Last updated: 2025-12-03
Release Notes - SmartOffice 2021 Release 1
About This Document
For general information about SmartOffice release notes, visit the Release Notes home page.
Revision History
These release notes may be revised after their initial publication. This section lists the dates of any revisions as well as a list of changes.
April 21, 2021
- Initial publication
May 14, 2021
- Core System: Added "Redesigned Dynamic Report Setup wizard" enhancement (PMG-858120).
June 3, 2021
- Release Overview: Added link to enhancement highlights video.
Release Overview
SmartOffice 2021 Release 1 features a new Dynamic Report setup workflow, page layout customization and filter improvements, and integration with Outlook 365, Excel 365 and RightCapital's financial planning application. For agencies, this release provides additional flexibility for managing pending cases.
For a quick overview of this release, see our video.
Enhancement Highlights
This section provides quick links to the featured enhancements in this release.
Core System
Agency Management
Integrations and Data Services
System Requirements
There are no changes to system requirements for this release. For current system requirements, see System Requirements.
Note Regarding Text Changes in SmartOffice
This release may contain minor changes to text in dialog boxes and other areas of the SmartOffice user interface. Changes of this type are typically made to correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and other language-related issues. Such changes normally are not listed in this document unless they affect the way the application works.
SmartOffice Pro Changes
Core System
Featured Enhancements
Redesigned Dynamic Report Setup Wizard
SmartOffice Pro now features a new setup wizard for Dynamic Reports that has been reorganized to make report creation more intuitive. Improvements include easier column search, grouping of filter and layout options on one screen, and a real-time preview with drag-and-drop column arrangement.
Note: The improved report wizard is enabled by default for newly created SmartOffice user accounts. Existing users can turn it on by going to User Preferences - Basic Info and selecting the Enable new Dynamic Report Setup wizard option.
For detailed information about the new wizard, see Dynamic Reports - Report Setup. (PMG-858120)
Page Layout Customization Enhancements
Several improvements were made to enable administrators to better manage the page layout experience for users:
- Ability to differentiate multiple page layouts for the same record type: On the Page Layouts content link of a user account, administrators can now determine which layout templates have been applied to different content links for the same record type (for example, the contact Personal content link versus the Add'l Personal content link). To view this information, add the new Content Link column to the Custom Template Summary list.
(PMG-811409)
- Ability to assign content link names to page layouts: When editing a custom page layout, a user can now assign it a content link name using the new Content Link Name field.
When the template is applied to a record type, its content link name replaces the default content link name. In addition, to easily track the content link names of templates, users with the appropriate rights can modify the layout of the Custom Template Summary list to add the new Content Link column. (PMG-892941)
- Improved page layout management for multiple users and groups: Office administrators who have office-level page layout customization user rights can now apply page layout templates to multiple users or user groups more easily. While viewing the Custom Template Summary list, select the new Apply Template command from the Menu button or the Options menu.
Then, when prompted, select the user and/or user groups to which you want to apply the template. (PMG-892995)
Ability to Copy Filter Criteria
When creating or modifying filters (including Dynamic Report filters), users can now add filter criteria more quickly by copying existing criteria. Select one or more entries in the Filter Criteria list, and then select the new Copy Filter button.
(PMG-885633)
Other Enhancements
General
- List and page layout performance enhancement: (This enhancement originally appeared in SmartOffice 2020 Release 3 but was reverted to correct several issues.) To improve the performance of lists and custom page layouts for contact, business, advisor and agency records, the following changes were made:
- In lists, the Latest SmartPad Notes and Latest SmartPad Notes (Manual) columns no longer display entries older than 365 days.
- In custom page layouts, the SmartPad Notes and Activity Log portlets no longer display entries older than 365 days.
Users who need to view older entries can open the SmartPad or the Activity Log tab.
Note: Enterprise customers can change the 365-day limit by editing the values of the
(PMG-889971)
Dynamic Reports
- Employee Census report category: Users can now create reports containing business employee census data. A new Employee Census report category is available in the Contacts/Businesses report family of Dynamic Reports. (PMG-340845)
Resolved Issues
General
- For office hierarchies, an issue with custom fields was resolved. Parent-office users who added drop-down choices to custom fields were unable to see those choices in some instances after turning Enterprise View off. This issue was resolved. (PMG-898927)
- An issue that was preventing record lists across the system from displaying completely was resolved. (PMG-900428, PMG-900429)
Contact Management
- During contact creation, SmartOffice was automatically capitalizing last names, preventing users from entering last names beginning with lowercase letters (e.g., names with particles like "van" or "de"). This issue was resolved. (PMG-881740)
- On the household Detail content link, applying a custom page layout containing the Activity Log portlet was producing an error. This issue was resolved. (PMG-899553)
- When a contact custom page layout contained the Activity Log portlet, the portlet was not displaying all expected activities, and the label "titleActivityLogLimit" was appearing above the portlet name. These issues were resolved. (PMG-899813)
- While editing contact records, users who entered a two-word last name in the Last Name field (e.g., a Dutch name beginning with "van") and then pressed the TAB key were finding that the name was being split automatically into the First Name and Last Name fields. This issue was resolved. (PMG-900508)
- When users tried to apply a custom page layout to the contact Add’l Personal content link, the system was applying the layout to the Personal content link instead. This issue was resolved. (PMG-904774)
Correspondence
- Selecting a large number of contacts and then selecting the Launch E-mail command was not opening a new Outlook message window. This issue was resolved. (PMG-898640)
- When a correspondence template contained merge codes inside shapes (e.g., rectangles), the browser-based Ebix Editor was unable to expand them. This issue was resolved. (PMG-900584)
Dynamic Reports
- An issue that was preventing the system from uploading Dynamic Reports to an FTP server was resolved. (PMG-889902)
- When a user modified a report from the Dynamic Report List and saved it, the list was refreshing to display only those reports with names similar to that of the modified report. This issue was resolved. (PMG-894726)
Filters
- When a user ran a filter search and viewed the results in the Filter List, clicking View More at the bottom of the list was producing a "failed to load object" error. This issue was resolved. (PMG-900574)
Home Page
- On the SmartOffice home page, an issue that was preventing websites from loading in HTML portlets was resolved. (PMG-892209)
SmartCalendar
Resolved Issues
- In User Preferences > Activity Options, the user's choice to enable or disable call tracking was being ignored for calls made from the calendar Day task list and from home page reports. This issue was resolved. (PMG-768326)
- A sporadic error that users were encountering when they created activities was resolved. (PMG-900016)
- The system was not displaying options for removing record privacy from activities linked to privatized contacts. This issue was resolved. (PMG-900811)
- When added to the calendar Agenda view, the NPN column was not displaying values for activities linked to advisor records containing National Producer Numbers. This issue was resolved. (PMG-902886)
SmartLeads
Resolved Issues
- Several issues with the Leads List were resolved, including misaligned columns and the inability of users to assign leads to advisors. (PMG-904900)
Advisors/Agencies
Enhancements
General
- Larger license Remarks field: In advisor license records, the height of the Remarks field has been increased to enable users to view more text at a glance. (PMG-900554)
- New advisor appointment status: In advisor appointment records, a new status choice, Electronic Request - Termination, is now available. Like the existing Electronic Request status choices, this choice enables the Service field so that the user can select an available appointment data provider. (PMG-905597)
Resolved Issues
General
- In the Advisor Hierarchy dialog box, the Menu > Reload command and the help text at the top represented obsolete functionality. These items were removed. (PMG-899710)
- When enterprise administrators added choices to the advisor or agency Type drop-down list in the System office, the choices were not appearing for users in lower offices. This issue was resolved. (PMG-900670)
SmartPolicies
Enhancements
- New policy merge codes: Several new merge codes are now available for use in policy correspondence:
- PlanSubType: The sub-type of the plan on a policy.
- Duration: A policy's premium duration.
- InsuredFirstNameLastName: The primary insured's first name and last name only.
- AllInsuredNames: The names of all policy insureds, separated by an ampersand (&).
(PMG-895376)
- Improved policy navigation from activities: When a user selects the View Policy link in a calendar activity, SmartOffice now displays the policy record only if the policy is in the Active or Inactive stage. If the policy is in another stage, such as Underwriting or Approved, SmartOffice displays the pending case record instead. (PMG-896204)
Resolved Issues
- System office users were encountering an error when they tried to edit an office's settings to add a resource office. This issue was resolved. (PMG-900181)
- Issues with the way in which rating information for primary insured/annuitants were being updated in policies and pending cases were resolved. (PMG-901541)
- An issue that was causing the Annual Prem field of a policy rider record to display the modal premium instead was resolved. (PMG-901542)
Insurance Products and Carriers
Enhancements
- Ability to change product type: Users can now change an existing insurance product's type without restriction. SmartOffice will warn the user that doing so may change the values visible in policies and pending cases linked to the product, but the user will be able to proceed with the change. (PMG-894139)
Resolved Issues
- An issue with term life resource-office products was resolved. When SmartOffice downloaded and processed term life pending cases, the system was linking those cases to products with the wrong term. (PMG-898797)
- Users who added a product code to a product from the Product List, were finding that the Product Code List column was not updating to display the new code. This issue was resolved. (PMG-901689)
- The system was not merging product code lists after merging two products. The same issue was affecting carrier code lists after carriers were merged. This issue was resolved. (PMG-902331)
- While creating a product from the Product List, users were finding that the carrier search was not working in some instances. This issue was resolved. (PMG-903718)
SmartCaseManager
Featured Enhancements
Ability to Change the Insured on a Requirement
The system now allows users to change the insured on a pending case requirement to someone other than the primary insured. While viewing the requirement details, select the Insured Contact hyperlink to choose from a list of all insureds associated with the case, such as second insured and co-insured.
Previously, selecting that hyperlink allowed the user to edit the selected insured's contact record; to do that now, select the insured's name in the Insured Contact field instead. (PMG-892250)
More Pending Case Custom Fields
An additional 40 alphanumeric custom fields are now available on the pending case Additional Info content link. (PMG-897621)
Other Enhancements
- Ability to change requirement type: Users can now change a pending case requirement's type and sub-type, eliminating the need to recreate the requirement from scratch (and lose the associated notes) when those attributes need to be changed. To do so, select the Change Date/Status command for a requirement, and then use the new Requirement Type and Requirement Sub-Type fields to make the change.
All notes are preserved after the change. (PMG-892246)
- Better handling of current risk class: SmartOffice now includes improved logic for properly populating the policy/pending case Current Risk Class field during case updates. This change applies to manual case updates as well as updates processed automatically using the Direct Download and Replace method. (PMG-900760)
- New requirement statuses: Two new pending case requirements statuses were added to the system: Required Prior to Issue and Request Carrier to Waive. (PMG-903264)
Resolved Issues
- Updating the status of a pending case from certain areas of SmartOffice was causing a blank browser tab to open once the change was saved. This issue was resolved. (PMG-790985)
- An issue with policy/pending case correspondence was resolved. When searching for a form letter template, users were finding that the Purpose drop-down list was not displaying the default value and was not allowing users to select a choice. (PMG-893488)
- When users edited custom page layouts for pending cases, the label for the Application Type field was not displaying properly. This issue was resolved. (PMG-898851)
- When an All Cases-category pending case Dynamic Report was added to a contact custom page layout, the report was displaying all cases in the office, not just those cases linked to the contact being viewed. In addition, users who tried to add All Cases-category reports to a contact page layout were not seeing that report category listed among the available options. These issue were resolved. (PMG-899569)
- After viewing requirements on the pending case Requirements content link, some users who navigated to the Letters/Documents content link and then back to the Requirements content link were no longer seeing any requirements listed. This issue was resolved. (PMG-899950)
- An issue was occurring when the layout of the pending case Detail content link for critical illness policies was customized to include a field from the Critical Illness Custom content link. Data entered into the field was not being saved. This issue was resolved. (PMG-901177)
SmartBenefits
Enhancements
- Status and status date for group plans: Users can now view or modify the status and status date of an existing group plan. Navigate to the General content link of a group plan (e.g., for medical group plans, go to the General Medical content link) to find the new Status/Date fields (under Plan Name).
(PMG-903591)
Resolved Issues
- On the group policy Detail content link, selecting the Status hyperlink was not displaying the Group Policy Status History List dialog box. This issue was resolved. (PMG-905963)
SmartCommissions
Enhancements
General
- New column for net % of premium: In advisor payment lists (e.g., in the details of an inforce policy commission transaction), users with the appropriate rights can now add the Net % of Prem column. This column displays percentages to two decimal places for users who prefer that (the existing Net % of Premium column displays percentages to four decimal places). (PMG-898498)
Resolved Issues
General
- While viewing the details of an advisor transaction import, users who validated and processed transactions had to refresh the page manually to display updated status information. In addition, the system was not allowing users to select an advisor transaction posting when they tried to link a transaction to a posting. These issues were resolved. (PMG-902004)
- An issue with advisor transaction import records was resolved. While viewing the details of an import, users who selected Yes or No from the Is Advisor Resolved drop-down list and then selected All were seeing an empty transaction list. (PMG-901273)
Carrier Posting
- After entering a zero amount in the Expected Amount field of a carrier posting transaction and selecting OK, users were being presented repeatedly with Delete, Close, and Cancel options. This issue was resolved. (PMG-897968)
SmartInvestments
Resolved Issues
General
- During investment data import reconciliation, SmartOffice was incorrectly showing out-of-balance positions for some users. This issue was resolved. (PMG-901239)
Asset Allocation
- On the contact Asset Allocation content link, an issue with selecting the Asset Sector (G) sorting/grouping option for the Investment Asset Allocation list was resolved. When the list was printed, the data in the printout was not matching the data displayed in SmartOffice. (PMG-892054)
- On the Asset Allocation content link of a contact or other record, selecting the Asset Allocation Model field’s hyperlink was not opening a search dialog box as expected. In addition, entering text in the field was not displaying a list of matching models. These issues were resolved. (PMG-903077)
Integrations and Data Services
Featured Enhancements
Add-Ins for Outlook 365 and Excel 365
SmartOffice now integrates with the following Microsoft 365 applications:
- Outlook 365: The add-in supports posting e-mail messages from Outlook to the SmartOffice SmartPad, as well as contact integration to display notes, documents, policies, investments, and other SmartOffice data in Outlook.
- Excel 365: The add-in enables users to search for and run SmartOffice Dynamic Reports directly from Excel and save results in an Excel workbook.
The add-ins support the web and desktop versions of Outlook 365 and Excel 365. For information about how to install and use these add-ins, refer to SmartOffice for Microsoft 365 Help. (PMG-865554, PMG-865553, PMG-861726)
RightCapital Integration
SmartOffice users can now create financial plans in RightCapital by exporting household member information from SmartOffice into RightCapital. For information about setting up and using this integration, see Integrations - RightCapital.
Other Enhancements
Pending Case Downloads
- Issue age and rider processing improvements: When issue age data is included in a pending case download, the system now inserts that data into the appropriate field in SmartOffice and does not calculate the age. If no issue age data is present in the download, SmartOffice calculates it; however, if issue age data already exists for the case in SmartOffice, SmartOffice does not recalculate it. Also, as part of this enhancement, SmartOffice now processes rider data for Direct Download and Replace. (PMG-899426)
SmartIntegrator and SmartXchange
- Object for favorite reports: A new MyReports object enables developers using the SmartIntegrator API to retrieve data about favorite Dynamic Reports using several user and report properties. (PMG-898608)
- New properties for CommHierarchy object: For developers accessing SmartOffice through the SmartIntegrator API, several properties were added to the CommHierarchy object to link that object to other relevant objects. The new properties (and the objects they reference) are:
- CarrierContract (AdvContract)
- CarrierContractObjID (AdvContract)
- GAContract (AdvContract)
- GAContractObjID (AdvContract)
- Agent (Agent)
- AgentObjID (Agent)
- CarrierRate (CommRate)
- CarrierRateObjID (CommRate)
- GARate (CommRate)
- GARateObjID (CommRate)
- InterestParty (InterestParty)
- InterestPartyObjID (InterestParty)
(PMG-900264)
- Simplified presale creation through API: To insert a presale activity into SmartOffice, developers are no longer required to include the
element under to indicate the user who created the record. (PMG-901205)
- Additional product data accessible through API: To enable external applications to access product conversion period and maximum conversion age data from SmartOffice, two additional properties of the Product object have been exposed: ConversionPeriod and MaxConveAge. (PMG-901908)
Resolved Issues
Inforce Policy Import
- For downloaded Zurich inforce universal life policies, incorrect net cash values and gross cash values were appearing in SmartOffice. This issue was resolved. The
value in the ACORD file now maps to the Net Cash Value field, while the value now maps to the Gross Cash Value field. (PMG-891021)
- For Zurich inforce policy imports, the policy Value As Of date was not populating in SmartOffice. This issue was resolved. (PMG-896608)
- An issue with SmartOffice's logic for matching policy numbers during inforce policy imports was resolved. The system was removing leading zeroes from policy numbers instead of simply ignoring leading zeroes during the matching process. As part of this solution, policies in SmartOffice are now updated when the only difference between the policy number of the imported record and the SmartOffice record is the leading zeroes. (PMG-900503)
- An issue with the National Life inforce policy feed that was causing duplicate businesses to appear in SmartOffice was resolved. (PMG-904277)
Investment Data Downloads
- An issue that was causing active investment positions downloaded from Albridge to appear closed in SmartOffice was resolved. (PMG-890247)
- An issue that was causing the processing of TD Ameritrade downloads to halt was resolved. (PMG-890841)
- In instances where a downloaded investment security's CUSIP changed but the symbol remained the same (e.g., after a company emerged from bankruptcy), SmartOffice was not zeroing out old positions and creating new ones with updated share information. This issue was resolved. (PMG-892328)
- SmartOffice was not allowing users to upload FOLIOfn investment data files with these file name extensions: .nam, .pos, .sec, .pri, .trn. This issue was resolved. (PMG-893890)
- When the processing of a large Broadridge data import was interrupted because of a data connection issue, SmartOffice was reporting that the job was processed with errors, even when not all of the data was processed. This issue was resolved. (PMG-896867)
- An issue with overstated share values downloaded from DST was causing account values in SmartOffice to be inaccurate. This issue was resolved. (PMG-897837)
- An issue with Broadridge data downloads that was causing duplicate contacts to appear in SmartOffice was resolved. (PMG-898810)
- An issue that was causing active investment accounts in SmartOffice to show zero values after Albridge downloads were processed was resolved. (PMG-899861)
- When Broadridge downloads were process, SmartOffice was not closing old positions and creating new ones when there was a CUSIP change for a security and symbol remained the same. This issue was resolved. (PMG-900082)
- In some instances, variable annuity subaccount security prices downloaded from Broadridge were not populating in SmartOffice. This issue was resolved. (PMG-900083)
Pending Case Downloads
- An issue that was causing HO pending cases to become stuck in processing was resolved. (PMG-899166)
- Incorrect memo dates for pending case notes were appearing in SmartOffice after downloaded cases were processed. This issue was resolved. (PMG-901096)
- An issue that was causing slow processing of pending case downloads consisting of only a few cases was resolved. (PMG-901276)
- Delays in the processing of downloaded pending cases that were in the Processed to Stage stage were resolved. (PMG-905527)
SmartOffice Anywhere Changes
There were no SmartOffice Anywhere changes in this release.