What an auto insurance live transfer script has to do
A live transfer is a phone call handed to your agency while the prospect is still on the line. An auto insurance live transfer script covers what your producer says in the first minute after picking up. In that minute, the driver decides whether to stay for a quote or start looking for a way off the phone.
The script has four jobs. Greet the driver by name. Confirm they want an auto quote and what it should cover. Tell them what happens next. Then ask the first real question before the line goes quiet.
What our caller has already done
Before the handoff, our caller has talked with the person, confirmed they want an auto quote, and asked a few basic screening questions to check they fit your campaign. That is the whole job. Our callers do not quote, compare prices, give advice, or discuss coverage. Your licensed producer does all of that.
So treat what the caller learned as a starting point, and confirm each detail yourself. The driver is also waiting to hear from someone who can answer questions. Your opening should make it clear that a licensed agent is now on the line.
The sample opening, line by line
Copy these lines into your call notes and swap in your own names where you see brackets. Producers should say them in their own words once they know the order. Reading a script word for word sounds like reading a script.
- 1
Greet them by name
"Hi [prospect first name], this is [your name] with [agency name]. I'm a licensed agent, and I'll be helping you with your auto quote today."
Say the agency name slowly. The driver just finished one conversation and needs to know who they are talking to now.
- 2
Confirm what they want
"Just to make sure I have it right, you'd like a quote on your car insurance. Is that right?"
Then widen it. "Is this just for your car, or are there other cars or drivers in the household I should include?"
- 3
Set expectations
"Here's how this works. I'll ask some questions about your cars and drivers, which takes about [number] minutes. Then I'll walk you through what I find, and you can decide from there."
Put your team's honest average in the bracket. A driver who knows how long the call will take is less likely to drift.
- 4
Protect the call
"In case we get cut off, is this the best number to call you back?" Ask this before any other data. A dropped call with no callback number is a quote you never finish.
- 5
Ask an easy first question
"Let's start with the car you drive most. What's the year, make, and model?" Drivers know this by heart. It gets them talking, and it moves the call from small talk to quoting.
That is roughly the first minute. If your producer reaches the first vehicle question in about that time, the call is on track.
Confirm who they are and what they want quoted
Two quick checks keep you from quoting the wrong thing for the wrong person.
Who is on the phone
Confirm the spelling of their name and ask where the car is kept overnight. The address tells you the state, and the state tells you whether you can write the policy. Then ask one more question. "Are you the one who makes the insurance decisions for your household, or should someone else be part of this?" If a spouse needs to agree, you would rather know now than after the quote.
What they want quoted
Ask whether they want to match their current coverage or look at other options. "Would you like me to quote the same coverage you have now, so you can compare it side by side?" This gives you a clean comparison and a reason to ask for their declarations page, the summary of coverages and limits their current carrier sends them.
The details to gather first
Once the opening is done, gather these in order. Each one is quick to ask, and leaving any of them out usually means a second call later.
- Vehicles. Year, make, and model for each one, or the VIN if it is handy, plus how each car is used.
- Drivers. Every licensed driver in the household, with a date of birth for each. A teen with a new license changes the quote.
- Current carrier and limits. "Who insures your car right now?" Then ask for the declarations page if they have it.
- Renewal date. "When does your current policy renew?" This is the x-date, the date their policy renews or expires.
- Continuous coverage. "Has there been any time in the past six months when the car wasn't insured?"
- Driving record. Accidents, tickets, and claims in recent years, and whether they have or need an SR-22, a state filing that proves a driver carries insurance.
The renewal date matters even when the driver is ready to switch today. If they are not ready, you can quote now and match the start date to the renewal, or save the date and call before it. Our guide to insurance x-date calling covers how agencies use renewal dates.
| Question | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Where is the car kept overnight? | The state, so you know you can write it and how to rate it. |
| Who insures you now? | The carrier you are up against, and whether it is one your campaign excludes. |
| Any gap in coverage in the past six months? | Whether you have a lapse to price for, or a transfer you can return. |
| Do you have or need an SR-22? | Whether your carriers will write the driver at all. |
| When does your policy renew? | How urgent the switch is, and when to follow up if they are not ready. |
Set expectations so they stay on the line
A driver who knows how long the call will take, and what they get at the end, has fewer reasons to hang up. Answer both questions before they ask.
- Say you are licensed. The driver now knows they can ask real questions about coverage and price.
- Give a time. "About [number] minutes" is easier to agree to than an open-ended call.
- Be honest about the result. "I can't promise it'll be lower, but I'll show you exactly what I find." Drivers have heard big savings promises before.
- Talk through the quiet parts. "I'm entering that now. Give me about ten seconds." Silence while the rater loads feels like a dropped call.
- Ask before a hold. "Can I put you on a short hold while I pull that up? It should be under a minute." Then come back when you said you would.
How producers lose the caller in the first minute
A few habits lose drivers early. Most of them happen before the first vehicle question.
- Answering slowly. Ringing counts. Answered transfers are timed from the first ring at your agency, and a driver who waits 20 seconds or more and then hangs up is still billable while delivery is active and not paused. Our article on live transfers that hit voicemail covers how to avoid paying for missed calls.
- A long introduction. The driver does not need the agency's history. They need to know who you are and what happens next.
- Starting with the hardest question. Asking for a license number before the driver is engaged feels like a form. Start with the car.
- Talking over them. If the driver starts explaining why they are shopping, let them. A price jump at renewal, a new car, or a new driver each tells you where the conversation should go.
When the driver is not a fit
The early questions also surface the calls you can send back. If your team answered and the call ran 75 seconds to under 5 minutes, you can return an auto transfer for any of these reasons:
- No vehicle, or no valid driver's license
- No auto insurance now, or a coverage lapse in the past 6 months
- Already insured with a carrier your campaign agreement excludes
- Lives outside your agreed licensed states
- Has or needs an SR-22
Our quality team reviews every return, and only approved returns come off your bill. Two limits apply.
- Not quoting the prospect is not, by itself, a reason to return a call.
- We deliver interested, qualified prospects. Quotes and sales are not guaranteed.
The full rules, including deadlines, are in our guide to live transfer returns. If the driver does fit, finish the auto quote, then ask whether they own or rent their home. A homeowner can get a home quote on the same call, and a renter can add a renters policy. For more on the drivers we send, see our auto insurance live transfers page.