Integrations - Prudential 2-Way Requirements

In this topic:

• Overview
• Requirements

Communicating with Prudential Linking a Contact to Your User Account

• Subscribing to the Integration

• Setting Up the Electronic Reply Column
• Sending Responses to Prudential

• Frequently Asked Questions

Overview

The Prudential 2-Way Requirements integration for SmartOffice enables brokerage general agencies (BGAs) to respond to outstanding requirement questions directly to Prudential in real time. Within minutes of the submission, Prudential's new business system receives the reply and is able to automatically update the case file with the latest information. Once updates are received, they are immediately sent to Prudential's operations and underwriting teams.

The integration streamlines the processing of new business and helps reduce the lifecycles of pending cases.

Requirements

• Prudential 2-Way Requirements license

Important: Prudential 2-Way must be configured with specific parameters before you can start responding to questions.

• SmartCaseManager license
• Pending Case Download integration

Subscribing to the Integration

• From an open pending case, select the Plug-Ins option (Menu > Integrations > Plug-Ins).

• The services that have been subscribed to are listed in the Services for [User Name] dialog box. When no services have been subscribed to, the following message is displayed.
• Click the Edit Current/Add Free Services hyperlink to open the Subscription Management dialog box.

• Select the Prudential 2-Way Requirements – SmartLink option in the Available Services section and then click the Subscribe button.

• The Subscription Management dialog box refreshes with Prudential 2-Way Requirements – SmartLink added to the Currently Subscribed Services list.

• Close the Subscription Management dialog box. The Services for [User Name] dialog box now displays Prudential 2-Way Requirements – SmartLink on the Services list and the integration is ready for use.

Communicating with Prudential

Prudential Financial provides two-way communication to SmartOffice for new business cases. This new feature enables general agency case managers to:

• Respond to outstanding requirement questions on Prudential pending cases within SmartOffice, in real-time.

• Gain easy access to respond to outstanding questions, sending their answers to Prudential within minutes with just a click of a button.
• Save at least 24 hours on the life cycle of the case by responding online, avoiding the need for case managers to e-mail or call Prudential.

Please contact your Prudential Financial Account Representative team for more information.

Linking a Contact to Your User Account

To submit responses to Prudential Financial you must ensure that your contact record is linked to your user account.

• Ensure that your contact record exists in SmartOffice.
• Select User Accounts from the expanded Setup menu to open the Select a User Type dialog box.

• Click the Search button to display the User List.
• Select your SmartOffice user name hyperlink to display the Detail content link.

• Click the Contact Record for this User hyperlink to open the Search Contacts dialog box.

Note: If a name already exists in this field, delete it before clicking the Contact Record for this User hyperlink.

• In the Last Name, First Name field, enter your last name and first name separated by a comma and then click the Contact Record for this User hyperlink.
• Once the appropriate contact is selected, click the Save button.

Setting Up the Electronic Reply Column

In order to recognize the requirements that require a response, the user must add the Electronic Reply column to the Underwriting Requirement List.

• Click the Requirements content link for any pending case.
• From the Underwriting Requirement List, click the Customize List Layout button to open the List Layout Customization dialog box.

• Select Requirements > Electronic Reply as shown in the image below.
• Click the Add button to add Electronic Reply as a column.

Note: The Electronic Reply column can be moved using the Up button.

• Click the OK button to save the changes.

Important: The user is now able to see the questions that require a response.

Sending Responses to Prudential

• Open the Requirements content link for the appropriate Prudential pending case to begin sending communication to Prudential.

Note: The pending case can also be selected from the List content link.

Important: When using Pending Case Download (Side-By-Side) processing, the user must first process the requirement using Side-By-Side processing and then respond to the pending case requirement. See page 12 for details.

• Select Integrations from the expanded Menu list and then select the Prudential 2-Way Requirements option (if the button has not already been placed on the Custom Button Bar).

Note: If the Prudential 2-Way Requirements option is not displayed even though the user is subscribed, click the Plug-Ins button and then select the Prudential 2-Way Requirements – SmartLink service. The button is not yet available for the version of SmartOffice being used.

• If there are multiple requirements that require attention, the following dialog box will open. Select the specific requirement by clicking the corresponding Requirement Key hyperlink.
• The Question dialog box opens enabling the user to enter a response. Click the OK button when ready to send the response to Prudential. The response will be sent immediately.

Important: The response cannot be more than 3950 characters. Otherwise, an error will display informing the user to shorten the response.

• A confirmation message is displayed stating that E-Z Data submitted the response to Prudential.

Important: Do not close the status window until the confirmation message is displayed as shown above to ensure that the response was received from Prudential.

• After replying, the requirement displays in the list with Replied in the Electronic Reply column. The response is included at the end of the remark and the status is set to either Submitted
• Carrier or Received - Carrier. The response can now be displayed within this requirement and from the Requirement Notes.

Important: The screen must be refreshed in order for the electronic reply to be updated. The screen will refresh after displaying the Pending Case Detail content link and then returning to the Requirements content link. Note: The Remarks field will only display the first 1029 characters (including the question and response). The entire response can be viewed from the Requirement Notes.

• Once Prudential sends the next pending case status feed update to SmartOffice, the Electronic Reply changes to No and the response is attached to the beginning of the requirement remarks along with the name and telephone number of the SmartOffice user who submitted the response.

Frequently Asked Questions - The Remarks field includes additional characters as part of the response.

• Question: Why are there additional characters in the Remarks field and Requirement Notes?
• Answer: This occurs when text is copied/pasted from MS Word that includes apostrophes or quotation marks with Smart Formatting/Smart Quotes turned on.

• Solution: Turn off the Smart Formatting/Smart Quotes features prior to writing the text in MS Word. For instructions, search for Smart Quotes in MS Word Help.
• An error occurs when clicking the Prudential 2-Way Requirement - SmartLink service.

• Question: I received the following error when I clicked the Prudential 2-Way Requirement - SmartLink service: Your user account has not been fully configured. Please contact SmartOffice technical support.

• Solution: Contact SmartOffice technical support. They need to add a few parameters to your account in order to be able to send the response to Prudential. Once they add these parameters, clear your cache and then respond to the questions.
• Responding to questions when using Side-By-Side processing. Question: How do I respond to a question when using Side-By-Side processing?

• Answer: The requirement must be processed first using Side-By-Side processing. Afterwards, the pending case requirement can be responded to.

• Solution: Requirements that require a response can be viewed from the Agency Requirements section. To do so, add the Requirement Submission Type column to the spreadsheet. The ones that specify Electronic require a response.
• From the Home Office Requirements section, click the Customize List Layout button.

• Select HO Side By Side Requirements > Requirement Submission Type as shown in the image below.

Tip: To view the carrier status and date, make sure to add the Status and Status Date columns.

• Click the Add button to add the Requirement Submission Type as a column.
• Click the OK button to save the changes.

The same column can also be added to the Agency Requirements section, although it is labeled differently. To do so, add the Electronic Reply column to the list.

• From the Agency Requirements section, click the Customize List Layout button.
• Select Requirements > Electronic Reply as shown in the image below.

Tip: To view the carrier status and date, make sure to add the Status and Status Date columns.

• Click the Add button to add Electronic Reply as a column.
• Click the OK button to save the changes.

• Reviewing the carrier status and date from the Home Office Status content link.
• Question: How can I display the carrier status and date?

• Answer: This information is available from the Home Office Status content link.
• The user can review this information from either of the following: From a pending case, click the Home Office Status link.

• Select HO Pending Cases from the expanded Insurance menu to search for the pending case that was downloaded from Prudential.
• Click the Requirements content link to view the information submitted by the carrier, such as the case statuses and their respective dates.

Tip: To add additional columns, click the Customize List Layout button and then add the applicable columns from the HOSTATUSREQS table.