Overview

For more than 25 years, Kevin Panter Insurance has been serving families and businesses in Georgia. Founded by Kevin Panter and now joined by his son Austin, the family agency has grown to $19 million in premium, with a focus on personal lines, commercial policies, life insurance, and Medicare.

Based in Blue Ridge, Georgia, with a newly opened office in Ellijay, the agency specializes in short-term rentals, secondary homes, main street businesses, contractors, and traditional home and auto. With more than 15 in-office staff and additional remote team members, they continue to expand into new markets while staying true to their client-first philosophy.

But with growth came a familiar problem: collecting accurate, complete client information quickly and efficiently.

The Challenge

Before adopting Canopy Connect, the team struggled with slow and fragmented data collection:

• Manual follow-up: Chasing down driver’s licenses, policy numbers, and documents.
  
  
• Delays: Waiting days for prospects to email over information.
  
  
• Lost opportunities: Missing policies that weren’t disclosed in initial conversations.
  
  

Client frustration: Prospects often avoided switching carriers because of the hassle of gathering information.

“One client told me the only reason he never switched carriers before was because it was too hard to gather all the information. Canopy Connect solved that.”
Austin Panter, Kevin Panter Insurance

The Canopy Connect Solution

Kevin Panter Insurance adopted Canopy Connect in 2021 to remove one of the biggest bottlenecks in their new business process—collecting client data. Now, every producer uses their own unique Canopy Connect link, ensuring that all the information flows directly to the right person. The agency also features a general link on their website so new inquiries can be routed to the right team member automatically.

From day one, the team made it a priority to present Canopy Connect as a benefit to clients, not just an internal tool. They position it as a fast, secure way to save time, telling clients: “This will save you time. It only takes about 30 to 45 seconds.” That simple framing has helped drive high adoption rates across their customer base.

When clients raise questions about security or technology, the team is ready. They explain that the process is encrypted, secure, and quick.

Beyond saving time, Canopy Connect has helped the agency uncover hidden opportunities. What starts as a simple home and auto quote often reveals additional lines of business, like boats, second homes, or umbrella policies, that clients might not have mentioned otherwise.

Adoption Across the Agency

Even the longest-tenured staff have embraced the platform:

“We have a 25-year veteran who’s always done things her way. She loves Canopy Connect now—it’s made her job easier and helped her win new business.”
Austin Panter, Kevin Panter Insurance

Surprisingly, adoption has been high across all demographics. Austin notes that even older clients with AOL emails are completing the process successfully.

Results

With Canopy Connect, the agency has seen measurable improvements:

• Cut quote turnaround time dramatically — no more waiting a day or more for documents; client data comes back within minutes.
  
  
• Increased new business volume — more opportunities handled simultaneously.
  
  
• Cross-sell growth — uncovering secondary homes, boats, and umbrellas.
  
  
• Commercial opportunities unlocked — Canopy Connect even delivered commercial loss runs that won the agency new accounts.
  
  
• Lead nurturing — if a client doesn’t place business immediately, the team saves coverages and expiration dates to remarket the following year.
  
  
• Streamlined workflows — integrations with HawkSoft and EZLynx make it easy to get client data into the agency’s systems.

“It has cut down our response time and quote turnaround time. We can handle more volume, and even for prospects we don’t win right away, we save their data and remarket at renewal. It’s been a great tool on multiple fronts.”
Austin Panter, Kevin Panter Insurance

Success Stories

Referral win: A client who switched carriers because of Canopy Connect later referred a landlord friend. That referral turned into an account with 7–8 rental homes, personal lines, and umbrella coverage—10 to 12 policies in total.

Unexpected commercial win: A personal lines client connected their carrier and, to the team’s surprise, Canopy Connect delivered their entire commercial package and loss runs—a near-impossible task without technology.

Looking Ahead

With a brand-new office in Ellijay, Kevin Panter Insurance is poised for further growth. Canopy Connect will play a central role in winning new clients and expanding market share.

The agency also continues to encourage other agencies to try it.

“Give it a try. Talk to your staff about why it helps them. Sell it to clients as a time-saver. Even the people who were set in their ways at our agency now say they wouldn’t go back. It’s been a tremendous success for us.”
Austin Panter, Kevin Panter Insurance

For Kevin Panter Insurance, speed, accuracy, and client experience are critical. Canopy Connect delivers all three, making it easier to write more business, uncover new opportunities, and grow into new markets.

“Of all the tools we’ve adopted, Canopy Connect has been the single best one. It saves time for us, it saves time for the client, and it helps us grow.”
Austin Panter, Kevin Panter Insurance