CrankWheel Urges Insurance Agencies to Cut Sales Friction Ahead of Open Enrollment Peak

CrankWheel, a browser-based screen sharing platform built for sales teams, is urging insurance agencies to evaluate their sales technology now before open enrollment volume peaks. Open enrollment is one of the most demanding sales periods of the year for insurance agencies. Agencies that fail to remove sales technology friction risk losing enrollments at the very moment a prospect is ready to act.

Open enrollment compresses an enormous amount of sales activity into a short window. Agents handle back-to-back conversations with consumers comparing plans, reviewing benefits, and completing applications.

A five- or ten-minute technology delay does not just affect one customer, it pushes every subsequent appointment behind schedule, reducing the total number of people an agent can help in a day. Agencies that identify and resolve these friction points before call volumes surge will be far better positioned to maintain momentum throughout the season.

"Open enrollment puts enormous pressure on insurance teams to move quickly, but speed means very little if customers get stuck navigating the technology," said Birta Bjargardóttir, COO at CrankWheel. "When someone is ready to compare plans, review coverage, or complete an application, agents should be able to show them exactly what they need to see in that moment. The agencies that prepare now to remove downloads, scheduling delays, and unnecessary technical hurdles will be in a much better position to turn more conversations into completed enrollments."

A core challenge for many agencies is that their current collaboration tools were not designed for insurance sales. Video conferencing and team collaboration platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams were built around scheduled corporate meetings and internal collaboration. Insurance sales conversations operate differently.

A consumer may already be speaking with an agent by phone when a question arises about a plan, a quote, or an application. Requiring that customer to switch communication channels, download software, or join a separate scheduled meeting introduces unnecessary interruption. And during open enrollment, those interruptions are especially costly.

Research supports the urgency of this issue. According to the Owl Labs 2024 State of Hybrid Work report, 72% of workers have lost time due to technical difficulties during virtual meetings. Separately, research published in the journal Nature found that even brief video glitches can negatively affect a viewer's willingness to work with a salesperson.

CrankWheel is purpose-built for situations where a salesperson is already on a call and needs to show something immediately. Agents can initiate a screen share during an existing phone conversation and deliver a viewing link by text or email in seconds.

Customers open the link instantly in their browser—no software downloads, no account creation, no scheduling a follow-up meeting. CrankWheel works across smartphones, tablets, and computers, including iOS devices such as iPhones and iPads. Agents can walk customers through quotes, plan comparisons, and enrollment forms in real time, and can enable remote control when a customer needs hands-on assistance completing an application.

The business case is straightforward. Every additional touchpoint between the initial conversation and a completed enrollment creates an opportunity for the process to stall. With CrankWheel's instant screen sharing, an agent can discuss a plan, visually walk through the options, answer questions, and help complete the application.