AMS360 Version 6.0 Release Notes



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We at Vertafore are pleased to announce the first iteration of our NextGen version of AMS360. Version 6.0 is the first of several rollouts that introduce a new look as well as improved functionality and navigation in most centers.

It is called NextGen because it represents the Next Generation in Agency Management Systems. The product is being redesigned with the primary goal of improving user efficiency. We focused in this release on the Customer Service Representative, allowing seasoned AMS360 users to work more efficiently and making the product easier for new users to learn.

We are trying to both improve and update the experience of AMS360. Not only do we want the application to be easier to learn and more efficient to use, we also want it to run in any browser. However, changing an application of this size that tens of thousands of users rely on every day is not a task we take lightly. We have decided to provide incremental releases of our work in progress to allow you to take advantage of updates as they are available. Each iteration should be viewed as a stepping stone to a continuously improving experience with a product focusing on you, as the user. In addition, this gives you a chance to comment on our work along the way so we can ensure the end results meet your needs.

Send Feedback

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We need your feedback to ensure we are working on what is most important to you! Your comments are important to us. Please use the link on the top right of AMS360 NextGen pages to provide us with feedback. We appreciate your input on any visible change, whether positive or negative.

Questions about this release

If you encounter any problems or have any questions concerning this release, contact Vertafore Customer Care using one of the following methods:

• Create an open case at .

• Call 800.444.4813.

Contents

A New Look for AMS360 3

AMS360 Centers, Views, and View Options not yet implemented in NextGen 4

Center Features 5

Main Button Bar 5

Sidebar 5

Views, Grids, and View Options 6

Summary and Overview 7

Breadcrumb Navigation 7

360 Toolbox and Easy Access to Other Frequently Used Features 8

Context-Sensitive Help for each Page and View 8

Security in NextGen 8

ACORD Forms 9

Agency, Logo, and Color Setup 10

Company Center 10

Accounts Payable 10

Direct Bill 10

System Wide 11

Bing Maps 11

Operating System, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Office Information 11

Screen Resolution 11

A New Look for AMS360

The new look is called NextGen, for Next Generation, and includes updated colors, redesigned menus, easier access to views, and new buttons – all redesigned with you in mind.

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The Classic AMS360 view is still available. In fact, the product includes a button that allows you to easily switch between the views.

|Available in all Classic Centers |Available in all NextGen Centers |

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The NextGen view of AMS360 starts at the new Home Page (previously User Center).

Because this is the first iteration of NextGen, and because we focused primarily on Customer Service Representative tasks, several views and view options, as well as the Financial and Sales Centers are still only available in our Classic product. Use the Switch to Classic to perform tasks using these features and centers. Here is a helpful list of what is not yet implemented in NextGen:

AMS360 Centers, Views, and View Options not yet implemented in NextGen

|Center |Views |View Options |

|Home |Overview* |My Reports |

| |Prevail (although this feature is available via the AMS360 |Suspended Billing |

| |Toolbox and from the Policy View) |Notes |

| | |Alerts |

|Customer |Statements |Notes |

| |X-Dates |Receipts (Payments) |

| |Sub-Customers |Certs |

| |Profile |EPI |

| |Prevail |Binders |

| | |Aged AR |

| | |Company A/P |

| | |Invoices |

| | |Change Requests |

| | |Documents |

| | |Claims |

| | |Submissions |

|Bank |Notes |Suspense |

| |Recurring Checks |Register |

| | |Activity |

| | |Statements |

| | |Deposits |

|Broker |Notes |Suspense |

| | |Documents |

| | |Register |

| | |Activity |

| | |A/R Activity |

|Company |Summary |Suspense |

| |Notes |Documents |

| | |Activity |

|Employee |Summary |Suspense |

| |Notes |Documents |

| | |Activity |

|Vendor |Overview* |Register |

| |Summary |Invoices |

| |Notes |Documents |

| | |Activity |

| | |Suspense |

|Financial |All Views |All View Options |

|(Entire Center) | | |

|Sales |All Views |All View Options |

|(Entire Center) | | |

*This view is new in version 6. The view has not been implemented for these centers.

Center Features

Main Button Bar

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The Main Button Bar provides access to each Center. Right-clicking a center button still opens the center in a new browser window.

|Sidebar | |

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| |On the left side of each center you’ll see Views, Actions, and Quick Reports expanding |

| |menus with items specific to the center you are in. |

| |This section of the window is called the Sidebar. You no longer need to hover over a tab|

| |to find a view. A number of the AMS360 Classic menus have been combined under the |

| |Actions menu, making it easier to quickly find an Action and complete your task. |

| |Each user can customize the views in each center, such as which views appear and the |

| |order in which they appear) via the User Options link. |

| |Notes |

| |Payments are now called Receipts. In User Options, if you select Payments from the |

| |available tabs, it appears as Receipts in the Sidebar menu. |

|My Renewals is split into two views: My Renewals and My Expiring Policies. |

|You can complete more than one customer suspense item at a time in NextGen. |

Views, Grids, and View Options

Views include powerful grids with paging, column sorting, sizing, and the ability to hide/show each column based on each user’s selections. These settings are then automatically saved for each user!

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View Options now include ability to view System Default, Agency Default, or User Default based on saved settings.

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Summary and Overview

Each NextGen center (except for the Home and Vendor Center) has a Summary to provide “Just in Time” details for the entity (customer, broker, bank, company, and employee) you are viewing.

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Each NextGen Center (except the Home and Vendor Center) has an Overview where you can review data entered for the entity, as well as select to edit the setup information.

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Breadcrumb Navigation

[pic] Breadcrumbs show what you’ve selected and where you are at the moment. In the example above, the user is on the Home Center with the Suspense view selected.

360 Toolbox and Easy Access to Other Frequently Used Features

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The footer of each page contains buttons providing easy access to the 360 Toolbox, Contacts, Alerts, and WorkSmart or Doc360 features. You’ll be able to see these items on each webpage, even when you are viewing information in a center or searching for a customer, company, employee, etc.

The 360 Toolbox builds upon the Classic Toolbox menu. While continuing to provide access to System Administrator functions, you’ll also find eForms, Form Letters, Schedules and Proposals as well as DocManagement features on the menu.

Use Contacts to look up names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for a customer, company, additional interest, claims contact, bank, employee, email contact, master certificate holder, members of a target list, vendor, recipient list, or other individuals entered throughout AMS360.

You can view and update your Alerts from the button on the footer. Alerts are notifications that a condition exists requiring your attention.

Based on your Agency’s settings, either WorkSmart or Doc360 appears in the footer. Clicking Doc360 gets documents for processing; clicking WorkSmart launches WorkSmart integration.

On the right side of the footer, you’ll find the Vertafore logo. Click the logo to launch the Customer Care My Vertafore portal. From the portal you can login to create a case for Customer Care to contact you; search the storehouse of support Solutions, and download documents and programs.

Context-Sensitive Help for each Page and View

[pic] When viewing information in a Center or View, you have access to just-in-time Help providing key information about the page or view. Just click the question mark in the heading of a page. To search Help, use the Help button in the upper right hand corner of the center web page.

Security in NextGen

If a user doesn’t have security rights for a link on a center, the link doesn’t appear for that user. Previously, the link was visible and the user received a "You are not authorized" message when he/she clicked the link.

Also new in NextGen, security changes occur when the user navigates to a new center or view. Changes do not occur when applying view options or refreshing a grid.

ACORD Forms

The ACORD 22 (2010/03) is now available for use in AMS360. This is a non-integrated form.

AMS360 v6.0 includes new integration for Inland Marine > Transportation/Motor Truck Cargo > Motor Truck Cargo Legal Liability with the ACORD 25, Certificate of Liability. The information flows to the Other Policy section of the form and includes Type of Insurance, Coverage, Limit, Deductible, as well as the first Additional Cause of Loss entered.

• The Motor Truck Cargo Legal Liability – Single Conveyance – Limit of Liability and Deductible (1) flow to the Limits field in the Other Policy section of the ACORD 25 if you’ve entered the information on the policy line of business. Any Cause of Loss entered in the Coverages Section does not integrate.

• The first Additional Cause of Loss entered (2) also flows to the Other Section of the certificate. Vertafore recommends you enter the standard “Reefer Breakdown” as the first Additional Cause of Loss with limits and deductible so it flows to the certificate.

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This enhancement is implemented only for the ACORD 25 (2010/05) version of the form. The Limit and Deductible amounts are rounded and don’t include decimal places. The deductible is preceded by “Deduct/” that truncates as needed to accommodate the full deductible amount.

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|Important To see the policy information | | |

|on the certificate you must choose the | | |

|Inland Marine policy in the “Other” list | | |

|under Type of Insurance. | | |

Agency, Logo, and Color Setup

The following features have limited functionality in AMS360 v6.0:

• In Agency Setup, under System Configuration Options, the “max number of rows displayed in the center grids” and “allow scrolling in the center grids” selections are not applied in NextGen.

• Agency address information doesn’t appear on the web page banner as it did in AMS360 Classic. The address information can be modified, saved, and printed on forms and invoices as needed.

• Logo Setup applies only to invoices and statements. The logo does not appear on the Home Center (formerly User Center).

• Colors selected on the Color Setup data entry form in AMS360 Classic are not applied in NextGen. You can select and save color settings on the data entry form, the changes are applied to AMS360 Classic windows and forms only. You will not see any changes in AMS360 NextGen.

A limited set of color selections are available in View Options for NextGen, and colors selected for View Options in NextGen are also applied in AMS360 Classic.

Company Center

Accounts Payable

A tool tip is available in company accounts payable views in NextGen when the amount is truncated and the column can’t be resized. The tool tip shows the full dollar amount of the payable.

Direct Bill

• Direct Bill views now sort first by GL Date and secondarily by Division.

• Commission Payable balances now match the General ledger and Employee Center/Statements.

• The issue causing Direct Bill Entry statements to hang in a partially posted state has been resolved.

System Wide

Bing Maps

Bing Maps replaces MapPoint in both AMS360 Classic and NextGen views. You can view a map for any address in AMS360 by highlighting an address, right-clicking it, and choosing, Map with Bing.

Operating System, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Office Information

To experience the changes in NextGen to their fullest, Vertafore recommends using Vista or Windows7 with Internet Explorer (IE) 8 or 9. Windows7 and IE 9 are the optimal combination and may provide better performance.

While AMS360 version 6 (NextGen) will run on Windows XP and with Office 2003, Microsoft officially ended support for both these products on April 14, 2009. Therefore, Vertafore no longer officially tests AMS360 on XP or with Office 2003.

Vertafore Customer Care will continue to provide normal, standard troubleshooting for these products. However, if XP or Office 2003-specific issues occur, we have limited escalation options because Microsoft no longer supports these products.

Following are considerations about using Windows XP and Office 2003 on version 6:

• Internet Explorer version 8 provides the best user experience for those still on Windows XP.

• If you experience NextGen performance issues on Windows XP, Vertafore recommends switching to Classic. See solution SOL28289* for instructions.

• Review solution SOL19902* if you use the DocDesigner feature with Office 2003

*These documents are available at My Vertafore.

Screen Resolution

Vertafore gives the following screen resolution guidelines for AMS360 v6.0:

• 1024 x 768 (minimum)

• 1280 x 1024 (recommended)[pic]

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AMS360 version 6.0

Release Notes

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