A Guide for Independent Agency Owners Ready to Reclaim Control
The Hidden Chaos Behind Commission Tracking
Commission tracking in a typical independent P&C agency? It’s as ugly as anyone can imagine.
As an agency owner, you’re not just selling insurance — you’re juggling dozens of carriers, hundreds of accounts, and thousands of transactions. Some insurers send commissions digitally. Others don’t. Third-party brokers still operate in spreadsheets. Meanwhile, your trust account (client funds) and your operating account (agency revenue) blur lines that should never be crossed.
You think you’re making money. But are you?
Most agency owners — myself included — take carrier reports at face value. We assume the numbers are correct. But we don’t know. I’ve seen it first-hand:
- Revenue left on the table
- Staff friction over unclear payout schedules
- Producers are getting overpaid and walking out together when we try to fix it.
We were bleeding money and didn’t realize it until it was too late.
So why do agencies still use spreadsheets?
Because that’s all they’ve known. For 60 years, agents have done things the same way — even as their competitors modernize. But just like we moved from typewriters to PCs and calculators to CRMs, it’s time to move beyond Excel.If you want to be the agent of the future, you need to act in the present. That means upgrading how you track your commissions — before it costs you your business.
What Makes a Great Commission Tracking Tool?
Not all tools are created equal. An excellent commission tracking system must start where every policy starts: at origination.
When you write a policy, it should trigger a chain of data that flows through:
- The carrier (via IVANS or manual statement)
- Your AMS (Applied, HawkSoft, etc.)
- Your payment processor
- Your accounting system (QuickBooks, Xero)
- Your payroll system
And every step should be tied to a unique policy ID.
Is any one of those out of sync? You’re flying blind.
Must-have features:
- Policy-to-commission matching
- Bank account reconciliation
- Role-based payouts to producers
- Integration with AMS, accounting, payroll, and card processing
- Trust vs. operating account compliance
Nice-to-have (but game-changing):
- Real-time dashboards with revenue KPIs
- Benchmarking vs. peer agencies
- Alerts for underpaid commissions or missed payments
- Forecasting tools for cash flow and tax planning
But most importantly?
It needs to be invisible.
It should not disrupt how your team sells or services today. A great tool works quietly in the background, empowering you — the agency CEO — with insight, not friction.
What’s Out There — and What’s Missing
Over the years, I tried everything:
- Spreadsheets + Power BI: Frankenstein-style, breaking every week.
- QuickBooks: Not built for insurance. No way to track split commissions, carrier payables, or trust fund compliance.
- AMS systems: Great for policies. Not for financials.
- Ascend: Solves premium financing, but not full commission reconciliation.
- Veruna/HawkSoft: Solid platforms, but none connect all your financial dots.
In the end, every “solution” became another disconnected piece of the puzzle.
I needed a tool that would:
- Let me issue a policy
- Record the client’s payment.
- Allocate funds to trust and operating accounts.
- Track the producer’s cut.
- Compare actual commissions received to what I was owed.
- And reconcile all of that inside one financial command center.
Nothing did that. So we built Altoia.
Why Altoia Is Different
Altoia isn’t just a tool. It’s an agent’s financial co-pilot.
AI-powered reconciliation:
We don’t just record commissions — we verify them. Altoia cross-references what your AMS says, what your bank says, and what your accounting system thinks is happening. Then it tells you the truth.
Built for insurance, not general business:
QuickBooks is for restaurants. AMS tools are for servicing. Altoia is for your bottom line.
We calculate revenue, margin, cost of acquisition, lifetime value — everything you need to run your agency like a business.
Insights at your fingertips:
Think of it like an F1 racing dashboard. The driver doesn’t need to build the car — they just need to know when to brake, when to accelerate, and when to pit.
You’re the driver. Altoia gives you the telemetry.
This Is Personal
I didn’t build Altoia to win applause. I built it because I lived the pain of not having it.
I know what it feels like to work late, reconciling statements by hand. To question whether your producers are overpaid. To wonder if you’re growing — or just busy.
My mission has always been the same:
To build systems that unlock human potential.
Whether through BRZ Insurance, mentoring, or Altoia — I architect what I wish I had.
Next Steps: Help Us Build the Future
If anything in this post resonates with you — the frustration, the uncertainty, the desire to scale with confidence — I invite you to do two things:
- Take our 2-minute survey
Help us refine Altoia based on your real needs. Your voice shapes the product. - Book a 15-minute discovery call.
Let’s explore what Altoia can do for your agency and how it can save you thousands in lost commissions and time.
[Take the survey + book your call here →]
Don’t be the last one to modernize. The future is already here.
And I’m here to help you drive it—smarter, faster, and with clarity.