A client intake process that stopped disappearing into email

A growing commercial insurance brokerage handled new-client intake through emailed forms, shared mailboxes, and a spreadsheet that only told part of the story. Account teams could not reliably see who owned the next step, compliance reviewers received incomplete submissions, and operations rebuilt the same status report every week.

• ~45Requests in a typical week
• 5Conditional review stages
• 1Owned operational queue
• 7 weeksMap, build, pilot, handoff

The situation

The original process looked simple on paper: collect details, review exposure, confirm required documents, approve, and create the client record. In practice, different lines of business needed different questions and reviewers. Missing information triggered reply-all chains, and handoffs were invisible unless someone updated the tracker.

The firm did not need another large business platform. It needed a dependable layer around a process already living in Microsoft 365, with enough governance that the automation would not become one employee’s fragile side project.

What the workflow needed to handle

• Different required fields and documents by account type
• Parallel review from account leadership and compliance in selected cases
• Returned submissions without losing prior comments or attachments
• Escalation when a request sat with no action
• A clear record of who approved what and when
• Ownership, connection, and support practices that survived staff changes

How we worked

Mapped decisions, not just screens

Workshops followed real submissions from start to finish. We documented entry criteria, decision points, exception paths, and who was accountable at each stage. Several “required approvals” turned out to be notifications, which kept the finished process leaner.

Used the Microsoft 365 stack already licensed

A responsive Power Apps canvas app guided users through intake. SharePoint lists stored structured request data, a document library held supporting files, and Power Automate handled routing, reminders, approvals, and Teams notifications. The design avoided premium connectors where they did not add enough value.

Designed for returns and exceptions

Reviewers could return a submission with a reason and the requester saw exactly what needed attention. Resubmission preserved history and routed back to the appropriate stage. Failed flows created an operations alert instead of silently stopping.

Built it as an owned solution

Flows, environment variables, connection references, naming, and service ownership were documented. Changes moved through a test environment before production. Two internal administrators received training on common updates and troubleshooting.

Piloted with the busiest team

The highest-volume account group ran both processes side by side for two weeks. Their feedback shortened the form, clarified status labels, and removed a redundant approval before the broader launch.

Solution outline

Results

• Every open request had a visible owner, stage, age, and next action
• Complete pilot submissions reached final review in under one business day instead of spending two to three days in inbox handoffs
• Returned items carried a structured reason and preserved their review history
• Weekly status reporting became a live operational view instead of a manually reconciled spreadsheet
• The workflow used standard Microsoft 365 capabilities already available to the firm
• Internal administrators could manage routine fields, routing, and notification changes after handoff

What this engagement was not

It was not an attempt to replace the brokerage management system or automate professional judgment. The workflow made intake complete, visible, and accountable, then handed approved information to the systems and people already responsible for the client relationship.