There must be an easier way! I need to delete a commercial account that has gone out of business and I have attachments for the past 3 years - do I really need to delete each one individually?
We don't delete them. We indicate on the Customer Detail screen in the CODE area "DF"= Dead File. Then that code is excluded for any reports. The billing screen status for all policies will be coded with "CAO" = Cancelled - Out of Business.
This is where using Filter is great....you only see active clients and active policies.
We do similar to Jan. A claim can still sneak in even if they are out of business. We had a dry cleaner that had a pollution claim show up many years after they were out of business.
I think your course of action is un-wise. A client going out of business should not have any bearing on the document destruction provisions of your records retention policy. And if you don't have such a policy at the agency, you shouldn't be destroying any data.
Sorry - we all have to give those little lectures even when that isn't the question being asked. It's traditional. :) The direct answer to your question is "No - you don't have to delete them individually". While on the attachment list, if you click on options there is a selection to "Purge All Attachments" that will wipe all of the attachments for that client in one swipe. I'm not a fan of it being there, but there it is.
If there was a real archive section for dead files, I doubt people would be asking questions like this. But since moving them to prospect deletes all financial information, that really isn't a good solution either. Applied should come up with a strategy for storage, archiving and purging of these dead files since they don't really belong with live customer files, and prospect files aren't really appropriate either.
I'm just going to leave this here...
https://www.appliedsystems.com/apps/Knowledgebase/Main.aspx?kb=34377
(You should be able to log a call directly from the kb to request that your office would like this feature added).
I put in "my" request....add one to the count. Thanks for the direction, Conan.
Quote from: Conan_Ward on August 02, 2012, 12:41:53 PM
I'm just going to leave this here...
https://www.appliedsystems.com/apps/Knowledgebase/Main.aspx?kb=34377
(You should be able to log a call directly from the kb to request that your office would like this feature added).
I submitted my PMR. Thank you, Conan.
I also have a PMR in for purging attachments by a date range. I am able to purge Activities but not the associated attachments. I was told they needed to be deleted manually because of this.
Quote from: Alice on August 02, 2012, 01:05:59 PM
I also have a PMR in for purging attachments by a date range. I am able to purge Activities but not the associated attachments. I was told they needed to be deleted manually because of this.
Ha! Great minds think alike. I included that in my PMR as well. I also think that the purge utility have an "exception" field where you can specify something that you want to keep forever, and not be purged simply by a date range setting. I can think of contested or controversial documents that show you offered coverage and it was declined, photos, claim info, appraisals, property surveys and inspections that include rating information, etc....
This area has been my bug-a-boo with TAM for a while now. My request was to add a File (similar to Prospect file, but with accounting info following) for Dead/Lost/Out-Of-Business Accounts from which total purging could easily take place by date when the time is appropriate according to State law. Since much of the programming already exists, I wouldn't think creating this file would be that difficult a task.
Yes, I've entered several PMRs on the subject!
Epic does have an inactivate option for clients/prospects (actually any account - companies, vendors, additional interests, employees, brokers) with the date you inactivated. However it does not yet have a purge option. So you can inactivate and only view active clients but you cannot delete or purge those accounts. Purging is in the works.
Quote from: Sherry Burrell on August 02, 2012, 03:54:46 PM
Epic does have an inactivate option for clients/prospects (actually any account - companies, vendors, additional interests, employees, brokers) with the date you inactivated. However it does not yet have a purge option. So you can inactivate and only view active clients but you cannot delete or purge those accounts. Purging is in the works.
I like that it includes companies, vendors, etc.