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Applied Epic

Bookkeeping in Applied Epic: 10 Best Practices for Accurate Financial Reporting

Accurate bookkeeping in Applied Epic is an area where many agencies struggle and lack confidence in the integrity of their accounting data and financial reports. Applied Epic has a well-designed accounting system that captures all your agency’s financial data and organizes it into various financial reports. These reports are critical analytical tools that can help management understand the financial health of your agency, as well as assist in making financial decisions about agency growth and process improvements. In this article, we will explore 10 best practices for bookkeeping in Applied Epic to help you ensure accurate financial data.

Best Practices for Accurate Bookkeeping in Epic

1. Record Every Financial Transaction with Receipts and Disbursements

Accurate financial data involves keeping track of every single financial transaction in your agency. Knowing how much you earn and how much money you spend is important for getting an idea of your actual income and expenses. Entering your receipts and disbursements and verifying them on your bank statement or your online banking portal is a critical step to ensuring that every transaction is recorded in Epic and reported on your financial statements.

2. Record Payroll Entries

Another important step of bookkeeping is recording the payroll. Whether you calculate, record and submit your agency payroll on your own or use an outsourced payroll service, entering your payroll data into Epic ensures that all payroll transactions are recorded on your financial statements accurately.

3. Reconcile Direct Bill Commissions

Reconciling your direct bill policy commissions is another critical step in accurate financial reporting. For direct bill commissions, you can download, import, or manually reconcile your commissions and once reconciled, tie them to your commission deposits to ensure that they will be reported on your income statement correctly.

4. Reconcile Premium Payables

There are multiple steps necessary for the accurate recording of your premium payable/agency bill policies in Epic. The accurate invoicing of the policies to your clients, recording the receipt of their payment, reconciling the premium payable to the company or broker, and disbursing payment of the premium payable to the carrier are the steps necessary to properly record these transactions in Epic.

5. Record Direct Bill Sweeps

Many agencies offer the courtesy of collecting policy payments for their clients and paying the carrier on their behalf. These are called “sweeps”. Making sure the client’s payment is receipted to their account and the payment to the carrier is recorded as a Premium Advance will accurately capture these transactions in Epic and keep the premium bank account balance and accounts receivable on the balance sheet accurate.

6. Reconcile and Pay Producer and Broker Commissions

Whether you use the Pr/Br Reconciliation feature in Epic or reconcile and review your producer/broker payables manually, you need accurate Pr/Br commission data in your system so you can pay them commissions that are owed. Verifying that commission agreements are set up and attached to policies in Epic will ensure that your producers and brokers are paid accurately and timely every month.

7. Perform Monthly Bank Reconciliations

Reconciling your bank accounts monthly is a critical bookkeeping step that ensures that all financial transactions are recorded in Epic and that your bank balance in Epic ties to the bank account. This reconciliation will ensure that all financial data is correctly reported on your financial statements.

8. Run Month End Accounting Reports

In Epic, there are several month end accounting reports that you can run and review before closing your month. These reports will help you determine if there are any incomplete transactions and ensure that you have reconciled all commissions received and that your receivables and payables tie to your General Ledger.

9. Analyze General Ledger Account Balances Using the Status of Accounts Report

The Status of Accounts report is a valuable tool to review the debit and credit transactions in all your General Ledger accounts. Use this report to analyze the detail of your balance sheet and income statement balances when balances look incorrect. Once you determine what caused the errors in your balances, you can further complete transactions and/or enter a journal entry to correct balances.

10. Review of Final Income Statement and Balance Sheet

Once you determine that your financial reports and data are complete and accurate, the final monthly bookkeeping step is to close the month in Epic. Once you close the month, you are now ready to submit your final monthly financial reports to your CPA if required. Management will also now have the tools they need to analyze the agency’s financial data to plan for future financial decisions.

Conclusion

Proper bookkeeping in Applied Epic is essential for agency management to understand in order to be able to make informed financial decisions. Without knowing the details of your agency’s finances, it’s difficult to evaluate opportunities for growth and investment. Monthly and yearly financial statements can give you a lot of information about your agency and help you pinpoint areas for improvement. They are also vital for your CPA to obtain for accurate and timely tax reporting.

Accounting and bookkeeping in Epic can be very overwhelming for an agency when they don’t trust the accuracy of their financial data. If your agency needs help with accounting and bookkeeping in Epic, the KiteTech Agency Consulting team is here to help! We have extensive experience in Applied Epic accounting and we are ready to provide customized solutions that meet your agency’s unique needs. We can assist your agency with accounting optimization, forensic accounting and cleanup, and even outsourced bookkeeping services. Contact us today for more information!

Buffy Johnson

Buffy Johnson

Agency Consultant
Kite Technology Group

Employee Spotlight – Meet Lauren Roberts, Director of Agency Consulting

Meet Lauren Roberts! Lauren has been with KiteTech for 6 years and currently works as the Director of Agency Consulting. A typical day for Lauren contains a full schedule of meetings; she meets with clients to help them with various Applied Epic projects including accounting, optimization, migrations, and training. She also meets with new agencies to assess their Applied Epic needs and help them create project plans. At other times, she is in calls or meetings with her internal team collaborating on their Applied Epic projects.

Charlotte, North Carolina is home to Lauren and in her free time she enjoys singing, listening to music, playing with her 2 dogs, and spending time with her family doing anything outdoors.

We asked Lauren a variety of questions to get to know her a little better. Check out what she had to say and learn her proudest moment at KiteTech, her most overused phrases, and the best place she’s traveled to!

Before working at KiteTech, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?

Working with a cell phone company. I love working with people and in that job I was able to meet all types of people on a daily basis. I also was able to further my career at a young age through opportunities in that company.

What drew you to KiteTech originally? What have you gained from working at KiteTech?

I learned about KiteTech when I was working in an insurance agency and we had a consultant from Kite come in and help us with our decision to move to Applied Epic. 

Being with KiteTech I have greatly expanded my knowledge of Applied Epic and the insurance industry as a whole. I also met an amazing team of consultants with various expertise which allows us to collaborate as a team on projects for our clients.

What has been your proudest moment at KiteTech?

The first time I presented a session on my own at Applied Net. I never thought I’d be able to get up in front of a room with so many attendees and ever since then, I’ve only grown into my ability to present and teach. I love it!

What do you love most about your job?

So many things! I love working with new people all the time and building relationships with my clients. I also love working with our team of experts and collaborating on projects. We learn from each other all the time. I also really enjoy being able to present and share my knowledge to help others learn more about how to improve their use of Applied Epic

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far?

First off, it’s ok to desire perfection but it’s important to realize that you’re still human. Mistakes are going to happen and that’s ok as long as you learn from them. 

Second, hard work may not pay off immediately. It takes patience and understanding that things will work out in the long run. You just have to stick with it. 

Finally, relationships and connections are very important, especially in the virtual world. While some may think that work should be all business and professionalism, I feel it’s also important to connect on a personal level with the people you work with. You don’t have to be best friends, but people appreciate when you connect and show interest and care for them not just as an employee.

What are your three most overused words/phrases?

Such is life. There’s that. It is what it is.

What are your top three life highlights?

The birth of each of my children and my marriage to my husband.

Where is the best place you’ve traveled to and why?

Marco Island, FL for my honeymoon. The beach is my favorite place and this was the best beach I’ve been to so far. The area is very laid-back. People are all very friendly. The food was amazing. We felt like locals by the time we left!

What did you want to be when growing up?

My dream was to be a country music singer but I was more interested in operas and musicals in college.

What music is currently on your phone?

All kinds of stuff. Lots of country music, gospel, praise and worship, some older pop, classic rock, a little rap from way back when. Basically anything but the newer stuff.

We hope you learned something new about Lauren! Stayed tuned for our upcoming Employee Spotlights to learn more fun facts about the rest of the team. While you’re waiting, check out some of our past Employee Spotlights to learn about Josh Mackley’s most unusual job, Krystal Son’s office nickname, and the several places Justin Wise has called home. 

Elizabeth DiDio

Elizabeth DiDio

Marketing Intern
Kite Technology Group

Outsourced Applied Epic Bookkeeping

outsourced applied epic bookkeeping

Expert Outsourced Applied Epic Bookkeeping Services for Your Insurance Agency

Are you struggling to keep up with the demands of accounting in your agency? Kite Technology can help! Our Agency Consulting team has bookkeepers on staff with expertise in Applied Epic, ready to provide customized solutions that meet your agency’s needs. 

We understand that every insurance agency is unique and has specific accounting needs. Our expert team takes a custom approach to outsourcing and will develop a plan that meets your agency’s specific accounting requirements. We will also implement our KiteTech Best Practices to ensure that you get the best possible service.

With our outsourced bookkeeping services, you’ll have a dedicated KiteTech bookkeeping team member who will be focused on all of your agency’s accounting needs. 

Do you have concerns about the accuracy of your agency’s current accounting data? We can also provide forensic accounting and cleanup services to help agencies achieve accuracy in their financial reporting.

We provide a comprehensive range of bookkeeping services, for Applied Epic agencies, including but not limited to:

Entry of Receipts, Disbursements, and Journal Entries

We will handle the accurate and timely entry of all bank transactions, which is vital to your agency’s accounting data and report integrity.

Direct Bill Commission Reconciliation

We will ensure that your direct bill commissions are accurately recorded and reconciled to your financial records, including manual recording, importing, and direct bill commission download processing. 

Premium Payable Reconciliation

We will reconcile your agency bill invoices and statements, ensuring that all transactions are paid on time and recorded in Applied Epic. This ensures that your premium payable reports are balanced to your financial records.

Vendor Payables

We will manage your vendor payables, ensuring that all bills are paid accurately and on time, ensuring that expenses are appropriately allocated.

Producer/Broker Payables

We will provide a method for producer and broker payables whether that be by producer commission reports, production reports, or by utilizing the Pr/Br reconciliation in Applied Epic.

Month-End Bank Reconciliation

We will reconcile your bank accounts at the end of each month, ensuring that all transactions are recorded accurately and that all discrepancies are identified and resolved.

Accounting Management Reports

Our team will deliver regular accounting management reports, providing an accurate picture of your agency’s financial health.

Regular Scheduled Meetings

We will schedule regular meetings with your bookkeeper to review progress, discuss any accounting issues, and ensure that all your accounting needs are being met.

Maximize Your Agency's Potential with Kite Technology's
Outsourced Applied Epic Bookkeeping Services

Maximize your agency’s growth potential by outsourcing your bookkeeping tasks to our team of experts. KiteTech’s Agency Consulting team understands that your time and resources are valuable, which is why we provide efficient and cost-effective solutions that allow you to focus on your agency.

By choosing our services, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your accounting and bookkeeping needs are being handled by a team of professionals with extensive Applied Epic expertise. Our customized solutions are tailored to meet the unique needs of your agency, and we work closely with you to ensure that all your requirements are met.

Benefits of outsourcing your Applied Epic bookkeeping tasks with Kite Technology:

Contact us today to learn how we can eliminate your agency's accounting headaches

Ready to take your Applied Epic agency to the next level? Let our team of professionals handle the complicated and time-consuming bookkeeping tasks, so you can focus on more important areas of your agency operations. Contact us today to learn more about how our Outsourced Applied Epic Outsourced Bookkeeping Services can help you achieve greater efficiency and success.

Maximizing Security in Applied Epic: Best Practices for Effectively Managing Security Groups

Effective management of security groups is a critical aspect of ensuring the security and integrity of your data in Applied Epic. Security groups are a way of controlling access to different parts of the system, and as you get started in Epic, security groups are typically very basic and include a group for Servicing, Producers, HR, Accounting and Download. Have you taken the time to review your security groups to ensure that the rights delegated are appropriate? Do you have adequate groups set up based on responsibilities of your staff?

If you are feeling intimidated like most agencies do, we are here to help. In this article, we will discuss some of the best practices for managing security groups in Applied Epic to help you better protect your organization’s data.

Best practices for managing security groups in Applied Epic

1. Review existing group rights to ensure they meet job duties

Review the existing groups and the rights granted in each. Determine if the rights granted allow the staff to process work as needed. If you are reviewing rights and unsure what it might do, the Epic help file has become tremendously better at providing guidance to specifics of each right in the various areas. You can click into each area and the Permission is shown with what it enables, the implications for each and if there are related items, those are also provided.

2. Never add rights to an individual user

It is important to remember that you should never individually add rights for a user. If you add rights for one person on a user level, that configuration isn’t visible with a bird’s eye view of who has what. Create additional groups if rights are requested outside of a user’s basic group.

3. Add new users with groups identified rather than “..same rights as..” method

It is common when a new user starts for HR or an operations leader to say, “this person needs the same rights as..”. The problem here is that if an individual has rights that they may not be aware of, you are going to grant those same rights inherently and erroneously for the new employee. However, granting rights based on security groups guarantees rights based on their work duties.

4. Audit groups and users at least annually

How many employees do you hire and either promote or move within your organization to another role? It happens all the time. With these changes their responsibilities might change. Run management reports to audit who has what groups and if those groups are still appropriate or if changes need to be made.

5. Create subgroups to help with separation of duties

Does your agency have the ability to create a separation of duties in accounting? This separation of rights can help protect your agency from fraud and theft where you may otherwise be exposed. For example, create separate groups for those in your payables department from those in your receivables department and from those who get access to financials or vendor payables.

6. Consider a dual approval for security changes

Depending on the size and complexity of an agency it may be advantageous to have an approval system in place. Consider having a system admin approve and send to an operations manager for final approval before implementing any change.

7. Document, Document, Document

Add backup documentation to each change made and who requested/approved the change on the employee account. This way, there is never a question of who, when what or why.

Conclusion

Applied Epic is a powerful agency management system that serves as a centralized repository for critical information, including client data, policies, financials, and bank accounts. However, without establishing robust security protocols and best practices for managing security groups, you risk exposing this sensitive information to malicious actors. The importance of implementing and adhering to security guidelines cannot be overstated. By leveraging best practices like those outlined above, you can help safeguard your agency’s data and protect against potential security breaches.

If you find that you need assistance with establishing security groups or auditing existing ones, the KiteTech Agency Consulting team is here to help. Our team of Applied Epic experts can guide you through the process of setting up security groups and ensuring that they align with your agency’s needs. With our guidance, you can rest assured that your agency’s data is secure and protected against unauthorized access. Contact us today to learn more!

adam atwell

Adam Atwell

Cloud solutions architect

Adam is passionate about consulting with organizations across the country to help them develop and execute a cloud adoption strategy that meets their business needs and future objectives. Adam oversees and manages our company strategy for Microsoft 365 adoption and is responsible for future growth and development inside Microsoft 365 and other cloud technologies.