Case study
How an independent insurance agency hired a bilingual virtual assistant for customer service
A growing independent insurance agency needed reliable bilingual support for customer service, payments, document collection, and client follow-ups. The agency partnered with Global Squirrels to hire a full-time Spanish and English speaking virtual assistant from Mexico. Global Squirrels handled sourcing, screening, onboarding, payroll, and timesheets, while the agency retained control over daily tasks and performance.
Executive summary: Building more capacity for insurance customer service
An independent insurance agency serving clients through Farmers Insurance and other insurance carriers needed additional support for routine customer service work.
The agency’s team was spending time on tasks that were important to the client experience but did not require an insurance sales license. These included taking payments, calling clients for follow-ups, requesting missing documents, and reminding customers to complete required signatures.
The agency wanted to create additional capacity without requiring a licensed insurance professional for every customer interaction.
Language was also important. The agency served Spanish speaking clients and needed someone who could communicate confidently in both Spanish and English by phone and email.
Global Squirrels helped the agency define a full-time virtual customer service role focused on these recurring responsibilities. Mexico was selected as the preferred talent market because the agency wanted bilingual professionals who could work during the client’s normal business hours.
The agency selected the Orange Plan Freelancer model, with an expected monthly cost of approximately $1,500 to $1,700 depending on candidate experience.
The result was a dedicated remote support structure designed to handle recurring customer service tasks while the agency maintained direct control over the employee’s daily responsibilities and performance.
About client: Independent insurance agency
The challenge: Routine service work was taking time away from the agency
Insurance agencies manage a steady stream of customer requests after a policy is sold.
Payments need to be processed. Documents need to be collected. Signatures need to be completed. Customers need reminders and follow-ups. Questions arrive through phone and email.
For this independent agency, these activities created an opportunity to add operational support.
The agency wanted a professional office assistant who could take ownership of recurring customer service responsibilities while staying within a clearly defined scope.
The role did not require an insurance sales license.
Instead, the initial responsibilities focused on practical service activities such as taking client payments, contacting customers for follow-ups, requesting missing documents, and reminding customers about outstanding signatures.
This distinction was important. The agency could reserve licensed insurance staff for responsibilities requiring insurance expertise while assigning appropriate administrative and customer service work to the remote employee.
Language created another consideration.
Because the agency served Spanish speaking customers, English alone was not enough. The ideal candidate needed to communicate comfortably in Spanish and English across phone and email interactions.
The agency also wanted someone available full-time. Global Squirrels’ model required the employee to work 40 hours per week, providing dedicated capacity instead of a part-time resource splitting attention between clients.
The solution: A full-time bilingual customer service assistant from Mexico
Global Squirrels structured the hiring request around the agency’s actual customer service workflow.
The candidate profile focused on four core requirements:
Bilingual communication: The employee needed strong Spanish and English skills for phone and email communication.
Customer service experience: Candidates needed to demonstrate the ability to communicate professionally with customers and manage routine requests.
Administrative ability: The employee needed to handle payments, documentation, follow-ups, and other recurring office tasks accurately.
Remote work readiness: Candidates needed appropriate equipment and a reliable remote work setup.
Mexico became the preferred sourcing market because it provided access to bilingual talent while allowing the employee to work within the agency’s time zone.
Global Squirrels handled recruitment, candidate screening, payroll, and timesheet administration.
The agency retained control over the employee’s daily work, including training, task assignment, performance management, and the systems used to communicate with customers.
This division of responsibility allowed the agency to outsource the administrative side of employment while keeping operational control internally.
How the hiring process runs: From job request to customer service support
Step 1: Define the role
The agency submitted the job requirements, including bilingual communication, customer service experience, working hours, responsibilities, and preferred location.
The request specifically identified customer service tasks that did not require an insurance license.
Step 2: Source and screen candidates
Global Squirrels screened candidates based on communication ability, employment stability, relevant experience, and suitability for remote work.
Candidates were also evaluated for their ability to communicate effectively in both English and Spanish.
Step 3: Review three shortlisted profiles
Within approximately 3 to 4 business days after submitting the request, the agency could receive three prescreened candidate profiles for review.
Profiles included relevant candidate information to help the agency determine who should move forward to interviews.
Step 4: Conduct interviews
The agency retained control over candidate interviews.
This allowed the hiring team to evaluate communication style, customer service experience, professionalism, and overall fit before making a decision.
No payment was required before the agency selected a candidate.
Step 5: Approve the offer and onboarding
Once the preferred candidate was selected, the agency approved the offer and completed the onboarding process.
An onboarding deposit equal to approximately one month of the expected employment cost was required. The deposit could be used for applicable employment obligations and was refundable at the end of employment when no deductions applied.
Step 6: Manage daily work while Global Squirrels manages payroll
The employee worked 40 hours per week and became part of the agency’s daily workflow.
The agency managed responsibilities and performance, while Global Squirrels handled payroll and timesheet administration.
Results: More dedicated capacity for client service
The hiring model gave the insurance agency a dedicated resource for recurring customer service responsibilities.
Bilingual client communication
The agency gained access to a professional who could communicate with both English and Spanish speaking customers, expanding its ability to support its client base.
Dedicated 40 hour workweek
Instead of relying on occasional assistance, the agency established a full-time customer service resource dedicated to its operations.
More consistent follow-ups
Client calls, missing document requests, payment-related communication, and signature reminders could be assigned to one dedicated person instead of being distributed across the existing team.
Support without an insurance sales license
The role was designed around customer service and administrative responsibilities that did not require the employee to sell insurance or hold an insurance license.
This created a practical way to add support while keeping licensed responsibilities with the agency’s qualified insurance professionals.
Reduced HR and payroll workload
Global Squirrels managed recruitment, payroll, and timesheet administration, allowing the agency to focus its internal resources on customers and insurance operations.
A scalable starting point
The role could initially focus on basic customer service responsibilities and expand into higher-level tasks as the employee gained experience and demonstrated competency.
For an independent insurance agency, this created a flexible staffing model that could grow alongside the team’s needs.
Testimonial: Dedicated support for the work customers notice
Why insurance agencies choose Global Squirrels
Insurance agencies do not necessarily need another licensed salesperson every time their workload increases.
Sometimes the immediate need is operational.
Customers still need responses. Documents still need to be collected. Payments still need attention. Follow-ups still need to happen.
Global Squirrels helps insurance businesses build dedicated remote teams for customer service, administrative support, lead generation, appointment setting, and other recurring functions.
For this independent insurance agency, the hiring strategy focused on finding the right person for the work rather than requiring every responsibility to sit with a licensed insurance professional.
The agency could define the role, interview candidates, choose the final hire, and manage the employee directly.
Global Squirrels supported the recruitment and employment administration behind the scenes, including candidate sourcing, screening, onboarding, payroll, and timesheets.
The Mexico based hiring model also addressed an important operational requirement: bilingual communication during the agency’s normal working hours.
For insurance agencies serving diverse communities, bilingual customer service can make routine interactions easier for both employees and policyholders.
The broader lesson is simple. Not every task in an insurance agency requires a licensed professional. By separating customer service and administrative work from licensed insurance responsibilities, agencies can create additional capacity without unnecessarily expanding their core team.
Need bilingual support for your insurance agency?
Hire a dedicated remote professional to handle customer service, payment follow-ups, document collection, appointment scheduling, and administrative work while your licensed team focuses on insurance.