Independent life insurance agents need to compare products from multiple carriers quickly, accurately, and without bouncing between dozens of carrier websites.
That’s where life insurance quoting software comes in.
Multi-carrier quoting software allows an independent agent to enter a client’s basic information once and compare available life insurance products from multiple insurance companies. Modern platforms can go even further by connecting quoting directly to product selection, electronic applications, eSignatures, and case management.
For independent agents, the right quoting software can turn a fragmented process into a much simpler workflow:
Client → Quote → Compare → Apply → Submit → Track
This guide explains what to look for in life insurance quoting software, how independent agents can use it, and how platforms such as BackNine’s Quote & Apply™ can help agents sell life insurance digitally.
What Is Life Insurance Quoting Software?
Life insurance quoting software is a tool that allows insurance professionals to compare estimated premiums and products from multiple life insurance carriers.
Instead of manually obtaining a quote from each insurance company, an agent enters information such as:
- Client age
- Gender
- State
- Tobacco or nicotine use
- Coverage amount
- Term length
- Health or underwriting class
- Product type
The software then displays available products and estimated premiums based on the information provided.
For an independent agent, this is particularly valuable because independence often means representing products from multiple insurance companies.
Rather than asking:
“What does my carrier offer?”
an independent agent can ask:
“Which available carrier and product may be appropriate for this client?”
Why Independent Agents Need Multi-Carrier Quoting
Captive agents generally operate within the product portfolio of a particular insurance company.
Independent agents work differently.
A client may be better suited to one carrier because of price, while another carrier may offer more attractive product features, underwriting, conversion privileges, or other benefits.
Consider two clients who both want a $1 million term life insurance policy.
One is a healthy 35-year-old.
The other is 55, takes several medications, occasionally smokes cigars, and has a history of sleep apnea.
The carrier that’s competitive for the first client may not be competitive for the second.
That’s why independent agents benefit from multi-carrier access combined with multi-carrier quoting technology. BackNine’s current carrier panel is listed at back9ins.com/carriers. The set of carriers available for live quoting in Quote & Apply can be a subset of the broader BOSS carrier relationships.
What Should Life Insurance Quoting Software Do?
At a minimum, quoting software should make it easy to compare life insurance products.
But agents should look beyond the initial quote.
The best software helps with more of the sales process.
Multi-Carrier Quotes
This is the foundation.
Agents should be able to enter client information once and compare applicable products from multiple insurance carriers.
Results should clearly display important information such as:
- Carrier
- Product
- Premium
- Coverage amount
- Term duration
- Underwriting class
The objective isn’t simply to find the cheapest product.
It’s to give the agent enough information to begin evaluating appropriate options for the client.
Product Comparison
Price matters, but life insurance products aren’t commodities.
Two policies with similar premiums can have important differences.
Depending on the product, agents may need to consider:
- Conversion options
- Available riders
- Guarantees
- Product features
- Underwriting programs
- Issue ages
- Coverage limits
- Carrier financial strength
- Application experience
Good quoting software should make it easier to move from price comparison to product comparison. Quote & Apply includes multi-product comparison and assisted product selection. You can also customize which product types appear.
Electronic Applications
Quoting is only useful if you can efficiently move the client to the next step.
Older workflows often look like this:
Quote in one system → Select carrier → Find carrier application → Re-enter client information → Obtain signatures → Submit application
Every additional step creates friction.
Modern quoting software can connect the quote to an electronic application, reducing duplicate data entry and making it easier for the agent and client to continue the process. In Quote & Apply, the agent and client can work in the same application at the same time. See Submitting Your First Case with Quote & Apply.
Electronic Signatures
If your clients can meet with you remotely, your application process should support them remotely as well.
Electronic signatures can allow clients to complete required application steps without printing, scanning, mailing, or meeting in person simply to sign paperwork. Quote & Apply uses DocuSign for eSignature.
Consumer-Facing Quoting
Not every quote needs to begin with an agent manually entering information.
Some platforms allow consumers to generate quotes themselves.
That means an independent agent can potentially place a life insurance quoting experience directly on an agency website.
Instead of:
“Contact us for a life insurance quote.”
your website can offer:
“Get a life insurance quote.”
That’s a significant difference.
The first generates a lead.
The second can begin the actual buying process.
You can also start Quote & Apply on a Life Insurance Calculator (needs analysis) page before quotes appear.
Life Insurance Quoting Software for Your Website
For digitally focused independent agents, website integration may be one of the most important features to evaluate.
Your agency website can serve two very different purposes.
It can be a digital brochure containing your phone number, biography, and contact form.
Or it can become part of your insurance distribution system.
Imagine a prospective client searching for term life insurance at 9:30 p.m.
Instead of submitting a form and waiting until the next business day, the consumer can potentially:
- Enter basic information
- Select a coverage amount
- Compare life insurance options
- Review potential premiums
- Begin an application
The agent can still participate in the process where appropriate, but the technology removes unnecessary barriers between interest and action.
BackNine’s Quote & Apply™ is designed to support this type of workflow. Independent agents can use Quote & Apply themselves and can also offer the quoting experience through their own websites. See How to Add Quote & Apply to your Website and 3 Ways to Add Quote & Apply.
Why Website Quoting Matters for Independent Agents
Consumer-facing quoting isn’t only useful for agencies purchasing internet leads.
It can also help independent agents monetize traffic and relationships they already have.
For example:
P&C Agencies
A property and casualty agency can add a life insurance quoting option to its website and offer life insurance to existing home, auto, umbrella, and commercial clients. See How P&C Agents Can Start Selling Life Insurance if that article is published, or Commercial Lines Agents.
Financial Professionals
A financial professional can give clients a digital way to explore life insurance options as part of a broader planning process, subject to applicable licensing and other requirements.
Independent Life Agents
A life insurance producer generating leads through search, social media, email, referrals, or educational content can send prospects directly into a quoting experience.
Insurance Agencies With Multiple Producers
An agency can standardize its quoting process instead of having every producer use a different collection of tools and carrier websites. Quote & Apply also supports a Select Agent start page so producers can share one entry point.
How Quote & Apply™ Works
BackNine’s Quote & Apply™ combines multi-carrier life insurance quoting with electronic applications.
Rather than treating quoting and applying as completely separate activities, the platform is designed to help move the client through a connected digital process.
A typical workflow can look like:
Enter Client Information
↓
Compare Available Products
↓
Select an Appropriate Option
↓
Begin the Electronic Application
↓
Complete Required Information
↓
Electronic Signature
↓
Submit
↓
Track the Case
The exact application process depends on the insurance carrier and product. Some products support an instant decision path for healthier clients; others still go through traditional underwriting.
Agent-Assisted Life Insurance Quotes
Independent agents can use Quote & Apply during the traditional sales process.
For example, an agent speaking with a client by phone or video can collect basic information, run quotes, discuss options, and begin an application.
This makes the technology useful even if the agent has no interest in completely self-service life insurance sales.
Digital doesn’t have to mean removing the agent.
It can simply mean giving the agent better tools.
Consumer-Initiated Life Insurance Quotes
Quote & Apply can also support consumer-facing experiences.
A prospect can begin the process online rather than waiting for an agent to manually prepare the first quote.
This can be particularly valuable for agents who generate business online.
The agent can still provide assistance when necessary while allowing consumers who prefer digital experiences to begin on their own.
Can Independent Agents Embed Life Insurance Quotes on Their Website?
Yes.
BackNine provides several options for making Quote & Apply available through an agent’s online presence:
- Use Quote & Apply directly from BOSS
- Share a BackNine link (created automatically with your account)
- Embed Quote & Apply on your website
- Use custom-domain links for larger agencies (3 Ways to Add Quote & Apply)
This means an independent agent can offer multi-carrier life insurance quoting without building a proprietary quoting engine or independently integrating with every insurance carrier.
For technology companies and agencies that want deeper integrations, BackNine also provides API quoting and eApp creation, webhooks, and an embed recipe for web applications. Prefill parameters are documented at docs.back9ins.com.
This creates several levels of implementation:
Use Quote & Apply directly
The agent uses BackNine’s interface to quote and apply.
Offer a consumer-facing experience
Prospects can access life insurance quoting online.
Integrate quoting into an agency website
Life insurance becomes part of the agency’s existing digital experience.
Build a custom integration
Technology-focused organizations can use APIs to incorporate life insurance capabilities into their own applications and workflows.
The right option depends on how much control and customization the organization needs.
Life Insurance Quoting Software Isn’t an Underwriter
One of the most important things for new agents to understand is that a quote isn’t an underwriting decision.
A quoting platform produces an illustration or estimate based on the information and underwriting class entered.
For example, an agent might quote a client at a Preferred rate.
That doesn’t mean the carrier will ultimately approve the client at Preferred.
The actual underwriting decision may depend on information such as:
- Medical history
- Prescription history
- Medical records
- Laboratory results
- Height and weight
- Family history
- Driving record
- Tobacco or nicotine use
- Occupation
- Avocations
- Foreign travel
- Financial information
The carrier ultimately determines the underwriting offer. Some Quote & Apply products can return an instant decision for healthier clients; if that path is not approved, the case can still go to underwriting review or an exam.
This is why quoting software and underwriting expertise work best together.
The Cheapest Life Insurance Quote Isn’t Always the Best Choice
It’s tempting to sort a quote spreadsheet by premium and simply recommend the first result.
Experienced agents know that life insurance is more complicated.
Suppose Carrier A shows the lowest Preferred Plus premium.
Carrier B costs slightly more.
If the client has a medical history that makes Preferred Plus unlikely with Carrier A but potentially attainable with Carrier B, the initially more expensive quote could ultimately produce the better outcome.
The same principle can apply to product features.
A client may value conversion options or a particular rider enough to justify paying a higher premium.
Quoting software gives the agent information.
The agent still needs to use professional judgment to help determine an appropriate recommendation.
Why Quoting Software and BGA Support Work Well Together
Software solves one part of the problem.
Brokerage expertise solves another.
A good life insurance BGA can help independent agents with:
- Carrier selection
- Underwriting questions
- Product questions
- Contracting
- Application processing
- Outstanding requirements
- Case management
This becomes particularly useful when the client isn’t a straightforward underwriting risk.
An agent can generate the initial quotes electronically and then consult the BGA when additional expertise is needed. In BOSS, you can also submit a quote request when you want internal help on case design.
BackNine combines Quote & Apply with its brokerage operation and BOSS (Back Office Support System).
This gives agents both the front-end technology for quoting and applying and the back-office infrastructure for managing submitted business.
What Is BOSS?
BOSS is BackNine’s cloud-based platform for managing insurance business.
After a life insurance application is submitted, agents may need to keep track of:
- Case status
- Outstanding requirements
- Documents
- Notes
- Contracting
- Carrier information
- Commission information
BOSS gives agents online access to these types of back-office functions. Contracting information is entered in BOSS > Settings and used for just-in-time appointments when you submit business.
This creates a broader workflow:
Quote & Apply™ → Application → Carrier → Underwriting → BOSS → Policy
Instead of quoting software existing as an isolated calculator, it becomes part of a larger insurance distribution platform.
How Much Does Life Insurance Quoting Software Cost?
Pricing varies considerably by vendor.
Life insurance agents may encounter:
- Monthly subscriptions
- Annual subscriptions
- Per-user pricing
- Agency pricing
- Enterprise licensing
- Transaction fees
- API fees
- Custom integration fees
Agents should therefore evaluate the total cost of the technology stack rather than the quoting tool alone.
You may otherwise end up paying separately for:
Quoting + eApplication + case management + website tools + carrier access
BackNine uses a different model for independent agents placing business through BackNine.
When BackNine serves as the general agency, agents can use BOSS and Quote & Apply without an agent software subscription fee. See pricing.
BackNine is compensated by insurance carriers for serving as the general agency, while the carrier pays the agent’s applicable commission.
Agents should review applicable carrier and product commission schedules before submitting business. Organizations that want to use their own general-agency contracts can license the software separately (SaaS).
What Should You Look for When Comparing Life Insurance Quoting Platforms?
Before selecting software, ask these questions.
How Many Relevant Carriers Can I Quote?
A large carrier count isn’t automatically better.
Make sure the platform includes carriers and products you actually expect to use.
Can I Go Directly From Quote to Application?
Reducing duplicate data entry can save time and improve the client experience.
Does It Support Electronic Applications?
A quote is only the beginning of the transaction.
Can Clients Use It?
If digital lead generation matters to your agency, consumer-facing capabilities can be important.
Can I Put It on My Website?
Website integration can turn your existing traffic into life insurance opportunities.
Is There an API?
For larger agencies, insurtechs, financial platforms, and technology-focused organizations, API access can be a major differentiator.
Does It Connect to Case Management?
Consider what happens after the application is submitted.
Is Underwriting Support Available?
Software can generate a quote. It can’t replace experienced underwriting assistance on complicated cases.
How Much Does It Cost?
Look at subscriptions, transaction fees, implementation expenses, and any other charges.
Who Is the BGA?
Technology and distribution are connected.
Understand which organization will handle contracting, carrier relationships, underwriting support, and case management for the business generated through the platform.
Free Life Insurance Quoting Software for Independent Agents
“Free” deserves some explanation in insurance distribution.
Software isn’t actually costless to develop and operate.
The question is who pays for it.
Some vendors charge agents directly through software subscriptions.
Other organizations provide technology as part of their insurance distribution relationship.
BackNine falls into the latter category.
When an independent agent uses BackNine as the general agency, Quote & Apply and BOSS are available without an agent software subscription fee.
BackNine earns compensation from the insurance carrier for its role as the general agency.
That model can allow an independent agent to access sophisticated life insurance technology without adding another recurring software subscription to the agency’s expenses.
Is Quote & Apply Only for Life Insurance Agents?
No.
Life insurance quoting technology can be valuable to several types of organizations.
Independent Life Insurance Agents
Quote multiple carriers and move clients into electronic applications.
P&C Agencies
Cross-sell life insurance to existing home, auto, commercial, and umbrella clients. Integrations include PL Rating and AMS360.
Insurance Agencies
Standardize quoting and application workflows across multiple producers.
Digital Agencies
Give prospects a way to begin the life insurance process online.
Technology Companies
Use life insurance APIs and webhooks to incorporate insurance into a larger platform.
The common need is the same:
make multi-carrier life insurance easier to distribute.
Can Life Insurance Quoting Software Help Generate Leads?
Quoting software itself doesn’t magically create demand.
But it can improve what happens after a prospect arrives.
Consider two agency websites.
The first says:
Interested in life insurance? Complete this form and we’ll contact you.
The second allows the prospect to begin exploring life insurance immediately.
Both can generate business.
But the second provides an immediate action for a consumer who is ready to take the next step.
Quoting technology can therefore become part of a broader lead-generation strategy involving:
- Search engines
- Educational content
- Social media
- Email campaigns
- P&C cross-selling
- Client referrals
- Paid advertising
- Partner websites
The marketing creates the opportunity.
The quoting technology helps convert that interest into action.
A Better Workflow for Independent Life Insurance Agents
Independent agents shouldn’t have to assemble a complicated collection of disconnected tools just to sell a life insurance policy.
The ideal workflow is much simpler.
1. Identify the Client’s Need
Determine the client’s goals, coverage needs, budget, and relevant circumstances. Quote & Apply’s needs analysis calculator can help size coverage.
2. Generate Multi-Carrier Quotes
Compare available products and estimated premiums.
3. Evaluate the Options
Consider more than price, including underwriting and product features.
4. Select an Appropriate Product
Discuss the available options with the client.
5. Start the Electronic Application
Carry information forward whenever possible rather than entering it again.
6. Obtain Required Signatures
Complete the application digitally where supported (DocuSign in Quote & Apply). In pre-appointment states, eSign is paused until the carrier appointment is active.
7. Submit the Case
Send the application into the carrier’s underwriting process.
8. Track Requirements
Monitor underwriting and outstanding requirements in BOSS.
9. Place the Policy
Help the client complete the remaining steps and put coverage in force.
Technology should reduce the administrative work throughout that process—not create another system the agent has to manage.
Why Independent Agents Use BackNine Quote & Apply™
BackNine Insurance and Financial Services, Inc. built Quote & Apply to connect life insurance quoting with the broader application and brokerage process.
For independent agents, the platform provides a combination of:
- Multi-carrier life insurance quoting
- Electronic applications
- Consumer-facing quoting
- Website integration
- Electronic signatures where supported
- Integration with BackNine’s brokerage operation
- Case management through BOSS
- Contracting support
- Underwriting support
And when BackNine serves as the general agency, agents can use Quote & Apply and BOSS without paying an agent software subscription fee.
That makes the platform particularly useful for independent agents who want modern technology without building or licensing an entire life insurance technology stack themselves.
What’s the Best Life Insurance Quoting Software for Independent Agents?
There isn’t one platform that’s right for every agency.
The best life insurance quoting software is the one that fits how you actually sell.
If all you need is an occasional premium comparison, a basic quoting tool may be enough.
If you’re building a digital independent agency, you’ll probably want much more:
multi-carrier quoting + product comparison + electronic applications + website integration + case management + brokerage support.
You should also consider what happens when the software ends.
Who helps with contracting?
Who answers underwriting questions?
Who follows up on outstanding requirements?
Who helps get the policy placed?
For an independent agent, the best technology may not be a standalone quoting engine at all.
It may be a platform connected to the BGA supporting the entire transaction.
Start Quoting Life Insurance With BackNine
BackNine’s Quote & Apply™ gives independent agents a digital way to quote and apply for life insurance from multiple carriers.
Use it during client conversations.
Offer life insurance quoting through your website.
Move eligible clients from quotes into electronic applications.
Then use BOSS and BackNine’s brokerage team to help manage contracting, underwriting, requirements, and cases after submission.
When BackNine serves as your general agency, Quote & Apply and BOSS are available without an agent software subscription fee.
Create a BackNine account and start using Quote & Apply™ to bring multi-carrier life insurance quoting into your agency.