguish here some key strategies. So first of all, automated lead scoring.

In which prioritizing high-value leads leads to increased conversions. Also, process automation to reduce manual tasks and shorten response times.

Personalized interactions. So you can leverage AI and analytics to tailor offers to individual client needs. And of course, cross-team collaboration, ensuring sales and support teams have access to the same lead and data for better communication.

According to a 2023 Accenture report, fifty-five percent of insurance companies in the UK have implemented AI-based solutions to automate sales and customer service, reflecting the growing trend of automation. AI supports the automation of many processes, leading to faster customer service and more tailored offers.

This we can translate into higher satisfaction and, of course, operational efficiency.

Okay, so to manage leads effectively, insurance companies must invest in modern technologies, ensure real-time data synchronization, and automate processes. Proper lead management improves sales performance and customer service quality.

So what are the key actions that should be taken by insurers?

First one, invest in modern CRM systems. You have to choose a CRM platform that can integrate with existing infrastructure. Also, enable real-time synchronization. So use APIs and cloud solutions for real-time data updates.

Automate processes. So, for example, implement AI-powered tools for optimizing lead nurturing, and standardize data, so unify data formats and structures to improve accuracy and efficiency.

Okay, so how to achieve this?

The answer should be obvious. So start with a reliable CRM.

But what are the main measured benefits? So the first one is revenue growth. Companies using advanced CRM tools increase their sales revenue by fifteen percent compared to those not using them. Another point is customer satisfaction. So about forty-seven percent of CRM users say the technology significantly improves customer satisfaction. And also very important, customer loyalty: seventy-five percent of companies saw increased retention due to upselling strategies.

Using a CRM system allows insurance agents to better understand customer needs, resulting in more effective sales strategies.

Automating processes eliminates errors and accelerates task execution, which is crucial in a dynamic business environment.

So key points here are offer personalization. We can say that with customer data, agents can craft personalized offers, increasing relevance.

Another point is process automation. So CRM systems automate routine tasks, freeing agents to focus on client relationships.

And also performance tracking and monitoring. So CRM systems provide reports and analytics for evaluating and adjusting strategies.

Selling to existing clients is even sixty to seventy percent more likely than to new ones, and even seventy-two percent of insurance agents report increased revenue thanks to upselling and cross-selling actions.

So why does data analysis matter?

Thanks to this, you can identify needs. Data analysis uncovers customer preferences, enabling tailored product suggestions.

Also, it increases customer lifetime value. So cross-selling and upselling boost the long-term value of each customer.

And of course, it builds loyalty. So personalized offers and proactive service increase satisfaction and loyalty.

Okay, so what about the impact of CRM?

So a CRM system supports every stage of the sales and customer relationship process, leading to improved efficiency and revenue growth. Here you can see the most important components at every stage. So data collection, meaning customer preferences and purchase history.

Data analysis, which can enhance identifying cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.

Also sales actions, in the form of offer personalization and process automation. And customer relationships, with increased satisfaction and loyalty through better targeting.

Okay, so now I will present a case study regarding 360 lead management in the insurance industry.

So about the case study: it's about Salesforce and Agent Portal integration.

So Warta, from the Talanx Group, is a leading insurance provider offering both P&C and life insurance. And the goal of this project, of this case study, was to develop an advanced lead management platform tailored to the needs of the sales network. This platform aimed to streamline agent workflows and boost sales effectiveness.

So a key challenge was achieving full integration with Warta's existing systems, from the P&C side and also from the life insurance side. And this required strong collaboration with a technology partner experienced in system and CRM platform integration. So what were the key challenges of this project? The main one was complex system integration. As I mentioned before, we had to connect the new platform with Salesforce and Agent Portal, called eAgent.

And also, real-time data migration was a task for both the P&C and life insurance sectors.

Another challenge was the tight project timeline. The system had to be deployed quickly to support ongoing sales campaigns. Of course, cross-team coordination, so collaboration across multiple departments at Warta and Decerto, including business analysis, testing, and implementation.

And another challenge was the high expectations for sales optimization. So the new platform needed to provide agents with a full 360-degree customer view to enhance workflow and sales effectiveness. Each challenge required a well-thought-out strategy and strong collaboration between technical and business teams.

So, about the solution approach. Decerto developed a fully integrated lead management platform connecting eAgent and Salesforce. So the project scope included business analysis, UX, documentation, development, and testing. We were involved at every stage of this project. It also included a phased rollout covering P&C and life insurance, and coordinated teamwork across dedicated project teams. Thanks to Agile and Scrum, features were delivered iteratively, enabling flexible adaptation to evolving business needs.

Okay, so about the whole process workflow. Let's take a look at the streamlined process flow, starting from obtaining customer data for the future sales campaign creation in Salesforce. In the presented case study, customer data comes from sales and calculation processes executed in Agent Portal. And data is transformed, transferred online to the Salesforce CRM platform.

And after the creation of a lead campaign in Salesforce, every lead is assigned to the selected insurance agent based on the history of policies and offers. So it was a kind of algorithm to make the assignment. Then leads can be managed by insurance agents in a dedicated platform as part of Agent Portal, one of its main modules. And complete integration between various systems, understood as a 360 concept, allows for online continuous synchronization of updates on a particular lead in the form of status, assignments, communication changes, and also agent notes. So it's like a 360, online workflow.

Okay, so we can distinguish four main effects of implementing the 360 lead management process.

So CRM integration enabled comprehensive customer needs analysis in one system. The 360 customer view helped agents with cross-selling and upselling.

Also, workflow optimization allowed agents and managers to better plan and manage their activities, and it also greatly improved customer relationships through centralized data access and more personalized communication.

The new CRM system boosted sales efficiency by helping agents better understand client needs and tailor their offers.

Okay, so a short conclusion:

Collaboration with Decerto enabled Warta to build a modern, new lead management platform that enhanced sales and customer service. We can say that the system not only met current business requirements but also prepared the company for future innovation and growth in the insurance industry. By implementing this platform, Warta improved its market competitiveness, with CRM now playing a central role in its sales strategy.

Okay, so as part of a quick demo, I will show you a few lead management scenarios from the perspective of different users within Agent Portal, not just insurance agents themselves. So, in the first in the first scenario, we are acting as an employee of the insurance company's headquarters.

We open the list of unassigned leads generated from a specific campaign. These are leads that weren't automatically assigned based on the available policy system data. From a dropdown list, we can select, for example, the reason for the mismatch, and filter to find only clients who met the campaign criteria but don't currently have, for example, any active policies. In the search results, we'll notice that these clients also don't have an assigned account manager. The HQ employee can now assign a manager, someone lower in the sales structure hierarchy, to the lead for further handling. The employee clicks Assign, then Assign to Manager, and from the dropdown selects the appropriate manager.

For further lead handling, the manager can conveniently monitor agents' work on leads, filter assignments, and check the status of individual leads. For example, identifying which leads successfully resulted in a policy sale, in policy binding, and the manager manages the leads, claiming and reassigning them as needed, even in bulk.

The manager can also view the details of each lead. For example, which campaign the client came from, what product was sold, and whether the client received any discount. The manager also sees the agent's notes, the frequency and form of contact with the client, and the full history of activities on that specific lead.

Yes. So managers, or directors, can also leave a note for the agent, so there is a simplified workflow between different parts of the process. At any time, the manager or director can generate a full report of assigned leads or unassigned leads, for example exported to an Excel file.

Okay, so now another scenario. We can switch to how the insurance agent works within the system. Our Agent Portal is an advanced CRM system that serves as the central sales database.

So I encourage you to check out the recording of our previous webinar, in which I gave a detailed walkthrough of Agent Portal. We will send you the link via email after today's session.

For now, let's focus on the dashboard, or we can call it an online diary. Right from the start, the user sees an overview of leads: how many are unclaimed, how many are in progress, and how many are unassigned. From here, the agent can easily check leads eligible for discounts and proceed with the sales process.

Yes, and after selecting a lead, the agent can update its status or sub-status, and leave, of course, a note about contact with that specific client. We call it a lead in this process.

And in the lead's history, the agent can see which marketing campaign generated the lead and the full history of interactions. This helps to tailor the offer more precisely to the client's needs.

From the lead database, from the lead listing, the agent can select, for example, only new leads.

And from the list view, the agent can perform various actions: check lead details, change its status, add a note, or even go further and start preparing a quote. So, alternatively, the agent can quickly switch to the sales path, the main module of Agent Portal, to prepare a quote or an offer, but automatically filled with client data and active campaign information.

So thanks to that, a sales path can be finished within a while.

After completing the policy sale, or after preparing an offer, the lead's data is automatically updated in Agent Portal. And this update is also sent to Salesforce, including status and additional details.

Okay, and, in the end, we can say that by viewing a specific client in the system, the agent can also see, for example, which campaign generated the lead and will receive suggestions on what to offer.

For example, an auto insurance policy, to successfully bind a policy.

Okay, so that's all for today. Feel free to ask questions in the chat, or contact us via our website at decerto.com. Thank you very much for today. Okay.

Okay, so I don't see any questions in the chat, so thank you. Thank you very much, and feel free to contact us, via our website.

Thank you.

‍