1. business and industrial

How to Use APPSLive.com
8/2006
APPS is committed to the appropriate use of technology to make your job easier
through improved communications. We are pleased to announce a major update to
APPSLive, a web based system that allows you secure access to all of your data from
any computer with an internet connection.
Please consider using APPSLive to order your cases, check on the status of existing
cases and view images of completed paperwork. We are offering this as an option –
you still have the ability to call or fax your cases in to APPS. You will continue to
receive the e-mail notifications on the status of your cases unless you specifically
instruct us to turn them off.
The following instructions cover the most common questions about APPSLive – feel
free to contact your local APPS office at any time with any questions.
•
To start the process, you will need to contact your local office to register as
a user and receive your user name and password. Existing user names and
passwords will be valid on the new web site.
•
Once you have you user name and password, go to www.appslive.com.
Click on the client Login on the top left of the screen – it looks like this:
Client Login
Agents, requestors and agencies should click here to
start the login process
•
After clicking on Client Login, you will see a screen that has the following
location for our customers to enter the system – enter your user name and
password here (they are case sensitive) and click submit
This is Version 3.0 of these instructions – please call the local
APPS office to see if there is a more current version available
as the APPSLive web site will be regularly upgraded.
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How to Use APPSLive.com
•
8/2006
After you are logged in, the following screen appears with your three main
choices:
Order new exams
Check the status of exiting cases
Change your preferences
Your login identifies you to the system as a requestor, an agent or an agency.
•
You must be a requestor or an agent to order a new case; agencies are
limited to checking on the status of existing cases and changing their
preferences.
•
If you are logged on as an agent, the system assumes that you are both the
requestor and the agent and the order screen will pre-fill both of those fields
with your name.
•
If you are logged in as a requestor, the order screen will show you as the
requestor and provide a drop down list of the agents you have ordered for
before. If the agent isn’t on this list, select “Agent Not Listed” and provide
the agent’s name. That agent will be added to your list.
When you order a new exam, the first screen looks like the one below. There
are some changes on this screen from the previous version of APPSLive. The
major improvements are the ability to enter multiple phone numbers and
addresses, a friendlier tabbing function, the state auto fills based on the first
letter and greatly increased speed.
This is Version 3.0 of these instructions – please call the local
APPS office to see if there is a more current version available
as the APPSLive web site will be regularly upgraded.
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How to Use APPSLive.com
8/2006
•
Select the company you are writing for from the drop down list – see the
following section on user preferences to learn how this list is populated.
•
Complete the requestor, agent and agency as needed from the drop down lists.
If the agency you need to see is not shown, call your local APPS Office to have
that connection established.
•
The gender is important if it is not obvious from the name.
•
The nickname is important only if the client uses it regularly.
•
You can enter as many contacts as you have – home phone, work phone, etc.
We have found that cases get scheduled faster if we have a cell phone.
The second half of this screen is shown on the next page:
This is Version 3.0 of these instructions – please call the local
APPS office to see if there is a more current version available
as the APPSLive web site will be regularly upgraded.
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Exceptions
specific to
this carrier
•
You can enter as many addresses as you need – please be sure to mark the
address where you expect that the exam will occur. The default is that the last
address you enter will be the assumed location of the exam.
•
If the company you choose needs additional information to determine the
requirements, then the “Exceptions” box will appear and must be completed
before you click on continue.
•
There are three fields whose importance may not be obvious:
o Date of birth as it impacts the requirements
o Dollar amount of policy as it also impacts the requirements
o Zip code of the address noted “Exam Will Occur here” as that determines
which APPS office will receive the case. One of APPS strengths is our
nationwide network of examiners. This system will get your case to the
right office all across the country. Updates from that office will feed back
to the web site to keep you constantly updated.
Please pay special attention to these three fields.
•
The type of insurance defaults to life – you may need to change this to
disability. Failure to do so when needed will probably result in the wrong
requirements being generated.
This is Version 3.0 of these instructions – please call the local
APPS office to see if there is a more current version available
as the APPSLive web site will be regularly upgraded.
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8/2006
Standard
requirements for
age and amount
appear here
Enter nonstandard
requirements by
clicking here
Communicate
any special
instructions
here
•
Once you do click on continue, the normal requirements for that company will
appear as shown above. If you need something other than standard
requirements, click on override requirements and a special screen appears that
allows you to select custom requirements.
•
There is a spot for “Special Instructions”. Use this to communicate any special
needs to either the APPS Office or the examiner. This is your chance to
communicate directly with the examiner, as any notes you enter here will
appear directly on the examiner’s case worksheet.
•
After you click on submit order, an APPS case number that starts with “WEB”
appears – this is your confirmation that the case is in the system.
After you have finished entering new cases, you can return to the main menu to get
back to your three primary choices (new cases, status or preferences.) Navigating the
menus is an easy process. From any point, click on Client Login at the top of the page
(as shown below – look for the arrow) and it will bring you back to the menu.
This is Version 3.0 of these instructions – please call the local
APPS office to see if there is a more current version available
as the APPSLive web site will be regularly upgraded.
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If you choose to view status, the following screen is shown to allow you to pick which
case or cases you will see.
You can choose a name or a case number or a policy number in the top set. Or you
can select a larger population of active cases, problem cases, completed cases,
cancelled cases or all cases. (Choices you make in the next section on preferences
will impact how far back you see for completed cases and cancelled cases.)
The cases that are included in the selection criteria appear on a listing screen (as
shown on the next page.). Depending on how many cases are returned, there could
be multiple pages ready to be viewed. Also, in your preferences menu you can
choose how many items to return per page.
Pick a
specific
applicant
- or -
Pick a group
of cases
This is Version 3.0 of these instructions – please call the local
APPS office to see if there is a more current version available
as the APPSLive web site will be regularly upgraded.
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Click on any column heading to sort your case list in that order.
Click twice to reverse the sort order.
There are several features on this page that make it easy to use. Clicking on any
of the column headings will sort the listing based on that column. Clicking twice will
sort it on the same data, except in reverse order. If your listing is several pages
long, it will sort on the entire listing – not just on what is shown.
If you are logged on as a requestor or agency, the name of the agent on each case
will be shown.
If there is an image available, you can click on that Icon on the far right side of the
case listing and hyper-link to the image – it is not necessary to open the detail
page. The ability to see images is limited by the insurance company’s rules. If
there is an image but you are not allowed to see it, a different icon will appear.
If you have problems with images and are using Adobe Acrobat version 6.0 you will
need to upgrade to a later version – upgrades are free at www.adobe.com.
If you select a case to see the details for that applicant, the following screen
appears. In the example below there are no case notes or history. This screen will
expand to include all of the details on each case. Some of these notes may
include abbreviations – if any abbreviation is unclear please call your local APPS
office for clarification.
This is Version 3.0 of these instructions – please call the local
APPS office to see if there is a more current version available
as the APPSLive web site will be regularly upgraded.
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The ability to e-mail the regional office is very powerful. Clicking on the icon will
pre-format an e-mail to the regional office that is handling this specific case.
Please note that the local settings on your machine may preclude this from
happening.
If there is an image available, that icon will also appear on the detail screen – the
image is accessible from wherever you see that icon.
The office phone shown next to the APS office is the APPS office phone number –
not the client’s work phone number.
The case details are opened in a new screen – the listing stays active in the
background. To exit the detail screen you must close it by clicking the X (look for
the arrow in the example above.)
When you are looking at status, the population of cases you see will vary by your
user type.
•
If you are a requestor, you will see all cases where you are listed as the
requestor.
This is Version 3.0 of these instructions – please call the local
APPS office to see if there is a more current version available
as the APPSLive web site will be regularly upgraded.
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How to Use APPSLive.com
•
•
8/2006
If you are an agent, you will see all cases where you are shown as the
agent.
If you are logged in as an agency, you will see all cases that are listed as
belonging to that agency. If there is a case missing from your list, call the
local office and check to ensure that the agency is listed correctly on the
case.
The third option that is available from the main menu – changing your
preferences. While this is not a function that you will use very often it has some
powerful options to tailor the rest of the web page to your needs.
The first option is the number of cases you see on your screen when you are
viewing a set of cases. Different computer monitors will have different font sizes
and viewable areas. Pick a number (5, 10, 20 or 50) that works on your display.
This is especially helpful if you use a Blackberry or other portable device.
The second option defines how far back in history you will go when selecting
cases. The defining date is the date you ordered the case. The options are 30,
60, 90, 120, 150 or 180 days. If a case is cancelled and reactivated, the order date
is changed to the reactivation date on the night it is reactivated. (If you have a very
old case that isn’t showing up on your listing, call your local APPS office to have
the case cancelled and reactivated – it will show up on your list the next business
day.) We suggest you try different settings in this field to see what works best for
your specific situation.
The third option impacts what you see when you order a case – do you want to see
your custom list of companies that you order cases for or the custom list plus the
This is Version 3.0 of these instructions – please call the local
APPS office to see if there is a more current version available
as the APPSLive web site will be regularly upgraded.
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entire list of 800+ companies that APPS is approved for? Before you decide,
consider your options for building your custom list – you can do each of the
following as many times as you need:
•
•
•
You can highlight a specific company on the list on the left and add it to your
custom list
You can highlight a specific company currently in your custom list on the
right and delete it from that list.
You can use the bottom option and add to your custom list every company
that you have ordered for in the last X days (the number of days is selected
on the left side of that area.)
Every agent or requestor has different circumstances to consider when looking at
these options. For new users, we predict the highest usage for the option of adding
every company you have ordered for in the last 360 days and then selectively
dropping items from the custom list as needed.
APPSLive and APPSNet work together. APPSNet “pushes” data by sending
automated e-mail notifications at various points during the cases’ life cycle. These
notifications will be documented in the case notes – a number in parentheses
precedes them - such as “(03) Applicant Scheduled Appointment Sent by E-mail”.
APPSLive allows you to “pull” data over the web as you see fit. You will automatically
receive the standard APPSNet e-mails notifications – contact your local office if you
want to reduce the number of e-mails you receive.
Notes:
• The cases you see are all of the cases associated with your ID at APPS, no
matter which office is handling them. If you have multiple ID’s (usually from
dealing with multiple offices) your cases may be scattered. We suggest you
always deal with one office (or enter the cases via the WEB) to ensure a
cohesive identity across the system.
• If you have a special request (usually related to not being able to see all the
cases you need access to on the web site) call your local APPS office.
• Make use of the e-mail option when viewing a case – the format is set up to get
past the Spam filters on our office servers.
• If you are registered as an agency, you will need to sign on as a requestor or
agent to enter cases – agencies are limited to viewing status of existing cases.
• In the screen with all of the case details, the applicant’s social security number
is partially obscured for security reasons.
We appreciate your business!
We have several options to format our technology to
fit your business model – please call us to discuss how
we can make your job easier!
This is Version 3.0 of these instructions – please call the local
APPS office to see if there is a more current version available
as the APPSLive web site will be regularly upgraded.
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