Who is calling, and what do they need?
People ask about a policy, request a quote, or need help after an incident. A short menu should separate new business from existing policy service and any claims direction the agency actually provides.
Keep the top-level menu in the caller’s language. In Auto Attendant each option does one thing: it rings up to three phones one after another (each for 10 to 60 seconds, never together), takes a voicemail, or plays a message and hangs up. Point each option at the person, or the shared phone, that actually handles this call, and add a backup only where a missed call costs you.
How insurance agency calls actually go
Insurance calls divide into sales (a quote, a renewal) and service (a certificate, a change, a claim). The claim call is the most emotionally loaded: the caller has just had a car accident or a burst pipe and wants someone to tell them what to do. An agency that gets this wrong in the first ten seconds of a call loses trust that the sales team spent years building.
A good menu leads with the emergency instruction for claims (call the carrier’s claim line, which is on the policy), then offers a route to the agency’s service team. It does not pretend that the agency can open a claim by itself if the carrier controls that process.
Recommended menu
| Caller’s choice | Role to ring | What it does | Why this route |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Quote or new policy enquiry | new business producer | Rings one phone | One producer captures the type of cover and arranges a discussion. |
| 2. Existing policy question | policy service lead | Rings one phone | One authorised service person can direct the request. |
| 3. Claim or incident guidance | claims contact | Rings one phone | Use one route only if the agency has a defined claims handoff. |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Shaded text is a fill-in field: replace it with your own.
This example uses 3 menu options. Auto Attendant allows up to seven; add an option only when it sends a distinct kind of caller to a meaningfully different destination. A call that rings every phone you listed without an answer goes to voicemail. The menu can be in English, French or Spanish, and a line can also skip the menu and go straight to one action.
Greeting script
Business name. For a quote or new policy enquiry, press 1. For an existing policy question, press 2. For a claim or incident question, press 3.
Shaded text is a fill-in field: replace it with your own.
26 words, about 10 seconds spoken at 150 words per minute. The estimate is calculated from the script above; allow extra time for pauses and clear delivery.
Read each reason before its key, as in “For a new enquiry, press 1”. Replace the shaded fields and any role or service wording before you type the greeting into the menu; a text-to-speech voice reads it to callers.
A worked example
Illustration: a four-person agency offers 1 for a quote or new policy, 2 for an existing policy, 3 for a claim. Option 3 plays a short message pointing callers to their insurer’s claim line, because the insurer’s own number is the fastest route to a claim number; callers who still need the agency press 2. The voicemail for option 2 asks for name, policy type and what change is needed, but not account or card numbers.
Where it fails: option 3 rings only the producer who sold the policy, who is out of the office, so a distressed customer waits through four rings and a voicemail. Pointing the option at the claim-line message, or at a service desk phone someone is always near, avoids it.
After hours, weekends, and holidays
State the agency’s opening time and give the carrier’s claim route only if it is part of the agency’s approved instructions. Do not imply that voicemail reports a claim to an insurer.
Check carrier and agency schedules separately. Make clear whether the office is closed and where callers can find the correct claims contact.
Outside the hours you set, Auto Attendant plays your closed message and then takes a voicemail or ends the call; it does not forward calls after hours, and holidays are closed all day. Where the advice above mentions an on-call route, either keep that person’s option within your set hours or give the arrangement in the closed message.
Check the greeting after every schedule change. A voicemail arrives by email with the recording attached and a transcript when one is produced, but it does not make the call live or guarantee a response time.
Rules and standards worth knowing
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act sets a continuing obligation for financial institutions to respect customers’ privacy and protect the security and confidentiality of nonpublic personal information 1, and states apply their own insurance privacy and security rules to agencies. Keep personal data out of greetings and voicemail prompts, and tell callers not to leave account numbers or payment details.
Marketing follow-up by text or autodial is governed by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act 2; Auto Attendant places no outgoing calls, so this concerns what staff do afterwards.
If the agency records any calls, federal law permits recording where one party consents 3, but some states require everyone’s consent 4. Voicemail callers know they are leaving a message. Accessibility duties for businesses open to the public include effective communication with people with disabilities 5.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by state and change; confirm anything that affects your business with the source or an adviser.
Common menu mistakes
- Treating an agency voicemail as a claim filing.
- Routing quote requests to staff who only handle renewals.
- Inviting policy numbers or personal details in a public greeting.
Keep the greeting short, use the same names callers see elsewhere, and make sure every route has a sensible end when nobody picks up.
Check the menu before you publish it
- Put the carrier’s claim-line instruction at the start of the claims branch.
- Point claims callers at the claim-line message or the service desk, not a single producer.
- Tell voicemail callers not to leave account or payment numbers.
- Check state requirements for recording before adding any call recording elsewhere.
- Verify renewal-season hours and update the closed-hours message each year.
Related guides and templates
- Accounting and bookkeeping firm: phone menu guide
- Law firm: phone menu guide
- Real estate brokerage: phone menu guide
- Auto repair shop: phone menu guide
- Service versus sales submenu: call-flow template
- Role mailbox greeting: call-flow template
- After-hours greeting: call-flow template
- Overflow when nobody answers: call-flow template
- Call routing and menu design
- Frequently asked questions
Further reading
Longer research pieces on this topic, each with its own source list and a downloadable PDF.
Articles on this topic
Topics Small business phone Auto attendant Call forwarding Voicemail All topics
Sources
Every regulatory and pricing claim on this page links to the primary source it came from. Figures were checked on the date shown at the top of the page; rules and prices change, so verify before relying on one.
- 15 U.S.C. § 6801, Protection of nonpublic personal information (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act). Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/6801 - 47 U.S.C. § 227, Restrictions on use of telephone equipment (Telephone Consumer Protection Act). Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/227 - 18 U.S.C. § 2511, Interception and disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications prohibited (one-party consent exception). Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2511 - Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Reporter’s Recording Guide (state-by-state recording consent laws). Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
https://www.rcfp.org/reporters-recording-guide/ - ADA.gov, ADA Requirements: Effective Communication. Retrieved 14 Oct 2026
https://www.ada.gov/resources/effective-communication/