New Member Page

BACK TO PORTAL

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You're now a member of the Pacific Crest Services family of agents. We look forward to working with you.

3-2-1 Launch!

YOUR HOME BASE FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

Agency Field Guide

Link

Agency Introduction Guide

Link

W9

Link

Direct Deposit

Link

Personal Information Form

Agent Training Manual

New Agent Hawksoft Guide

Unassigned Client Procedure

Sweep Procedure

Quote Sheets

IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER

1. We are on your schedule. We are here to accommodate your needs and timing. Please remember, you set the cadence for your process!

2. Be intentional. Opening an independent insurance agency should be treated as an important life event and milestone. Give the process, including the many forms & applications you will complete, the time and effort they deserve. You are laying the foundation of your agency!

3. Practice patience. You may get frustrated along the way. For most of our agents, this is all new and at a minimum mildly confusing. Ask a lot of questions to help alleviate concern and confusion.

4. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Unfortunately, we are not mind readers. Please be direct, open and honest as we move forward. This is one of our core values at Pacific Crest and our staff will always strive to give you the same level of respect with a high level of communication along the way. Being forthright with information and/or any concerns will only enhance our understanding of your situation.

STEP #1

AGENCY DISCOVERY

During our first Agency Coordination call, we will get to know one another through our discovery process. It is important for us to clearly understand;

Your previous professional experience in the insurance industry.
The logistic setup of your new independent insurance agency - the “who, where, when”, and what goals you have in place for your agency.

All of this will help us build a resource plan to help make your agency a success.

You will want to be prepared to answer the following questions about your prior roles in the insurance industry;

What insurance carriers do you have experience with?
What lines of business and coverages will you typically write?
What production goals will you have for yourself?

We will cover your agency marketing initiatives at a very high level during this call. You will want to start thinking about how you will generate new leads for your agency. What type of leads will you generate, personal or commercial, preferred or non-standard? This will be important information later on in our process when we start to discuss which carriers you will need.

During our process, we will have you submit your basic personal information located on the right hand side of this page.

TIMELINE

This meeting typically takes 30 minutes depending on how many questions you have for our team. Completing the Personal Information Form below as soon as you can will help us prepare for the meeting.

WHAT YOU DO

Help us get to know you by sharing your experience and goals with us.
Complete the personal information form.

WHAT WE DO

Gather your information
Create a carrier strategy for you based on your experience and goals for your agency

Link

Personal Information Form

PRIMARY CONTACT

Kaylyne Miller

888-938-4197

Mail

STEP #2

ERRORS & OMISSIONS

Errors and omissions insurance (E&O) helps cover the cost of a lawsuit and damages if a client claims your agency’s work was inaccurate, late, or never put in force. An accusation of professional negligence, errors, or an unfulfilled promise related to your insurance services could lead to a client taking you to court. As an insurance professional, you realize how devastating a legal battle can be. Fortunately, errors and omissions insurance can protect your business from such claims by paying for legal expenses. E&O cost is based on a few factors, including the amount of coverage, claims history, industry risk factors, business size, and day-to-day operations.

Pacific Crest will help you find the right E&O policy that fits your agency. Not all E&O policies are written the same or include the same coverages. We will help you find the right carrier with the right coverage to protect your business.

You will start by completing an E&O application with our team. Knowing if you have current coverage, prior acts to cover, or claims will help you through the process.

In addition to an application, you will need the following:

Resume
Agency Introduction (use care, purposeful writing, and have someone edit for you)
- Agency thoughts, dreams & goals (premium size, line of business mix, staffing, and geographical locations)

All of these documents should tell the same story and support one another. These will all help determine the rate for your E&O policy. It’s worth the effort to make a quality first impression of your agency to potential clients, insurance carriers, and vendors.

Once the application, resume, and agency introduction are complete we will submit them to our preferred E&O brokers to get you a quote that best meets your needs. It can take a week or two to receive quotes back from a broker.

TIMELINE

This process can take 2 to 3 weeks depending on how quickly you complete your tasks and how quickly we receive quotes back from the carriers.

WHAT YOU DO

Create the Agency Introduction
Create a resume

WHAT WE DO

Help you complete the E&O Application
Submit to preferred E&O Brokers
Follow up on your quotes
Review coverage to protect your agency
Help you bind your policy

Link

Agency Introduction Guide

PRIMARY CONTACT

Priscilla Morales

888-938-4197

Mail

STEP #3

CARRIER STRATEGY

Carrier strategy begins with the picture you paint in your Agency Introduction, Resume, and E&O Application. All of these documents give Pacific Crest an idea of the agency you are planning to build, enabling us to find the carriers that will match your client’s needs and agency goals.

We will begin by looking at what your target market looks like, where you will be writing business, who your clients will be and what their needs are. You will also want to do research locally and see who the key players are for your target market. Based on this we will decide what

carriers you need to have a well-rounded roster representing your target business segments. Your input will be valuable here - do you know of a carrier that competes well in your area? While we have data to look at for these answers, you are there seeing the trends! We will look at various factors when deciding on carriers such as:

financial ratings
company brand and reputation
lines of insurance they offer
specialty programs and expertise
geography
ease of doing business
support services for agents
and compensation to you.

We will want to know what your growth plans are. This isn’t a test or a trick question - together we will discuss how many carriers you need to start your agency. If you work with too many carrier partners, you may not be able to meet premium volume requirements or effectively manage all the relationships. As your agency grows so will your carrier partnerships and appointments. The key is to start smart. We want to partner you with carriers that will encourage you to grow your business and make it easier to get started. Also, it is important to think about if there are specialty programs you want to build or niche industries you want to target. These will help in selecting the right carrier partners to support you.

Once we have our desired carrier partner list our Agency Coordination team gets to work for you. Keep in mind, that it’s not always simply a matter of you deciding which insurance carriers will work well for your agency and your growth plans. Some carriers will consider how your agency fits into its business plan and growth strategies as well. Each carrier partner has its own defined process for appointing insurance agents. We will organize and help you complete the required applications and background check forms. In most cases, you will need to pass a due diligence process to be appointed to that carrier.

We will prepare you for these steps and conversations you may have with your local carrier reps to put your best foot forward.

TIMELINE

Your carrier mix will be determined by the information you provide during the Discovery call and the information you provide in the Agency Introduction. You will receive a proposed carrier list within 2 days of providing your Agency Introduction. After we receive your approval, it will take us 2-3 days to compile each carrier's applications and pre-fill them with your data. The more quickly you can get these returned, the better! We will double-check the applications, attach any additional documents that the carrier may expect, and send them out for processing.

WHAT YOU DO

Research your market for carriers that do well
Complete pre-filled carrier paperwork
Prepare to discuss your agency with carrier reps

WHAT WE DO

Research your market for carriers that do well
Provide you with pre-filled carrier paperwork
Submit appointment request to carrier partners
Followup on all requests until completion
Introduce you to carrier partners

PRIMARY CONTACT

Kaylyne Miller

888-938-4197

Mail

STEP #4

SYSTEMS INSTALLATION & TRAINING

Pacific Crest partners with insurance specific, industry leading technology platforms and systems. While your carrier appointment requests are being processed, we will coordinate time with you to install systems on your computer and start training with you. It is important that you have the computer you will be primarily using for your insurance agency as not all programs will be web-based and some do require install on your computer.

Prior to our installation meeting please be sure your computer is updated, has a good internet connection, and you have any administrative passwords that may be needed to complete the installation.

Initial systems and training will include:

Agency Member Portal
Gmail Suite of Products - Email, Drive, Calendar
Hawksoft - Client Management System used for policyholder and policy data, commission tracking & accounting, prospecting and powering data for PowerBI
Multi-Rater - depending on location, you will receive one of our multi-raters, used for ease of quoting multiple carriers while only entering data once

TIMELINE

This meeting takes about 1-1.5 hours, barring any technical issues. Although the installation is complete, this step is continuous as training never stops. Your carrier applications from Step 3 are in process while this meeting and trainings are occurring.

WHAT YOU DO

Have a Computer (PC is preferred over MAC)
Set a time for training

WHAT WE DO

Complete initial install & training
Guide you through each system
Continue to update your Agency Resource sheet as new appointments are received

Take the opportunity to self-educate through videos and testing each item

Link

Hawksoft Self Training Videos

New Agent Hawksoft Guide

PRIMARY CONTACT

Dustin Sonderman

888-938-4197

Mail

STEP #5

AGENCY STANDARDS TRAINING

Our Agency Standards team will help you implement best practices throughout your agency. We ask you to be diligent on front-line underwriting of your clients and their risks when placing business with our carrier partners to help you have a healthy growing book of business.

Pacific Crest will classify your personal line carriers into two categories, Preferred and Non-Preferred.

A personal lines carrier is considered preferred or non-preferred based on their target risk profile and eligibility guidelines. While there is an insurance policy for everyone, not all insureds fit a preferred carrier.

Our guidelines help identify preferred risks. Remember, carrier quoting platforms are simply for quoting. They are not underwriting platforms, that is why the carrier needs you!

TIMELINE

This meeting takes about an hour, but it truly never ends. Agency Standards will be ever present in your agency, and we will work together to uphold these practices.

WHAT YOU DO

Adhere to established Preferred Carrier Guidelines
Ensure all client files and complete and in good order
Diligently front-line underwrite your clients

Preferred Auto Policies

Minimum liability limits of 50/100/50 with matching UM and UIM.
No more than one minor violation or one at-fault accident per household within the last three to five years depending on how far back your state will go on MVR reports.
Has continuous prior coverage for at least 6 months.
The prior limits were not at the state minimums allowed
Rejection of any base coverages (Med Pay, UIM, UM, etc) must be documented, signed, and only occur occasionally - a policy lacking these is not considered preferred.

Preferred Property Policies

Had prior continuous coverage for at least 12 months unless it is a new purchase.
Minimum liability limit of $300,000.
Coverage A equal to or above the RCE, with extended replacement coverage.
No more than one paid loss for the current property owner.

Our Agency Standards team will bring to your attention any piece of business that falls outside of these expectations. If you place a policy outside of these guidelines you will be asked to move it at renewal or endorse it to higher limits immediately.

In addition, the Agency Standards team will audit your new business for notes and completed documentation.

Document Expectations in Hawksoft

Fully completed application
If the application was signed by a 3rd party E Signature program, you are required to attach the document certificate
If the application was signed through a carrier’s E Signature program you are required to download the application and attach it to Hawksoft
Signed rejection forms
Complete client information including contact information
Detailed notes regarding any correspondence between you and the client - including text, email, phone, mail or in-person contact
Proof of any applied discounts such as good student, alarm, gated community, etc.

File Etiquette

All prospects and clients must be entered into Hawksoft upon quoting. If you make a one call close, the client must be entered at binding. Entering a client will automatically create a log opportunity at which point you should indicate any notes or specifics to the client and situation.
Every phone call warrants a log note. If a client calls to verify coverage or ask a question, you are required to make a log note. As a rule of thumb, if you even open a HS file to look something up you should make a note as to why you are in the file.
Email correspondence, text and transcribed voicemail should be documented in HS. You can email screen shots of text to yourself and cut and paste pictures and/or email into the Hawksoft file.
A “healthy” Hawksoft file should be “fat”. These files have attachments such as signed applications, prior dec pages, and additional underwriting documents. There should also be log notes, documenting conversations whether verbal or written. A log note should be very descriptive and detailed, therefore being made at the time of conversation so nothing is missed.

All Hawksoft files must have contact information in the file. Log notes and documentation are crucial for another team member to be able to pick up where you left off.

WHAT WE DO

Train you on Preferred Carrier Guidelines
Help you build internal processes in your agency
Help you have complete client files

Agency Field Guide

Agent Training manual

Unassigned Client Procedure

PODCAST - The importance of good documentation

Episode 19 – Documentation

00:00 / 30:09

PRIMARY CONTACT

Kaylyne Miller

888-938-4197

Mail

STEP #6

COMMISSIONS & ACCOUNTING TRAINING

As an agency owner, you will want to understand how your agency is going to be compensated. Your agency must be set up to receive commission which is initiated by your completion of the payroll documents located on the right side of the page:

W9
Direct Deposit Form
Uploaded copy of a voided check or direct deposit letter from your bank

Please be sure the name on the bank account matches the name on the W9 and SSN or EIN

How we pay: When you write an insurance policy with a carrier partner, the carrier partner will pay commission to Pacific Crest Services. Pacific Crest Services will then reconcile the commission received from the carrier partner and pay your agency.

When we pay: Pacific Crest Services pays commissions on the 5th and 20th of each month. If the 5th or the 20th lands on a holiday or weekend you will receive your commissions on the prior business day. Commissions received from carrier partners from the 15th through the end of the month will be on the 5th commission check. Commissions received from carrier partners from the 1st through the 15th of the month will be on the 20th commission check.

Important things to note:

You must have over $50 in commissions to be paid. If your commission check is under $50, that amount will roll to your next commission check.
Your commission reports will be made available to you through Hawksoft for review.
Your first commission earnings will be paid by manual check mailed to you, with direct deposit after that
Each commission deposit paid to you will incur a $4.50 payroll fee charged by our payroll processor

TIMELINE

Another quick meeting, probably 30 minutes. You will need to familiarize yourself with our payroll process and then set it and forget it...unless you need to make changes to your account or personal information.

WHAT YOU DO

Complete the payroll documents

WHAT WE DO

Set you up for commission direct deposits
Reconcile commissions received from your carrier partners
Provide you will commission reports for every commission pay period

Link

W9

Link

Direct Deposit

Sweep Procedure

STEP #7

CARRIER APPOINTMENTS & RESOURCE TRAINING

Similar to step 4, we will revisit some of your systems, while updating others, and introducing you to new carrier websites and resources. .

At this point, most if not all of your carrier appointments will be complete and you should have access! Be sure to keep your Carrier Login Sheet updated as your credentials come in and you change your credentials. We will be using them during this training session to update your multi-rater and to log into each carrier website.

We will go through the following steps and systems that will transcend into your day to day operations:

Hawksoft - entering clients, log notes, attaching documentation etc
Gmail - utilizing email efficiently as well as accessing your Drive for logins and shared folders
Agent Portal - How to access commonly used tools, such as personal and commercial lines sweep forms, corporate contacts, and support session information.
Carriers - Navigating to the carrier sites, updating passwords, and entering data
Multi-rater - We will help you learn how to update your logins in the Rater for ease and efficiency of use. If you are ready to start quoting this is a great time to get started!

TIMELINE

Typically 1.5 hours is requested as there is a lot to cover! A refresher on some things and an introduction to others, this step launches you into the reason you joined PCS - writing business.

WHAT YOU DO

Keep Agency Resources and sheets updated with current information
Ask questions - we want you to be comfortable with the systems
Start quoting

WHAT WE DO

Train you on updating your Agency Resources and sheets
Help you learn how to access carrier websites and access carrier specific training
Offer ongoing support and assistance as you need it

Quote Sheets

888-938-4197

W9

Direct Deposit

Preferred Auto Policies

Preferred Property Policies

Document Expectations in Hawksoft

File Etiquette

W9

Direct Deposit

2021 AWARDS

Safeco President's Award
Liberty Mutual Elite Agent
State Auto Achievers Club

Career Opportunities
Podcast
Privacy Policy
How to Start an Independent Insurance Agency

Subscribe to PCS Newsletter

Copyright 2024 Pacific Crest Services. All Rights Reserved.

888-938-4197

W9

Direct Deposit

2021 AWARDS

Safeco President's Award Liberty Mutual Elite Agent State Auto Achievers Club

Career Opportunities Podcast Privacy Policy How to Start an Independent Insurance Agency

Subscribe to PCS Newsletter

Copyright 2024 Pacific Crest Services. All Rights Reserved.

Safeco President's Award
Liberty Mutual Elite Agent
State Auto Achievers Club

Career Opportunities
Podcast
Privacy Policy
How to Start an Independent Insurance Agency