Rough Notes Advantage Plus

Copyright and Terms and Conditions

The Rough Notes Company, Inc., is dedicated to the educational advancement of insurance professionals. It is our conviction that the insurance scholar should be provided with accurate industry knowledge.

The information provided in this Web site is designed to provide accurate and useful information in regard to the subject matter covered and to provide one possible interpretation of the policy or coverage issue. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional service.

Insurance history shows that court decisions and new policy versions may alter the original intent of policy form or coverage language. Although every reasonable effort has been made to verify the accuracy of items carried in this publication, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific interest or concern. The Rough Notes Company, Inc., makes no warranties or guarantees regarding the accuracy of the information contained in this Web site.

The following analyses contain references to the sources of the forms or programs being analyzed, such as (but not limited to) American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS), and Insurance Services Office (ISO). The references appear only in conjunction with our independent analyses of these forms. This Web site is not sponsored or endorsed by or otherwise affiliated with any of the publishers’ works that are analyzed. Any appearance of actual form language (i.e., excerpts) is intended only for analytical purpose and is a fair use of the language. The applicable form publishers should be contacted directly for information on securing rights to [and] use of their forms.

© 2016 The Rough Notes Company, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this Web site may be reproduced, translated, stored in a database or retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other means, except as expressly permitted by the publisher. For permission contact Samuel W. Berman.

Written permission is granted for our customers as follows:

1. Business Building Letters may be used by customers as formats for both internal and external written communication.

2. Producer's Commercial Lines Risk Evaluation System and Producer's Personal Lines Risk Evaluation System Questionnaires and Checklists may be copied and used by insurance agencies to develop checklists and surveys for use with their clients, customers and prospects.

3. PF&M, Coverages Applicable and Insurance Words selections may be copied and pasted into documents as illustrations. This type of usage must include a reference to the source.

4. e-marketing for Agents may be used on the agent’s Web site or newsletter without attributing it to The Rough Notes Company, Inc. However, the articles may not be shown attributing them to any party other than The Rough Notes Company, Inc.

Contact us

We appreciate hearing from you.
Do you have questions or need help that has not been answered here?
Do you have comments, suggestions or feedback?
Please feel free to contact us.

E-mail: rncadvantageplus@roughnotes.com

Phone: 1-800-428-4384

Fax: 1 (317) 816-1000 or 1 (800) 321-1909.

Our hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard or Daylight Savings Time

Mail: The Rough Notes Company, Inc.

11690 Technology Drive
Carmel. Indiana 46032-5600


Frequently Asked Questions

General

Business Building Letters

Coverages Applicable

e-marketing for Agencies

"How to Insure" Training Courses

Insurance Marketplace

Insurance Words and Their Meanings

PF&M

Producer's Commercial Lines Risk Evaluation System

Producer's Personal Lines Risk Evaluation System

Rough Notes Magazine

Property and Casualty Insurance by Gordis


NAVIGATION TIPS (You can also access this information by clicking on FAQ's on the Home Page)

What are the Search options?

Two different search mechanisms are available to you.

Access Global Search by clicking the oval ‘search’ button on the Home Page of The Producer Online. The Global Search queries the broadest number of products simultaneously and is the quickest and easiest way to find the most information in the least amount of time.

Multiple Product Searches are possible by holding down the control key while clicking and highlighting the desired product(s). Simply insert your search word or phrase and go! The frame on the right side of the screen lists the results of your search, including titles.

Access Specific Search by clicking the ‘Edit / Find (on This Page)’ option on your browser tool bar. This navigation tool is used to find specific words or phrases in the ‘active frame’ currently in use. In some cases, you may have a right and left frame open at the same time. A mouse click inside a frame makes that frame ‘active’.

Rough Notes Magazine additional search.

The Rough Notes Magazine can also be searched by topics. Choose the topic(s) by holding down the control key while you click. Then enter the word(s) and click search. The frame on the right side of the screen lists the results of the search by topic.

What is the best way to return to a previous screen?

The ‘back browser arrow’ allows you to back up, page by page.

I'm in a specific product and now want to look at another product. What is the shortest route to do so?

Choose any product on the Advantage Plus navigation bar and click on it. The Producer Online navigation bar appears as multi-colored tabs.

I've read an article and I want to print it out but when I print, the table of contents prints, not the article. How do I print the article?

Place your cursor anywhere on the article you are reading and click to activate the screen. You will now be able to print the article.


PRODUCT QUESTIONS

Business Building Letters

There are so many great letters to choose from. How do I find the right one easily?

This product contains five sections.

1. Prospecting includes letters useful when pursuing new accounts. The letters are separated into four categories: General, Commercial, Personal and Life and Financial Services.

2. Account Development consists of letters helpful in maintaining and retaining your present clients. These include Relationship Building, Commercial, Personal and Life & Financial Services. These letters assist you in writing more lines of business for each account. To the extent possible, this means no more single policy accounts!

3. Account Activity includes letters helpful in general servicing of your accounts. These include new policies, renewal policies, policy endorsements and changes, claims, cancellations, billings and other transactions. Nothing should ever leave your office without being accompanied by a personal letter. Use these letters to build your relationship and add a personal touch!

4. Agency Special Events includes letters concerning agency announcements, staff changes, carrier changes, anniversaries and the like. Sharing information regularly with your clients helps them know you better.

5. Client Special Events consists of letters used to recognize clients’ birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. Show your interest in the personal events in your customers' lives and not just in their insurance policies and coverages.

If you are consistently using letters from one particular area, you may want to print the table of contents frame on the left side of the screen for that section. However, keep in mind that there are over 300 letters in this section!

Helpful hint. The 'right letter’ you need may be in a different section. For example, the letter you really need may be in 'Account Development' instead of in 'Prospecting.' Take a look at all the letters to determine what is available.

How do I make the best use of these letters?

First, add them to your own letter library by highlighting the letter and then using your top tool bar with Edit / Copy / Paste to place them in your Word system. Then edit them so they sound like your own letter. Finally, identify them for easy reference and use in the future.

Then review your current sales and service procedures and incorporate these letters into the workflow. Instead of simply mailing a renewal policy to your customer, send a ‘thank you note’ along with it. Be sure to ask for a referral while you’re at it!

Remember, make every contact a positive one!


Coverages Applicable

If I hyperlink from Coverages Applicable to PF&M, how do I get back to Coverages Applicable?

Simply use the ‘back browser arrow’ located in the upper left-hand corner of your tool bar.

My risk is not listed in the index. What category should I use?

If you know the SIC or NAICS code, review the index and find a risk with a similar SIC or NAICS code. Then use the category that applies to that similar risk.

If all you have is the classification, locate a similar risk in the index and use that category.

Why do similar definitions appear within different categories?

Some insurance exposures and coverages are constant and do not change between categories. Buildings burn, people get hurt and accidents happen. Each individual category is complete and you can limit your review to that category and not have to jump from category to category to get the information you need.

Why should I hyperlink to PF&M after reviewing the coverage description in Coverages Applicable?

The information provided in Coverages Applicable is limited, relatively brief and does not provide all information needed. PF&M provides in depth and specific coverage analyses.


E-marketing for Agencies

Should I place all E-marketing for Agencies articles on my website at the same time?

We suggest that you introduce articles on your website one or two at a time. This enables you to periodically present fresh material to your customers and this encourages them to visit your website regularly. If you coordinate the articles with an emphasis product, this can be very helpful in cross selling.

How do I get to this product and then use it?

Review the instructions on the e-Marketing for Agents site. Then, have your office Computer Administrator or IT person e-mail Bruce Hicks at The Rough Notes Company, Inc. at bruceh@roughnotes.com. Bruce will assist you in effectively using this material.


"How to Insure" Training Courses

I entered my Advantage Plus user name and password and was told that I’m not registered. What do I do now?

The Advantage Plus user name and password is for use by all individuals in the agency. When one person is taking a training course, he or she must be able to have some privacy. Just as with a good book, you need to be able to stop and start, mark a particularly interesting section and be able to return to it for review. The only way to allow for this individually is to have a separate registration within the "How to Insure" courses section.

You need to register once and then use that user name and password every time you return to the How to Insure Courses. You must still use your Advantage Plus user name and password to access Advantage Plus.

How many "How to Insure" courses are there?

Initially, there will be ten commercial courses. A number of personal lines courses will be introduced at a later date.


Insurance Marketplace

IMP has two search options. Which one is easier to use?

Choose the first option, ‘Select from Listed Companies,’ if you know the company you want information about. Simply scroll down to find the company, highlight it and hit 'search.'

If you are looking for a specific coverage in a particular state, use the second option, ‘Select by Category and State.’ For example, snowmobiles in Vermont are found by entering ‘S’ in the ‘Select by Category’ field and then scrolling down to snowmobiles. You will find a few snowmobile options. In the state field, scroll down to Vermont and then hit 'go!'

The Global Search accessible from the home page does not include The Insurance Marketplace because it is a different Web site.


Insurance Words and Their Meanings

What are the ‘search’ options with this product?

Two simple search options are available.

1. The Global Search from the Advantage Plus home page. The instructions are in The Advantage Plus General Information.

2. A Specific word search from the Insurance Words home page. Simply click on the ‘search’ button and follow the prompts.

When is Insurance Words and Their Meanings updated?

This site is updated at least annually. New words, updated definitions and new glossaries are published every January.


PF&M

What material does PF&M have that I can use for selling?

Many sections have brochure wording and endorsement checklists that are helpful and can be used when calling on clients.

Does PF&M address only ISO Coverages?

No. Most of the ISO forms are discussed, as well as many of the AAIS coverage forms. In addition, a number of specialty coverage analyses, based on different company coverage forms, are also included. Examples are educators' legal, aircraft and various ocean marine coverages.

I want to use some proposal wording in my agency’s sales materials. Is there some way to do that easily?

The same procedure for this application applies to copying any material from The Advantage Plus.

Proposal language in PF&M is easily accessible as a category in the Table of Contents and also by using the burgundy color oval button at the lower right-hand side of the PF&M screen.

Highlight the desired proposal wording with the cursor. Then hit control-c or Edit / Copy, using your browser tool bar. Open the specific document you want to copy, for example, into Word and use control-v or Edit / Paste to paste, using the browser tool bar. Edit the language to suit your purposes and then save it as your new document.

There is so much information! Where do I start?

Remember the two search options explained in the first section. Specific searches can be accomplished in either the table of contents in the left frame or in content in the right frame.

Can I use this information to develop a continuing education course?

Some of our material has been used in a number of courses. Please contact us to discuss the details.


Producer's Commercial Lines Risk Evaluation System

What can I do with the Producer's Commercial Lines Risk Evaluation System?

After you choose a broad category and then a specific business risk, you have four options: Narrative, Checklist, Client/Agent Coverage Agreement and Questionnaire.

The Narrative briefly describes a particular type of risk and gives a suggested list of exposures to evaluate. This overview helps a producer understand a potential client’s operations and identify most key insurance needs. This information aids the initial producer, the CSR and the producer working on the renewal, if applicable, as they evaluate and manage the account. Some important tips provided include SIC, NAICS, Workers Compensation and General Liability codes as well as mandatory and suggested coverage recommendations.

The Checklist provides a brief definition of a specific coverage, simply check the coverage box and click to view definitions. The definitions then provide a link to PF&M for additional coverage details.

Client/Agent Coverage Agreement helps producers be consistent in their review and coverages offered. The Agreement also provides the documentation needed to reduce the agent's E&O exposure. Simply complete the forms with your client or prospect, have them sign and date them and keep it in your file for future reference. CSR's can use the Agreement to further develop existing accounts.

The Questionnaire supplements the standard policy application and includes questions that assist you as you explore and identify potential exposures. The questionnaire serves as a point of discussion during the fact-finding process. Since the questionnaire was developed for the specific type of risk, both the client and the company underwriter can feel more confident of your understanding of the exposures involved. A complete questionnaire should reduce the amount of time spent developing additional information between the underwriter, agent and client.

Customize your questionnaire by saving it to your Word file and then complete it in your Word system or as a paper printout.


Producer's Personal Lines Risk Evaluation System

What exactly is the Producer's Personal Lines Risk Evaluation System?

The Producer's Personal Lines Risk Evaluation System is a comprehensive personal lines risk identification tool. It includes risk specific questions and a complete list of personal lines endorsements and their definitions. It also serves as an E&O tool that provides a coverage acceptance or rejection form with a client/agent signature block.

What is one of its best features?

Depending on the need or application, there are quite a few. However, the pre-renewal survey can be used every year to keep current with all essential coverages.


Rough Notes Magazine

How do I "search" in the Rough Notes magazine?

The same two search options apply. Refer to The Advantage Plus General Information above for Global Search and Specific Search information and procedures.

In addition, once you are at the magazine home page, you have an additional search option by following the same process as with Global Search. This option allows for specific searches of features, columns or departments.

Refer to the Global Search instructions in the general information section above.


Property and Casualty Insurance by Gordis

How can Property and Casualty Insurance help me sell an account?

Property and Casualty Insurance provides an easy and quick explanation of most regularly used insurance coverages. This means that when you are asked about a coverage you can simply click Property and Casualty Insurance for a ready answer.

Does Property and Casualty Insurance address only ISO Coverages?

No. Property and Casualty Insurance is addressing coverage forms in general. ISO, AAIS, MSO, SFAA and NCCI forms are discussed along with ocean marine and other types of specialty coverages.

Can you provide examples that can help me better understand the material?

Examples are very important so many are provided throughout the material. When you are reviewing a coverage discussion, simply click on the highlighted link for an example or a helpful hint.

There is so much information! Where do I start?

The Table of Contents on the left starts small and grows as you narrow down your search. Any selection made in the right screen will take you into the body of the chapter. Scroll up and down within the chapter to find additional information.

Can I use this information to develop a continuing education course?

Some of our material has been used in a number of courses. Please contact us to discuss the details.