Understanding Data Structure in BrokerCentral
To get the most out of BrokerCentral, it’s helpful to understand how data is organised within the platform. This structure ensures that everything from clients to policies is connected and easily accessible.
Let’s walk through how the data is structured, starting from the top level and drilling down to individual details.
1. Brokerage: The Top Level
At the highest level, we have the Brokerage, which represents your business. This is where your operations are centred, and everything else—users, clients, policies—branches out from here. Essentially, the brokerage is the foundation of your BrokerCentral environment.
2. Users in the Brokerage
Your brokerage has multiple users. These are the team members who have access to the platform, each with their own roles and permissions. Users can manage clients, policies, and tasks depending on their access levels. It’s essential to structure user roles properly to ensure smooth collaboration.
3. Clients and Contacts
Each brokerage manages multiple clients. Clients are at the core of your business—they represent the individuals or organisations you serve. Within each client record, you’ll find:
Contacts: Clients often have several points of contact. BrokerCentral lets you link multiple contacts to a single client, making it easy to keep communication organised. You can add contact details for anyone from decision-makers to day-to-day contacts.
4. Proposals and Policies
A client may request multiple proposals, which are the insurance offerings you provide based on their needs. Once accepted, proposals can turn into policies, representing the active insurance agreements.
Policies: Clients often have several policies, covering different risks. Policies can be broken down into sub-sections, which represent different areas of coverage within a single policy. For example, a policy could include home, vehicle, and liability coverage, each organised under a sub-section.
5. Files, Emails, and Notes
Every client interaction is important, and BrokerCentral helps you keep track of everything with files, emails, and notes. These can be attached to clients as a whole or filtered by specific proposals or policies. This gives you the flexibility to focus on the relevant information when needed.
6. Invoices and Payments
Each policy is associated with invoices, which track the financial side of things. Invoices can contain details like the policy amount and payment due dates.
Payments: Payments are recorded against invoices, so you can track when and how much has been paid. Importantly, every invoice is always linked to a specific policy and client, helping you stay organised financially.
7. Introducers and Clients
You might have introducers—third-party agents who bring in new clients. BrokerCentral lets you link an introducer to multiple clients, making it easy to track where your business is coming from and manage those relationships.
8. Claims and Policies
When clients need to make a claim, these are always tied back to the relevant policy. A client may have multiple claims under one or more policies. This structure allows you to manage claims more efficiently, ensuring that all details and communications are linked to the correct policy for easy tracking.
Why This Structure Matters
This organised structure ensures that everything is interconnected within BrokerCentral. From policies and payments to clients and contacts, every piece of information is linked to the appropriate context. This not only makes it easier to manage your data but also improves the efficiency of your brokerage, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.
With this understanding of how data is structured, you’ll find it easier to navigate BrokerCentral and make the most of its features!