The insurance landscape is evolving faster than ever before, marked by heightened competition, shifting customer expectations, and accelerated digital transformation. Yet, even as new technologies and innovative solutions flood the market, a persistent disconnect remains: carriers often need help understanding what solution providers genuinely bring to the table. In contrast, solution providers frequently misread the specific challenges that carriers face. This lack of alignment can lead to wasted resources, underutilized solutions, and missed opportunities for genuine innovation.
I’ve spent over three decades working across both sides of this equation—on the business side of significant carriers and later guiding solution providers in refining their market approaches to solve complex challenges faced by carriers. These experiences have given me a front-row seat to the friction points and breakthroughs defining the carrier-provider relationship. I’ve witnessed carriers protect their pain points as if they were trade secrets and solution providers pitch generic offerings without fully grasping the underlying problems. But I’ve also seen how transparent communication and shared goals can turn a fragmented process into a fruitful, long-term partnership.
The purpose of this article is clear: to illuminate the root causes of this disconnect and offer practical strategies for building more effective, mutually beneficial relationships. By bridging the chasm between carriers and solution providers, we can move beyond short-term transactions and toward meaningful collaborations that deliver lasting value.
The Power of Partnership: Enhancing Carrier-Provider Relationships
Today’s insurance marketplace is brimming with innovative solutions, yet carriers often struggle to identify which tools will truly advance their strategies. Overwhelmed by similar-sounding pitches, they hesitate to share the very pain points that would help solution providers tailor practical approaches. This reluctance may shield carriers’ competitive advantages in the short term but also lead to misaligned pilots, unrealized investments, and underutilized solutions.
From the solution provider perspective, the challenge lies in moving beyond generic product demonstrations to understanding carriers’ specific business contexts. Without that insight, even the most cutting-edge technologies risk being seen as interchangeable commodities.
While these disconnects persist, there’s a growing recognition that alignment is possible on both sides. With greater openness from carriers and more profound research by solution providers, what feels like a fragmented market can transform into a dynamic ecosystem of true partnerships.
The current dynamic offers both opportunity and risk from the carriers’ perspective. While exercising caution in revealing internal pain points feels like a strategic move—preventing sensitive insights from reaching competitors—this guarded approach can create its own challenges. It can slow and elongate the evaluation process, leaving carriers sifting through numerous proposals without a clear framework to determine the proper fit. In some cases, carriers find themselves locked in cycles of incremental trials that fail to produce meaningful results. Ultimately, by not articulating their challenges and broader strategic goals, carriers risk settling for solutions that underdeliver and inhibit the very transformation they seek.
From the solution provider’s perspective, the environment can feel like a maze of guesswork and incomplete information. Eager to demonstrate their capabilities, they often walk into discussions uncertain about the carrier’s long-term strategies or most pressing operational hurdles. The result? Pitches that sound generic because they must be all things to all carriers, and pilots that never progress beyond initial trials due to misalignment with unspoken goals. Without a roadmap of clearly defined challenges, solution providers invest heavily in development and proof-of-concept stages, only to discover too late that their offerings miss the mark. By lacking direct insight into what carriers truly need, solution providers struggle to prove their unique value, transform from vendor to trusted partner, and ultimately deliver the measurable outcomes that could reshape the insurance ecosystem.
A more collaborative future hinges on mutual openness and intentional alignment. Carriers can begin by clearly communicating the “why” behind their initiatives, offering solution providers the foundational insights needed to shape offerings that matter. In parallel, solution providers should invest the effort to deeply understand the carrier’s environment—its workflows, challenges, and target outcomes—so they can propose not just technology, but true solutions. Instead of viewing each other as adversaries playing a zero-sum game, carriers and solution providers can recognize that, when in sync, they form an ecosystem where both sides benefit. This reciprocity reduces wasteful pilots, streamlines processes, and ultimately leads to delivering measurable impact—creating partnerships defined by shared success rather than transactional exchanges.
Practical playbooks offer a blueprint for translating good intentions into measurable action. For carriers, that might mean starting internal dialogues to clarify top priorities and sharing them transparently with prospective partners. This involves setting clear metrics to define success, framing pain points in terms of desired outcomes, and viewing solution providers as strategic collaborators rather than just vendors. On the solution provider side, the playbook includes doing deeper research before any pitch, actively listening to carriers’ unique contexts, and customizing solutions to align with the carrier’s highest-value opportunities. It also means delivering ongoing transparency—communicating realistic timelines, clear ROI metrics, and phased implementation plans. By following these practical steps, both carriers and solution providers can break through traditional silos and forge relationships defined by trust, efficacy, and sustainable innovation.
Bridging the chasm between carriers and solution providers is not simply about exchanging more data or running additional proofs of concept; it’s about changing the nature of the relationship itself.
The Bottom Line
In closing, Carriers who share their strategic challenges and desired outcomes help solution providers become partners—contributors who understand the “why” behind the need and are better positioned to deliver lasting value. In turn, solution providers who invest in understanding their carrier clients’ environments can differentiate themselves by meeting carriers where they are, both operationally and strategically.
We stand at a pivotal moment. With the industry in constant flux—driven by evolving customer expectations, regulatory pressures, and technological advancement—both sides have much to gain from working more transparently and collaboratively. By breaking down the silos, aligning on goals, and committing to ongoing dialogue, carriers and solution providers can transform fragmented efforts into a coordinated march toward true innovation, resilience, and growth in the insurance ecosystem.
It takes effort, trust, and a willingness to let go of old habits, but the rewards are well worth it. Together, carriers and solution providers can move beyond transactional arrangements and build long-term partnerships that foster continuous improvement and industry-wide evolution.
About Kerry Macca
Kerry has over three decades of Property and Casualty insurance and enterprise software sales experience. With a proven track record in tackling complex industry challenges Kerry has led digital advancement across the entire industry from underwriting to claims. She has earned acclaim for her adeptness in driving growth through business strategy and customizing sales strategies across diverse landscapes, including startups, solution
Kerry has over three decades of Property and Casualty insurance
and enterprise software sales experience. With a proven track
record in tackling complex industry challenges Kerry has led
digital advancement across the entire industry from underwriting
to claims. She has earned acclaim for her adeptness in driving
growth through business strategy and customizing sales
strategies across diverse landscapes, including startups, solution
