Download Rules

HawkSoft enables you to configure Download Rules to determine how carrier downloads are processed.

This article describes the actions that can be automated for each download type, and how to set rules to enable actions to automatically update your clients and policies. This article also describes how to manage Carrier Exclusions, which can be used to prevent an action taken on specific download types, for a particular carrier.

If needed, you can also configure HawkSoft to use separate download rules for personal policy downloads, and commercial policy downloads.

For example, perhaps your agency would like HawkSoft to immediately update the matching policy when a personal lines cancellation is downloaded, but would prefer to review commercial cancellations before applying those downloads to the policy. In this case, your agency could enable separate download rules and only activate automatic policy updates for the personal cancellation downloads, leaving commercial cancellation downloads attached to the matching policy, but not applying the download information to the policy until an agent manually updates the policy from the attached download.

HawkSoft also enables you to configure Download Task Rules to automatically create a task when a specific download type comes in. Using Download Task Rules, you can specify which type of download should create the automated task, the details of the task and which user(s) the task should be assigned to, as well as what due date the task should have. For more information, see Download Task Rules.

See Carrier Downloads Overview for a description of types of downloads, and see Download Report for reviewing the details of your agency's downloads.

To access and set up Download Rules

Select Downloads Dashboard from the Activities menu on the main HawkSoft menu bar.

The Downloads Dashboard opens in your web browser.

If you are accessing HawkSoft on the Web (through hawksoft.app, as opposed to inside the HawkSoft desktop application), click the suitcase icon in the left column of the HawkSoft web start page instead.
Click Configure in the upper-right of the Downloads Dashboard.

The Download Rules page opens.
Review each of the settings listed in the Global Settings section.

See the Global Settings table below for a description of each setting.
1. (Optional:) Check Use Separate Rules if you want to process commercial lines downloads using separate rules from personal lines downloads.
  
  If enabled, each download rule for each action type in the "Update Policies..." section has a separate checkbox: one for Personal downloads, and one for Commercial downloads.
2. (Optional:) If you need to exclude (or only include) specific carriers from a specific global setting, use Manage Carrier Exclusions/Inclusions. Manage Carrier Exclusions is available for Memos only, and Manage Carrier Inclusions is available for Auto-Create Nonexistent Policies only.
Use the checkboxes to enable or disable rules for each Action taken on downloads, as applicable to your agency's needs.

If you've enabled Use Separate Rules in the previous step, a Personal and Commercial checkbox appears for each action. Using these checkboxes, you can choose to enable each action/rule by whether the download is for a personal policy, a commercial policy, or both.

See the Update Policies when these actions occur table below for a description of each setting.
1. (Optional:) If you need to exclude specific carriers from a specific download rule/action, use Manage Carrier Exclusions.
  
  See To Manage Carrier Exclusions for more information on setting up Carrier Exclusions.
2. (Optional, Synchronization downloads only:) Choose whether to enable or disable Auto-Create Unmatched Policies.
  
  If this setting is enabled, HawkSoft will automatically create policies which come in on a 'synchronization Synchronization downloads are a type of download sent by the carrier for the purpose of ensuring your clients and policies in HawkSoft are up-to-date with the carrier's records.' download and do not match an existing policy in your database.
  1. Click the Manage Carrier Inclusions link to apply the Auto-Create Unmatched Policies setting to synchronization downloads from only specific carriers.
    
    See To Manage Carrier Inclusions (Auto-Create Nonexistent/Unmatched Policies only) for more information.
3. (Optional:) Choose whether to Auto-Create Nonexistent Carriers when a download comes in from a carrier that is not listed in Carrier Setup.
  
  Carriers automatically created by HawkSoft only contain basic name, writing carrier, and NAIC code information. These auto-created carriers are marked with a chip, indicating that these carriers still need to be manually reviewed and completed.
  
  If this setting is disabled, HawkSoft will not automatically add carriers to Carrier Setup. If a download is received from a new carrier not listed in Carrier Setup, HawkSoft will still process the download according to your Download Rules. However, any policy created from this download cannot be manually edited until the carrier listed on the download is added to Carrier Setup.

To Manage Carrier Exclusions

You can exclude certain actions from being automated for specific carriers. Each Carrier Exclusion will prevent a specified type of downloads from a specified carrier from being processed, even when the download rule is active. For example, you might want all renewal downloads to automatically update the policy in HawkSoft, except those from a particular carrier that you know needs some special treatment.

Click the Manage Carrier Exclusions link below each action type to set exclusions for a specific carrier, if needed.

See the Carrier Exclusions column in the Global Settings and Update Policies tables to learn which action types can have exclusions.

The Rule Exclusions page opens for the specific action. On this page, you can see a list of any carriers that your agency has already set exclusions for.

To remove an existing exclusion, uncheck the box next to the excluded carrier's name (or click the button next to the carrier, for Memo carrier exclusions).
To disable a rule from this screen, uncheck the boxes (Personal and Commercial) next to the Action name.
To add a carrier to be excluded from this action/rule:
1. Enter the carrier name in the Search Carriers field.
2. Click Search.
3. Check the box corresponding to the carrier you wish to exclude for the specific action.
  1. If you have the Use Separate Rules global setting enabled, there are separate Personal and Commercial checkboxes. Check whether to exclude Personal or Commercial downloads from this carrier for the specific action, or check both to exclude all downloads from this carrier.
  The Add Carrier button becomes active.
4. Click Add Carrier to add the carrier to the exclusion list for this action.
  
  This action/rule will no longer apply to future downloads from this carrier. Other active actions/rules will continue to apply to downloads from this carrier, unless the carrier has been excluded from them as well.

To Manage Carrier Inclusions (Auto-Create Nonexistent/Unmatched Policies only)

The Auto-Create Nonexistent Policies global setting, as well as the Auto Create Unmatched Policies setting under the Synchronization action, use Carrier Inclusions instead of Exclusions. The Manage Carrier Inclusions page enables you to apply the Auto-Create setting to policies from only the carriers you specify. Unmatched downloads from all other carriers will be sent to Unmatched Downloads for manual matching.

If the Auto-Create Nonexistent/Unmatched Policies setting is enabled, but no carrier inclusions are specified, all unmatched policy downloads will automatically create new policies.

Click the Manage Carrier Inclusions link below the Auto-Create Nonexistent Policies global setting, or the Auto Create Unmatched Policies setting under the Synchronization action, to set inclusions for a specific carrier if needed.

The Manage Carrier Inclusions link only appears when the Auto-Create Nonexistent/Unmatched Policies setting is checked.

The Rule Inclusionspage opens. On this page, you can see a list of any carriers that your agency has already set inclusions for.

To remove an existing inclusion, click the button next to the carrier to remove.
To add a carrier to be included for this rule:
1. Enter the carrier name in the Search Carriers field.
2. Click Search.
3. If you do not have Use Separate Rules enabled:
  1. Click the Add Carrier button next to the carrier you wish to include for the Auto-Create Nonexistent/Unmatched Policies setting.
  If you have the Use Separate Rules global setting enabled:
  1. Check whether to include only Personal or Commercial downloads from this carrier for the specific action, or check both to include all downloads from this carrier.
    
    The Add Carrier button becomes active.
  2. Click Add Carrier to add the carrier to the inclusion list.
4. Click the blue Save button to save changes.
  
  Policies will now only be automatically created for downloads from the specified carriers.

Global Settings

The following settings apply to all policy download types. Additionally, you can enable or disable processing of Claims or Memo downloads from these settings.

Click the toggle buttons next to each setting to turn them on or off.

Setting	Description	Carrier Exclusions?
Downloads Enabled	This setting must be enabled to receive downloads into HawkSoft. When this setting is turned off, no downloads of any kind will be brought into HawkSoft.	No
Limit Ivans to the following hours	If this setting is enabled, your agency will only receive Ivans downloads during a set range of time each day. Use the From and To fields to designate the time period when your agency should receive Ivans downloads. If this setting is disabled, HawkSoft will pull in Ivans downloads periodically throughout the day, ensuring that you receive downloads in a timely fashion.	No
Auto-Create Nonexistent Policies	This setting should only be enabled when receiving an initial load from carriers, and should be turned off immediately after the initial load has been received. Leaving this setting enabled after the initial load is complete can create duplicate clients and policies. See Cleaning up Policy Data after an Initial Download for more information. Select this option to create a new client for each synchronized transaction that does not match an existing Policy Number or client name/address. This setting is usually disabled unless an initial load is expected. When this option is checked, a "Manage Carrier Inclusions" link appears below the checkbox. Click this link to enable this feature for only specific carriers' downloads. If no carriers are included, the rule will apply to all downloads received.	No, has Carrier Inclusions instead.
Auto-Create Nonexistent Carriers	When this option is enabled, HawkSoft will create a new carrier for you when you receive a download from a carrier that is not listed in Carrier Setup. However, this auto-created carrier will only contain the carrier name, writing carriers, and NAIC codes. Carriers created by the download process will be marked in Carrier Setup with a chip on the carrier list, and should be manually reviewed and completed by a user. See Reviewing Changes to Carrier Information When disabled, the Carrier will not be created in the carrier list, and the policy may show an "invalid carrier" error message until the policy carrier is manually set to a valid carrier listed in Carrier Setup.	No
Process Memos	Some Carriers deliver memos via downloads. When enabled, HawkSoft will process the memos and match them by policy number, or send them to Unmatched Downloads for review if no match was found. When disabled, HawkSoft will not process the Memos.	Yes
Process Claims	When enabled, Claims downloads will be attached and added or updated in the Client. When disabled, they will simply be logged and attached.	No
Process Commission Statements	When enabled, HawkSoft will process Commission Statements and send them to Commission Processing and Reporting for reconciliation. If disabled, both commission statement downloads and commission statement imports will not be processed.	No
Use Separate Rules	Process commercial lines using separate rules from personal lines. If disabled, commercial lines will be processed using the personal line rules.	No

Update Policies when these actions occur

The download action types in this list generally apply to one specific download type, or in the case of "Update Address" and "Compare to Previous Download", only in certain circumstances.

Check the box next to each Action to turn them on or off.

If you've enabled the Use Separate Rules global setting, each action in this section has a separate Personal and Commercial checkbox.

Action	Description	Carrier Exclusions?
Update Address	When checked, the address information in the client file is updated to match the address information in the download. When not checked, the Address will not be updated. Using Download Task Rules, you can direct HawkSoft to automatically assign a Task for follow-up to a certain user (or users) when a download with a change of address comes in. For more information, see Download Task Rules.	Yes
Compare to Previous Download	As downloads are processed, a log note is created. When checked, the log note will include a summary of differences between the new download and the previous download. When not checked, this comparison will be omitted from the log note that is created. See Comparing Downloads and Policy Snapshots for more information on comparing downloads.	Yes
New Business	When checked, HawkSoft updates the matching policy found in HawkSoft with the information from the download and creates a log note on the policy with download information. When not checked, HawkSoft auto-attaches the download to the matching policy, without updating the policy.	Yes
Cancellations	When checked, HawkSoft updates the matching policy found in HawkSoft with the information from the download and creates a log note on the policy with download information. When not checked, HawkSoft auto-attaches the download to the matching policy, without updating the policy.	Yes
Reinstatements	When checked, HawkSoft updates the matching policy found in HawkSoft with the information from the download and creates a log note on the policy with download information. When not checked, HawkSoft auto-attaches the download to the matching policy, without updating the policy.	Yes
Reissues	When checked, HawkSoft updates the matching policy found in HawkSoft with the information from the download and creates a log note on the policy with download information. When not checked, HawkSoft auto-attaches the download to the matching policy, without updating the policy.	Yes
Rewrites	When checked, HawkSoft updates the matching policy with the information from the download and creates a log note with download information. When not checked, HawkSoft auto-attaches the download to the matching policy, without updating the policy.	Yes
Non-Renewals	When checked, HawkSoft updates the matching policy found in HawkSoft with the information from the download and creates a log note on the policy with download information. When not checked, HawkSoft auto-attaches the download to the matching policy, without updating the policy.	Yes
Reversal of Non-Renewals	When checked, HawkSoft updates the matching policy with the information from the download and creates a log note with download information. When not checked, HawkSoft auto-attaches the download to the matching policy, without updating the policy.	Yes
Renewals	When checked, HawkSoft updates the matching policy found in HawkSoft with the information from the download and creates a log note with download information. When not checked, HawkSoft auto-attaches the download to the matching policy, without updating the policy. By default, the policy will not be updated until the Transaction Effective Date listed on the download. To have renewal downloads immediately update the policy regardless of the effective date, uncheck "Do not update Renewals and Endorsements until their Effective Date".	Yes
Endorsements	When checked, HawkSoft updates the matching policy found in HawkSoft with the information from the download and creates a log note with download information. When not checked, HawkSoft auto-attaches the download to the matching policy, without updating the policy. By default, the policy will not be updated until the Transaction Effective Date listed on the download. To have endorsement downloads immediately update the policy regardless of the effective date, uncheck "Do not update Renewals and Endorsements until their Effective Date".	Yes
Do not update Renewals and Endorsements until their Effective Date	When checked, HawkSoft will log and attach Renewal and Endorsement downloads to their respective policies, but will not update the policy until the Effective Date listed on the download. This ensures that the policy always shows information for the current active term, rather than the future term. When not checked, Renewal and Endorsement downloads will update their respective policies immediately, regardless of the download's Effective Date. The policy in HawkSoft will show information from the most recent download, even if the information on that download is not yet effective. Before changing this setting to enabled, HawkSoft recommends processing all unmatched policy downloads first. Unmatched items present before you enable this setting will still be processed immediately (as if the setting were disabled). When changing this setting to disabled, all future-dated downloads will be processed immediately upon saving this rule change.	No
Cancellation Notices	When checked, HawkSoft updates the matching policy with the information from the download and creates a log note with download information. When not checked, HawkSoft auto-attaches the download to the matching policy, without updating the policy.	Yes
Synchronizations	Synchronization files are sent from the insurance carrier upon request and when starting downloads with each carrier. An agency may request a synchronization from a carrier (sometimes called an "initial load") to ensure the book of business in HawkSoft is up to date with the carrier. When checked, and the download is a synchronization and not a specific transaction type, client and policy information are updated automatically. When not checked, HawkSoft auto-attaches the download to the matching policy, without updating the policy.	Yes
Auto Create Unmatched Policies	Affects Synchronization downloads, and is only available to turn on if the rule to update from Synchronizations is active. Select to automatically create a new client/policy from the download file when a policy is not found in HawkSoft during a synchronization download. When processing downloads, HawkSoft looks for a matching policy number or a client file containing all of the following information: Client Name (First and Last Name, Suffix is excluded) Corrected Address (Street, City, State, Zip)	No, has Carrier Inclusions instead.
Other Types	For all other types of downloads, HawkSoft creates a log note with download information and auto-attaches the download to the matching policy, without updating it.	No