When Zach Vollmer joined
Victor as an underwriter, the route to becoming a successful insurance agent was largely trial-and-error or the result of family succession. New entrants were expected to learn on the fly—navigating fragmented markets, building carrier relationships from scratch, and guessing their way through risk classification.
Today with nearly 20 years of experience under his belt, Vollmer leads digital distribution for Victor’s Small Business segment, and he’s helping redefine what early-career support should look like in an industry that is simultaneously automating and fragmenting. Agents still need access to markets, but the industry’s emphasis on speed and scale has created a gap where brokers—especially those early in their careers—are often left to figure things out without the support they need.
Victor is leaning into something less scalable but arguably more valuable: mentorship, market guidance, and actual human support. The company’s open brokerage model, combined with its hands-on training and risk education tools, is designed to remove barriers for new agents—without removing the human beings behind the process.
Access alone, Vollmer argues, isn’t enough. For most agents starting out, carrier appointments are the first hurdle. While some appointments come with meaningful support, others require volume commitments, background checks, and long wait times—an uphill battle for someone with no book of business.
Victor’s open brokerage model sidesteps much of that. Agents gain access to over 25 markets through a single relationship. There are no premium minimums, and access is measured in days, not months.
“The traditional path to carrier access is fragmented and full of friction,” Vollmer says. “We’ve taken that complexity off the table so agents can focus on learning their craft and serving clients. Victor has developed those carrier relationships already.
“So rather than building 10 relationships to quote 10 carriers, agents work with us and get access through one streamlined channel.”
But access, he noted, is only part of the equation. What agents do with that access—and how they’re supported in the process—is where real differentiation happens.
A common source of early missteps for agents is risk classification.
With small commercial risks, say a restaurant that transitions into a dance club after service hours, the line between categories can be thin but meaningful. Classify it incorrectly, and coverage gaps, premium disputes, or even denied claims may follow.
The firm has seen this play out repeatedly, especially when agents struggle to classify risks correctly. Take a plant nursery that also offers landscaping services. Is it a nursery or a landscaper? It makes a material difference in coverage. “We’ll often spot those errors before the policy is bound,” he says. “And we take the time to explain why.”
Victor sees thousands of such applications annually and has built a system designed to catch those problems before they reach the policy stage. “Our underwriters and business development managers know the markets and the risks,” Vollmer says. “Sometimes it’s about correcting the application. Sometimes it’s about calling the agent and walking them through it.”
That approach—collaborative, not punitive—is central to Victor’s ethos. In addition to live support, the firm has built a library of proprietary content and risk advisory tools, including a New Agent Success Toolkit launching soon that will help brokers early in their careers understand the differences between appointment models, how to assess risk exposures, and how to talk coverage with small business owners.
One of the trends Vollmer is closely watching—and designing for—is the accelerated growth of the non-admitted market. As traditional carriers tighten capacity or exit certain sectors, demand for E&S solutions is rising. For new brokers, however, navigating non-admitted products can be daunting.
The emergence of aggregator platforms and digital-first MGAs has reshaped the distribution landscape, especially for agents looking for speed and scale. These platforms often promise fast quotes, wide market access, and end-to-end automation. But Vollmer argues that such platforms aren’t built for every agent—especially those new to the business.
“They’re efficient, but not always supportive,” he says. “If an agent has a question mid-application, there’s no one on the other end. That might save costs for the platform, but it creates risk for the agent.”
Victor’s quoting platforms,
Victor for Agents and
, offer streamlined access but are layered with service. Agents can live-chat with underwriting experts, speak directly to business development managers, or leverage integrated AI tools like ICAT’s ChatCat for real-time answers. The model is designed to flex: low-touch for agents who want speed, and high-touch for those who still need guidance.
This dual approach also reflects broader generational shifts in the agent population. “We have seasoned producers who still want to email PDFs,” Vollmer says. “And we have new agents who’ve never touched a paper application. Our job is to support both.”
Looking ahead, Vollmer expects the insurance environment to become more—not less—complex. Regulatory scrutiny is rising. Non-admitted markets are gaining traction. And artificial intelligence is beginning to influence everything from submission intake to coverage analysis.
But even as these tools mature, he believes the agent’s role is far from obsolete. “Technology will take the heavy lifting out of operations,” he says. “But it won’t replace judgment. It won’t replace advocacy. And it won’t replace the confidence that comes from knowing someone has your back.”
That’s why Victor isn’t just investing in quoting engines. It’s investing in agent education, mentorship, and long-term relationships.
“The industry keeps talking about digital transformation,” Vollmer says. “But transformation only works if people are brought along with it. Especially the new ones.”
