Quoting Automation Service (QAS) is the flagship API offering which allows agencies to run complete quotes via the backend. This single interface with multiline support can reduce manual entry, so you can quote faster. To reduce the overall QAS development effort, you can create templates.


In this article, we will cover how to setup a QAS Template. Before we get started some things to note:

  • The templates do not have an explicit Save button, but instead are auto-saved when you make a change.
  • The Publish button needs to be used when the template is ready to be used for quoting. Until the template is published, it will not be available for quoting.
  • Each further publish of the template will override existing values for that template.
  • To have the best experience, we recommend filling in every field on the template.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Check out our video if you'd rather watch and follow along!


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How to access


To access the QAS functionality you must have the right permissions. To check if you have the right permissions, hover over the Settings icon and look for Quoting Automation. 

  • If you do not see this, you do not have the right permissions. Please work with your Agency Admin to get QAS Templates created. 
  • If you do see the Quoting Automation option, select it to be taken to the QAS Homepage.


How it works


This is the QAS Home Page. Here you will find the supported lines of business available for your agency. To begin creating a new template, select View on the line of business you want to make a template for. This will take you to the Template Managment Page for that line of business.




On the Template Management page, you'll see any existing QAS Templates. We'll come back to this page later, because right now we want to know how to create a new template. To create a new template, select the Create New button. This will cause the Create New Template window to pop-up.




On the Create New Template window, input a unique template name in the Template Name field. You can also add a template description if you would like. Finally, there are 2 options for the Template creation:

  • Template with EZLynx Prefilled Values: The Template is prefilled with EZLynx suggested values
  • Template with Blank Values: This option will create a Blank Template.


Once you have filled out the required information, select the Create Template button. This will take you to the Edit Template page and land on the State Selection tab.




State Selection

The State Selection tab displays all the states available for your agency. A single template can be used to configure for multiple states, so check mark all the states you would like this template to include. You can use the Select All or Clear All buttons found on the right-side to check or uncheck all of the boxes at once.


Remember the template auto-saves so when you make a change to the template it automatically saves that change, so when you are done with this tab you simply need to select the next tab to move to the next step.




The next few tabs will differ depending on which line of business you are creating the template for. 


  • If you chose Home or Dwelling Fire, you'll have the tabs Underwriting and Dwelling Info.
  • If you chose Auto, you'll have the tabs Applicant-Drivers, and Vehicles.


We'll take a look at both instances so find the section you are working on to continue following along. We'll all meet back up on the Coverages tab section.



Home/Dwelling Fire - Underwriting

The Underwriting tab will allow the defaulting of the Applicant and Co-Applicant information including Prior policy information and Effective and Expiration date. You can also default the Underwriting Questions here. Use the dropdowns to select the default value for each field on the template.


If you chose the Template with EZLynx prefilled values when creating your template, you'll find that the system has already chosen a default answer. You can tell which answers are defaulted by the system by looking for the * symbol on the value. If ever you want to go back to the default answers, simply select the Restore Defaults button.


Once you are done selecting all the default values, select the next tab to continue.




Home/Dwelling Fire - Dwelling Info

The Dwelling Info tab will allow the defaulting of the Dwelling, Protection, Discounts, and Financial Interests. This tab has a default section and a section for each state selected on the State Selection tab. The Default section will allow the values to be set for all states in the Template. The specific state sections are there if you want to set state defaults on a per state basis. For the template to work, you must fill in both the default and all state specific fields. Use the dropdowns to select the default value for each field on the template.


If you chose the Template with EZLynx prefilled values when creating your template, you'll find that the system has already chosen a default answer. You can tell which answers are defaulted by the system by looking for the * symbol on the value. If ever you want to go back to the default answers, simply select the Restore Defaults button.


Once you are done selecting all the default values, select the next tab to continue.



Auto - Applicant-Drivers

The Applicant-Drivers tab will allow the defaulting of the Driver and Applicant-Coapplicant. Use the dropdowns to select the default value for each field on the template.


If you chose the Template with EZLynx prefilled values when creating your template, you'll find that the system has already chosen a default answer. You can tell which answers are defaulted by the system by looking for the * symbol on the value. If ever you want to go back to the default answers, simply select the Restore Defaults button.


Once you are done selecting all the default values, select the next tab to continue.




Auto - Vehicles

The Vehicles tab will allow the defaulting of the Vehicle and Vehicle Use. Use the dropdowns to select the default value for each field on the template.


If you chose the Template with EZLynx prefilled values when creating your template, you'll find that the system has already chosen a default answer. You can tell which answers are defaulted by the system by looking for the * symbol on the value. If ever you want to go back to the default answers, simply select the Restore Defaults button.


Once you are done selecting all the default values, select the next tab to continue.




Coverages Tab

Regardless of what LOB you chose to create a template for, every template will have a Coverages tab. The Coverages tab will allow the defaulting of the Coverages and Deductibles. This tab has a default section and a section for each state selected on the State Selection tab. The Default section will allow the values to be set for all states in the Template. The specific state sections are there if you want to set state defaults on a per state basis. Anything in the state section will override the default section.


For the template to work, you must fill in both the default and all state specific fields. Use the dropdowns to select the default value for each field on the template.


If you chose the Template with EZLynx prefilled values when creating your template, you'll find that the system has already chosen a default answer. You can tell which answers are defaulted by the system by looking for the * symbol on the value. If ever you want to go back to the default answers, simply select the Restore Defaults button.


Once you are done selecting all the default values, select the next tab to continue.



Carrier Select Tab

Regardless of what LOB you chose to create a template for, every template will have a Carrier Select tab. The Carrier Select tab will reflect all the carriers available for your agency. Only Carriers selected on this tab would be submitted for rating. Checkmark all the carriers you want to include on the template. You can use the Select All or Clear all button on the right-side to check or uncheck all the boxes at once.


Once you are done, select the next tab to continue.





Carrier Defaults Tab

Regardless of what LOB you chose to create a template for, every template will have a Carrier Defaults tab. The Carrier Defaults tab allows the defaulting of all the Carrier Specific questions. Use the Carrier dropdown to select a carrier. This will display the Carrier Specific questions for that carrier. The Reason for Prompt column explains the reason that question will trigger. For the best experience we recommend filling in a default value for all questions.


To make things easier on yourself, you can checkmark the Carrier Answer Prefill box. This works the same way as the Rating Engine. If this is checked, the system will help you by intelligently filling in some fields for you. 


The Apply to other templates button allows you to apply the answer for that Carrier's specific question to any other template that apply.



The answers can also be set on per state basis by selecting the expand arrow on the left-side. Under each question you can find a State Specific Values section to add a State Specific Value.




Publishing

Once you have completed all the sections of the template and are ready to start using this template for QAS, scroll to the bottom of the page you are on and select the Publish button. This button can be found on any tab of the template and needs to be selected for the template to be used for QAS. Any future selection of the Publish button will override existing values for that template.




Selecting the Publish button will take you back to the Template Management page. Here you can now see your template is on the list of existing templates for this LOB and whether or not it has been published by checking the Last Published-User column. If the column is empty the template has not been published. 


If you need to make edits to the template, select the Actions button to bring up the Actions menu. There you will find the following options:

  • Edit
  • Delete
  • Download as Excel
  • Import
  • Download as JSON



You can always view deleted templates by checking the Show Deleted option. All deleted templates will have a red line on the left-side.


We hope this article was able to help you create a QAS Template! Please let us know if this article was helpful by answering the question below. Check out our related training articles on the right-side to learn more about how to master EZLynx!