The operations description is the most important field on the ACORD 125 and 126 — and the most commonly done wrong. Underwriters use the description to assign class codes, identify exclusions, and decide whether to quote the account at all. A vague description forces underwriters to make assumptions, ask for clarification, or decline outright. Here is how to write one that works.
When an underwriter reads an operations description, they are answering three questions: What does this business do? What are the main sources of injury or damage? Is this a risk we want at the price we can charge?
A description like "general contractor" answers none of those questions. A description like "residential remodeling contractor — kitchens and bathrooms, no structural work, all work subcontracted to licensed trades, no new construction" answers all three.
For most commercial accounts, a good operations description covers:
• What the business sells, builds, or does — specifically, not generically • Whether work is residential or commercial • Any specialty or high-hazard operations (roofing, excavation, tree work, chemical handling) • Whether the business uses subcontractors, and if so, what kind • Geographic scope — local, regional, national, international • Number of employees and general size of the operation
"General contractor" — too broad. What trades? What types of projects? What size?
"Retail store" — what do you sell? Some products (firearms, alcohol, tobacco) require different underwriting.
"Consulting" — consulting on what? Business strategy is different from environmental consulting. The exposure is completely different.
"Services" — this tells the underwriter nothing. Every business provides services of some kind.
AgencyAssist breaks the operations description into a series of specific questions that clients can answer in plain language — no insurance knowledge required. The answers are combined into a properly formatted operations description that gives underwriters the specifics they need. Agents no longer have to rewrite vague client descriptions before submission.
AgencyAssist collects all the information covered here through a plain-English client intake link. No phone calls, no PDF forms, no missing fields — just a complete, submission-ready ACORD package.