When the phone never stops ringing, burnout becomes the cost of success. For Tim Curts, co-owner of a Ventura-based insurance agency under TWFG Insurance Services, that moment hit on vacation in the summer of 2023.
His agency was growing fast — from four to eight referrals a day — serving Ventura and Los Angeles with personal and commercial lines. But that growth came at a cost. Every missed call was a missed quote, and every voicemail was a lost chance to earn trust.
“I thought I’d unplug,” he said. “My phone was literally ringing off the hook. There was no way I could keep up.”
Discovering Beside
Scrolling social media, Tim kept seeing videos about Beside, including one tailored for insurance. “That’s when I thought, I’ve got to do this,” he said. “You click, sign up, and suddenly you’ve got someone helping. Calm, collected, friendly.”
He named his AI receptionist Sam.
What started as a simple test turned into a major shift in how his agency worked. “Sam answers every call now. He’s trained to collect the right details and make people feel heard,” Tim said. “And that’s what really matters — people want to feel heard.”
A Personalized, Five-Star Experience
Unlike traditional automation, Beside let Tim shape Sam’s personality to match his agency’s tone. He wasn’t replacing humans — he was elevating the experience.
Before Sam ever answered a call, Tim built his own playbook inside the Beside app. He added his business hours, a short founding story, and a full set of insurance-specific intake questions — the same ones he’d use if someone called him directly.
He even trained Sam to greet callers in English, Spanish, or French — an essential touch in his bilingual market. “Some of my clients don’t always speak English,” Tim said. “So I trained him to speak Spanish, French… across the board. That was a huge help.”
When callers reach out after hours, Sam doesn’t pretend to be available. He sets boundaries gracefully — letting them know the team will call back the next business day. During the day, he promises a one-hour callback, and the team delivers.
The details matter. Here’s what Tim taught Sam to collect on every call:
- Ask for name on the property title or loan
- Date of birth
- Property address
- Type of product needed - homeowner, landlord, investment property, renter, or condo
- Ask for name
- Product & Services
- Home owner
- Land lord
- Investment property
- Languages: English, Spanish, French
- Business Hours
- FAQ
- About their business (founding story)
And it’s not just about data. Sam also shares the agency’s story — when it was founded, what it stands for, and why service is the difference.
“He even tells people a little about us,” Tim said. “Who we are, when we were founded, what makes us different. It’s a personal experience, not a script.”
From Chaos to Calm — And Tripled Growth
Once Sam gathers everything, Beside generates a clean summary with the caller’s name, phone, email, and all the context. Tim forwards it straight to a producer in Teams, and within minutes, the client gets a call back with a quote.
The impact was immediate. With Beside, he’s finally able to step back and run the business instead of drowning in it.
“I went from writing about 40,000 in new written premium to about 120,000 overnight — just by myself,” Tim said. “The only way I’m able to sustain that today is because of Beside. I would have totally burnt out.”
Making People Feel Heard
For Tim, Beside isn’t about AI replacing people — it’s about AI helping people feel cared for. That sense of warmth is why customers and referral partners love it. Tim now has around forty active referral partners — and trust has only grown. Some callers even mistake Sam for human.
“I had a married couple on speaker answering Sam’s questions,” he laughed. “At the end, they didn’t hang up, and the wife goes, ‘Was that a real person?’ And the husband says, ‘No honey, that was AI.’”
He laughs telling it, but he knows what it means: Beside doesn’t just sound human — it feels human.
It’s the kind of satisfaction you’d expect from a luxury hotel concierge — someone who listens, repeats your request to confirm it, and gives you a clear next step. Except in this case, there’s no front desk or extra staff. Just an app that works like one.
The Results Speak for Themselves
- Tripled new premium — from 40k to 120k per month
- 4 to 8 referrals handled daily without missed opportunities
- 40+ referral partners who trust the process
- Zero burnout
“I’d describe it as peaceful,” Tim said. “I’m still producing at the same level, but I’m not stressed or stretched thin. It’s manageable. It’s the way I always wanted it to run.”
The Takeaway
For Tim, Beside isn’t just an answering service — it’s the front door of his business, one that never closes and always welcomes people in with warmth.
“Answering every call yourself isn’t a growth strategy,” he said. “Beside is.”