Applied Systems Client Network SEMINAR HANDOUT Commercial Lines Workflows
Prepared for ASCnet Applied Systems Client Network 801 Douglas Avenue #205 Altamonte Springs, FL 32714 Phone: 407-869-0404 Fax: 407-869-0418 Copyright 2008 by Applied Systems Client Network, Inc. (ASCnet), 801 Douglas Avenue #205, Altamonte Springs, FL 32614. Protection claimed in all forms and matters of copyrightable material and information now allowed by law or hereafter granted including both electronic and conventional distribution of herein products. Reproduction or transmission unless authorized by ASCnet is prohibited. All rights reserved. Specific product information regarding Applied Systems The Agency Manager and Vision, as well as other products copyrighted and mentioned within (ex: Microsoft, Excel, etc.) are the product of the individual company and no endorsement or ownership of product should be implied by its mention and use. All workflows are suggested and common workflows. Users of this material agree that ASCnet cannot be held liable for any omissions or errors within the guide. Original Author: Marcia Priest of AB Solutions, Inc. Updated By: Marcia Priest AB Solutions, Inc. 2
Objective: This class focuses on renewals and endorsements for commercial lines service personnel. Focus is placed where users commonly misunderstand or fail to take advantage of TAM's functionality. Renewals - including future applications, moving future apps to current, and history naming Endorsements - including the use of the Acord Commercial lines Change Request Assumptions: This seminar is based on the following TAM Version 10.x Microsoft Word Version 2007 Table of Contents Workflows and Procedures in General... 4 Renewals... 4 Procedure Steps... 4 Expiration Reports... 5 Strategy Meeting:... 5 Updated Client Information... 5 Order Loss Runs... 6 Future Applications, Moving Future Apps to Current, and History Naming Workflow.. 6 Prepare Proposal... 9 Order coverage bound, pend for receipt of policy... 9 Confirm with Client... 9 Receive and check policy... 10 Forward policy to Customer... 10 Endorsements... 11 Procedure Steps... 11 Acord Commercial Lines Change Request Workflow... 11 Change Request Setup... 14 3
Workflows and Procedures in General For any work done in your office, you should have written procedures in place for the steps in each process that you consider being required. This document should make clear who is responsible for each step in the process (i.e. Producer, CSR, Assistant, Accounting, etc.), and include how the work gets passed from person to person. Your documentation also should include which activity code in TAM applies for each step in your process. Processes will be different for each agency and within the agency there may be different processes depending upon the type of client (i.e.: special consideration for Tier A customers) or type of policy (download versus non-download). Everyone in your agency should be using the same set of rules for your workflows, so you need to make sure they are well documented. In this seminar we are going to concentrate on the specifics of some of the pieces that you might use as a part of your procedures for the workflows of Renewals and Endorsements for commercial lines. Renewals Procedure Steps Sample steps you may include in your process: Distribute Expiration List or initiate an EXDT activity for each renewal policy Strategy Meeting, Producer/CSR review Obtain or requested updated information from client, how do you do this? Future App, letter, phone call, Summary of Insurance Order loss runs Create Future application and update with new information. Assemble materials and send to carriers for quoting, or quote in house or online Receive results of quoting process and analyze results Prepare proposal Make sale Update future applications with any changes and move future applications to current Name application history Update billing screen with other changes Order coverage bound, pend for receipt of policy Send binder, certs, auto IDs, invoice and letter to customer confirming Receive and check policy Forward policy to customer 4
Expiration Reports Some of the things to consider about Expiration Reports: Who runs the expiration report: anyone, department manager, systems administrator? When it is run, how is it distributed? Is it Hard Copy, Excel File, or just an EXDT activity that appears on Home Base? What is the time frame for running the report; is it 120 days ahead of expiration, or 90? Is there some sort of cleanup report run for a prior term to be sure that everything was renewed or updated to a lapsed or cancelled status? Strategy Meeting: What are your agency rules for this process? Consider: Time frame either after expiration report is available or the number of days before the expiration Is there a premium level or type of business where a meeting is not needed? Is it done once per month, week, or on an individual client by client basis? In person or by some other means? Who participates in any meetings? Producers, Marketing, CSRs, Assistants? Updated Client Information What is your method for obtaining renewal information from the client (or do you not for certain lines of business)? What are your rules for this step? Some possibilities are: Create and use a Future Application for data collection by visit or phone call, by Producer or by CSR Create and use a Summary of Insurance, to send with Producer or CSR on a visit, to use as the basis of a phone call, or to even send to the client for their review. Send a letter or email requesting updated information Make a Phone call (who does and how documented?) What do you do when the client returns the information? What if they do not respond, what rules apply in that instance? 5
Summary of Insurance Summary of Insurance is one of the tools we have available, but there are a few things to remember: You must access Summary Setup and answer the questions there depending upon your needs. Whatever options you choose here will remain for all clients until you change your settings again. You are able to include all policies or select the policy or policies you wish to include. You may choose to use current apps or future apps. There are 3 possible outputs: o o o To the Console (for viewing) To the Printer (where it can be printed to fax@vantage or PDF if needed for faxing or emailing rather than sending) To a File, this creates a Word document attached to the customer that can be edited further. Order Loss Runs Are they needed? If so how do you obtain them? Future Applications, Moving Future Apps to Current, and History Naming Workflow Future applications available in TAM are a very useful tool for any non-downloaded policies. Even for automatic renewals, future applications can be created, updated with the changes, and then saved to current, naming history and updating the billing screen with the updated term all in one process. Please see next two pages. 6
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Discussion and Considerations for Future Applications: Future Applications can only be used with Acord Applications, and not with Custom Dec pages. Even if a Future Application for marketing is not needed, consider using future applications for non-downloaded automatic renewals, as it does take care of the saving to history and the partial update of billing screens. It also uses the same process for the renewal, no matter the renewal method. Remember if you process a change request after setting up a future application, only the current application will be updated with changes. You must manually update the future application(s) as well. Discussion and Considerations for History Naming: Consider creating agency standards for the naming of History and use them to help eliminate confusion and create consistency. Start your history description with an abbreviation such as B4(before) or PT(Prior to). If TAM tells you that history already exists on a given date, it is okay to select the option to replace it. TAM does not delete the original history item; it simply marks it so that users will know that there is another more current history item out there. Prepare Proposal Having Proposals that will merge data from your future applications is the most efficient method for creating a presentation for your client and also leaves the least room for error. Proposal templates should be created for all of your lines of business so that you as end users do not need to spend a lot of your time editing the document once it is merged. Should you wish to, proposal templates for many commercial Acord form applications may be obtained from www.absolutionsinc.com in the downloads area, free of charge, with instructions on how to install them on your TAM system. These documents are provided with most of the data integration in place, and you are free to customize those documents and make them your own. Order coverage bound, pend for receipt of policy How do you do this, via paper, fax, or email? Is there is a specific document or format to use? What is the Activity code used and how long do you pend it for? What do you do if the confirmation and/or policy is not received when the pend date is reached? Confirm with Client Do you send a binder, and if so is it an Acord binder that you issue or one that you receive from your carrier or broker? Do you create and send certs, auto IDs, or an invoice (if agency bill) and letter or thank you to your customer confirming? 9
Receive and check policy Who does this, the CSR/Account Manager or Assistant? What are your rules for checking the policy? Do you have a checklist or a specific process? What do you check the policy against, the TAM app, the original quote, the bind request? What do you do if the policy is incorrect? Do you have any special indication that the policy was incorrect and if so how is that recorded? Do you go ahead and order the change and send it to the client with an explanation? Forward policy to Customer If the client s copy of the policy is received, what is the method for getting it to the client? Is it different based upon premium size, client, is it determined during your strategy meeting or upon binding? What if the Producer is going to deliver the policy, do the rules change? 10
Endorsements In order to use TAM correctly, keeping your applications up to date is NOT optional. One of the most effective methods of doing that is to always use the Acord Change Request form and update your applications at the same time. Procedure Steps Client reports that a change is needed, collect data needed for change, possibly asking client to confirm in writing Order change with carrier, pend for receipt of endorsement If Online entry what are the steps? If Downloaded policy, do you update the apps now or wait for download? If non-download, complete Acord Change Request Form, save current app to history labeling appropriately for change, and confirm that application has updated. Check other policies for this client to confirm that no additional changes are needed When endorsement is received, check for accuracy Send endorsement to client if insured s copy of the endorsement is received. Acord Commercial Lines Change Request Workflow Step by Step: 1. Pick the policy screen for the coverage line to be amended, or if it is for more than one, pick the package line. 2. Options, Change Request 3. Say Yes to the Is this a new Change Request question OR if a Change Request is visible (which is a prior one), select File and New. 4. Add the Effective date of change Continued next page 11
5. Complete the sections that pertain to your change 6. Summarize your change on the Remarks Tab Continued next page 12
7. Select File and Print, always Update Immediately. 8. In the save to history screen, the effective until date will default to the effective date used on the change request form. 9. Name the history beginning with either B4 or P2 and describing the change in the description box. 10. Check the app to be sure it updated correctly. Discussion and Considerations: If Adding, for any schedule box where there is a risk number that needs to be controlled, select the last one on the list so that you will know the risk number available for your addition. If Deleting, select the risk number from the drop down box. For the first risk, simply use the radio buttons on the screen. For each additional change, select the Add button. If completing one change request for multiple lines of coverage (property, GL, auto), be sure to mark the appropriate policy type check boxes on the first screen of the change request form. If adding a new vehicle and you want to use similar information as another vehicle, in the combo box highlight the vehicle desired, select the Change radio button and the information will default. Then select the add radio button and change any information needing to be changed. Be aware that the Delete Date on the first page of the change request form is the date for deleting the change request from the system. It is recommended that change request forms NOT be deleted. 13
Change Request Setup Be aware that there are just two setup options for change requests, accessed through Utilities, + by Forms, + by Setup, Change Request, and the selection arrow. The first is the deletion date option. Recommendation is Do Not Delete especially if electronically filing. Be aware that if a delete date is put on an individual change request, that date will override this selection. The History Description Default choice is where your history description will default on the CHGR activity that will pop up automatically. 14