How to Build an Insurance Agency SOP Library (With Index)
An insurance agency SOP library is the indexed set of one-page procedures for every task your agency repeats, each with a named owner and a review date. Start with the 15 to 20 tasks that break when a key person is out, write them all in one template, and review them on a schedule. The index below is a starting list for a phone sales agency with 5 to 50 producers.
The SOP index by role
| ID | SOP | Trigger | Owner | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | ||||
| P1 | Start of day | Shift starts | Sales manager | Monthly |
| P2 | Working assigned leads | Leads land in the producer's queue | Sales manager | Monthly |
| P3 | Call disposition | Every call ends | Sales manager | Monthly |
| P4 | Follow-up scheduling | Prospect asks for a callback or needs a second call | Sales manager | Monthly |
| P5 | Submitting an application | Prospect agrees to apply | Ops lead | Monthly |
| P6 | End of day | Shift ends | Sales manager | Monthly |
| Manager | ||||
| M1 | Daily huddle | Start of each floor day | Sales manager | Monthly |
| M2 | Call review | Weekly, per producer | Sales manager | Monthly |
| M3 | Coaching session | After each call review | Sales manager | Monthly |
| M4 | Lead assignment | A new lead batch arrives | Sales manager | Monthly |
| M5 | New-hire week one | A new producer's start date | Sales manager | Monthly |
| Ops and admin | ||||
| O1 | Onboarding paperwork | Offer accepted | Ops lead | Quarterly |
| O2 | Licensing and contracting tracking | New hire, new state, new carrier, upcoming renewal | Ops lead | Quarterly |
| O3 | Tool access setup | Start date confirmed | Ops lead | Quarterly |
| O4 | Tool access removal and offboarding | Producer leaves | Ops lead | Quarterly |
| Owner | ||||
| W1 | Weekly numbers review | Your set day each week | Owner | Quarterly |
| W2 | Lead vendor review | Monthly, or when a vendor misses your targets | Owner | Quarterly |
| W3 | Monthly P&L | Month close | Owner | Quarterly |
| Compliance | ||||
| C1+ | Compliance procedures | Set by your compliance lead or attorney | Your compliance lead or attorney | Set by that owner |
That is 18 operating SOPs plus a compliance section. The compliance rows are a placeholder on purpose. This post does not write compliance procedures. Your compliance lead or attorney writes and owns them. The library holds a slot for them so producers know where to look, and every other SOP links to them instead of restating them.
Why index by role: a producer opens the library and sees their six. A manager sees their five plus the producer six they enforce. Nobody scrolls past the owner's P&L procedure to find how to disposition a call.
The test for what gets an SOP: the task repeats at least monthly, and either more than one person does it or only one person knows how. If the agency stalls when that person is out sick, it goes on the list first.
The one-page SOP template
Every SOP uses the same fields in the same order. One page. If it runs past a page or past 10 steps, it is two SOPs.
| Field | What goes here |
|---|---|
| Name and ID | The task in plain words, plus the index ID (P2, M4) |
| Owner | One named person who approves changes. Not a team. |
| Trigger | The event that starts the task |
| Steps | Numbered, 10 maximum, each starting with a verb |
| Done looks like | What someone else can check to confirm it was done right |
| Tools used | Which system, which screen |
| Example | A call recording, screen recording or screenshot of it done well |
| Related | Linked SOPs and playbook sections |
| Last reviewed | Date |
| Next review | Date |
Three rules for writing it:
- Verbs first. "Open the queue." Not "The queue should be opened."
- Done must be checkable. "Every call has a disposition" can be checked. "Calls are handled properly" cannot.
- Link, don't copy. If a step needs a script, link the playbook section.
Filled example: P2, Working assigned leads
Name and ID: Working assigned leads (P2)
Owner: [Sales manager name]
Trigger: Leads are assigned to your queue at shift start, or the manager assigns a new batch mid-shift.
Steps:
- Open your queue. Work leads in the order assigned. Don't re-sort by your own preference.
- Before your first dial, check the compliance SOPs your compliance lead has listed for this lead source.
- Open the contact record. Read notes and prior call history before you dial.
- Dial. Use the opener and call stages in the sales playbook.
- On no answer, follow the playbook's no-answer rule for voicemail and retry timing.
- Disposition the call before the next dial, using the codes in P3.
- If the prospect wants a second call, set the callback per P4 with a date, time and reason in the note.
- If the prospect agrees to apply, move to P5.
- If the queue runs dry, tell your manager. Don't pull leads from another producer's queue.
- At shift end, run P6.
Done looks like: Every lead touched today has a disposition and a note. Every callback has a date, time and reason. No lead older than [your rule, for example 24 hours] sits unworked without a note explaining why.
Tools used: [Your dialer and CRM, with the screen names your team sees]
Example: [Link to a recording of your top producer working the first 30 minutes of a queue]
Related: P3, P4, P5, M4; sales playbook sections 2 to 5.
Last reviewed: [date] · Next review: [date plus one month]
Steps 1 and 9 are where most floors leak. If producers skip around the queue or grab leads that aren't theirs, the problem usually starts in the assignment SOP (M4). See how to distribute leads fairly and how to stop agents cherry-picking leads before you write M4.
Sales playbook vs SOP library: what goes where
The playbook covers how you sell. The SOP library covers how the agency runs. They overlap at one point, the call, and that is where duplication creeps in.
| Question | Playbook | SOP library |
|---|---|---|
| What do I say on the opener? | Yes | Links to it |
| How do I answer "I need to think about it"? | Yes | No |
| Which lead do I call next? | Ideal lead and work order | P2 and M4 (the mechanics) |
| How do I code this call? | Disposition rules | P3 (the clicks and the timing) |
| How do I set up a new hire's logins? | No | O3 |
| How does a manager score a call? | Call scorecard | M2 (when, how often, where it's logged) |
| Who owns it? | One playbook owner | One owner per SOP |
The rule: if the same words appear in both, delete them from the SOP and link to the playbook. Two copies means two versions within a month. If you haven't written the playbook yet, build your sales playbook first or in parallel. The SOPs for producers lean on it.
Write the first 20 in two weeks
Don't try to document the whole agency. Write the index above, adjusted to your shop, in ten working days.
| Day | What happens | Who | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | List every repeated task. Mark the ones that break when someone is out. Pick 15 to 20. Name one owner each. | Owner and managers | Index with owners |
| 2 | Record each task being done once by the person who does it best | Top producer, managers, ops lead | One recording per SOP |
| 2 to 5 | Each owner drafts their SOPs in the template, from the recordings | SOP owners | Drafts |
| 5 | Owner reads every draft against the three template rules | Agency owner | Marked-up drafts |
| 6 to 8 | Hand each draft to someone who has never done the task. They do it using only the SOP. Every stop or question gets logged. | Newest producer, a manager from another task | Fix list |
| 9 | Owners fix every logged gap | SOP owners | Final drafts |
| 10 | Set review dates, publish the index, walk the floor through it in the huddle | Owner and managers | Live library |
Write from the recording, not from memory
Your best producer can't tell you how they work a queue. They skip steps they no longer notice: reading the prior note, setting the callback reason, flagging a dead lead. Record them doing it once, then write what you see. For calls, use the recorded call. For admin tasks, use a screen recording with narration.
The recording also becomes the Example field. A new producer reads the steps and then watches it done right.
What the test run tells you
Days 6 to 8 matter most. The person testing should be the least experienced person you can find. If they get stuck, the SOP is missing a step, not the person missing a skill. Don't explain it to them out loud. Write the explanation into the SOP.
Keep it from going stale
An SOP library dies the first time a producer follows a step that no longer matches the tool. After that, nobody trusts it. Three habits prevent this.
1. One owner per SOP, with a review date.
| SOP type | Review cadence | Also review when |
|---|---|---|
| Producer and manager (floor) | Monthly | The tool, script or lead source changes |
| Ops and admin | Quarterly | A carrier, vendor or process changes |
| Owner | Quarterly | Your reporting or month-close changes |
| Compliance | Set by your compliance lead or attorney | They decide |
2. A change log at the front of the library.
| SOP | Version | Date | What changed | Why | Approved by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [P2] | [v1.1] | [date] | [step 9 added] | [two producers pulled from others' queues] | [owner] |
| [O3] | [v1.2] | [date] | [new login step] | [tool update] | [owner] |
When a producer says "that's not what the SOP says," the first question is which version they read.
3. Retire what nobody uses. At each quarterly review, ask of every SOP: did anyone use this last quarter, and did anything break without it? If nobody used it and nothing broke, retire it. A short library that's current beats a long one that's half wrong.
The review-on-time scorecard
Track one number in the owner's weekly numbers review (W1), checked monthly:
Review-on-time rate = [SOPs reviewed by their due date] / [total active SOPs] x 100
Example with placeholders: if you have [20] active SOPs and [17] were reviewed by their due date, the rate is [17] / [20] x 100 = [85]%. Set your own target. Any SOP past due goes on that owner's list for the week.
A second number worth tracking while you build:
Coverage = [repeated tasks with a live SOP] / [repeated tasks on your Day 1 list] x 100
Coverage tells you whether the library is finished. Review-on-time tells you whether it's still true. Pair both with how you already track agent activity so the SOPs and the floor numbers point at the same work.
How new producers use it in weeks 1 to 4
This is where the library pays for the two weeks it took. A new producer ramps on a written plan instead of whatever the closest desk mate remembers.
| Week | Producer does | Manager does | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reads P1 to P6 and the compliance SOPs. Shadows a top producer. Watches every Example recording. | Runs M5 (new-hire week one). Confirms O1 and O3 are complete. | Producer can explain each producer SOP back in their own words |
| 2 | Does P1 to P6 live, with the manager reviewing calls and dispositions daily | Reviews every disposition and callback against P3 and P4 | Fewer corrections each day, logged in the review notes |
| 3 | Does P1 to P6 alone | Spot checks calls and records per M2, on a schedule you set | Spot checks pass against the Done field |
| 4 | Works a full queue alone for the week | Scores calls with the playbook scorecard, runs M3 | Manager signs off on each producer SOP |
Tie it to the interview. The gaps you scored during hiring tell you where to spend week 1. If your interview scorecard flagged weak organization, spend more time on P3, P4 and P6. If it flagged call skills, spend it in the playbook.
Tie it to the huddle. Name one SOP per day in the daily sales huddle agenda. Two minutes: what it says, one mistake you saw yesterday, the fix. New producers hear every floor SOP in their first month without a separate class.
Sign-off is per SOP. A producer isn't signed off on the library. They're signed off on P1 through P6, one at a time. Keep the sign-off list in their file.
Where Nohl fits
An SOP is only as good as its match to the tools. The more systems a procedure crosses, the more steps break when one of them changes.
- Lead assignment matches the SOP. Mogul lets agency owners assign leads and manage their reps from one place, so M4 describes what the system actually does instead of a spreadsheet workaround.
- One tool to point to. Dialer, CRM and video meetings sit in one place, with one contact record behind every call and meeting. P2, P3 and P4 point to one screen, not three.
- Examples on hand. Searchable call recordings and transcripts give you the Example field for every call-related SOP, and the source material for writing from the recording. Recording laws vary by state. Some states require everyone on the call to consent before it's recorded. You are responsible for recording notices and consent, so check your compliance SOPs before you record or share a call.
- The playbook on the call. Sales AI suggests the next line or an objection answer to the rep during the live call, and the prospect never hears it. That keeps the playbook in front of the rep while the SOP covers everything around the call.
- Getting set up. Mogul includes white-glove getting started; ask sales for details. Enterprise is custom-quoted for larger floors and IMOs running many agencies.
For more on how owners see their team, see team visibility for agencies.
The honest limit: Nohl does not write your SOPs. It doesn't pick your owners, set your review dates or write your compliance procedures. Those are yours. What it can do is cut down the number of tools your SOPs have to describe.
FAQ
What SOPs does an insurance agency need? Start with the tasks that stall when a key person is out: producer start and end of day, working assigned leads, call disposition, follow-up scheduling, application submission, the daily huddle, call review, lead assignment, onboarding, tool access, offboarding and the owner's weekly and monthly reviews. Compliance procedures are written and owned by your compliance lead or attorney.
How do I write an SOP for my sales team? Record your best person doing the task once, write it in a one-page template with numbered steps (10 maximum), define what done looks like, then have a new producer test it and fix every gap.
Where should an agency keep its SOPs? In one shared place with a single index, sorted by role, linked from the tools your team uses every day. One location, one current version.
How often should SOPs be updated? Review floor SOPs monthly and admin and owner SOPs quarterly, plus any time the tool, lead source or process changes. Track the review-on-time rate.
What is the difference between a playbook and an SOP? The playbook says what to say on the call and how to handle objections. The SOP library says what to do, in what order, and who owns it. Link them; don't duplicate.
If you run a floor and want lead assignment, rep management, calling and recordings in one place your SOPs can point to, See Mogul for agencies and IMOs.
Frequently asked questions
What SOPs does an insurance agency need?
Start with the tasks that stall when a key person is out: producer start and end of day, working assigned leads, call disposition, follow-up scheduling, application submission, the daily huddle, call review, lead assignment, onboarding, tool access, offboarding and the owner's weekly and monthly reviews. Compliance procedures are written and owned by your compliance lead or attorney.
How do I write an SOP for my sales team?
Record your best person doing the task once, write it in a one-page template with numbered steps (10 maximum), define what done looks like, then have a new producer test it and fix every gap.
Where should an agency keep its SOPs?
In one shared place with a single index, sorted by role, linked from the tools your team uses every day. One location, one current version.
How often should SOPs be updated?
Review floor SOPs monthly and admin and owner SOPs quarterly, plus any time the tool, lead source or process changes. Track the share reviewed on time.
What is the difference between a playbook and an SOP?
The playbook says what to say on the call and how to handle objections. The SOP library says what to do, in what order, and who owns it. Link them; don't duplicate.