Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions and services are evolving from initial excitement and industry buzz to an essential tool for modern insurance professionals. In fact, our research found that more than half of independent insurance agents are interested in using AI.
One of the most common paths into using AI is leveraging generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Microsoft Copilot. Generative AI refers to tools that create text, images, video and other content based on the “prompt” entered by the user. A “prompt” refers to the question or instructions provided to the AI tool to generate a response.
Despite how it may seem, GenAI tools aren’t magic. They work best as part of ongoing dialogue with you, the user. Crafting effective prompts is key to getting useful results from generative AI tools.
To help you get started as you experiment with generative AI, here are some tips for crafting effective prompts:
Start with these 5 main ingredients
These five components can be a good place to start. You don’t have to use every one of these “5C” ingredient every time. Try mixing and matching depending on your goals.
| Element | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Character | Who should the AI act as? What role do you want them to take? | “You are an expert insurance marketer.”
“You are an experienced commercial lines account manager.” “You are a personal lines CSR.” |
| Context | What’s the situation? Any relevant background details to share? | “Our clients are homeowners in Orlando, Florida.”
“You’re helping me build a new meeting format for our 6-person team.” |
| Command | What do you want the AI to do? | “Write an SEO-friendly article explaining catastrophic losses.”
“Summarize this policy document.” “Draft an email to my agency team.” |
| Constraints | What is the preferred length? Format? Scope? | “Keep it under 300 words.”
“Please include [X], [Y] and [Z].” “Provide 3-5 bullet points summarizing key takeaways.” |
| Calibration | How should it sound/look/feel? | “Use a friendly, professional tone.”
“Avoid insurance jargon.” *Better yet, upload a copy of your agency’s guidelines for brand style and voice and instruct the tool to use them when crafting responses. |
Make it a conversation
A single question or prompt rarely delivers perfect results out of the box. AI functions best interactively.
Think of AI tools as a collaborative partner – interact with it by offering feedback to the initial output as well as providing more details.
Tone down complexity. “Rewrite this for an audience with limited insurance knowledge.” “Explain this like I’m new.”
Change the format. “Make this shorter so I can use it as a voicemail script.”
Add new data points. “Consider XYZ with your next version.”
Ask follow-up questions. “What gaps do you see in this?” “What else would make this FAQ better?” “What other information do you need to answer my prompt?”
Visit our AI resources page to explore our list of AI-backed vendors and get more resources on using AI.
Simplify requests with prompt chaining
Prompt chaining, or creating a series of requests for the generative AI tool in a specific sequence, pays off by making sure the initial output is correct before moving on to the next step. Doing so reduces subsequent errors, helping to enhance overall AI-supported output.
For instance, a prompt chain could follow these steps to take you from A to Z with a project:
- Step 1: Write an article
- Step 2: Summarize it into talking points
- Step 3: From the talking points, create a phone script a customer service member could use to easily explain this concept to a customer
As another example, you can ask GenAI tools to:
- Step 1: Take information and generate FAQs
- Step 2: Turn the FAQs into troubleshooting checklists
- Step 3: Create training slides built off the checklist topics
Take the next steps
Make using AI a daily habit. Start small by asking for help with a simple task and let your comfort with AI solutions grow. Then, transition into more complex requests.
Always check the output. AI tools can fabricate information, so be sure to double-check the output. When using AI to generate content for marketing or communications, always include human review and approval as part of the process.
Craft and save your prompts. Make note of which prompts you are using consistently and create your own list for leveraging each day. Make yourself a cheat sheet by topic.
By tailoring how you communicate with AI tools through the right prompts, and according to your unique goals, you’ll unlock faster workflows, clearer client touchpoints, and free up time to focus on more human-centric work throughout your agency.
