Straight answers
What is multi-carrier quoting?
Multi-carrier quoting is getting quotes on the same risk from several carriers at once so you can compare price and coverage before you place the business. Agencies do it two ways. A comparative rater takes one data entry and returns rates from the carriers it integrates with, which is fast but limited to supported carriers and lines. Portal automation works the carrier portals directly, which reaches the carriers a rater does not cover but has traditionally meant typing the same application into each portal one at a time.
| Approach | How it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Comparative rater (EZLynx, PL Rating, Tarmika, QuoteRush) | One data entry returns rates from integrated carriers | Only the carriers and lines the rater supports |
| Carrier portals directly | Log in and key the application into each carrier | Availability depends on appointments, state, line, and carrier portal |
| Portal automation (Relay AI Quoting, assisted early access) | Runs configured portal workflows across selected carriers from one reviewed submission | Early access. Support is workflow-specific and a person reviews results |
The longer version
The point of quoting many carriers is comparison. Placing a client with the first carrier you check leaves money and coverage on the table, and it is how independent agencies earn the word independent. Multi-carrier quoting is the mechanism: line up the appointed carriers with appetite for the risk, quote them, and show the client a real choice.
The coverage gap is where it gets hard. Comparative raters are mature for personal lines and small commercial on API-connected carriers, but most agencies also carry appointed carriers that are portal-only. Those are the ones that eat the day. Agencies report 15 to 20 minutes per carrier portal for personal lines, and more for commercial, per Relay's published quoting cost math. Multiply that by the carriers a rater does not cover and you see why quoting stalls.
Portal automation is the other route, and this is where Relay fits, honestly scoped. AI Quoting is in assisted early access and runs selected, configured carrier workflows with a person reviewing every result. It does not replace a rater, and support depends on carrier, line, state, authentication, and portal path. Relay published a carrier portal automation benchmark for one June 2026 HO-3 workflow with field accuracy and time measurements, which is the kind of evidence worth asking any vendor in this category to produce.
Common questions
Is a comparative rater the same as multi-carrier quoting?
A rater is one way to do it. It returns rates from the carriers it integrates with. Carriers outside the rater still require the portal, which is where portal automation comes in.
How many carriers should I quote?
Enough to give the client a real comparison, usually the appointed carriers with appetite for that risk. The limit is usually time, not desire, because each portal-only carrier adds 15 to 20 minutes of manual entry for personal lines.
Is Relay a comparative rater?
No. Relay's AI Quoting is assisted early access for selected, configured carrier-portal workflows with human review. It is designed for approved portal work a rater does not cover, not to replace the rater.
Related questions
Part of the Relay straight answers library. Updated 2026-07-11. See how we source content.
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