From Spreadsheet Chaos to 100% COI Coverage
How a commercial insurance brokerage transformed COI tracking, retained a $420K client, and eliminated underwriter rejections
Summit Risk Partners, a commercial insurance brokerage managing COI tracking for 200+ subcontractors across 35 contractor clients, nearly lost their largest account — $420,000 in annual premiums — when an uninsured subcontractor was injured on a job site. The certificate had expired 45 days earlier. No one noticed.
The client's CFO delivered the ultimatum: fix the compliance gap or we find a new broker. Summit had 90 days before the renewal decision.
The root cause was not negligence — it was architecture. Summit's COI tracking ran on manual spreadsheets with no automated expiration monitoring, no systematic verification workflows, and no real-time client visibility into subcontractor compliance status.
Summit deployed AlignSure's COI Review module integrated with Microsoft 365. The implementation included:
Automated COI verification workflows — Every certificate processed through AI-assisted document review with accuracy scoring. Coverage gaps, exclusion mismatches, and expiration dates flagged automatically.
Real-time expiration monitoring — Automated tracking with graduated alert sequences: 60-day, 30-day, 14-day, and 7-day notifications through Microsoft Outlook and Teams.
Client visibility portal — Real-time COI dashboards showing subcontractor compliance status, built on Power BI connected to AlignSure data.
Underwriter evidence packages — Automated generation of compliance documentation that satisfied carrier requirements on first submission.
The system bound directly to Summit's existing Microsoft 365 Business Premium subscription. No new platform adoption required.
12-week implementation including configuration, workflow design, account manager training, and client portal deployment.
Account manager workload redistributed — freeing 30 hours per week previously spent on manual COI chasing for relationship building and business development.
Key Outcomes
Financial Summary
Summit repositioned COI tracking as a competitive differentiator. Results: four new contractor clients in six months, prospect-to-client conversion rate increased from 18% to 22%, average deal size increased 15%.
Key Takeaways
- Compliance technology is a revenue retention tool, not just a cost center
- COI gaps are architecture problems, not people problems — systematic solutions eliminate systematic failures
- Microsoft 365 integration eliminated platform adoption friction — the team worked in tools they already used
- 12-week implementation with 4-month payback demonstrates that compliance technology pays for itself quickly
Related Solutions
COI Review
The solution demonstrated in this case study — automated certificate review and gap detection.
AlignSure for Insurance
How brokers and carriers use AlignSure for underwriting stewardship.
Workers' Comp & FROI
Workers' comp is a primary COI coverage line — see how AlignSure handles claims evidence.
See how AlignSure can transform your compliance operations
Request a demo configured for your organization's specific requirements.