Getting Started with ES Rating

Starting a new program: Click "+ New" in the Projects sidebar, then describe your program. Include the line of business, target states, rating basis (per $1,000 of payroll, gross sales, etc.), class codes with rates, and any limit or deductible options.

Attaching documents: Drag and drop a PDF spec sheet or ACORD form directly into the chat. The AI reads the document and builds the program from it. Images (PNG, JPG) are also supported.

Iterating: After the initial build, continue the conversation to make changes. "Add a territory factor for Oregon," "Change the minimum premium to $1,500," or "Add a class code for roofers at $45 per thousand."

Multiple programs: Each program is a separate project in the sidebar. You can have multiple programs active at the same time.

Rating tab: View and edit the rating formulas, rate tables, and underwriting rules. The AI generates these from your description, but you can manually adjust any values.

Formulas: Written as simple expressions like premium = (payroll / 1000) * baseRate * stateFactor * limitFactor. The engine evaluates them in order.

Rate tables: Define base rates by class code, territory factors by state, limit multipliers, deductible credits, and any other factor tables your program needs.

Minimum premium: Set a floor premium that applies when the calculated premium is below the threshold.

Referral rules: Define conditions that trigger manual underwriter review instead of auto-quoting (e.g., "total payroll over $2,000,000").

Eligibility rules: Define knockout conditions that auto-decline a submission (e.g., "less than 3 years in business").

Flow templates: Choose from Quick Quote (app, quote, pay, policy), Standard (app, forms, rating review, quote, sign, pay, policy), Submission (app, forms, UW review, quote, bind), or Custom.

Toggling steps: Enable or disable individual workflow steps. Disable payment for quote-only programs, disable signing if e-signatures are not needed, or disable issuance for submission-only workflows.

Reordering: Drag steps to change the order. For example, move payment before signing or forms before the quote summary.

Permissions: Control who can create quotes, bind, issue, endorse, and cancel. Set permissions per user role (agent, admin, insured).

Setup: Connect your Stripe account through the Settings page. ES Rating uses Stripe Connect Express, which gives you a Stripe dashboard for managing payouts, refunds, and disputes.

Payment timing: Configure when payment is collected in the workflow settings: at bind, at issuance, or at a custom step.

Accepted methods: Card payments and ACH bank transfers are supported through Stripe.

Test mode: While your portal is in test mode, payments use Stripe's test keys. No real charges are processed. Use Stripe's test card numbers (e.g., 4242 4242 4242 4242) to simulate payments.

Setup: Add your SignWell API key and webhook secret in the Vault Secrets page. The AI Studio will configure the signing step in your workflow.

Signing flow: When a user reaches the signing step, they see the documents embedded in the portal. They can review and sign without leaving the page.

Timing: Configure signing to occur before bind, before issuance, or at a custom point in the workflow.

Publishing: Click "Save New Version" in the Deployment tab to create a versioned snapshot of your program. This captures the current schema, rating, forms, and workflow.

Deploying: Click "Deploy to Subdomain" and choose a subdomain (e.g., my-program.esrating.com). Your portal is live immediately.

Test mode: All new portals start in test mode. No real payments are processed, no real signatures are sent, and all documents are watermarked "TRIAL."

Going live: When ready for production, click "Switch to Live Mode." This requires MFA verification. Live mode uses real Stripe payments, real SignWell signatures, and issues real policies.

Custom domains: You can point your own domain (e.g., quotes.yourcompany.com) to your portal via a CNAME record.

Updates: After making changes to your program, publish a new version and redeploy. Existing quotes follow the workflow from when they were created; new quotes use the latest version.

AI-generated templates: The AI creates document templates based on your program. View and customize them in the Templates tab.

Uploading carrier forms: Upload ISO or carrier PDF forms (e.g., CG 00 01). Use the Document Builder to visually place data fields on the PDF pages. At issuance, the system stamps your policy data onto the original form.

Template types: Quote letters, binders, dec pages, policy forms, certificates of insurance, endorsements, cancellation notices, renewal notices, and reinstatement letters.

Fee schedules: Define policy fees, broker fees, inspection fees, and custom fees. Fees can be flat amounts or percentage-based with min/max limits.

Tax rates: Configure surplus lines taxes, stamping fees, fire marshal fees, and municipal taxes by state. Bulk import all 50 states at once.

Commission schedules: Define MGA commission rates, broker overrides, agency commissions, and agent splits. Commission entries are automatically created at bind and issuance.

Studio users: Invite team members with roles (admin, manager, member, viewer). Each role has specific permissions for what they can view and manage.

Portal users: Created automatically when a portal is deployed. Users can be invited individually or in bulk (paste a list of emails). Assign roles and permissions per user.

Agencies and groups: Organize portal users into agencies. Users within an agency can see each other's quotes and policies.

API keys: Portal users with API access can generate API keys for programmatic access to quotes and documents.