Tag: Automation Center

What’s New in EZLynx 22.1

Posted on by EZLynx

The EZLynx April 2022 release is now available! Here are some of the highlights:

Automation Center Adds Support for EZLynx Submission Center

The power of automation has arrived for EZLynx Submission Center! Users of Automation Center will find that a new Submission Center category has been added to the list of over 20 available workflows. There are two new triggers under this category, Commercial Submission Added and Commercial Submission Updates. Each provides the ability to automate regular agency activities at these specific milestones along the commercial submission process. Automated workflows make for faster, more efficient submissions and help your staff remain focused on the next steps to winning.

Policy Audit and Reinstatement Workflows Added to Automation Center

Triggers for Policy Audit and Policy Reinstatement have been added to EZLynx Automation Center. These new workflows, found under the Management System category, empower your agency to automate activities around these milestones in the life of your clients’ policies.

These workflows work for both downloaded and manual policies, and they can be set up to automatically take the following actions when triggered:

  • Create Note/Task
  • Send Email
  • Create Folders
  • Send Text Message
  • Generate Agency Documents
  • Generate Client Documents

Improvements to Application and Policy Data Entry

We’ve made enhancements to several policy and application screens.

  • Small Farm and Ranch screens have been updated for a more intuitive flow as you enter data and navigate between the different tabs.
  • Personal Lines Package Policy and Bundled Application screens have been improved to provide single policy entry of insured information, underwriting, and additional interests. (Essentially, we’ve taken the common framework that already existed for commercial lines of business and extended them to personal lines, as well.) This not only reduces the amount of time it takes to create a Personal Package, but it also reduces the duplicate data your agency needs to enter and manage.
  • For Bonds Miscellaneous, we’ve created an entry screen for a line of business that didn’t previously feature entry screen support. This enhancement makes it easier to work with this line of business in bundled policy applications, and it also facilitates more robust policy information when servicing the client. Whether adding a policy or creating an application, you will now be able to enter relevant insurable interests information, including sections for: Liability, Property, Item/Schedule, and General Remarks/Notes.

Rating Broker Fee

In EZLynx Rating Engine, we’ve added support for the management of broker fees. Broker fees can be set up by carrier, state and line of business, and you may enter a flat dollar amount or a percentage up to two decimal places. Once set up, these broker fees will display as a separate line item during the quoting process.

This new feature is key in several states, including agencies writing business in California.

To set up broker fees for your agency, admins can enable from the new Broker Fee tab under any Rating carrier’s Settings.
NOTE: This feature is currently available for Retail agencies, only.

Rating Engine Updates

We’ve made some state-specific updates to Rating Engine, including:

  • Massachusetts agents now have the ability to access the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) database to look up driver incidents (violations, accidents, and comp losses) and import them into EZLynx at no additional cost!
  • In certain cases, new Virginia state laws will require double the new state minimums for Auto applicants with alcohol-related offenses. We’ve added $60,000/$120,000 options for Bodily Injury and Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverages, as well as $40,000 for Property Damage and Uninsured Property Damage on the Coverage screen.

Client Center Expands Commercial Schedule Change Requests

Last year, we introduced the ability for your commercial auto insureds to request changes to their driver schedules through EZLynx Client Center. This gave clients an easy, online way to submit these change requests at their own convenience. It was a real game-changer, because it meant no additional data entry on the agency’s part! With this release, we’re expanding commercial policy change request capabilities with the addition of several more schedules and LOBs:

  • Vehicle – Commercial Auto
  • Lien Holder – Commercial Auto, BOP, General Liability
  • Additional Insured – Commercial Auto, Garage and Dealers, General Liability, BOP, Commercial Umbrella
  • Mortgagee – BOP, Commercial Property

 

For more information on any of these exciting new features, please visit the EZLynx Solution Center.

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Looking Ahead in 2022

Posted on by Brenna Johnson

Leading the Way

Brenna Johnson, VP of Product Management

As we finish our first year as part of Team Applied, I am excited for the future. Together, no company is better positioned to change this industry for the better. We approach every challenge with this same, simple idea – how can we add competitive value to your agency and help you achieve better results?

Unlike some management systems that function as an electronic filing cabinet for what has already happened in your agency, EZLynx anticipates and suggests what to do next, and will even automate these steps for you. Why? We want to free you to build better relationships with your customers and win more business. We believe this is the path to success. Big things happen at the intersection of opportunity and innovation, and we’re excited for the opportunity to lead the industry forward.

Looking Back

Before I share what’s on the horizon, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on my personal favorite product enhancement from 2021.

The Automatic Change Request Confirmation feature automates the endorsement review process. In real-time, EZLynx automatically reviews incoming endorsements from the carrier to verify they are accurate based on the changes requested by the agency. If everything matches, the system automatically confirms the endorsement and closes it out without the need for human intervention.

  • We’ve had reports that this feature decreases endorsement processing times by 45%!
  • Automating this process represents significant time savings to agencies, because they are not paying employees to do work that their management system should do for them.

Looking Ahead

In 2022, our commitment to investment continues. EZLynx has a deep-rooted passion for helping independent insurance agents thrive through innovation. We take it very seriously that you rely on us for the tools to strengthen client relationships, add competitive value to your agency, and achieve better results. Here’s a quick look ahead:

Automation

Agency automation truly is a game-changer and the key to scaling your business. When you rely on software to automate and perform common workflows, you get more done in less time. By automating key aspects of client engagement, you multiply the impact of your staff. With the time you save, you also free up your entire agency to better focus on clients and win more business.

We will continue to expand the role EZLynx Automation Center can play in your agency, with new workflows and additional best practice templates to help you automate your sales, service, and retention. If you have not already implemented this powerful tool, please let me encourage you to make this the year that you do.

Customer Self-Service

Insurance customers—like any other digital consumers—have fully embraced the use of online customer self-service. Every day the lines between traditional and digital business become more blurred. Technology enhances the customer experience, and customer portals provide yet another avenue for agencies to build relationships and act as trusted advisors for their insureds.

If your clients cannot already access policies, generate certificates, submit change requests, view ID Cards, follow claims, share documents, make payments and more from anywhere, anytime and on any device, you are not delivering the digital experience today’s insurance shoppers expect. EZLynx Client Center is the answer.

We will continue to grow this digital extension of your agency, expanding the commercial self-service capabilities and forging a deeper integration with payments. We’ve had great success in reducing the time spent collecting agency bill receivables this year (up to 60% reduction for some agencies!) and will improve on that in the coming year. Strategically shifting the client portal to help agencies intelligently cross-sell was successful, so we are excited to build on that by introducing a client-facing referral and review program for satisfied customers. If you are not familiar with everything EZLynx Client Center has to offer, you really do owe it to your agency to take a closer look.

Focus on Growth

We believe agencies should be able to integrate trusted, best-in-class technology solutions with their agency management system, without having to write the code themselves to do it. The EZLynx Connect Marketplace provides development-free connectivity to third-party vendor solutions, advancing your agency immediately in targeted ways – like choosing from a curated selection of vendors to help add value to every quote. We have focused on adding availability across key areas of the platform and will continue to add new vendors this year.

EZLynx is known for creativity and a devotion to solve problems differently. As I mentioned earlier, we’re also passionate about helping our customers grow and thrive. You’ve reached out to let us know that your agencies have trouble monitoring performance metrics and staying on track for annual goals. Be on the lookout later this year for some exciting enhancements to help you do just that.

The Future of EZLynx

I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. The technology landscape and consumer expectations are changing rapidly, and you can count on EZLynx to stay ahead of that change. Thank you for placing your trust in us, thank you for joining us on this exciting, wonderful journey, and thank you for choosing EZLynx as your technology partner. The best is yet to come!

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What’s New in EZLynx 21.3

Posted on by EZLynx

The EZLynx December 2021 release is now available! Here are some of the highlights:

Automation Center Enhancements for IVANS eDocs and Messages

In EZLynx Automation Center, the Carrier Notification Received trigger has been expanded to include tailored workflows for the full range of carrier message types. Each carrier message contains handling information that can automatically drive activities within your agency. Where policies are at risk, you can immediately intercede and work with the customer to resolve outstanding issues.

For the Carrier Notification Received workflow, Message Type has been added as a filtering parameter. These message types include:

  • Notice of Final Cancellation
  • Payment Overdue
  • Rescission Notice
  • Non-Payment Pending Cancellation
  • Electronic Memo
  • Non-Renewal Notice
  • Policy Change (Travelers only)

Automation Center Adds Policy Renewal Workflow

A new Policy Renewal workflow has been added to EZLynx Automation Center. When a policy is renewed, your agency can now automate actions like:

  • Email or text the client
  • Generate and share important documents
  • Create notes or tasks for your agency to follow up
  • Create folders within EZLynx Management System

As you would expect, you can filter this workflow based on various parameters within the context of the policy or applicant/insured.

This new trigger can be found under the Management System section in the Workflow Editor screen.

Additional Lines Added for Edit Downloads Feature

EZLynx means smarter downloads, because our process goes out of its way not to override existing manually entered data. You can also supplement information in policy downloads sent from the carrier. In a Commercial Auto policy, for example, users can fill in missing information for vehicles, drivers, coverages, additional interests, and more. This feature allows agencies to take complete control of their policy data.

Previously, the Edit Downloads feature was only available for commercial downloads. Now, we’ve extended this feature to personal lines, as well!

The following LOBs have  been added for Edit Downloads:

  • Personal Auto
  • Homeowners
  • Dwelling Fire
  • Personal Umbrella
  • Personal Inland Marine
  • Flood
  • Watercraft (small boat)

Rating Engine Updates

Several carrier-specific questions have now become part of the default EZLynx Rating Engine questions for the Home LOB. These moves improve accuracy and reduce the overall number of company-specific questions. Questions include:

  • Number of Full Baths (added into MSB Lookup)
  • Number of Half Baths (added into MSB Lookup)
  • Occupancy Type
  • Dwelling Usage field updated (Unoccupied and Vacant moved to new Occupancy Type field)
  • Sinkhole Collapse (moved to regular Endorsements section)

We also have some state-specific updates with this release, to reflect changes to state law.

  • Virginia — Bodily Injury, Uninsured Motorist, Underinsured Motorist Minimum Limits increased to 30/60
  • Nevada — Dog Breed question removed
  • New Jersey — Additional “Not Specified” Gender option added

Option to Cancel Pending Bulk Re-Assignment Jobs

Previously, if your agency needed to cancel a pending Bulk Re-Assignment Job, you needed to contact EZLynx Support. You now have the in-product option to cancel those queued requests yourself.

NOTE: You are only able to cancel jobs that have not yet started processing. In general, Bulk Re-Assignment jobs start processing by 5PM CT.

Additional LOBs for Commercial Package Policies

When creating a Commercial Package Policy, you now have two additional LOBs to choose from:

  • Excess Liability
  • Professional Liability

Retention Center – Change Reasons for Additional LOBs

A key feature of EZLynx Retention Center is the way it summarizes premium-bearing changes between the insured’s current policy and the carrier’s renewal offer. These Change Reasons save hours of time previously spent by agency staff manually comparing dec pages.

In this release, we added Change Reasons for the following LOBs:

  • Business Owner’s Policy
  • Commercial Inland Marine
  • Crime
  • Commercial Umbrella
  • Excess Liability

In total, we added the Change Reasons feature for 20 new LOBs in 2021!

 

For more information on any of these exciting new features, please visit the EZLynx Solution Center.

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What’s New in EZLynx 21.2

Posted on by EZLynx

The EZLynx September 2021 release is now available! Here are some of the highlights:

And be sure to take a closer look at several features in this month’s episode of EZLynx LIVE.

 

Additional Access to Your EZLynx Connect Integrations

With this release, we’ve added the ability for you to access cross-selling EZLynx Connect integrations directly from the Applicant screen. Along the left side of the page, there is a new button called “View Integrations”. This button allows you to cross-sell things like Flood Insurance and ADT Home Alarm Systems anytime–not just when you have them on the line for a Home or Auto quote.

Previously, you needed to access these cross-selling opportunities from the Quote Results page.

Automation Center Adds Document Generation

With this latest enhancement to EZLynx Automation Center, your agency can now automate the generation of important client documents. Examples include proof of insurance, questionnaires, and best practice lists to share with clients.

These two new workflow triggers are called:

  • Generate Agency Documents
  • Generate Client Documents

For both workflows, users can search and select from a list of ACORD forms and a list of Agency Forms. Agency Documents are stored to the Applicant record. Client Documents are likewise stored to the Applicant record, but they are also automatically sent to the insured via EZLynx Client Center.

Example Use Case: When a new Commercial Trucking policy goes into effect, a “Best Practices” document, including driver hiring and onboarding tips, is automatically shared with the insured through your Client Center portal.

Automated document generation not only saves your agency time and money, but it also works to keep your clients more timely informed.

Chat Support Now Available Through the Help Widget

The Help Widget is the in-product tool that lets you access product Help and Information without ever leaving EZLynx. Just look for the “Question Mark” icon in the top-right of the application.

In addition to 500+ articles, the Help Widget now offers live chat with the EZLynx Support Team. This feature is designed to help you get answers to your questions without slowing down your daily workflow, and it can often mean resolving your situation without having to create a ticket.

Client Center Now Supports Commercial Driver Schedule Changes

EZLynx Client Center provides insureds with an easy, online way to submit policy change requests any time of day or night. With this release, we’ve added the ability to request driver schedule changes for commercial auto policies.

Specific actions include:

  • Add Drivers
  • Edit Drivers
  • Delete Drivers
  • Make a General Request

Your clients will appreciate this new, convenient way to manage their commercial driver details.

Authenticator App Support for MFA

We have added third-party authentication support to the list of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) options. Now you have even greater flexibility when deciding which MFA method works best for you and your agency.

You will need to ensure that you have installed an authenticator application on your mobile device. Our top recommended authenticators are:

  • Microsoft Authenticator
  • Google Authenticator
  • Authy
  • Okta

Retention Center – Change Reasons for Nine Additional LOBs

A key feature of EZLynx Retention Center is the way it summarizes premium-bearing changes between the insured’s current policy and the carrier’s renewal offer. These Change Reasons save hours of time previously spent by agency staff manually comparing dec pages.

In the July release, we added Change Reasons for six new LOBs. Now, we’ve added nine more:

  • General Liability
  • Commercial Property
  • Workers Compensation
  • Business Owner’s Liability
  • Commercial Property
  • Business Owner’s Property
  • Flood
  • Mobile Home
  • Earthquake

EZLynx Agency Workspace

You can now interact with the Agency Workspace and the rest of the EZLynx application simultaneously. This means Agency Workspace will maintain its state while you work within other EZLynx pages. This enhancement is great for when you’re working in Agency Workspace, get interrupted, and want to be able to leave it open to come back and finish later.

We’ve also added a new Reload icon. You no longer need to close/reopen the Agency Workspace or do a full-page browser refresh to reload the Agency Workspace.

Improved Application and Policy Entry Workflows

Professional Liability policy entry screens have been updated to provide a more logical flow when entering data and navigating between the different tabs.

  • Within the Underwriting tab, we’ve made it simpler to find the relevant underwriting section. Just click on the expander to view the questions/information for that section.
  • The Policy Contacts – Policy Contacts section has been moved to the Additional Interest/Policy Contacts tab.

Underwriting Messaging Enhancements

EZLynx Underwriting Messaging allows member agencies to submit quotes to the Market Access Provider (MAP) for review, and the MAP Underwriter in turn binds the policy with the carrier. This release includes enhancements to streamline that MAP Underwriter review.

We’ve added multi-select filters for State, LOB and Carrier. These new multi-select filters make it easier for both member agencies and the MAP Underwriter to find specific requests for review and next actions.

Additionally, the default view has been updated to help users sort, prioritize and filter the order of requests by Type and/or Status. By default, this view will not display closed/completed/cancelled requests, so you can focus on the requests that matter most at the time.

Zapier Integration Enhancements

Zapier enables connections to thousands of apps and programs, so you can share EZLynx data with the other software you use. With this release, we’ve made the following updates to the EZLynx Zapier app, available in the Zapier marketplace:

  • Notes – Outbound Trigger When Note Is Created
  • Notes – Inbound Action to Create Note
  • Commercial Applicant Search – Inbound Action
  • Personal Applicant Search – Inbound Action
  • Applicant (Commercial) Update – Inbound Action
  • Applicant (Personal) Update – Inbound Action

 

For more information on any of these exciting new features, please visit the EZLynx Solution Center.

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What’s New in EZLynx 21.1

Posted on by EZLynx

The EZLynx July 2021 release is now available! Here are some of the highlights:

Automatic Change Request Confirmation

Automatic Change Request Confirmation automatically compares downloaded policy changes against the change requests, as entered, to confirm their accuracy. If everything matches, it automatically confirms the change request for you and closes it out.

If the system detects discrepancies between the policy change processed by the carrier and the original request, the feature automatically generates a task in EZLynx, alerting you that the policy needs a closer review.

Either way, your staff spends less time reviewing and completing endorsement requests!

Automatic Change Request Confirmation is priceless for commercial policies, where even the tiniest mistake can be costly. It also holds particular value for fast-growing agencies looking to scale their operation accordingly.

Payment Requests Added to Clearent Payment Processing

Our partnership with Clearent makes secure online payment processing available in EZLynx Client Center. With this release, we’ve added the ability for agents to generate Payment Requests.

This new feature provides a simple way for agents to request electronic payments from their clients. You have the option to text or email the payment request, along with a link to make the payment.

As electronic payments continue to rise in popularity, solutions like this one become an essential component of your agency’s offerings. Online payment by credit card or eCheck eliminates the need for clients to visit your office or provide their credit card information over the phone. Electronic payment is also a safer, more efficient alternative to paper checks.

Need to sign up for Clearent online payment processing? Customers can click here to get started from the EZLynx Connect Marketplace.

Automation Center Workflow Templates

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, I know EZLynx Automation Center would be a game-changer for my agency, but I just don’t know where to begin, then this latest enhancement is for you!

We’ve created eight recommended workflow templates to help your agency realize the benefits of Automation Center immediately.

These templates were built with the most common agency use cases in mind. They come loaded with predefined filters, checklists, and appropriate actions—so you can easily enable your first workflows with just a few clicks.

These eight recommended workflow templates are:

  • Welcome Your New Customers
  • Organize Personal Account Information
  • Organize Commercial Account Information
  • Send Customer Birthday Wishes
  • Share Declaration Pages Online
  • Proactively Review Notice of Cancellation
  • Review Lost Policies
  • Additional Policy

Vonage Integration Adds Call Recording

We’ve added Call Recording to the Vonage integration with EZLynx Management System. Once recorded, calls are automatically archived to the proper customer account and can be accessed from three locations in EZLynx:

  • Applicant → Activity Tab
  • Applicant → Documents Tab
  • Communication Center → Calls and Messages

You can set up rules to automatically record calls, or record calls on demand. Some of the benefits of this exciting new feature include reducing E&O exposure, documenting compliance, maintaining audit readiness, and staff training.

Contact your Vonage sales representative to add Call Recording to your subscription. If you are not yet a Vonage customer, click here to get started.

EZLynx Rating – Vehicle Premium Breakdown

When quoting Auto, you now have the option to view a Coverage and Premium Breakdown for each vehicle. This new feature can be used to drive more informed discussions with clients about their coverage limit options and how each contributes to the overall premium. Find this additional information by clicking VIEW DETAILS in your carrier quote results.

 

Also with this release, EZLynx now displays the applied coverage limits during the quoting process for the individual carrier. Previously, users had to go to the carrier (or check Quote proposal for the individual carrier, if returned) to identify this information.

Retention Center – Change Reasons for Six Additional LOBs

A key feature of EZLynx Retention Center is the way it summarizes premium-bearing changes between the insured’s current policy and the carrier’s renewal offer. These Change Reasons save hours of time previously spent by agency staff manually comparing dec pages.

We’ve now added these Change Reasons for six new LOBs:

  • Commercial Auto
  • Dwelling Fire
  • Personal Inland Marine
  • Boat
  • Motorcycle
  • Recreational Vehicle

 

For more information on any of these exciting new features, please visit the EZLynx Solution Center.

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What’s New in EZLynx 21.0

Posted on by EZLynx

The EZLynx April 2021 release is now available! Here are some of the highlights:

New Rating Workflow for Automation Center

We’ve added a new Successful Quote Submission workflow to EZLynx Automation Center.

This brand-new trigger automates sending emails to the applicants when a comparative rating quote is completed. The email includes carrier and premium options from the quote results, as well as details for your choice of Full Pay, Monthly or EFT payments (using Email Personalization Tags). You can also customize the overall message of the email template, to best suit the situation.

Use cases for this automated communication include:

  • Proactively reaching out to clients at renewal time
  • Instant follow-up when running quotes over the phone

Agencies can refine the Trigger by applying Filters like Channel, Resubmission, Package, or Premium. This gives agents the flexibility to automate these quote results emails only for specific scenarios.

Side-By-Side View of Drivers and Vehicles in Rating Engine

For users who prefer the classic vertical view for drivers and vehicles in EZLynx Auto Rating, you now have that option in your user settings.

Access your user Account Settings under your user initials (in a circle) in the top-right corner of the screen. Under Preferences, find the Rating – Drivers/Vehicles section and select the Side by Side option.

Tablet users will likely prefer to continue using the Stacked (horizontal) view.

EZLynx Connect Marketplace Has a New Look and Feel

With the continued growth of EZLynx Connect, it was time to revisit the way agents discover and enable these integrations.

With this redesign, we have updated the Marketplace home page, improved navigation, and made the integration detail pages easier to read.

Here’s how:

  1. We’ve made Integration Cards more front-and-center in the marketplace. The newest and most widely used integrations are now immediately visible. You can always expand any of the categories to see the complete list.
  2. Added search functionality makes it easier to discover new integrations. You can search for integrations by name or description. We have also added Tags. Tags are short, searchable descriptions relating to an integration’s functionality or status. Find Tag buttons located to the right of the search bar.
  3. On the Integration Detail Pages, we’ve improved the layout to highlight the benefit of each integration for your agency.

We’ve also added the most commonly used menu items to the EZLynx Connect Marketplace icon on the Main left-hand menu bar. So, navigating the marketplace is more straightforward from the start.

Exciting developments all around!

Client Center Adds New Cross-Selling Opportunities

We continue to expand the value of EZLynx Client Center. With this release, we’ve added even more cross-selling opportunities.

There’s a new “Products and services chosen for you!” button on the home screen. From there, these cross-sell products are displayed to your customers on the Policies page.

New additions from the EZLynx Connect Marketplace include:

  • ADT Home Alarm Systems (Secure24 Alarms)
  • Flood Insurance (Flood Risk Solutions)

To enable either of these or the Life Insurance (BackNine) integration that was already available, search for them using the new Self Service Tag in the EZLynx Connect Marketplace. From there, activate the vendor, and these cross-selling opportunities will begin appearing for your customers in the Client Center portal.

Email Personalization Tag for Your Agency Logo

We’ve added a new section in the Email Campaigns settings page, called Agency Logo. With this implementation, agents can now include their branding in the Email Templates and Email Designs via super-efficient Tags.

Found under Email Campaigns >> Settings >> General Preferences, this section gives the Main Org Admin the ability to:

  • Add your Agency Logo
  • Share your Agency Logo with other users and branches

Branch Admins will have the ability to change the Agency Logo shared by the Main Org, but this capability will not be available at the user level.

Updates to EZLynx Zapier App

Zapier connects your agency management system to thousands of apps and programs, making integrations and automations hassle-free with platform partners. With this release, we have some exciting updates to announce.

First, we’ve added support for Documents—both inbound and outbound.

Inbound, the Create Document action can be used to load supported document types from external systems into EZLynx. The following document types are supported:

  • Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx)
  • Microsoft Excel (.xls, .xlsx)
  • Text (.txt)
  • Standard image files (.png, .jpg, .jpeg)
  • PDF (.pdf)

Outbound, we’ve added triggers for when a document is created or edited in EZLynx. (For security, the document itself is not included in the outbound data.)

Next, we’ve added some additional fields. To the Create Personal Applicant Action, we’ve added Lead Source, Co-Applicant and Opportunity. To the Create Commercial Applicant Action, we’ve added Lead Source and Opportunity.

We’ve also added some highly-requested fields to outbound triggers:

  • Assigned Agent Full Name has been added to the New and Modified Personal Applicant and New and Modified Commercial Applicant triggers.
  • Producer has been added to the New and Modified Opportunity triggers.

 

For more information on any of these exciting new features, please visit the EZLynx Solution Center.

 

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What’s New in EZLynx 20.4

Posted on by EZLynx

The EZLynx December 2020 release is now available! Here are some of the highlights:

Vonage Integration

Experience seamless integration between your agency management software and your phone system.

In September, we announced our partnership with Vonage to integrate unified communications and programmable voice capabilities into EZLynx Management System. This integration is now generally available to all new and existing Vonage customers.

With Vonage, EZLynx customers have the ability to collaborate more efficiently, stay connected and create richer customer experiences through live interactive voice and video sessions—from anywhere, on a single platform.

This integration provides :

  • Customer Profiles — A window automatically opens to an Account Overview when an incoming phone number matches an applicant in EZLynx.
  • Click to Dial — Make calls easily from EZLynx. Areas include the Account Overview page, the Carrier Directory, Sales Center, Communication Center, and many more. Phone numbers appear as hyperlinks.
  • Call Logging — When an incoming or outgoing call is completed, EZLynx will automatically create a note on the Activities page. You can add additional notes to the discussion, documenting the contents of the call.
  • Sent and Received — The Sent and Received page in Communication Center is expanded to include voice calls. Incoming and outgoing voice calls will display, along with current text messages.

Vonage is the latest addition to the EZLynx Connect platform.

Visit our Vonage partner page to get started.

Commercial Edit Downloads

EZLynx already had smarter Commercial Downloads, because our process goes out of its way to not override existing manually entered data. Now, we’ve added the option to edit your agency’s Commercial Downloads, as well.

With Commercial Edit Downloads, your agency can supplement information in policy downloads sent from the carrier. In a Commercial Auto policy, for example, users can fill in missing information for vehicles, drivers, coverages, additional interests, and more. This new feature allows agencies to take complete control of their policy data and make information complete.

Please note: Users cannot change the information downloaded by the carrier, but are instead able to add to it (unpopulated fields) through the entry screens.

For subsequent downloaded transactions, EZLynx will:

  • Automatically sync this user-added information
  • Maintain each version of the edited policy as a history
  • Provide the option to restore a version at any point in time

This feature is available for the following lines of business: Commercial Auto, Commercial Property, General Liability, Business Owners Policy, Commercial Umbrella, Homeowners, Dwelling Fire, Personal Auto, Inland Marine, Workers Comp and Crime. When Edit is selected under Actions for a supported line of business, just like a manual policy, a new option to “Save & Continue Edit” appears.

This feature is now available for all EZLynx Management System (Level 3) customers.

Cross-Selling Personal Lines in Client Center

EZLynx Client Center has been evolving to become not just a robust self-servicing tool for insureds, but also a platform for exciting cross-sell opportunities.

The latest… Client Center now offers complementary personal lines products to insureds—automatically!

Insureds will be presented with the option to “Save By Bundling Your Policies Together” on their Policies page. When selected, users will be taken to a form to answer questions pertaining to the additional line of business. EZLynx will prefill the form with as much of the applicant’s existing data as possible. Once submitted, a task notification will be created for the agent in EZLynx, as will an application under the Applications section for the insured.

Insureds with an active Auto policy will see cross-sell options for Home, Renters, and Condo. Those with an active Home policy will see an Auto cross-sell option.

If the applicant has any difficultly completing the application, there is an option to click “Need Help?”.  Similarly, a task notification will appear for the assigned agent, along with an incomplete application in the insured’s Applications list.

Streamlined User Account Settings

Account Settings are new and improved!

For starters, users can access Account Settings under their username (user initials/circle in the top-right corner of the screen).

Once there, users will find their settings available under five categories: Account, Preferences, ACORD Forms, Email Signature and Security.

The “Security” tab is where users can set up their Two Step Verification for login.

By placing the most common Account Settings all in one place, we’ve made it fast and easy for users to manage their account profiles and preferences.

Consolidated Rating Questions

How would a 25% reduction in the number of questions required to get a quote sound? For most agents, that’s exactly what we’ve done.

We’ve added several new fields to our ratings screen, along with updating a few existing fields with new options. The result is that they no longer appear as additional carrier questions for each individual carrier. When you spend less time filling out information… you receive quotes faster.

Some examples include:

  • Foundation Type
  • Roof Design
  • Wind and Hurricane Deductibles for additional states
  • Vehicle Purchase Date
  • Number of Occupants

We’ve also improved the MSB Residential Pre-Fill and Reconstruction Cost tool. With this release, we’ve added/updated rating fields (and refined the way they map) to improve the accuracy of quotes.

Automation Center adds Expiring Policies Trigger

Agencies can now automate the workflow for expiring policies in Retention Center.

EZLynx Retention Center users have a new trigger available for Policy Added to the Expiration List. As the name suggests, this workflow will be triggered whenever a policy is added to the Expiration List in Retention Center.

Automation Center and Retention Center now work together to help agents manage the client retention process on auto-pilot mode.

Automation Center adds Client Center Link

Automation Center can help your agency increase adoption of EZLynx Client Center. We’ve added triggers for Applicant Created, New Customer and Additional Policy. You can now establish workflows so that when one of these events occurs, clients will be emailed automatically with a link to pertinent information within your agency’s customer portal.

An Applicant Created trigger will lead insureds to the Client Center homepage. New Customer and Additional Policy triggers will lead insureds to the appropriate Policy Summary page.

Improved Application and Policy Entry Workflows

The following LOBs have been updated with a new look, feel and usability:

  • Dwelling Fire
  • Inland Marine
  • Recreational Vehicle (RV)
  • Motorcycle

Entry screens have been updated to provide a more logical flow for how you enter data and navigate between different tabs in the screens. Users will find the improved user experience faster and more intuitive. Here are just a few examples:

For Dwelling Fire, you can now see all Locations in a single view.

The Inland Marine section has been reorganized to make it simpler to find the relevant underwriting section. Simply click on the expander and view the questions/information for that section.

We’ve reordered the Motorcycle & RV tabs to be the same as those in the Rating screens. This brings uniformity to the way data is entered both for the Rating and the Policy Entry Screens.

These updates will help agents enter data more quickly and accurately.

 

For more information on any of these exciting new features, please visit the EZLynx Solution Center.

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What’s New in EZLynx 20.3

Posted on by EZLynx

The EZLynx September 2020 release is now available! Here are some of the highlights:

Automation Center adds Dashboard and Texting

EZLynx 5 users will notice the brand new addition of a dashboard to Automation Center. This new feature provides an overview of the automation driving your agency. Gain valuable insights into your agency’s total number of automation executions, top executed workflows, the number of workflows enabled and the branches executing the most workflows. Usage data can be viewed for this month, last month and year till date.

Texting has also been added as an available action for select customer Triggers. The Send Text Message option reflects clients’ growing preference for texting when communicating with your agency on transactional matters. You can also opt for Text Messages as a backup method within workflows where the Send Email Action has been chosen, but no email address exists for the client.

Text Messages can even include attachments, such as images or videos. You can also provide a direct link to your agency’s Client Center portal within the text message.

Claims added to Client Center

The claims experience is ultimately how insureds judge their carrier, their agent… and really “insurance” altogether. That’s why customer self-servicing has become so important. It delivers a sense of immediacy that can be accomplished no other way.

With the addition of Claims to Client Center, your agency can now share relevant and timely claim updates via this convenient customer portal. Keep insureds engaged, up to date and less stressed during the claims process. Your clients can view claims, status, adjuster information, and even provide feedback.

To help keep your clients informed, we’ve also added a Claims trigger to Automation Center. This trigger automates a notification to insureds when there is an update to their claim. Once a claim is closed, insureds will even be prompted to take a quick survey about their experience.

Client Center can now be added to Insureds’ Mobile Devices

Give your clients the reassurance of knowing that your agency is never more than a button press away!

That’s right, your customers can now add your agency’s Client Center customer portal to the home screen of their mobile devices. When logging in, they will be prompted with the option to add this new “Insurance” icon to their home screen. Once installed, your customers will receive convenient, complete online self-service with a single click.

Just one more way EZLynx is helping your agency deliver a modern insurance experience.

Flood Insurance

EZLynx has partnered with Flood Risk Solutions, Inc., to provide flood insurance as a new cross-selling opportunity during the quoting process. This new integration is available to EZLynx 5 users through the EZLynx Connect Marketplace.

Once the integration has been added, it will automatically identify applicants residing in a flood zone when Auto and Home quotes are returned. From there, you are walked through the process to generate a quote.

New! 24/7 In-Product Help and Information

Now you can access product Help and Information without ever leaving EZLynx.

Look for the new “Question Mark” Icon in the top-right to search 500+ articles in the EZLynx Knowledge Base. Simply type your question, and EZLynx will display the resources available to answer it.

Use the “Book” Icon in the Main Menu (left side) to access training and webinar information.

 

For more information on any of these exciting new features, please visit the EZLynx Solution Center.

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What’s New in EZLynx 20.2

Posted on by EZLynx

The EZLynx June 2020 release will go live on 6/26. Below you can find some of the highlights. Be sure to join us on Thursday, June 25 at 12:00 PM Central Time for our next episode of EZLynx Live, where we will be showcasing these exciting enhancements!

Payment Processing Through Client Center

Your clients can now make electronic payments by credit card or eCheck via EZLynx Client Center. You will also be able to track payment history and view tasks generated through payments.

EZLynx has partnered with Clearent for this highly demanded feature.

Steps to enable payment processing through EZLynx:

  1. Set up your merchant account with Clearent. Start the process at https://www.ezlynx.com/vendors/clearent.html
  2. Inside EZLynx, navigate to the EZLynx Connect Marketplace. Click on the “Payment Connector” card to find and activate the Clearent integration.

Calendly Integration with Client Center

With EZLynx Client Center, online customer self-service is available to your clients 24/7. But some situations require more traditional, direct communication between agent and insureds. That’s where Calendly comes in.

Calendly is a 3rd-party application that can be added from the EZLynx Connect Marketplace. Calendly helps schedule meetings without the dreaded back and forth of emails and phone tag.

Once your agency has activated the Calendly integration for Client Center, your customers will begin seeing the link to schedule an appointment.

New Automation Center Workflow for Carrier eDocs

We’ve added a new workflow to EZLynx Automation Center, which triggers when carrier eDocs are received. This powerful automation notifies insureds, provides access to the incoming carrier documents, and creates Notes/Tasks for the agency.

By eliminating the need to share documents with clients manually, time is saved for both agents and insureds. Clients are notified immediately by email, along with a secure link to view the documents in EZLynx Client Center.

Carrier eDocs include Declaration Pages, Policy Documents, Notices of Final Cancellation, Non-Payment Pending Cancellations, Non-Renewal Notices, Payments Overdue and Reinstatement Notices. Filters can be set to tailor your agency’s actions to the types of carrier eDocs being received.

This feature is available only for agencies who have upgraded to EZLynx 5.

Rating Engine Updates

The Rating Engine is receiving updates for three states, in-line with the upcoming state regulations.

Michigan (Auto Coverages, Effective July 2):

  • The new state minimum for auto liability coverage is being updated to 50/100/10.
  • Per new state regulations, 20/40, 25/25, 25/50, 50/50 and 55 CSL will no longer be supported for the Bodily Injury, Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist drop downs.
  • “PIP Limit” and “Excess Attendant Care” fields have been added to State Specific coverages. (Excess Attendant Care will be enabled if PIP limit has values other than Unlimited or No Coverage.)

Arizona (Auto Coverages, Effective July 1):

  • The new state minimum for auto liability coverage is being updated to 25/50/15.
  • Per new state regulations, 15/30 and 25/25 will no longer be supported for the Bodily Injury, Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist drop downs.
  • 10,000 will no longer be supported for general coverage Property Damage for Auto quotes.

Virginia (Addition to Gender Field):

  • Not Specified has been added as a third option under Gender.

These Rating Engine updates will also apply to Consumer Quoting, Web Services, and Client Center. (For Client Center, only Gender changes are available).

EZLynx 5 Applicant/Co-Applicant Switch (Beta)

The ability to swap the Applicant and Co-Applicant with a single click is almost here!

Reentering data in order to quote the same household under a different applicant can be needlessly time consuming. Soon, you will have a way to quickly switch the primary applicant information with the co-applicant directly on the quote results page and get a new quote. This new feature is entering a small closed beta, before being available exclusively in EZLynx 5.

Watch for an announcement of the general availability of this function in an upcoming issue of NewsLynx.

 

For more information on any of these exciting new features, please visit the EZLynx Solution Center.

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