Define done before you start the clock
Choose one repeatable task and agree on its finish line. For example, a quote is ready for comparison with the carrier source checked, or an application draft has been reviewed and downloaded.
Do not count a chat response or an opened document as a completed task. The result has to be useful for the next person.
Compare similar work. A straightforward homeowners renewal and a complex commercial submission do not make a useful before-and-after pair.
Record what happens today
For a small set of ordinary cases, record the time spent gathering sources, entering information, checking the work, and making corrections.
Keep waiting time separate from active work. A quote can take ten minutes to return while requiring only a few minutes of someone's attention. Both measures matter, but they answer different questions.
Note exceptions such as a missing document or a carrier login problem. Do not remove them from the record just because they make the average look worse.
Count the whole assisted workflow
Include the minutes spent briefing Relay, preparing sources, answering questions, handling logins, reviewing the result, and correcting it. If a teammate has to repeat the job in the old system, count that time too.
| Measure | Existing process | With Relay |
|---|---|---|
| Gathering sources and preparation | Minutes | Minutes |
| Entry and active task work | Minutes | Minutes |
| Checkpoints and handoffs | Minutes | Minutes |
| Review and corrections | Minutes | Minutes |
| Work repeated elsewhere | Minutes | Minutes |
| Total hands-on time | Sum the five rows | Sum the five rows |
| Elapsed time to a usable result | Record separately | Record separately |
| Ready for the next person? | Yes or no | Yes or no |
Include the time of everyone involved. Moving work from a producer to a service teammate does not make it disappear.
Read the result correctly
Subtract total assisted hands-on time from the comparable baseline.
For a fictional example, suppose your normal process takes 18 minutes of preparation and entry plus 4 minutes of review. The total is 22 minutes. With Relay, preparation takes 4 minutes, checkpoints take 2, and review and corrections take 5. That is 11 minutes of hands-on work, so this case saved 11 minutes.
That example is arithmetic, not a Relay performance claim. Your agency's result depends on the task, source quality, configured workflow, and review.
Look at the typical case and the difficult ones. If one carrier repeatedly needs a full manual redo, record that separately so a good average does not hide the problem.
Ask the people doing the work
After a few cases, ask:
- Did the result arrive soon enough to help with the client?
- Was it easy to see what needed attention?
- Could you review the work without starting over?
- Would you choose this workflow again tomorrow?
- What would need to change before another teammate could use it?
A workflow that saves a little time but creates uncertainty may still need work. One that consistently reduces effort and is easy to check is a better candidate for wider use.
Expand what is repeatable
Save the request, source checklist, and review standard for workflows that pass the test. Add a teammate or another configured carrier in a small step, then measure again.
Use reviewed completions and repeat use alongside time saved. They show whether the workflow is becoming part of the agency's day.