Partial renewals: client retention versus policy retention

A client can renew property through the agency and move commercial auto elsewhere. A client-retention rate may still count that relationship as retained, while policy and income measures show a material loss. The agency needs a classification that exposes partial losses without calling every policy movement a lost client.

Define the data before the metric

One row represents: one client renewal review covering a defined set of due policy terms, with each term's outcome attached.

Useful fields: Client ID, due term ID, line, prior agency income, renewed term link, outcome, decision cutoff and client-level retention class.

First define which due terms belong in the client's review window. Classify a client as fully retained only when all included terms satisfy the retention rule, partially retained when some do, and lost when none do. Keep unresolved terms separate. Link to the existing KPI definitions rather than inventing a second overall renewal-rate standard.

Worked example

The following records and amounts are invented to show the method. They are not customer results, industry benchmarks or a forecast of Covirage performance.

Four of seven policies renew, so policy retention is 57.1%. Two of three client relationships retain at least one included policy, or 66.7%, but only one is fully retained. These denominators answer different questions. The income on B's lost policies should remain visible despite B being an active client.

Use the result in a review

1. Place the partial-retention count beside the broad client-retention measure in account reviews.
2. Inspect which lines moved away and whether the agency knows the reason, without presuming that every line should be sold back.
3. Show the prior income attached to lost terms so the agency can prioritize investigation by commercial significance.

Checks before publishing

• Ensure each due term belongs to one client review window and is not counted again in overlapping calendars.
• Document how pending terms affect client-level classification rather than treating them as renewed.
• Reconcile client classes to the due client population and term outcomes to the due term population separately.

Where this analysis can mislead

A policy not renewed through the agency may no longer be needed or may have been replaced by another arrangement. Partial loss is a reporting outcome, not automatic evidence of a service failure or an appropriate cross-sell opportunity.

Explore this question with your own data

Bring a small, authorized sample to Covirage for insurance agencies and brokers. Use the sample to discuss the fields and views your business needs. A dashboard or AI analyst can help explore this question when the required data and definitions are available; missing records still need to be resolved.

Upload sample data to check its structure. Keep unnecessary personal, claims and policyholder details out of an initial sample. The sample check does not establish that every analysis in this guide is available automatically.

Related guides

• Define renewal status snapshots that do not rewrite history
• Forecast pending renewal income with explicit scenarios
• Commercial insurance broker KPIs

Reference context

These references provide terminology or governance background. The worked example and proposed review method above are original illustrations, not prescribed industry standards.

• Insurance terminology
• Insurance context