Insurance phone work is made of difficult moments. A policyholder phones about a premium that has gone up. A customer says they are thinking of cancelling. Someone is unsure whether a second product is worth it. These calls are hard to practise with a colleague, because colleagues know the policy wording and go easy on each other.
AI role-play tools offer another route: you speak with a simulated customer, then review the call. There are several kinds on the market, and they differ more than the marketing pages suggest. This guide gives you criteria to compare them, a trial plan, and a plain description of where DIRI AI fits. It is not a ranking of products, and it makes no claims about results.
Which calls are worth practising
Before comparing software, decide what you want agents to rehearse. For insurance teams the most useful scenarios are usually:
- Renewal calls, where the price has changed and the customer asks why.
- Cancellation or "I'm shopping around" calls, where the aim is to understand the reason, not to stop the customer leaving at any cost.
- Needs-analysis calls, where the agent asks about the customer's situation before offering anything. See insurance needs analysis steps.
- Cross-sell moments, where a second product is mentioned only when it fits.
- Upset-customer calls after a claim or a delay. See how to handle an angry caller.
Write down five or six of these in your own team's words. They become the test for any tool you trial.
Criteria for comparing tools
1. Is it real voice practice?
Some tools are text chat, some are recorded video answers, and some are live voice conversations. For phone roles, speaking aloud against a voice that interrupts and reacts is much closer to the job. Check whether the conversation is genuinely two-way or a set of fixed prompts you answer one by one.
2. Can you shape the scenario?
An insurance team needs its own situations: a renewal with a price rise, a customer who has been with you for years, a particular product line. Check how scenarios are created, how much setup it takes, and whether you can change the customer's mood and objections.
3. What does the feedback look like?
Look at a sample report. Does it point to moments in the call, or just give a score? Evidence you can reread, such as what was said and where it went wrong, is more useful than a number. Our note on feedback evidence explains why.
4. How does it handle compliance-sensitive content?
Insurance has regulated wording, disclosures and sales rules that vary by country. No practice tool replaces your compliance team. Ask how scenarios are written, who controls the content, and how your internal rules can be built into the practice. Have compliance review any scripts before they are used for training.
5. How easy is it to start?
A tool nobody opens is worth nothing. Check sign-up steps, whether a card is needed, and how long a single practice takes. Short sessions are easier to fit into a working day. See ten-minute call practice.
6. Data and privacy
Ask what happens to recordings and transcripts, where data is stored, and who on your team can see an agent's practice calls. Agents practise better when they know the sessions are for learning, not for performance review. Check how the vendor handles this, and read their privacy documentation yourself.
7. Cost and commitment
Compare plans, seat prices and contract length, and find out whether you can try before committing. Prices change, so confirm them on each vendor's own site.
A one-week trial plan
- Pick three scenarios from your list, such as a renewal price rise, a cancellation call and a cross-sell.
- Choose two or three agents of different experience levels.
- Have each agent do one short call per scenario and read the feedback.
- Ask the agents whether the AI customer felt realistic, whether the feedback was fair, and whether they would use it again.
- Ask a team lead whether the reports show anything they could coach on.
- Decide on the evidence, not the demo.
Where DIRI AI fits
DIRI AI is a voice practice tool. The agent speaks with an AI that plays the customer in a prepared situation, then gets a report on the call. It is built for the kind of spoken, interruptible practice described above, and it can run a renewal or cancellation scenario like the ones in the trial plan.
You can try it without a procurement process. The Free plan costs nothing, needs no card, and includes 3 voice calls a month of up to five minutes each. That is enough for each agent to run the three scenarios in the trial plan above once. Look at the sample dialogues and the pricing page. For an overview of tool categories, see how to choose AI sales role-play software.
What AI practice does not replace
AI role-play is rehearsal. It does not replace a licensed adviser's training, product knowledge, compliance sign-off or real coaching conversations. Treat it as a way to get more repetitions of hard moments before the live call. For ideas on pairing practice with coaching, see manager weekly call coaching and insurance phone sales practice.
Related: Renewal and upsell call practice, AI role-play vs practising with a colleague.
FAQ
What should an insurance team look for in AI role-play software?
Real voice practice, scenarios you can shape, useful feedback with evidence, a clear approach to compliance and data, and an easy start.
Can AI role-play replace compliance training?
No. It gives extra rehearsal. Regulated wording and sales rules should come from your compliance team.
How can we trial a tool quickly?
Pick three scenarios, have two or three agents try one call each, and gather their and their lead's views after a week.
Is there a free way to try DIRI AI?
Yes. The Free plan includes 3 voice calls a month of up to five minutes each, with no card needed.