How Manual Data Extraction in Underwriting Slows Teams Down — and How Automation Speeds Them Up

In today’s competitive insurance landscape, underwriters are under pressure to deliver faster, more accurate decisions—without compromising quality or compliance. Yet many carriers still rely on manual data extraction from submissions, applications, and supporting documents. This outdated approach bottlenecks the underwriting process, increases operational costs, and contributes to rising loss ratios.

The good news: intelligent automation has matured to the point where carriers can now extract, validate, and route submission data in seconds. Modern solutions—like 360 EnsureQuote—are built specifically to eliminate manual bottlenecks and give underwriters the clean, structured information they need to make decisions efficiently.

In this blog, we’ll break down why manual extraction slows you down and how automation accelerates underwriting while improving accuracy, compliance, and profitability.

The Hidden Cost of Manual Data Extraction

1. Underwriters Spend Too Much Time on Administrative Work

Most underwriters entered the field to evaluate risk—not to retype data from PDFs.

Yet studies consistently show that underwriters spend 30–40% of their time manually:

• Opening emails and attachment packets

• Extracting information from PDFs, spreadsheets, and forms

• Copy-pasting data into rating engines or policy systems

• Validating missing or inconsistent information

  
  

This administrative drag reduces capacity, delays decisions, and limits an insurer’s ability to grow without adding headcount.

2. Manual Entry Introduces Errors and Inconsistencies

Even the best underwriting teams aren’t immune to mistakes when working across:

• Unstructured submissions

• Poorly formatted applications

• Illegible handwriting

• Ree-mailed versions of the same document

  
  

Typos and missed fields are especially costly when they lead to:

• Incorrect quotes

• Mispriced policies

• Compliance issues

• Rework and back-and-forth with brokers

  
  

In a market where margins are tight, every manual error matters.

3. Carriers Miss Out on Speed-to-Quote Opportunities

Manual extraction slows everything down—especially during peak seasons.

When brokers are shopping quotes, the carriers who respond first are statistically more likely to bind the business.

Manual extraction creates:

• Longer quote turnaround times

• Bottlenecked pipelines

• Increased lost opportunities

  
  

Automation solves this at scale.

How Automation Speeds Up Underwriting

Today’s intelligent document processing (IDP) and AI-powered extraction technologies can read unstructured documents just like an experienced underwriter—only faster and with perfect consistency.

Here’s how solutions like 360 EnsureQuote transform the underwriting process.

1. Automated Extraction for Any Submission Format

Brokers are notoriously inconsistent about formats. One might send a clean ACORD form; another sends a 17-document packet with scans, supplemental forms, emails, loss runs, and spreadsheets.

360 EnsureQuote uses advanced AI and machine learning to automatically extract:

• Applicant information

• Risk details

• Vehicle or property data

• Coverages and limits

• Loss history

• Supplementary data

  
  

No templates. No manual setup. No rekeying.

2. Clean, Structured Data Delivered Instantly

Once extracted, the data is normalized, validated, and mapped to your existing systems.

That means underwriters receive:

• Clean, standardized data

• Pre-filled forms

• Corrected values

• Automatically flagged inconsistencies

  
  

This reduces errors, accelerates decision-making, and ensures compliance.

3. Improved Speed-to-Quote and Increased Capacity

With automation handling the extraction, underwriters can:

• Review more submissions

• Deliver quotes faster

• Focus on higher-value tasks (judgment, risk assessment, broker relationships)

• Scale without proportionally increasing staff

  
  

Carriers using automated document processing commonly report:

• 40–60% reduction in quote turnaround time

• 30–50% increase in underwriting capacity

• Major improvements in accuracy and consistency

  
  

Automation doesn’t replace underwriters—it frees them to do what they do best.

4. Better Broker Experience

Faster responses make a carrier more attractive to brokers. More importantly, the consistency automation provides reduces friction and rework.

360 EnsureQuote helps carriers:

• Turn quotes around rapidly

• Reduce back-and-forth emails

• Deliver more competitive offers

• Win more business

  
  

When brokers trust that a carrier responds quickly and accurately, they send more submissions—strengthening long-term relationships.

Why 360 EnsureQuote Stands Out for Manual Data Extraction in Underwriting

360 EnsureQuote isn’t just automation—it’s automation designed specifically for insurance underwriting.

What makes it unique:

• Purpose-built for insurance documents

• Human-in-the-loop QA options

• Integration-ready with rating engines, policy systems, and submission platforms

• Advanced IDP that handles unstructured packets

• Consistent, audit-ready data

  
  

It’s not a generic automation tool—it’s an underwriting accelerator.

Final Thoughts: Automation Isn’t the Future—It’s the Present

Manual data extraction is no longer viable in a market where speed, accuracy, and scalability determine success. Manual data extraction in underwriting slows carriers down, while those that automate now gain a competitive advantage; those that delay risk falling behind.

With 360 EnsureQuote, insurers can:

• Cut manual time dramatically

• Improve underwriting accuracy

• Accelerate quotes

• Enhance broker relationships

• Scale profitably

  
  

If you're ready to move past manual bottlenecks and transform the underwriting process, automation is your next strategic advantage—and 360 EnsureQuote is the fastest path forward.