On June 23, 2023 we will be releasing our 2023 Q2 Release Features! We are excited to announce enhancements for both the Member Agent and Alliance Partner Underwriting Request feature. To check out all the changes to the feature, check out our Rating Engine - Underwriting Request Enhancements Release Article! 


In this article, we will cover the Underwriting Request feature from the Member Agent perspective 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 you, the 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 you, the Member Agent. 


If you are an AP Admin looking for help on the Underwriting Request Feature, check out our Alliance Partner Underwriting Request Workflow article!


TABLE OF CONTENTS




Did you know? - You can click on the images in our articles to make them bigger!

How to Access Underwriting Request Feature


There are three ways you can access the Underwriting Messaging Workflow page. Let's look at the way you will start the Underwriting Workflow first.


Quote Results Page


Once you've received a successful quote for your client, you'll land on the Quote Results Page. This page displays the results from the different carriers you submitted the rating applications to via the EZLynx Rating Engine Product. Once you've narrowed down which carrier(s) your prospect is interested in, you'll want to send a finalize premium request to your parent agency. To do this, click the down arrow to expand that carrier's details info. Then, click the Finalize Premium button. This will open up the Underwriting Messaging Page. We'll cover this page in full later on in the article along with the Finalize Premium and Bind Request workflows. For now, let's take a look at the other ways you can access the Underwriting Messaging Page. 



Requests Tab


Another way you can access the Underwriting feature is the Requests Tab on a customer's account. This is a great place to check if you have already submitted requests to your parent agency and would like to check on their progress. To access the Underwriting feature, click on the Requests tab. Then, on the respective request, click View. This will open up the same Underwriting Messaging page we saw earlier. Now, let's take a look at the final way you can access this feature. 



Dashboard Icon


The final way you can access the Underwriting feature, is to hover over the Dashboard icon and then click Underwriting Requests. This will take you to a list of underwriting requests for the agency. There are lots of filters you can use to find a specific request. The Type filter is super handy if you know what step of the process you're on for that customer. To get to the Underwriting Messaging page, click View next to the respective request. 



Underwriting Messaging Page 


Now that you've learned the different ways you can get to the Underwriting Messaging page, let's take a tour of the page so you know where you can 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



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. 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 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.




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 you 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. 


Submitting a Finalize Premium Request


Now that you know the different ways to access the Underwriting Messaging page and are more familiar with it, let's start to learn the workflows for submitting Finalize Premium or Bind Requests.


The first request in the overall workflow is the Finalize Premium Requests. Once you've received a successful quote for your client, you'll land on the Quote Results Page. This page displays the results from the different carriers you submitted the rating applications to via the EZLynx Rating Engine Product. Once you've narrowed down which carrier(s) your prospect is interested in, you'll want to send a finalize premium request to your parent agency. 


1. To do this, click the down arrow to expand that carrier's details info. 


2. Then, click the button Finalize Premium. This will open up the Underwriting Messaging Page. 




3. Review the information to make sure it's accurate. 


4. To upload any necessary documents, click the Attach button. Then, select the file from the file explorer window. You'll then see it added under the Message field. The attachment has not been sent to the Parent Agency yet, so if you need to remove it you can click the X button next to the respective document.




5. Using the Message field, add in a comment stating that you are requesting to finalize premium. 


6. When you are ready, click the Update button. There is no need to change the status for this initial request. 




On the Underwriters side, they will receive an email that there is a Finalize Premium Request to be completed. 


There is a chance the Underwriter might need more information in order to complete the request. If they need more information, they should send a comment explaining the information needed, and change the status of the request to Information Requested. You should receive an email letting you know that more information is needed. Supply them with the information by using the message field or attachments feature. 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.

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.


Once the Underwriter has finalized the premium on their end, you should receive an email letting you know that your Finalize Premium Request has been completed. You can now present the information to your client and 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. If that is the case, you or the Underwriter should include a comment as to why and select the appropriate status. If you ever want to re-open the request to continue the conversation you can click View to open up the Underwriting Messaging page, type in a comment in the message field and click the Reopen button.


Submitting a Bind Request


The second request in the overall workflow is the Bind Requests. Once your prospect decides to purchase the policy, you can submit a Bind Request. 


1. Navigate back to the request using one of the three ways we discussed earlier in this article. 


2. Once inside the Underwriting Messaging page, add in your comment requesting to bind the policy, attach any necessary documents, and click the Bind Request button. 




On the Underwriters side, they will receive an email that there is a Bind Request to be completed. 


There is a chance the Underwriter might need more information in order to complete the request. If they need more information, they should send a comment explaining the information needed, and change the status of the request to Information Requested. You should receive an email letting you know that more information is needed. Supply them with the information by using the message field or attachments feature. 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.


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. 



Once the Underwriter has finished the bind request on their end, you should receive an email letting you know that your Bind Request has been completed. 


Now, there are some reasons why a bind request might not be completed. If that is the case, you or the Underwriter should include a comment as to why and select the appropriate status. If you ever want to re-open the request to continue the conversation you can click View to open up the Underwriting Messaging page, type in a comment in the message field and click the Reopen button.