Certificate of Insurance Requests: Automating for Speed and Accuracy

Why COI requests slow teams down

COI intake often comes through shared inboxes with incomplete details, holder-specific wording, and frequent rush deadlines. Manual keying across email, policy files, and ACORD forms introduces delays and errors. The fix is not more staffing. It is a clear intake pattern, rules-driven generation, and tight control over exceptions.

A practical automation flow

Use a simple, repeatable sequence that handles 80 to 90 percent of volume without human touch.

1. Intake and classification
   • Route emails, portal forms, and uploads into a single queue.
   • Auto-detect the insured, policy, and urgency.
   • Use AI to tag required endorsements and holder language.
   • In Expert Insured, teams use Expert Inbox – Email Classification and Routing to triage and distribute requests at scale.
2. Data validation
   • Match the request to active policy terms and limits.
   • Confirm effective dates, locations, and operations.
   • Flag conflicts, such as expired policies or unavailable endorsements.
3. Generate the certificate
   • Apply templates and rules for ACORD forms, additional insured status, waiver of subrogation, and primary and noncontributory language.
   • Pre-fill holder details and custom text by class, project, or jurisdiction.
   • See how this comes together in Certificate of Insurance Requests.
4. Approvals and exceptions
   • Auto-approve standard cases within authority.
   • Route exceptions to underwriting or account managers with required context.
   • Capture a clear audit trail of who approved what, when, and why.
5. Delivery and logging
   • Send certificates and endorsements to the holder and insured.
   • Log every action, attach the final documents, and record the turnaround time.

Example: additional insured with holder language

Scenario: A general contractor requests a COI for a subcontractor with additional insured status, primary and noncontributory wording, and waiver of subrogation.

Automated path:

• Intake tags the request with the insured, the policy, and required endorsements.
• Rules confirm the policy includes the AI endorsement and WOS.
• The system applies the correct ACORD remarks for the contractor’s project.
• Certificate and endorsements generate, are reviewed if needed, and are emailed to the holder. Turnaround: minutes.

Exception path:

• If the policy lacks an AI endorsement, the request routes to the account manager for options.
• The approver adds or modifies coverage per agency authority or sends a referral to underwriting.
• On approval, the COI is generated and logged.

Controls and audit you can trust

Automation should reduce risk, not add it. Lock down templates and wording. Require approvals for any override. Keep a complete record of source request, decisioning, and delivery. Centralize files so the latest version is always used. Expert Insured’s Document Management keeps certificates, endorsements, and correspondence traceable and searchable.

What to measure

• Turnaround time by request type and client tier
• First-time accuracy and rework rate
• Percent auto-approved vs. exception-handled
• Queue aging and after-hours volume
• Top reasons for exceptions to guide rule updates

Getting started

• Map your top five COI patterns and standardize wording.
• Configure intake tags and routing for insured, policy, urgency, and holder requirements.
• Build rules from your authority matrix and endorsement library.
• Pilot with one client segment, then expand.

With a clean flow and the right tools, most COI requests move from inbox to delivered certificate in minutes, with fewer touches and better compliance.