Research
The Quiet Cost of Manual Renewals
Jul 29, 2025
The Quiet Cost of Manual Renewals
Most brokers know the pain of renewals.
Chasing documents. Digging through email chains. Copying last year’s data into another form — again.
It’s not broken, exactly. But it’s not good either. And the cost of sticking with manual processes is bigger than most teams realise.
What manual renewals are really costing you
Missed deadlines
Renewal dates don’t care how busy your team is. Manual processes increase the risk of delays — and clients rarely forgive being left exposed.Lost clients
When renewals feel slow, disorganised, or last-minute, clients start wondering what else you’ve missed. It chips away at trust.Overworked teams
Your best people are spending hours re-keying data, chasing down the same info, or nudging underwriters manually. It’s frustrating work — and a key reason younger talent leaves.No room to grow
You can’t scale a manual renewal process. Every new client adds to the admin load, not the profit.
The alternative: connected renewals
Imagine a renewal process where:
Client data is already pre-filled.
Policy options are automatically suggested.
All updates sync across systems.
Clients get real-time updates via a portal.
No missed steps. No last-minute panic. Just clear, automated, collaborative workflows that keep everyone on the same page.
One broker’s turnaround
We worked with a brokerage that used to spend 60+ minutes per renewal.
Now, they’ve automated pre-renewal comms, built smart workflows for policy updates, and integrated insurer APIs for quote generation. Renewals take a fraction of the time — and their client retention has jumped significantly.
Renewals shouldn’t be a scramble
They should be a moment to show clients just how well you understand them — and how easy it is to stay protected.
If manual renewals are getting in the way of that, it might be time to change the process, not the people.
You can learn more about Recorder Smart Renewals here:
https://www.recorder.tech/features/smart-renewals
