Activities and Attachments in Applied Epic: Frequently Asked Questions
Applied Epic should be the primary reference point for every policy, client interaction, decision, and document. That way, your entire team can work efficiently from the same, complete record.
Documenting thoroughly and in real time creates a clear audit trail, reduces missed steps, and helps protect the agency in the event of an errors and omissions claim. When key details live in Outlook threads, personal inbox folders, or an individual OneDrive, teammates can’t easily step in, answer client questions, or pick up a workflow midstream—especially when someone is out of the office.
This article addresses common questions about using and documenting Activities and Attachments in Applied Epic to ensure that client information is consistent, searchable, and available to the full Servicing team.
FAQs about Activities in Applied Epic
How should I use Activities?
Activities in Applied Epic have 3 uses:
- Documentation: Add notes for every interaction with clients, underwriters, and others.
- Follow-Up: Keep activities open until the workflow is complete, meaning documents have been received and checked, client is notified, proofs are generated, and transactions are entered. Think of activities as your “To Do” list: They help you keep track of your work and prevent E&O issues later.
- Reporting: Agencies can use unique activity codes to answer specific questions like, “How many loss runs did we request this month?”
If an activity opens on your screen automatically, you must use that activity for documentation and/or follow-up. Policies can be added either via a system event, like policy renewal, or manually for non-workflow events, such as customer billing inquiries.
Do I really need to start a workflow activity for every service request?
The best practice is to start with the appropriate Applied Epic workflow activity as soon as the request is received. If it’s an Action that needs to be performed, such as Endorse/Revise Existing Line, go ahead and start the process and use the system-generated activity. If there is no Epic Action, such as requesting loss runs, press F9 from the policy and enter a User Generated (manual) activity.
Can I just document the work after it's done?
Documentation should happen during the workflow—not only at the end. Retroactive documentation often leads to incomplete audit trails and inconsistent records.
In my old system, we used a separate activity for every phone call. Why don’t you recommend doing that?
We find that when all the activity notes are in the same place, that is, on one activity, it is easier to research months and years later. Use the View All Notes option (right click from the Home Base or use the hyperlink within the activity itself) to read the story of the workflow.
In addition, we shy away from general activity codes like CALL, as they don’t give information about what the call was regarding. Clients usually call about something – their renewal, a policy change, a question about their coverage – so put those notes on the proper activity.
What are tasks in Applied Epic activities?
Tasks are located within the activity and can help break down the workflow into steps. If your users are new to insurance, tasks can act as a helpful checklist to remind them of everything that needs to be completed. For more experienced team members, however, tasks can be bothersome to manage.
Our favorite way to use tasks is to assign a one-off request to another team member. Create a task within the activity to ask a virtual assistant (VA) to locate a policy document. The task is assigned to the VA and the activity will appear on their Home Base, but you will retain ownership of the activity itself and will be able to follow up.
I have too many activities on my Home Base and I can’t manage it. What should I do?
Only keep an activity open if follow-up is required. Close all others. Use the following tips to clean up your Home Base activities:
- Click the column headers to sort activities by the Date Entered or by the Follow up date to close older ones.
- Treat policy download and eDoc download activities as notifications and close them as soon as you acknowledge them (unless you are using them for your main workflow activity as in the case of personal lines renewals).
- Right-click and update the Follow-up/start date to a future day if you are waiting on a response from someone or can’t get to that activity today.
- Right-click and update the Who/Owner if someone else should be responsible for the workflow.
Keeping your Home Base activities current helps you plan your day and ensures nothing is lost in the noise.
FAQs about Attachments in Applied Epic
What’s the best way to upload a document to Applied Epic?
There are several ways to upload a document to a client’s Attachments, but the best practice is to drag and drop it to the main workflow activity (or select the activity from Epic Bridge). This method keeps all workflow-related attachments together in one “bucket”.
The main workflow activity is associated with the policy, so the attachments will also be associated with the policy. This allows you to use the Access button to filter the Attachments screen by the workflow activity or the policy, making locating documents infinitely easier.
Dragging and dropping to the policy or account level and not to an existing activity will cause Epic to generate an additional ATCH (one per attachment) that clutters your Activity screens and negates the use of the Access button from the workflow activity.
I’ve attached all my correspondence/emails/documents. Do I need to make an activity note as well?
Yes! Making a quick summary note on an activity when attaching a document keeps the “story” within the activity, saving time later from having to open and re-read attachments. Keep the attachments themselves as “receipts” and use the activity notes to quickly catch up on the workflow. Don’t forget to use the AI Summary feature to summarize emails when attaching them to the activity code to save yourself some work!
In summary, the best practice is to attach the actual document supported by notes that explain what action was taken. Attachments provide stronger audit and E&O support.
Creating an Intentional Path Forward for Activities and Attachments in Applied Epic
To keep service seamless and protect your agency, treat Applied Epic as your system of record—the one place where every client decision, communication, and document is captured as work happens.
When information is documented consistently in Epic, teammates can quickly find what they need, step in when their colleague is out, and continue workflows without gaps. Clear activity notes and well-organized attachments also create an audit trail that reduces missed steps and strengthens our position if questions arise later, including potential E&O situations.
If your agency is looking for help with workflow development, optimizing your Applied Epic environment, or general assistance with Applied Epic, Kite Technology’s Agency Consulting team is here to help you address your needs! Reach out to our team today for your free consultation!
Jenny Honican
Applied Epic Agency Consultant
Kite Technology Group
