What a Commercial VA Can Handle in an Insurance Agency

In Episode 177 of the Scratch Agency Podcast, Stephen Turnbull and Shawn Fitzgerald kick off a new style of community-driven episodes by answering questions coming directly from Scratch insurance agency owners.This week’s question: **What can a commercial-lines virtual assistant actually handle inside an insurance agency?**Shawn shares his experience hiring a VA as his first employee and gradually developing more specialised roles as his agency grew. Stephen also shares what he’s currently learning as he delegates more commercial-lines responsibilities to his own team.They break down practical tasks that can be delegated, including certificates of insurance, finance agreements, document management, renewal comparisons, exposure reviews, retention reporting, CRM and AMS maintenance, and client communication.The conversation also explores an important lesson for scratch agency owners: **you don’t need the perfect SOP before you start delegating.** Give your team one part of the process, review their work, correct mistakes in real time, and gradually expand their responsibilities as they become more confident.Stephen and Shawn also discuss simplifying commercial renewal workflows, creating different processes for VIP accounts, and why even smaller commercial clients still deserve meaningful renewal communication.🔍 **If you’re growing a scratch insurance agency and wondering what you can finally take off your plate, this episode gives you practical ideas for using a VA to support commercial lines without giving up control of the parts that still require your expertise.**🕒 **Timestamps:**00:00 – Introduction & Community-Driven Episodes01:09 – Answering Questions From the Scratch Agency Community02:48 – What Can a Commercial VA Handle?03:20 – Delegating Certificates of Insurance04:54 – Start Delegating Before the Process Is Perfect06:21 – Training Your VA on Different COI Scenarios07:32 – Commercial Renewal Comparisons & Audits09:24 – How Detailed Should a Commercial Renewal Audit Be?10:08 – Creating a VIP Commercial Renewal Process11:30 – Don't Overcomplicate Commercial Renewals12:48 – Simplifying Your AgencyZoom Pipelines13:53 – Why Smaller Commercial Accounts Still Matter16:16 – Commercial Tasks You Can Delegate to a VA16:48 – COI Follow-Ups & Client Communication17:06 – Retention Reporting, AMS Data & Exposure Reviews17:41 – Closing Thoughts & Join the Community💼 **Sponsored by HawkSoft**https://www.hawksoft.comA family-owned and operated agency management system serving independent agencies with teams from one to 300+ employees. HawkSoft combines a user-friendly platform with support and service built around the needs of independent insurance agencies.🔗 **Links & Resources:**📘 Join the Scratch Agency Podcast Community on Facebook to ask questions, connect with other scratch agency owners, and contribute to conversations that may become future episodes.📸 Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thescratchagencypodcast🎧 Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/7hutxCZ5NUPqF5hRdC79Hl🌐 Visit Our Website:https://scratchagencypodcast.comThank you for tuning into another episode of the Scratch Agency Podcast.👍 Like the show.📤 Share it with another scratch insurance agency owner.🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.Most importantly, remember to **dig down deep, believe in yourself, and own your own future.**