During her Applied Net 2023 session, Stacy Johansen, president at Downeast Insurance, educated attendees on the benefits of eDocs and Messages. Read on for her answers to a few common questions Applied users may have about these tools.
What are eDocs and Messages and how do they benefit an agency?
Stacy Johansen (SJ): eDocs and Messages are files sent directly from the carrier to your agency management system. The information in these documents will differ depending on the carrier. Some carriers will send declaration pages for renewals and endorsements. Other carriers will send notices of pending cancellations for nonpayment. Documents such as auto ID cards and audit worksheets can also be sent as eDocs and Messages.
What do agents see in their agency management system?
(SJ): eDocs come into the system as attachments. These will be PDFs of the declaration pages, a pending notice of cancellation for nonpayment or auto ID cards. Messages will come in as an activity.
Can I program eDocs to save on keystrokes?
(SJ): Yes! You get to control what you see in the system. Many companies will send their eDocs with file names that are jumbled letters and numbers. How this shows in your system is configurable to your needs and naming conventions. A tip: Utilize “Epic Variables” to be very specific on what the eDoc is. At our agency, we have programmed renewals to come in and be named “Carrier — Policy Type — Effective Date — Expiration Date.” For example: “Patriot Insurance Business Owners Policy Renewal 3/14/2023 – 3/14/2024.”
When the eDoc for an endorsement comes in, we have it programmed to be labeled to match the service summary row. For example: “Patriot Insurance Amended Commercial Auto — REMOVE 2020 GMC Effective 2/10/2024.
Another perk of configuring these — you can choose if they are client viewable.
For Messages — you can choose if you want to leave the activities that are created open to a particular user or work group, or you can choose to have these activities closed and just be in the system for documentation. At our agency, we close the messages that come in, but they are there for review if needed.
Again, these eDocs are all programable to your agency needs.
Do all carriers send eDocs and Messages?
(SJ): No, not all companies are sending eDocs and Messages at this time. You can find out what carriers you have access to receive through the IVANS Exchange. I would highly recommend you turn this function on. We all go out to each carrier and save PDFs to upload into our system. Why not let the system work for us for a change?
How can I get my carrier to send eDocs?
(SJ): If they are not currently sending eDocs and Messages, we need to ask for it. The more agents that request this feature, the higher up the ladder of importance it will travel at the carrier. Be persistent. Get other local agencies to all ask the carrier to look into setting up eDocs and Messages.
Want to learn more about how to increase efficiencies with eDocs and Messages? Check out this ACN webinar: Integrating eDocs and Messages into Your Daily Workflows. All webinars are free to ACN members — discover membership benefits today.
Stacy Johansen, president of Downeast Insurance, holds over 19 years of experience in the insurance industry with 17 years at Downeast Insurance. Her previous work experience includes working as a vice president, operations director and quality control manager.
A graduate of Gordon College, Johansen holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and obtained her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation in 2010. She began her insurance career as a customer service representative at a community agency in Bowdoinham, Maine directly out of college. After obtaining her license, she was recruited to Downeast Insurance in November of 2006.
A Maine native, Stacy loves family time, lobster and all things Applied Systems.