In this article, we will cover the Underwriting Request feature from the AP Admin perspective, how to set it up, and common workflows.


When an Alliance Partner (AP) contracts with EZLynx, it necessitates a collaboration between the AP Admins and EZLynx. Our common goal is to provide your Member Agents with an excellent EZLynx experience. Some AP's use an optional Underwriting Request feature which supports communication between AP Admins and Member Agents during the quoting and binding process for Shared Carriers. Since Member Agents can't log into a Shared Carrier's website, the AP Admin must finalize quotes and bind policies on behalf of the Member Agent. 


If you are a Member Agent looking for help on the Underwriting Request Feature, check out our Member Agent Underwriting Request Workflow article!


TABLE OF CONTENTS




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Setup Underwriting Request Notifications


An AP Admin must set Underwriting Request Notifications before using the Underwriting Request feature. These Notification Settings will notify the users assigned when Finalize Premium or Binding Requests from the Member Agent come in for that particular Shared Carrier. If a Finalize Premium or Binding Request comes in, then the assigned users will get an email notifying them that there is a member agent that needs assistance. From that email, they can start the respective workflow which we'll cover later in this article. 


1. To setup Underwriting Request Notifications, click on the Agency Admin icon. 


2. From the AP Main, click the Underwriting Notifications tab. 


3. For the respective Carrier, click Edit. This will cause the Edit Underwriting Request Notification Settings pop-up to appear.




4. Using the Search all users field, type an Underwriter's username in the Bind/Finalize Requests box and click on their name when it appears. Please note, multiple Underwriters can be added if necessary. Repeat this step until all Underwriters that need to be notified for this carrier are added. 


5. Once everyone that needs to be notified is added, click the Save button. 


6. Repeat these steps for all Shared Carriers that need an Underwriter assigned.


Underwriting Messaging Page


Now, that the Underwriting Notifications are setup, let's get familiar with how to access the Underwriting Request feature. When a Member Agent submits a Finalize Premium or Binding Request, the Underwriter assigned to that carrier receives an email with a link to the Member Agent's message. 


Alternatively, an Underwriter can access a list of all requests from all Member Agents by hovering over the Dashboard icon and selecting Underwriting Requests. For this section we will cover how to access the Underwriting Requests list from within EZLynx.


1. Hover over the Dashboard icon and click Underwriting Requests.



2. From the Underwriting Requests page, you can use all the provided filters to find a request. A super handy filter is the Type filter. Once you find the proper request, click View. This will bring up the Underwriting Messaging page.



Let's take a quick tour of the Underwriting Messaging Page so you know where to find everything!



Header Section


Under the Header section, you will see:


  • which carrier the request was made for
  • what type of request it is
  • the customer's last and first name. 


The green text is your "Go Back" button as it displays the previous page you were on and if you click it, it will take you back to that page.

 


Request Details Section


In the Request Details section, you will see the information related to the request at a high level. Here you can see:


  • which Member Agent initiated the request
  • the Agency the Member Agent belongs to
  • the Underwriter to whom the request is assigned


If you need to assign additional Underwriters or change whom the request is assigned to, you can click into the Underwriter(s) field and type in the name of the Underwriter that needs to be assigned. To remove an Underwriter from this field, click the x button next to their name. There must always be at least one Underwriter assigned to an Underwriter request.



Status Section


Under the Status Section, you will see the different statuses the request has gone through and the current state the requests is in, which will help you to track the progress. 



Quotes Tab


There are different views of the Quotes tab depending on the line of business that was quoted, but no matter which LOB was quoted, there will always be a Quote Summary section. Any additional information will be based on the LOB. You will see the following:


  • Customer's Name
  • Quote Number
  • Quote Premium
  • Line of Business
  • Carrier Name
  • Final Premium Field


You can navigate to the customer's account by clicking on the customer's name or to the quote page by clicking the quote number. You can also navigate to the carrier's website by clicking on the carrier's name. Any of these actions will open a new tab in your browser, so you don't lose your place in the Underwriting Messaging page.


On the Auto Quote section, if you update the DL# or VIN# on the Underwriting Request, it will automatically update the DL# and VIN# fields on the Auto Rating Application. This allows data to stay up to date without any extra manual entry.



Documents Tab


In the Documents tab, you will see the files attached to the request which you can download. If there are multiple files, you can download them all at once in .zip format by clicking the Download All button.



Policy Tab


Some Alliance Partners might also have a Policy tab. This tab will allow you to add a policy shell(s) on behalf of your member agent once a policy is bound. This helps make sure that when a download for the policy comes in, it has an easier time matching to the correct account. You will be able to enter the details such as:


  • Policy Number
  • Premium Value
  • Carrier Name
  • Writing Company
  • Effective and Expiration Dates
  • Binding Agency
  • Line of Business (LOB)



Messages and Activities Section


Finally, let's look at the Messages and Activities section. This section allows you to see the messages exchanged between the Member Agent and the Underwriter. Messages sent by you will be shown on the right whereas the messages you received will be shown on the left. 


You'll also be able to attach up to a maximum of 10 files at a time when sending a message. You can click the Attach button or drag-and-drop the files into the message and attach area. 


Lastly, you'll see the Change Status drop-down where you can change the request status. We'll cover more on statuses and how to use this feature in the next sections of this article. 


Handling Finalize Premium Requests


Now that Underwriting Notifications are setup and you are more familiar with the Underwriting Messaging page, let's start to learn the workflows for handling the different requests!


The first request in the overall workflow is the Finalize Premium Requests. This is when a Member Agent has narrowed down which carrier(s) their prospect is interested in and would like to finalize the premium. Again, because this is a Shared Carrier, the Member Agent cannot sign into the carrier's website to do this themselves. They need the help of an Underwriter to get the finalized premium. 


When a Member Agent submits a Finalize Premium Request, the Underwriter receives an email with a link to the Member Agent's message. Remember you can also find the request on the Underwriting Request page under the Dashboard icon in EZLynx. Whether you click the link in the email or click View from the Underwriting Request list, the workflow once you find the proper request is the same. 


1. Once on the Underwriting Messaging page, review the information sent by the Member Agent. Don't forget to check the Documents tab!


2. If you don't have all the information needed to finalize the premium, you can input a comment explaining what information you are missing into the Message field and change the status to Information Requested. To send just the message, you can click on the Send icon. To send the message and an email notification to the Underwriter, click on the Update button.


If all the information you need is there, log into the carrier site by clicking on the carrier's name in green on the Quote tab. This should open up a new tab in your browser, so you don't lose your place in EZLynx. 



Attention! - The Send Icon will not send an email notification. Only the Update button will send an email notification, so if you want to notify the other party, we recommend clicking on the Update button. 




3. Once on the carrier site, finalize the quote premium.



4. Then, return to the Underwriting Messaging page in EZLynx and in the Finalized Premium field enter the finalized premium. 


5. Using the Message field, enter in a comment and add attachments if necessary, letting the member agent know that the premium has been finalized.


6. Then using the Change Status drop-down, change the status to Complete and click the Update button. This will close out the Underwriting Message page and take you back to the Underwriting Request list. While you are on the Underwriting Request list, if you use the Filter Type = Finalize Premium and the Filter Status = Complete, then you'll be able to find the request you just finished. 



On the Member Agent side, they will receive an email that their Finalize Premium Request was completed and present the information to their client to see if they would like to move forward with the binding process.


Now, there are some reasons why a finalized premium might not be completed. The process would be similar. You would input a comment explaining why the premium couldn't be finalized and select the appropriate Status before clicking the Update button. 


Attention! - Only the Member Agent has the ability to reopen a conversation, so be extra sure you want to mark the status as Cancelled.

Handling Bind Requests


The second request in the overall workflow is the Bind Requests. This is when a Member Agent's prospect decides to purchase the policy. Again, because this is a Shared Carrier, the Member Agent cannot sign into the carrier's website to do this themselves. They need the help of an Underwriter to bind the policy. 


When a Member Agent submits a Bind Request, the Underwriter receives an email with a link to the Member Agent's message. Remember you can also find the request on the Underwriting Request page under the Dashboard icon in EZLynx. Whether you click the link in the email or click View from the Underwriting Request list, the workflow once you find the proper request is the same. 


1. Once on the Underwriting Messaging page, review the information sent by the Member Agent. Don't forget to check the Documents tab!


2. If you don't have all the information needed to bind the policy, you can input a comment explaining what information you are missing into the Message field and change the status to Information Requested. To send just the message, you can click on the Send icon. To send the message and an email notification to the Underwriter, click on the Update button.


If all the information you need is there, log into the carrier site by clicking on the carrier's name in green on the Quote tab. This should open up a new tab in your browser, so you don't lose your place in EZLynx.


Attention! - The Send Icon will not send an email notification. Only the Update button will send an email notification, so if you want to notify the other party, we recommend clicking on the Update button. 



3. Once on the carrier site, bind the policy.



4. Then, return to the Underwriting Messaging page in EZLynx. In the Message Field add a comment letting the Member Agent know the policy is bound and add attachments if necessary.


5. Using the Change Status field, change the status to Complete, then click the Update button.


Now, if you are an AP Admin that has access to the Policy tab of the Underwriting Messaging feature, you can also create a policy shell for the Member Agent to help with incoming downloads later on. To do this, click on the Policy tab and then click the Add Policy button. Next, input the information into the required fields. 


The Policy Details you entered onto the Policy Tab will be saved when:

  • the status of the request is 'Complete' or "Finalized and Binding Complete' and the request type is 'Bind Request'

       OR

  • the status of the request is 'Finalized and Binding Complete' and the request type is 'Finalize Premium'. 
    • This would happen if you skipped the bind request workflow and finalized the premium and bound the policy all in one step.


Whether you entered a policy shell or simply sent the Member Agent the information to do it themselves, once you have updated the status and clicked the Update button, the Member Agent will get an email that their Bind Request is completed. 


Now, there are some reasons why a bind request might not be completed. The process would be similar. You would input a comment explaining why it couldn't be completed and select the appropriate Status before clicking the Update button.


Attention! - Only the Member Agent has the ability to reopen the conversation, so be extra sure you want to mark the status as Cancelled.