Independent insurance agency owners take pride in being there for their clients. Itis a badge of honorobeing the one who always picks up the phone, always answers the email, always makes the time.

But in trying to be available for everyoneoat all timesomany agents are missing something else entirely: key moments with family, networking opportunities, and the space to grow their business strategically.

Availability has become an invisible weight. Itis the agent checking voicemails from the back of a conference room. The guilty feeling of knowing calls are going to voicemail. The CSR who stays behind while the rest of the team attends a networking event. Constant phone checking during what should be face-to-face time. Over time, this kind of constant accessibility doesnit just wear down individuals, it quietly shapes the agencyis future, often in limiting ways.

A lot of agency owners worry that using AI means giving up the personal touch. But letis be honest, that connection has been fading for a while now.

The pace, the calls, and the constant need to be reachable is leaving less and less room for the kind of conversations that actually build trust. Itis not the tech thatis pulling us awayoitis the calendar, the inbox, the ìjust one more thingî that turns every day into a sprint. The real risk is continuing to confuse responsiveness with connection.

Automation and AI are becoming standard tools in the insurance industry. And while the benefits often spotlight things like faster call routing, quicker quote generation, and reduced costsoall valid and valuableotheyire just one side of the story. When used intentionally, technology doesnit replace relationships; it protects them. It creates space for what really matters: giving a client your full attention, showing up at the local event, mentoring a new producer, or finally taking that overdue vacation.

Still, a question lingers for many agency owners: Whatis left when the work no longer needs you every minute? If AI handles the routine, what will you do with the hours it frees up for you and your team?

The role of the agent is evolving. As technology takes on more of the repetitive load, many are beginning to use that freed-up time more intentionallyoon relationships, strategy, and the conversations that actually move the business forward. Your technology investments should open up new possibilities, not just cut costs.

The truth is, real leadership isnit found in being always available. Itis found in knowing when to step back, delegate, and design a business that serves youonot one that consumes you. The best agencies arenit just efficient; theyire intentional. They empower their people. They prioritize high-value interactions over high-volume distractions.

Independent agents have always built their businesses on trust, community, and relationships. These values arenit in conflict with technology; theyire exactly what the right tools are meant to support. But that starts with a shift in mindsetofrom being reactive to being present.

Because the question isnit whether agents will use AI, itis how theyill use it. To reclaim their time, strengthen relationships, and build a business that works for them, or stay stuck in the routine work that crowds out the moments that matter most.

Itis a question worth asking, and sooner or later, every agency leader will have to make that call.

Lopes is the CEO of Sonant AI, a startup building AI receptionists for insurance agencies and brokers. With a background in physics and a passion for simplifying repetitive work, he is focused on streamlining workflows for independent agents.