Why California MGAs Are Drowning in Submission Volume (and How to Fix It)
California’s commercial insurance market is a magnet for submissions. With millions of small businesses, hundreds of brokerages, and a mix of admitted and E&S carrier options, it’s no surprise that MGAs are buried in quoting requests daily.
But here’s the problem: volume without workflow leads to chaos. Inboxes overflow. Underwriters burn out. Good risks fall through the cracks. And brokers go elsewhere when quotes are delayed.
If your MGA is still relying on spreadsheets, shared inboxes, or “we’ll get back to you” as a triage method, it’s time for a reset.
The Volume is Real – and Getting Worse
Whether you’re writing:
- General Liability for artisan contractors in LA
- BOPs for restaurants in the Bay Area
- Commercial Property in wildfire-prone zones
- WC for care homes in San Diego
You’re likely dealing with:
- 100+ submissions per day
- Multiple LOBs per risk
- Retail agents pushing for quotes within hours
- Submissions ranging from detailed to incomplete guesses
This isn’t a broker problem-it’s a process problem.
Why Old Workflows Break Down
Let’s look at the typical quote process in a California MGA:
- Brokers email PDFs, spreadsheets, or photos of applications
- Staff or underwriters manually log submissions into a tracker
- Submissions are forwarded based on experience or availability
- Underwriters triage manually, checking if risks fit appetite
- Quotes are assembled (if possible) and sent out
That’s fine for 5 submissions a day. Not 50+. And definitely not when 2-3 LOBs are involved in each account.
How RQB Fixes Submission Overload
The RQB platform is built to handle the pace and pressure of California’s MGA ecosystem. Here’s how:
Smart Intake from Brokers
- Brokers use structured forms with required fields
- No more incomplete or misformatted submissions
- You define what’s needed before it enters the system
Real-Time Eligibility Filtering
- Carrier appetite logic applied by ZIP, occupancy, construction type
- Property risks in Tier 3 wildfire ZIPs? Auto-routed or flagged
- GL submissions with ineligible NAICS codes? Filtered out
Triage & Routing Built In
- Auto-assign submissions to the right underwriter
- Track quote time, success rate, and carrier match quality
- Prioritize top-producing brokers automatically
Want to see how this scales across states and carriers?
Visit the main RQB platform page for full feature sets and rollout options.
Use Case: Northern California MGA Streamlines Volume Surge
The Challenge:
During Q3, this MGA averaged 130+ daily submissions across WC, GL, and Property. Manual sorting led to missed quotes, slow responses, and stressed underwriters.
The Solution:
They deployed RQB with:
- ZIP-tier logic for wildfire risks
- NAICS-based routing for GL
- Auto-response to brokers with quote status
- Dashboards showing submission flow in real time
The Results:
- Underwriters saw 60% fewer unqualified submissions
- Average quote time dropped from 36 hours → under 30 minutes
- Broker satisfaction went up. So did premium bound.
Learn more about how RQB supports high-volume quoting for California MGAs
FAQs
Will RQB work for our GL + Property + WC quoting process?
Yes. RQB supports multi-LOB intake and routing, letting you control how each LOB is handled and assigned.
Can it reduce manual submission review?
Absolutely. You can define eligibility logic that prevents non-qualified risks from reaching underwriters.
Does it help with wildfire or earthquake zone exclusions?
Yes. RQB filters Property risks by ZIP, construction, and even county-level hazard data.
What about broker pushback on using forms?
Once brokers see faster quote times, they adapt quickly. You can brand the form and keep it simple.
How long to launch a pilot?
You can be quoting in 30 days with two carriers and one line of business. We’ll help map workflows and train your team.
Don’t let submission volume bury your team.
RQB was built for MGAs in fast-moving states like California. Reduce quote time, eliminate noise, and scale without adding headcount.
Start your quoting pilot now – live in 30 days.
