Implementation Process Overview
 Newton User Guide: Installation |
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Contents
Implementation Meeting
See: Getting Started Guide on Agency Systems Website
Before training begins, our Product Support Specialist will conduct an interview to learn more about your agency and confirm information passed along during the sales process. The purpose of the implementation conference is to review the steps that will take place to get you running on Newton, and determine your specific needs to ensure a smooth transition.
Installation
The first step is getting your Newton by Agency Systems installed. You will be contacted by an Agency Systems technician to help you prepare and schedule the install. Below are a few links that will help you understand the requirements as you or your IT Professional prepare your local network for Newton. Newton normally takes about an hour to install on the server or master machine, and 15 minutes per client machine (user workstations). Hosted agencies will be installed at the data center, and remote access set up for your office. We will work with you and your hosting vendor to ensure you have proper access to Newton.
Installation Environment and Network Requirements
Data Conversion
The second step is to begin the conversion process from your prior management system. Jim Edison, from EDI Concepts, will contact you to go over the conversion process in greater detail.
Many common questions and answers can be found at the EDI Concepts Website. On the right hand column you will find specific information for your prior management system. These sections will review what is included in your conversion to Newton by Agency Systems.
In most cases two conversion will take place. These are called the Training Conversion and the Final Conversion.
Training Conversion
The Training Conversion serves two purposes for your agency. First, it enhances the training process by allowing you to learn and practice on your own data. Next, it allows you to review and approve the data transfer before the Final Conversion.
Training Conversion Data Pull
EDI Concepts will contact your office to establish a connection to your local server to pull a current version of your data. This will produce what your Final Conversion would look like if it took place that day.
Codes List
You will receive a codes list from EDI Concepts for review. This is a method of taking items such as Company Codes and Producer Codes from your prior system to get them on the Newton format. This list will need to be approved by your agency and returned to EDI Concepts before the Training Conversion can be completed.
Conversion Review Checklist
You will receive a Conversion Review Checklist to walk you though reviewing key portions of the conversion. This checklist must be returned to EDI Concepts two weeks prior to your live date. This will allow EDI Concepts the time required to review and make recommendations on the best way to move forward for your items reported.
Final Conversion
The Final Conversion will look identical to your Training Conversion plus any changes agreed to with EDI Concepts.
Final Conversion Data Pull
EDI Concepts will contact your office to establish a connection to your local server to pull a current version of your data. This will typically take place the Friday evening before your Monday live date. If you are coming from a system that the data is hosted by the vendor, or the data needs to be decrypted, your timeline will vary. EDI Concepts will go over this procedure with you in greater detail.
Final Conversion Placement
The Final Conversion Placement will typically take place the weekend before you go Live with Newton. While rare, if data transition is goign to take longer than a Monday morning placement, you will be notified. In some cases, your data files will be in place less your attachments. This is due to the size and volume of items attached at some agencies. EDI Concepts will go over this with you in greater detail if the need may arise.
You Are Now Live
From this point moving forward your agency is using Newton for new data entry. Any items placed in your previous system after this date will not be transferred into Newton.
Training
Once the Training Conversion is placed on your server, you will be contacted by your trainer to establish a training schedule and begin training sessions. There are two types of trainings for your agency. These are called the Overviews and Reviews. Not all sessions are required for all users, and these modules may be broken out by department for larger offices. It is recommended you have a point person who is involved in all training sessions for strategic reasons. The training schedule is planned and coordinated with your target start date in mind.
Overviews
The nature of the Overview Sessions is to give your agency knowledge on basic functions and how to interact with Newton. These are weekly pre-scheduled webinar based classes. The classes are about 45 minutes of instruction with 15 minutes for questions on specific program functions. The links below will give you a general outline on what Overviews your agency will attend in what order, as each class builds on the one before.
Setting Up Your Agency -> Newton Interface Overview -> Entering Policy Information -> ACORD Forms -> Email, Diary, Activity, Client Notes & Memo Writer -> Accounting -> Management
Reviews
The nature of the Review Sessions is to provide agency specific workflow and instruction. This is when the training group will go over specific items discussed during your Implementation Meeting. There are four reviews that will be conducted for your agency.
Trial Data, Billing, and Setup Needs
This review will help walk you through key areas to review for your Training Conversion, solidify accounting needs, and other agency wide setups.
Agency Workflow
After your office has completed the CSR based classes, your trainer will schedule this review session to go over more workflow based items specific to your agency.
Accounting Workflow
This review will wrap up the accounting based overviews and deal with any specific accounting related workflows for your agency.
Final Review
This topics in this review are directed by your agency. This will be the time to address or review any concepts you feel the office could use a bit more explanation.
Download Training
Newton by Agency Systems allows you to download information directly from participating carriers into your management system, saving time to service your accounts and reduce or eliminate data entry. The sections below will review how to request, and setup your agency for download.
Contact Companies to Initiate Download
During the training phase, you will be asked to begin contacting your companies to initiate download. For those agencies that do not have a conversion you will want to start this process right away to eliminate any delays. If you do not already have an IVANS Y-Account you will want to request this from one of your companies, and then provide that to the others you want to also initiate download. For agencies that have a conversion from a prior system your download training will take place after you live date. You will be contacted to schedule this training. Below you will find a few links that speak to requesting downloads, and what to do if they are not certified.
Requesting Policy Download Data From Companies
Send Y-Account to Support
Once you receive your y-account information, or if you already have that available please be sure to send it to support so we may begin the process of configuring the IVANS Transfer Manager.
Configure Download Managers
Agency Systems Support will schedule some time with you the day before you live date to help configure your IVANS Transfer Manager, and provide some guidance for other applications used by companies for getting download to your agency. The link below will discuss these areas in greater detail.
Download Training
Download training will take place as a post live session. In most cases this session will take about an hour to perform. The links below will discuss the areas that will be reviewed during that session.
Daily Process for Policy Downloads
Beginning Balances
It is important to note that no accounting transactions are brought over as part of the conversion. These transactions will be handled by beginning balances.
The general ledger beginning balances in Agency Systems are made up of several journal entry transactions representing the ending balances for these accounts in your previous systems general ledger. These balances are obtained from the last months closing reports of your previous system, or from another source generated by your accounting professional. If you are starting the Agency Systems accounting at the beginning of your fiscal year you will not be required to enter balances for the Income and Expense general ledger accounts.
The beginning balance entries are not required to start entering live data in Agency Systems; however, without these balances posted, the financial reports in Agency System will not be accurate. We will walk you thought this process as a post live setup.
Continuing Support and Education
Our support staff is here to assist you with any and all questions Monday through Friday, 8:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. Central Time. Contact Agency Systems Support.
Need assistance outside of these hours? Our Wiki Page is an additional resource for you whether you are new to using Newton, or a seasoned user. Our solution documents and video tutorials can answer many common questions that might arise when navigating through Newton.
