What manual quoting costs your agency: a worksheet

March 18, 2026 · Updated September 5, 2026

When a quote takes too long, the agency owner needs to know where the time went. Reading a dec page, entering a carrier application, waiting for an underwriter, and advising the client are different kinds of work. Adding them into one number can hide the step you could actually improve.

This worksheet helps you estimate preparation cost using your agency's own inputs. It is a planning method, not an industry benchmark or a promise of savings.

Start with a week of actual work

Choose a representative period and record completed tasks. Include routine accounts and a few that required corrections. For each account, separate:

• Reading and organizing source documents.
• Entering or importing information into applications and portals.
• Answering missing questions and correcting entries.
• Reviewing quote details and preparing the proposal.
• Waiting for the client or carrier.
• Advising the client and documenting the decision.

Count active staff time separately from elapsed time. A submission that waits overnight has a different problem from one that needs two hours of repeated entry. Keep account complexity and business line visible so a difficult commercial case does not become the assumed average for every quote.

Calculate the part you can measure

Weekly preparation hours × loaded hourly cost × working weeks = estimated annual preparation cost.

Loaded hourly cost is an input your agency defines. It may include compensation, employer costs, and benefits. Use a consistent basis in both the current process and any proposed alternative.

This number values time spent on a task. It is not money that automatically returns to the bank if the task becomes faster. Salaries may remain the same while the team gains room for other work.

Include review and corrections in the alternative

A tool can prepare work quickly and still require substantial checking. Measure the whole task, including setup, questions, corrections, and saving the reviewed result.

For a second illustrative example, suppose the same weekly work needs six staff hours with a tool instead of ten. The difference is four hours. At the example $25 rate and 52 weeks, that is $5,200 of annual staff capacity before product cost and setup. It is not $13,000 of savings, because six hours of work remain.

Compare like tasks. A simple file processed by automation should not be compared with your most difficult manual submission. Record whether the output was usable and whether another colleague had to redo it.

Keep uncertain costs out of the headline

Rework is measurable: count corrections and the time they take. Turnover and client outcomes are harder to attribute. Do not apply an unsourced error percentage or assume a colleague left because of one task. If staff report frustration, record that feedback alongside the time study.

Likewise, more available time is an opportunity rather than guaranteed new revenue. Decide where it should go: returning client calls, preparing renewals earlier, or following up on qualified opportunities. Then check whether that work actually happens.

Choose the next experiment

A rater may reduce entry for supported markets. Better intake may remove repeated client questions. Another CSR may be needed for relationship and service capacity. A document workflow may help the team prepare an application from files already received.

For Relay, start with one supported task and the source documents your team normally uses. Inspect the result, record corrections, and measure the completed handoff. The quoting cost calculator can help organize assumptions; your observed tasks should supply the evidence.