When Canal Insurance, a legacy-rich commercial auto insurer, set out to replace outdated manual workflows with a modern CRM, they didn’t just need software — they needed a systems partner. As a net-new HubSpot customer, Canal selected Learners.ai to architect and implement an enterprise-wide deployment from scratch — across General Agency Distribution Channel, Marketing, Service, and Ops.
The result? A fully integrated, insight-rich system that unified policy workflows, broker servicing, and telematics support — while slashing onboarding time by 60% and reducing manual handoffs by over 90%.
Before Learners.ai
Before the rebuild, Canal’s internal systems were disjointed and difficult to scale:
Disparate Systems
Data lived across Less Annoying CRM, PLM spreadsheets, Guidewire, and email inboxes — with no unified source of truth.
Manual Onboarding
Each new policy required over 10 manual steps — from tracking UPS shipments to triggering JotForm emails and coordinating billing confirmations.
Unstructured Customer Support
Without a formal helpdesk, support requests were buried in Outlook inboxes with no SLA visibility.
Disconnected Marketing
General Agents couldn’t be segmented or targeted, leaving renewals, onboarding, and communication campaigns underleveraged.
The Challenge
Canal’s business had outgrown the patchwork of disconnected tools used to manage new policy onboarding and broker relationships. Telematics workflows were fragmented. SLA tracking was manual. Support teams lacked visibility into policy status or ticket ownership.
They needed a connected system that:
- Centralized policy onboarding, quoting, and SLA compliance
- Streamlined General Agent engagement
- Integrated with legacy systems (like policy admin and telematics tools)
- Equipped support teams with real-time insights
And they needed it fast — without disrupting operations or overcomplicating adoption.
The Solution
Learners.ai led a full-stack HubSpot Enterprise rollout, implementing:
- Marketing Hub Enterprise for onboarding journeys and producer lifecycle campaigns
- Sales Hub Enterprise for pipeline design, SLA workflows, and quoting automation
- Service Hub Enterprise for intake routing, ticketing, and resolution tracking
- Operations Hub Professional for syncing data, managing integrations, and automation governance
Our team delivered:
- Automated onboarding flows with tailored email journeys for brokers, insureds, and producers
- Agent service dashboards displaying real-time quoting and onboarding status
- Integrated SLA tracking to ensure timely response and resolution
- AI powered automations to reduce repetitive manual tasks and eliminate 8+ handoffs
- Custom objects to support complex policy onboarding and telematics processes
Key Systems Integrated & Replaced
Replaced
- Less Annoying CRM (retired as Canal’s CRM of record)
- Manual PLM and General Agent onboarding spreadsheets
- Shared inboxes and siloed policy status tracking
Integrated
- Guidewire (policy admin + claims data sync)
- Telematics platforms (device deployment & status tracking)
- Document signature and intake portals
- Internal email routing and SLA compliance systems
Results
- 60% reduction in new policy onboarding time
- 90% decrease in manual handoffs across SLA workflows
- 80% automation of repeatable tasks across onboarding and support
- 100% visibility into broker onboarding and quoting status
Canal’s support, sales, and marketing teams now operate from a single pane of glass — with clear accountability, faster resolutions, and actionable insights.
Strategic Takeaway
This project marked more than a tech upgrade — it was a full-stack operational redesign. With Learners.ai, Canal replaced fragmented workflows with a unified, insight-rich CRM system that now supports broker growth, policy intake, and customer service at scale.
Executive Reflection
"Canal now has a connected CRM foundation that supports not just our operations — but our General Agents, our customers, and our growth. Learners.ai understood our needs from day one, and helped us transform complex processes into automated, trackable workflows."
— Laura Beth, Vice President
