CSIO’s eDocs Working Group Finalizes Business Requirements for Refining the eDocs Codes

(Toronto – August 9, 2023) CSIO is pleased to announce that its eDocs Working Group has finalized the business requirements for refining the eDocs codes and descriptions. This will ensure eDocs are clearly labelled saving brokers and insurers both time and money while building industry confidence that all parties are speaking the same language.

In developing the next multi-year strategic plan, CSIO’s Board of Directors identified an opportunity to further improve Standards development and corresponding implementation guides, to ensure there is no room for differing interpretations. As part of this initiative, CSIO launched a project earlier this year that focused on addressing ambiguous Data Standards, starting with eDocs codes, as Standardization of eDocs is a priority to improve broker efficiency.

CSIO had discovered that the labelling of eDocs in broker management systems (BMS) was inconsistent between insurers, and the code did not always reflect the contents of the document. This led to additional work as brokers would need to open eDocs to determine if they required action and relabelling in their BMS, resulting in additional resources and time for brokers to complete this task. As part of our strategic plan, CSIO is focused on producing comprehensive and unambiguous eDocs Standards that are not subject to interpretation and is committed to ensuring eDocs codes are consistent, making an insurer’s communication with brokers easier and more accessible.

Over the last few months, some of the steps that CSIO took to advance the eDocs initiative included:

• Discussions and discovery sessions, with brokers, insurers, and BMS vendors to gather feedback on the eDocs use case codes that are not clear, updating codes, and identifying 17 codes that were not required.
• Surveying hundreds of brokers across the country to gather feedback on CSIO’s proposed eDocs descriptions.
• Hosting focus group sessions with key brokers across the country, each session for a specific BMS, to ensure all use cases have been accurately captured, and to confirm if the proposed eDocs labelling is clear for each use case. 

A few weeks ago, the brokers, insurers, and BMS vendors involved in the eDocs Working Group came together to reach a consensus on a list of refined eDocs codes and descriptions, for all eDocs use cases which include billing, claims, policy transaction, cancellation, lapse, and underwriting use cases. Following the meeting, CSIO completed the business requirements document for insurers and vendors to review and place on their roadmaps for implementation.

“As a broker, we are thrilled to see this eDocs initiative come to fruition, “ said Jeff Roy, President and Chief Executive Officer at Excalibur Insurance Group. “The refined eDocs codes will not only reduce friction but save valuable time and money, which allows brokers to spend more time having meaningful conversations with clients. CSIO has demonstrated how collaboration with brokers, insurers, and BMS vendors can make a difference in ensuring eDocs codes and descriptions are clear and consistent.”

“The industry coming together and CSIO’s structured approach to this initiative was instrumental in reaching a consensus and advancing the standardization of eDocs in a short period of time, “ says Aly Kanji, President & Chief Executive Officer at InsureLine Brokers Inc. “The output from the eDocs Working Group will ensure a standardized industry approach, which will provide further opportunity for automation within the broker’s workflow while providing brokers with an enhanced experience.”

CSIO members can access the following:

Insurers and BMS vendors 
Download the eDocs Standard Business Requirements Document, to program in their systems. Brokers will be able to benefit from the refined eDocs codes once insurers and BMS vendors program these Standards in their systems.

Brokers 
View the eDocs Codes Resource Guide.

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About Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO)

CSIO is Canada’s industry technology association of property and casualty insurers, vendors and over 38,000 brokers. CSIO is committed to driving innovative solutions that enable the best insurance experience in Canada by overseeing the development, implementation, and maintenance of technology Standards and solutions, such as CSIOnet, eDocs, and My Proof of Insurance. In addition, CSIO operates the industry-owned mail network service. The CSIO XML Standard is licensed to CSIO by ACORD (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development). For more information, visit csio.com.

For further information, please contact:

Debbie Vassos, BBA, CDMP | Manager, Marketing & Communications
110 Yonge Street, Suite 500 | Toronto, ON M5C 1T4
(416) 360-1773 x 1721 | 1 (800) 463-2746 x 1721                                                                                                                                  dvassos@csio.com | www.csio.com