Chain communication (9) functional configuration insurance solution

[Jurg]

Purpose of functionality

In the processes surrounding quoting, signing, renewing, and terminating insurance policies, many different parties in the chain play a role. Parties that all want to be informed in their own way about what happens around the customer and the insurance policy in which they are involved.

As an example, consider a policy renewal that is collected by the insurer and involves an intermediary and a sub-agent:

• The intermediary wants to receive a booking slip plus the new policy (possibly in XML form) so they can easily process the related bookings in their accounting.
• The sub-agent would like to receive information about the compensation they can expect as a result of the renewal.
• The customer would like to receive their new policy along with the invoice for their own administration.

In short, all parties in the chain have different requirements for the communication they receive. To automate this process, Novulo Chain Communication was developed. This functionality aims to automatically provide all parties in the chain with the correct communication where possible.

Application of the Functionality

The functionality for chain communication can now be applied in most stages of the policy lifecycle. Think of:

• Sending communication as part of the quotation process
• Sending communication following the signing or mutation of policies
• Sending communication following a renewal
• Sending communication related to a final settlement

How the Functionality Works

In the description below, we show an example of how chain communication works for an invoice. In this example, the invoice is emailed to different parties depending on whether insurer collection or intermediary collection is in effect. In this case, everything is done manually, but this can also be automated using a workflow, for example.

Tip: In the section ‘Chain Communication Task’, you can read how to add the configuration in Novulo related to this example.

Chain Communication: Insurer or Delegated Authority Collection

Imagine we have a policy in Novulo that is collected by the insurer (1)*:
Note: For a ‘My Organization Delegated Authority’ choose collection by: Delegated Authority.

After finalizing this policy, an invoice is generated. We want to send this invoice via chain communication. To do this, we navigate to the invoice lines and then to the relevant ‘invoice’ (1):

To generate the invoice, we click on ‘Generate’ (1) under chain communication in the invoice:

Since this concerns insurer collection, we want to send the invoice to the customer and inform the intermediary by sending a copy of the email to them. We then see two chain communications being created: one for the customer (1) and one for the intermediary (2).

If we then select these chain communications and click on finalize, the underlying emails are generated and sent depending on the chain communication settings.

In this example, we’re not sending automatically, but the emails are prepared. We can review them by clicking on a chain communication and opening it. The chain communication is finalized, and to see what the email looks like, we can click on either ‘Email’ (1) or the activity (2).

Doing this, we see the email that has been prepared for the customer and can choose to send it manually:

Intermediary Collection

Imagine we have a policy in Novulo that is collected by the intermediary (1):

After finalizing the policy, an invoice is generated. We want to send this invoice to the intermediary using chain communication. To generate this, we click on ‘Generate’ (1) under chain communication in the invoice:

Since this is intermediary collection, we only want to send the invoice to the intermediary.

Note: This is just an example; in many cases, no invoice is sent for each policy change at a client of an intermediary, but this is handled via a current account overview.

We then see one chain communication created for the intermediary (1).

After selecting this chain communication and clicking finalize, the emails are generated and sent depending on the settings.

Again, in this example, the emails are only prepared, not sent. We can view them by opening the chain communication. It is finalized, and we can preview the email by clicking either on ‘Email’ (1) or the activity (2):

Doing this, we see the email prepared for the customer and can choose to send it manually:

That concludes the operation of chain communication. Now let’s look at how the configuration is set up, and then configure two templates ourselves.

Chain Communication Management

In this chapter, we describe what configuration is needed to make the chain communication functionality work correctly.

Required components

As part of realizing the chain communication functionality, the following components were developed:

Component	Description
Novulo Chain Communication for Insurance	The core component for chain communication
Novulo Chain Communication for Sales	Enables chain communication in sales, e.g., for quotes
Anker Chain Communication for Mutation Sequences	Enables chain communication in mutation sequences
Novulo Outgoing Messages via Chain Communication	Enables outgoing messaging (ADN) using chain communication

To make these components work properly together, configuration is also needed. This is described below.

Parts of the Configuration

Looking at the configuration, we describe three parts in this guide:

• Chain Communication Template Setup – Setting up the template itself (covered in detail below).
• Activity Template Setup – These are document templates used in chain communication, e.g., emails. An example is provided.
• Workflow Setup – Chain communication can also be part of a workflow; we provide an example here.

Configuration for Chain Communication

Chain communication templates are found under the management settings. Go to ‘All Apps’, then click on Settings, and search for ‘chain’. Then click on chain communication and you’ll see the screen below. By clicking the plus sign (1), you can add a template or view an existing one by clicking on it.

Parts of the Chain Communication Template

Opening a template shows that it consists of different parts:

1. General – General settings such as name, type of activity generated, etc.
2. Application – The area in which chain communication is applied (invoices, quotes, settlements, etc.)
3. Settings – Settings that determine when the template is used and who it is sent to.
4. Attachments – Attachments that should be sent along with the communication template.

Tip: If one of the above sections is not visible, add it by clicking ‘More’ in the top-right corner.

Note: Depending on the version of the components you’re using, screens may look different.

General

First, we look at the general settings. These consist of several parts:

• The description of the template
• The type of activity that will be generated based on the template. In most cases this will be an email, but it could also be a document if the communication is sent by post.
• The activity template based on which the activity will be generated
• The status of the template – if the checkbox for active is not ticked, it will be skipped as part of the process that determines which templates should be applied
• Manual sending per mail – If this checkbox is ticked, emails will not be sent automatically.
• Generate mailbox message – If this checkbox is ticked, a mailbox file type can be added.
  
  

Application

As mentioned earlier, chain communication can be applied in many different places within the application. To determine which application (usecase) the chain communication template belongs to, there are checkboxes available for the various areas where chain communication can be used.

These checkboxes are used to indicate in which context the template is used. The fields that become visible under Settings depend on the selection made here. They can also be used in workflows to apply the correct chain communication template.

1. This checkbox is for use with renewals
2. This checkbox is for use with invoices
3. This checkbox is for use with final settlements
4. This checkbox is for use with sales, for example, quotes

Settings

After selecting the application, the settings become visible. These define when the template should be applied and to whom the emails/documents created as part of the chain communication should be sent.

1. In this field, you define — based on an expression — in which cases the template should be used within the chosen context.
2. The relations to whom the emails/documents should be sent. Here, too, expressions are used.
3. The description the chain communication should receive once created.

Attachments

Besides determining who should receive the chain communication, you may also want to send various attachments. You can do this by adding ‘additional attachments’. When adding these, you can configure the following options:

1. The description of the attachment
2. An expression to select the attachments you want to include
3. A checkbox that lets you choose to send the attachments in a zip file if there are multiple

Activity Template Configuration

As mentioned above, you define an activity template to generate a document or email as part of the chain communication. If you want more information about this, check out the documentation available on that topic.

Workflow Setup

As mentioned earlier, it is also possible to automatically generate chain communications using a workflow. We won’t describe this in detail here but will instead provide an example. A commonly used setup looks like this:

1. First, the correct chain communication template is determined. This happens via a process call (1). This step is followed by the creation of the chain communication (2).
   
   
2. The second step is adding the chain communication based on the selected template. This can also be done via a process call (2).
   
   
3. The next step is ‘caching’ the created chain communication.
   
   
4. After that, the chain communication can be finalized. This too can be done via a process call (1).
   
   

Chain Communication Assignment

In this section, we will jointly configure two chain communication templates for the scenario in which, as part of the chain communication for a new policy, different communication is sent depending on whether the premium is collected by the insurer or the intermediary. After setting up the templates, we can run through the example as described above.

In this assignment, we will go through each part of the configuration step by step, as previously explained. We’ll start with the template for intermediary collection and then move on to the insurer collection template.

1. Go to Settings via “All Apps” and search for Chain Communication.
2. Click the plus icon to add a new template (1).
   
   

We will now configure the template as follows:

General and Application

Configure the following for each template, adjusting the name and condition logic based on the collection method:

1. Name the template to reflect the collection method:

• Intermediary Collection
• Insurer Collection

2. We are going to send an email, so select “Email” as the activity type.
3. Link the activity template you’ll use for sending. If it doesn’t exist yet, create one.
4. Make sure the template is set to active and to manual sending — we don’t want to send real emails by accident.
5. Choose “For invoices” as the application — we want to use this chain communication for invoices.

Settings

In the settings, configure the following:

1. The conditions under which the template should be applied. In this case, we only want the template to apply if:
   • It is not a renewal invoice this.prolongation_period.isnull()
   • The contact on the invoice is not an insurer ‘this.contact.is_insurer.equals(YesNo:load(0))’
   • The collection is done by the intermediary ‘this.only_root_version.collection_by.agent.equals(YesNo:load(1))’
   • And a only_root_version must exist, otherwise it cannot be determined whether the collection is by the intermediary this.only_root_version.isnull()
2. The contact who is allowed to receive the chain communication. In this case, the intermediary collecting the payment [this.collection_by].
3. The description of the chain communication this.description.
   
   

Attachments

Finally, we add any attachments we want to include. In this case, we only want to attach the invoice. Add an attachment (1):

Then fill in the required fields:

1. The description of the attachment.
2. The actual attachment — in this case, the generated invoice document this.invoice.invoice_document.file.
3. If desired, you can choose to include all attachments in a zip file. We will not do that in this case.
   
   

Now that we’ve created the first template, re-do the steps from configuring the template and adjust only the following:

1. Change the template name.
2. Update the conditional logic for collection method (see above).
3. Review and confirm the recipient and description fields as needed.
   
   

With this final step, we have set up the templates and can now begin testing them.