2 Factor Authentication
The Mercury Platform requires 2 factor authentication for any Adminstrator login and allows system administrators to require users or groups of users to force the use 2 factor authentication to access the system. Hacked passwords are no longer enough to access vital information in the system.
Accounting Based System
Transactional data is stored with Accounting date forcing all accounting reports to properly report transactions in the correct accounting periods this particularly ensures that back dated transactions do not affect prior accounting months. This principal is applied to not only accounting transactions but also any associated policy or cliams transactions as well.
Address Standardization
USPS Address standardization uses real-time APIs to access the most up to date data to validate and standardize addresses. If an address is incomplete or matches more than one location suggestions are displayed on screen and since the data is FROM the United State Post Office you are sure to have the most accurate and up-to-date information available. In addition, addresses are automatically coded with Zip+4 information as a part of the standardization process so bulk mailers can save on postage costs too!
Chat
Sophisticated chat features including group chat and internal user availability for real-time chat on demand. For example you can enable the Mercury Platform to allow agents or policyholders to ask for real-time help if they have questions and route the chat request to an available user or group.
Continuous Integration
Development is version controlled and automatically fully tested upon check-in. Our 100% automated Continuous Integration Servers ensure that not only is more than 90% of EVERY line of code executed and tested on EVERY new build, but unit tests must pass with 100% success, and functional tests must pass 100% before the new code is passed on to our human Test/QA processes. This means that new code, modifications, and fixes must ALL pass through: Unit, Coverage, and Functional tests before a human ever needs to review the system! Our process ensures quality code without a sacrifice in timeliness because ALL of this happens without human intervention. Our Continuous Integration and build process often occurs 10 times or more per day and new code is typically ready for human testing or test delivery within an hour of the code modifications being checked into version control!
Cookie-less Sessions
The Mercury systems was designed to work even when users have cookies disabled. Session state is managed in the database so not only can the system operate without cookies being enabled on the client machines but clients can be load balanced among a server farm and moved between machines at will; All without a loss of system connectivity.
Date Driven Rating
The Mercury Platform uses date driven rating for New Business and Renewals to allow you to enter your rate changes months in advance and automatically apply the new rates when the rate change is effective. Not only can you test rate changes well in advance of their implementation but you can ensure forward dated quotes or policies apply the correct rates while policy endorsements still use the old rates based on the rate date recorded in each policy or quote record.
Denied Rights
Sophisticated rights assignment allows users to inherit from the groups they belong to HOWEVER specific rights can be automatically denied as well (tri-state rights setup) allowing administrators to (just as an example) always deny admin rights to any user who also belongs to the "agents" group.
Document Imaging System
Every page, card, or report generated by the Mercury Platform is automatically saved for review in the integrated document imaging system. In addition, not only are documents generated by the system available in document imaging but any digital document including; emails, photos, scanned pages, digital requests, audio recordings, and more - can be attached to the Mercury Systems document imaging system and made available on the policy or claim they are associated with.
Electronic Payments
Since the 1990's the use of paper money and checks have been in a sharp decline - the Mercury Platform allows you to collect not only paper money and checks but currency in any digital format including: ACH, EFT, Electronic Checks, Credit or Bank Card, and more. The only limitation to the ability to collect electronic funds is limited by the payment processor(s) you select to process your digital payments the Mercury Platform supports them all.
Event Driven Work-flow
Any number of custom events can be attached to work-flow via our visual work-flow designer. The Mercury Platform triggers work-flow events automatically, if a work-flow is attached to the event it automatically receives all of the available data for the triggering event which allows for work-flow events that can (for example) send SMS text messages, schedule appointments or reminders, send emails to individuals or groups (including attachments), process credit cards or payments, send information to third parties, or flag policies or claims for further review. The possibilities for event driven work-flow and its automation of your processes is only limited by your ability to define the rule(s) for the system to apply.
Field Validation
Field level validation goes beyond just required fields when entering quote, policy, or claims data. The Mercury rules engine allows you to employ rules based on prior answers, field type validation, and underwriting process guidelines as data is entered. Field validation can accept out of bounds data and notify a group such as underwriting via work-flow or it can stop an application, quote, etc right where it is as an unacceptable risk. YOU decide how, where, and when field level and/or system rules are applied!
First Notice of Loss
Setup new claims quickly with web based First Notice of Loss taking. Quickly locate a policy and verify coverage based on date and time of loss, automatically bring over the correct policy documents and coverages and even automatically notify a claims adjuster if there is no coverage avaialble due to cancellation with lapse. The Mercury Platform policy data feeds the claims system starting with First Notice of Loss; therefore data entry is minimized, coverage is verified, limits and deductibles are automatically brought into the new claim and adjusters can better focus on the details of the loss when setting up a new claim!
Geo Coding
Addresses entered into the Mercury Platform are automatically Geo-Coded returning the Latitude and Longitude as well as the Zip+4 postal information. Use this data to generate concentration of risk maps, reports, and exports as well as visually see various locations on maps. During claims situations especially after a hurricane or tornado; often street signs and land marks are destroyed - with geo-location information available you can provide anyone with latitude and longitude data to find the insured location - the possibilities are only limited to your specific implementation and use of the service.
Group Rights
Manage user rights through group membership. Rather than setting up every user individually the Mercury Platform allows you to setup rights for a "Group" and have the user inherit the rights for the groups they belong to.
HTML Grid
HTML Grid is the newest HTML layout and design. Create more sophisticated screen designs that flow from desktop, to tablet, to cell phone with little effort. Responsive design is what caused HTML Grid to be developed and all of the major browsers now support HTML Grid and so does the Mercury system! See the Visual Screen Designer for more information on how...
Laser Printed Checks
Laser printed checks allow generation of mail ready checks based on the security and access controls you have in place or want to develop as a part of the system implementation. Allow Claims adjusters to cut checks directly when under X dollars but when over X dollars require management approval, automatically generate return premium checks, pay agents commissions, or any other use for printed checks that you can imagine. The Mercury Platform supports any check layout (for example: 3 to a page, multi-part, duplicate copies, and/or any check layout) that fits into your laser printer as well as any access control rules you want to implement.
Lock Box
The Mercury Platform supports bank check validation and reception often called "Lock Box" support through the import of data files. No need to change your processes for check reception if you already have lock box in place simply import the data and let the system do all of the work.
Lock Screen
Adjustable timeouts for users with elevated access such as underwriters, claims, marketing, management etc that automatically locks the web screen if a user goes idle for a specified amount of time. Protects sensitive data on-screen and prevents unauthorized access to protected data.
Management Dashboards
Customizable visual dashboards allow managers to keep their eye on the pulse of the business. See what metrics matter the most to YOU in real-time in a highly visual format. Compare real time data to goals and/or prior periods, identify trends in the data, and see how adjustments directly affect the business long before month end or year end reports would tell you.
Network Sensing
Mercury is designed to sense if a user looses Internet connectivity so data isn't sent without the ability to communicate with a server. No more guessing if transactions have completed if an Internet connection is lost or is temporarily down the system is constantly monitoring client connectivity during use.
Pick Your Due Date
Allow policyholders to select their due date. The Mercury Platform will automatically calculate the equity down payment necessary to keep the policy in positive equity for any due date by showing an adjusted down payment to facilitate policyholders who want a 1st or 15th due date (for example). The Mercury Platform can even take into account state specific mandatory notice days and time for mailing too! Rest assured that the Mercury Platform will keep you out of negative equity while providing your customers the ability to pick their own due dates.
Premium Calculations in Real-Time
The Mercury Systems ability to calculate real-time Written, Earned, and UnEarned premiums ensure not only are your users able to see the most up-to-date premium information (if you choose to display it to them) but the your work-flow and business rules can use this information to make real-time decisions. For example: if a policy is going to run out of equity in 13 days the Mercury Platform can automatically send a 10 day cancellation notice - OR - whatever other rules you would like to implement around the Mercury Systems real-time premium and billing information available to you.
Real Time Rating API
The Mercury Platform can provide a real-time API for comparative or 3rd party rating inquiries. Rates are calculated in the system using the data supplied by the 3rd party so the accurancy of the resulting rate is excellent and there is no need to maintain rates in any 3rd party or comparative rater. As rates are updated in the Mercury Platform they will Automatically flow to the 3rd party / comparative rating API. In addition if the insured decides to bind a policy the transfer of both data and documents can be facilitated making the purchase painless while supporting all of your underwriting and workflow rules and internal document imaging system.
Session Hijacking prevention
The Mercury Platform employs a unique session protection mechnisim making hijacking a session nearly impossible even if the attacker knows the session information. The attacker must not only know the session information but also a challenge key and if the challenge key is incorrect the session is automatically invalidated making it useless for any subsequent attack attempts.
SMS Messaging
The Mercury systems support TRUE SMS messaging as opposed to SMS messaging through email... Our SMS messaging API allows you to send and receive SMS messages to/from ANY cell phone in the world (Messaging and data rates apply). For example: You can have the system automatically send a SMS payment reminder to the cell phone on file and if the user responds with YES; automatically process the payment using the payment method on file! Enable TRUE two way SMS communications with your clients, agents, and adjusters with the Mercury Systems SMS messaging API.
SQL injection protection
The Mercury Platform employs a unique session protection mechnisim making hijacking a session nearly impossible even if the attacker knows the session information. The attacker must not only know the session information but also a challenge key and if the challenge key is incorrect the session is automatically invalidated making it useless for any subsequent attack attempts.
Strong Password API
Hackers have figured out that people being people reuse passwords! The new attack vector for many systems is through hackers using known hacked passwords to gain access to new unhacked systems. Following NIST recommendations the Mercury Platform uses an up-to-date API to check passwords against known successful hacking attempts. If the password is found to have been hacked in prior attacks the Mercury Platform prevents it's use even notifying the user how many times this password has been known to have been hacked. Currently the Mercury NIST Password database contains over 5 million known hacked passwords and is updated often!
VIN Decodification
Our custom VIN decodification API is included as a part of hosting and maintenance - no need to purchase outside data! We decode ALL US vehicles from 1981 to present and return Year, Make, Model, Trim Package, Restraints, Engine Sizes, and Air bag placement. In addition, our API can often provide additional specifications (year 2000 onward) - MSRP, standard/upgrade equipment packages, vehicle dimensions, color options, and vehicle images
Visual Report Design
The Mercury Platform has a built in WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) drag and drop report designer to allow users to quickly create and edit reports. The editor is 100% web based and allows for custom JavaScript functions to be embedded into any report. Reports generate to .pdf format upon "printing" but also can be exported to .csv (Comma Separated Values), .xls (Microsoft Excel), .JSON (JavaScript Notation), and .EDI (Flat file format) for import of data into other systems such as accounting, state or statutory reporting, etc.
Visual Screen Design
The Mercury Platform has a built in WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) drag and drop screen designer to allow users to quickly create and edit screen designs. The editor is 100% web based and uses HTML Grid so every form designed is automatically responsive. Test various device sizes on screen and see in real time how the responsive form flows for different device sizes.
Visual Work-flow Design
Work-flow rules are defined using our Visual Work-flow designer. Simply select a triggering event to attach your work-flow to and decide what rules to apply, if the data matches your rules then whatever events you have defined are automatically executed. For example: When a new policy is bound you can program a work-flow rule to say that if a certain piece of data is missing (VIN missing on a automobile policy for example) to automatically schedule a reminder for the agent 3 days out and another for underwriting 4 days out for follow-up. You can also program another rule that if VIN data is collected and there are existing reminders pending to cancel them removing the reminders when data is collected prior to the due date... A simple yet effective way to ensure missing data is collected properly while not totally preventing new business from being bound!
Web Rate, Quote, Bind
Allow outside users to enter only basic information and get a real-time quote (direct write or agents). If the user wishes to proceed (based upon YOUR company specific rules) the user can then complete a full quote entering the additional information necessary to bind a policy and make a payment on-line. The Mercury Platform supports real time credit card collection, budget fitting (equity calculations), and the ability to generate Dec-Pages, Forms, and Endorsements and then email, display, and/or print them for mailing to an insured. This process can allow 100% hands free web based rate, quote, bind, for any policy that matches your underwriting guidelines!
Weather Data API
The Mercury Platform offers real-time APIs for retrieval of weather data for any location. Simply display the current temperature on screen OR develop sophisticated rules around weather for locations for example you could be able to automatically shut down locations, zip-codes, or territories based on tornado, hail, or thunderstorm warnings within X hours of rating (example only). Your use of the real-time weather data API is only limited by your imagination.
Web Sockets
Web sockets allow a user to have multiple windows open and these windows can communicate with each other as well as the server communicating to the users browser without the user clicking on anything. Web sockets allow Mercury to support many other features which are built on this New technology such as real time chatting, session availability between users, and push messaging from the server to all user (Notifications).
Zip+4
As a standard feature the Mercury Platform automatically standardizes ALL addresses with real-time APIs to the United State Postal Service in addition to offering suggestions for multiple address "matches" the service automatically encodes each address with Zip+4 information saving on bulk mailing costs and ensuring the best delivery results possible for US Mail.
