NowCerts is a cloud-based AMS popular with smaller agencies for its affordability and ease of use. It covers policy management, certificate generation, and basic CRM well. Where it falls short is on the commercial lines side — specifically the intake and ACORD automation that agents writing commercial accounts need most. AgencyAssist is built to handle exactly that workflow.
No commercial-specific client intake
NowCerts does not provide a client-facing intake link that collects structured commercial underwriting data. Agents still gather information by phone and email, then manually enter it into the system. For commercial accounts, that intake process is the most time-consuming step in the workflow.
ACORD form completion is manual
While NowCerts can store policy data, it does not auto-generate completed ACORD forms from client intake responses. Agents fill in ACORD PDFs manually or download pre-populated partials that still require significant editing — particularly for GL, WC, and commercial property submissions.
Certificate generation vs. full submission workflow
NowCerts excels at certificate of insurance generation — a critical function for many agencies. But commercial submission prep is different: it requires ACORD 125, 126, 130, and supplementals built from structured intake data, with an underwriting summary and market submission tracking. That end-to-end workflow is not what NowCerts was designed for.
Priced and designed for small agency simplicity
NowCerts' strength — simplicity and affordability — is also a ceiling for commercial-focused agents. As commercial accounts require more structured data collection, industry-specific questions, and multi-market submission tracking, agents often find they need tools built specifically for commercial lines complexity.
→Commercial client intake link — clients complete structured questions on any device, no phone tag
→29 industry-specific templates capturing the right underwriting data for each business class
→ACORD 125, 126, and 130 auto-generated from intake — agents review, not re-key
→Carrier quote tracker: log premium, status, and notes per market per account
→Client status page from Received to Bound — clients check their own status without calling
→Renewal pre-fill: prior year data carries forward, clients confirm what changed
→Works alongside NowCerts for policy management — handles the intake layer NowCerts is missing
Feature
AgencyAssist
NowCerts
Commercial client intake link
✓
—
Industry-specific intake questions
✓ (29 templates)
—
ACORD 125/126/130 auto-fill from intake
✓
Manual entry
Carrier quote tracker
✓
Limited
Certificate of insurance generation
—
✓
Policy / document management
—
✓
Works alongside existing AMS
✓
N/A
Many agents use both. NowCerts handles policy management, COI generation, and renewals across their whole book. AgencyAssist handles commercial intake and ACORD generation for new and renewal commercial accounts. The two tools cover different parts of the workflow without replacing each other.