EZLynx is constantly in the process of enhancing, improving performance, and looking at any feedback that can add value to the system. In this release we add another enhancement to the Rating Engine based on your feedback! We've added a new field called Broker Fee that can be setup with any carrier you wish. In this article we cover everything you need to know about this enhancement from a Market Access Provider and Member Agency perspective. 


To learn more about the Broker Fee from a Retail Agency perspective, check out our Rating Engine - Broker Fee for Retail Agencies article! To learn more about the Rating Engine in general, check out our other Rating Engine articles!


TABLE OF CONTENTS


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How the Admins can enable Broker Fee access


You are now able to specify broker fees for your quotes! Hover over the Settings icon, and click Carrier Quoting Setup. Then, click on the View Details for the carrier you would like to enable the Broker Fee for. Don't forget you can use the tabs Independent or Shared to switch between the lists of Carriers you have. 

From here you will see the new Broker Fee tab where you will be able to setup the Broker Fee for this particular Carrier. Please note, you will need to setup the Broker Fee for each Carrier (independent/shared) that you would like this feature enabled for. 




First, let's cover the "Show Broker Fees in my returned quotes" option. By default this option will be automatically turned on. This will allow those that have access to the Broker Fee for this Carrier to be able to see the Broker Fee in the Quote Results page. Check out the Broker Fee in Quote Results section of this article to learn more! 



Next, let's cover the options we have to grant Broker Fee access per Carrier. The Admin will have the following options:

  • Disable for all - This will disable the Broker Fee tab for all users in the organization for this carrier.
  • Enable for all - This will enable the Broker Fee tab for all users in the organization for this carrier.
  • Enable for Specific Users - This will enable the Broker Fee tab for the selected Members for this carrier.



If you choose the Enable for Specific Users option, you'll want to click on the Users icon to pull up the pop-up window to select the users. To select specific users, you can either use the Search bar to type in the name or username of the user, or you can use the arrows to expand the organization hierarchy until you find the user you are looking for.




If you use the Search Bar, when you find the user you need simply click on the name in the drop-down and it will check the box next to their name. If you use the expanding arrows to find the user you need, simply click on the box next to their name. 




Attention! - This next step will be vary depending on if you are an Admin at the Parent Organization or an Admin at the Member Level.



Admin at the Parent Organization


If you are an Admin at the Parent Organization, you will need to add the state(s) you would like to enable. To do this, click on the 'Add State(s)' field and a drop-down with all the states this carrier is enabled for will appear. Simply click on the state you would like to enable and it will be added to the field. 



If certain states have the same Broker Fee amount, you can click into the same Add State(s) field to add more states to the same instance. 



If you have other states you would like to add but they have a different Broker Fee Amount simply click on the empty Add State(s) field to add a new instance. 



Once you have added all the states you would like enabled for this carrier, you will need to enter a Broker Fee amount for each line of business you are licensed for. Note, there are two columns - My Defaults & Agency Defaults. These work the same as the Carrier Questions feature. 


  • My Defaults - This Broker Fee amount is for your account specifically. 
  • Agency Defaults - This Broker Fee amount is for everyone in the agency and will override any My Defaults entered.


You can choose between a flat amount by clicking the dollar sign or percentage amount (up to 2 decimal places) by clicking the percent sign.



Finally, you can choose to lock the defaults. This works the same as the Carrier Questions feature as well. If you decide to lock the defaults, the Agency Defaults that have been entered will be applied for everyone that has access to this Broker Fee and cannot be changed at the Member Agency level. Notice on the locked value, the flat amount vs. percentage option has been removed as an indicator that you cannot enter anything into the My Defaults value.



Remember to click the Save button at the bottom of the page to save all your hard work! Don't forget you will need to follow these steps for every carrier you would like to enable the Broker Fee for.

 


Admin at the Member Agency


If you are an Admin at the Member Agency, you will see the list of state(s) added by the Parent Organization. If you would like a certain state added or removed, you will need to contact the Parent Organization to request these changes. 


Next, you will need to enter a Broker Fee amount for each line of business you are licensed for. Note, there are two columns - My Defaults & Agency Defaults. These work the same as the Carrier Questions feature. 


  • My Defaults - This Broker Fee amount is for your account specifically. 
  • Agency Defaults - This Broker Fee amount is for everyone in the agency and will override any My Defaults entered.


You can choose between a flat amount by clicking the dollar sign or percentage amount (up to 2 decimal places) by clicking the percent sign.



If you do not see the flat amount vs percentage amount option, then that means the Parent Organization has locked the value and wants you to use their Agency Defaults. If you would like this value to be unlocked or changes, please contact the Parent Organization. 




Finally, if the Parent Organization has not locked the value at the Parent level, you can choose to lock the defaults at your agency level. This works the same as the Carrier Questions feature as well. If you decide to lock the defaults, the Agency Defaults that have been entered will be applied for everyone at your agency and cannot be changed at the User Level. Notice on the locked value, the flat amount vs. percentage option has been removed as an indicator that you cannot enter anything into the My Defaults value.



Remember to click the Save button at the bottom of the page to save all your hard work! Don't forget you will need to follow these steps for every carrier you would like to enable the Broker Fee for.

How a Non-Admin can setup their Broker Fee Amount


Once the Agency Admin has finished setting up the Broker Fee access for each of the Carriers, it's time for non-admin users to enter in the Broker Fee Defaults for their accounts!


Hover over the Settings icon, and click Carrier Quoting Setup. Then, click on the View Details for the carrier you would like to enter the Broker Fee for. Don't forget you can use the tabs Independent or Shared to switch between the lists of Carriers you have. 


From here you will see the new Broker Fee tab where you will be able to setup the Broker Fee for this particular Carrier. Please note, you will need to enter the Broker Fee for each Carrier (independent/shared) that you have been granted access to.



First, let's cover the "Show Broker Fees in my returned quotes" option. By default this option will be automatically turned on. This will allow those that have access to the Broker Fee for this Carrier to be able to see the Broker Fee in the Quote Results page. Check out the Broker Fee in Quote Results section of this article to learn more! 




Next, you will need to enter a Broker Fee amount for each line of business you are licensed for. Note, there are two columns - My Defaults & Agency Defaults. These work the same as the Carrier Questions feature. 


  • My Defaults - This Broker Fee amount is for your account specifically. This is the column non-admin users want to focus on.
  • Agency Defaults - This Broker Fee amount is for everyone in the agency and will override any My Defaults entered. Only Admins can enter an amount into this column.


You can choose between a flat amount by clicking the dollar sign or percentage amount (up to 2 decimal places) by clicking the percent sign.



If you do not see the flat amount vs percentage amount option, then that means your Agency Admin has locked the value and wants you to use the Agency Defaults amounts they have setup. If you would like this value to be unlocked or changes, please contact your Agency Admin.



Remember to click the Save button at the bottom of the page to save all your hard work! Don't forget you will need to follow these steps for every carrier you would like to enter the Broker Fee amount for.

Broker Fee in Quote Results 

Once Broker Fees has been enabled to show on returned quotes for each carrier(s), you will see a new box for broker fee in dollar amount on the quote results page. This will be a separate value from the carrier's quoted premium. If the field is unlocked, the value can be edited on the quote results page and will be updated. 



Attention! - Percentages will be converted and rounded up to the closest dollar, and Package Quotes will take a combo of both quotes. 


You can also email and/or print the quotes with the broker fee included! On the Email Quote(s), you will see a new option to Include Broker Fee for all carriers which will send a link to the Consumer Quoting page. 



On the Consumer Quoting page, you shall see Broker Fee as a separate line under each carrier that has a fee associated. 



The PDF file itself will show broker fee for each carrier as a separate line immediately below the premium. 



Attention! - Quotes submitted prior to this release may need to be resubmitted to show the broker fee in the Quote Results page. Also, Quotes submitted when Broker Fee was enabled but later disabled, you will still be able to see the Broker Fee in a read-only format.