Correspondence Setup Overview
HawkSoft provides a variety of ways in which users can correspond with customers, prospects, and other contacts entered into the HawkSoft database. Your staff can create emails, letters, memos, proposals, the Policy Overview, and text messages from within HawkSoft.
These topics provide instructions to help you create templates to standardize each type of correspondence generated by your agency and how to insert merge fields into the templates to pull relevant information from clients and policies.
Types of templates
| Template Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Form Letter Templates |
Create various templates to serve as the starting point for your agency to create letters on behalf of your agency. You might want separate templates for a letter to the insured concerning upcoming renewals, or an insufficient payment, etc. Form Letter Templates are created from a Base Form Letter Template. |
| Email Templates |
Create various templates to serve as the starting point for your agency to create emails on behalf of your agency. You might want separate templates for an email to the insured concerning upcoming renewals, or an insufficient payment, etc. Email Templates are created from a Base Email Template. |
| Proposal Templates |
Proposals can consist of cover letters and post letters, line of business descriptions, and any attachments or photos that the user chooses to include. Proposal Templates do not use a Base template. |
| Text Messaging Templates |
If your agency uses the HawkSoft Text Messaging feature, you can create templates that will merge information from client and policy files into a text message. Text Messaging Templates do not use a Base template. |
| E-Signature Templates |
If your agency uses an E-Signature program that integrates with HawkSoft, you can create templates for composing standardized e-signature messages to send to clients with documents to be signed. Each template can include a subject and message content, as well as attached standard documents. E-SignatureTemplates do not use a Base template. |
| Base Email Template | Provides the basic formatting for all email templates. |
| Base Form Letter Template | Provides the basic formatting for all form letter and proposal templates. |
| Base Memo Templates |
Provides the layout for the three memo formats available in CMS: Memo to Additional Interests, Memo to Company, Memo to Insured. Base Memo Templates serve as the actual template. You don't need to create an additional memo template from the base template. |
| Base Policy OverviewTemplate |
This is a simplified summary of the policy that describes the carrier, lines of business, coverages, and effective dates for a policy. This template determines how the Policy Overview will appear when printed from a policy. The Policy Overview Template serves as the actual template. You don't need to create an additional Policy Overview template. |
Base Templates
Base Templates are the foundational templates used to create standardized email and letter templates. They provide the core structure, formatting, and styling elements that ensure consistency across all other email and letter templates. In addition to serving as the starting point for new email and letter templates, base templates are also used directly for memos and Policy Overview documents.
The Base Templates can be modified to meet the needs of your agency. For example, you can set up the Base Email Template to always include the customer’s name and policy number in the Subject line using merge fields. When creating a new email template, those merge fields will already be included on the template, saving you time.
See the articles listed below to create your specific correspondence templates, using the CMS Base Templates.
The Policy Overview Summary and Memo Base Templates are not used to create additional templates. Your agency will use the Policy Overview and Memo Base Templates when printing these correspondence types.
Form Letter Templates
HawkSoft enables you to merge client and policy information from the client into a letter, modify the letter as needed, and attach a copy for documentation purposes. Once a letter is attached to the client, you can perform actions from the Attachments List, such as emailing the letter or sending the letter for an electronic signature.This article explains how to create and edit a letter from a client using a previously created form letter template. See Form Letter Templates for information on creating templates using the HawkSoft Letter editor.
Email Templates
HawkSoft enables you to create email templates for composing standardized emails to send to clients. All email templates use the layout and formatting of the Base Email Template.
This article describes how to create and modify email templates.
Proposal Templates
Proposals can consist of cover letters and post letters, line of business descriptions, and any attachments or photos that the user chooses to include. All proposal templates are created using the layout and formatting of the Base Form Letter Template.
Formatting Options
HawkSoft enables you to make formatting changes and insert merge fields, signatures, and other elements into your letter, memo, proposal, and the Policy Overview templates. This article describes the various formatting options available when modifying correspondence templates within HawkSoft.
Correspondence Templates - Formatting Options (Letters, Memos, Proposals, and Policy Overview)
Text Messaging Templates
Agencies can create templates that will merge information from client and policy files into a text message.
E-Signature Templates
HawkSoft enables you to create templates for composing standardized e-signature requests to send to clients with documents to be signed. Each template can include a subject, a default message which can leverage merge fields to automatically pull in relevant client, policy, and/or agency data, as well as additional documents to include with e-signature requests using the template.
Merge Field Descriptions
The HawkSoft Letter Editor enables you to create form letters and other types of correspondence. You can add HawkSoft merge fields that pull information from clients and policies into correspondence templates and letters.
This article describes each HawkSoft merge field used in the letter editor. Each merge field represents the information that appears in the finished letter.
Importing and Exporting Correspondence Templates
HawkSoft enables you to import and export Correspondence Templates to share with other HawkSoft users outside of your agency, such as on the HawkSoft User Group website. This topic provides instructions for exporting templates out of your database to your local computer, and importing templates from your local computer.
Importing and Exporting Correspondence Templates