Retrieve policy details, manage broker communications, upload documents, and track renewals from start to finish; all from Microsoft Teams and the Merlo AI Dashboard.

Overview #

Managing strata insurance renewals involves coordinating with brokers, gathering quotes, communicating with committees, and finalising policy documents; all under time pressure and across multiple plans. Without a structured system, renewals can be delayed, documents misplaced, and critical deadlines missed.

Merlo AI streamlines the entire insurance renewal lifecycle, from automatically identifying upcoming renewals three months in advance through to finalising and storing the certificate and invoice. Merlo handles the repetitive steps; contacting brokers, drafting committee emails, requesting binding; so you can focus on decisions and review.

You remain in control at every key decision point: selecting brokers, reviewing quotes, confirming the committee’s preferred policy, and approving all outbound communications before they are sent.

What the Agent Can Do #

Capability	What Merlo Does	When to Use It
Retrieve policy details	Returns current insurance policy information and valuation summaries for any strata plan	Before a renewal or when a manager needs a quick policy overview
Show upcoming renewals	Lists all insurance renewals due within a specified date range across all plans	Monthly planning or ahead of a renewal push
Summarise proposals	Reads complex insurance proposals and returns a clear summary of coverage, exclusions, and premium	When a broker sends a lengthy proposal document
Compare quotes	Places two or more quotes side-by-side and highlights coverage differences and value	When the committee needs to select between competing offers
Upload documents	Uploads proposals, certificates of currency, and invoices to SharePoint and links them to the relevant plan	When broker documents are received and need to be filed
Draft broker communications	Drafts emails to brokers and insurers based on the renewal context	When requesting quotes, binding a policy, or following up
Generate renewal reports	Exports insurance renewal data as a CSV file for a specified period or plan	For portfolio reporting or committee packs

How the Insurance Renewal Process Works #

The renewal lifecycle is managed across two tools: the Merlo AI Dashboard (for setup, instructions, and decisions) and Microsoft Teams (for document uploads, summaries, comparisons, and communications). The steps below show the full end-to-end process.

Step	What Happens	Who Acts	Where
1; Identify Upcoming Renewals	On the 1st of each month, Merlo automatically identifies all policies due for renewal in 3 months and creates records in the Dashboard	Automatic	Dashboard / System
2; Provide Renewal Instructions	You select a broker and choose whether to request quotes or renew with the current insurer	You	Dashboard
3; Broker and Lot Owner Contact	Merlo emails the broker. For plans with commercial lots, Merlo contacts commercial lot owners overnight to confirm tenant details before proceeding	Merlo AI (automatic)	Email / System
4; Receive Quotes	Broker sends quotes. You drag and drop the broker email into the Merlo AI Insurance folder in Outlook	You	Outlook
5; Committee Email Drafted	Merlo reads the email and attachments, identifies the renewal, and drafts a committee email for your review	Merlo AI drafts; you review and send	Outlook / Dashboard
6; Record Committee Decision	Once the committee selects a policy, you record the preferred policy in the Dashboard	You	Dashboard
7; Request Invoice and Certificate	Merlo automatically emails the broker to request policy binding, invoice, and Certificate of Currency	Merlo AI (automatic)	Email / System
8; Complete the Renewal	You drag and drop the broker’s final documents into the Merlo AI Insurance folder. Merlo processes them, links them to the record, and marks the renewal as Complete	You	Outlook

Note: Emails are never sent automatically without your review. Committee emails and broker communications are always presented as drafts first.

Identifying Upcoming Renewals #

On the 1st day of each month, Merlo automatically scans all insurance configurations and identifies policies due for renewal in three months’ time.

Example: On 1 January, all policies due for renewal in April are identified and records are created.

What Happens Automatically #

• Renewal records are created in the Dashboard for each identified policy.

• A notification email is sent to the assigned strata manager or SME.

• All renewals appear in the Insurance Renewals listing, ready for instructions to be provided.

Note: No automation begins until you provide renewal instructions for each record. The system will wait until instructions are submitted before contacting any broker.

Viewing Upcoming Renewals from Teams #

You can also query upcoming renewals at any time from the Merlo AI Teams chat without opening the Dashboard.

“Show all insurance renewals due between 1 March and 31 March across all plans.”

“Which strata plans have insurance renewals due in the next 60 days?”

“Show me all renewals that are still awaiting renewal instructions.”

Providing Renewal Instructions #

Before any automation begins for a renewal, you must provide instructions specifying the broker to use and the action to take. This is done from the Dashboard.

Step-by-Step #

1. Log in to the Merlo AI Dashboard at https://dashboard.merlo.ai.

2. Navigate to Insurance Renewals → Renewal Instructions.

3. Select one or more renewal records.

4. Choose the broker from the dropdown.

5. Select the action:

• Request quotes; Merlo contacts the broker to obtain a renewal quote.
• Renew with current insurer; Merlo proceeds directly with the existing insurer.

6. Click Apply to submit the instruction.

What Happens After Instructions Are Submitted #

Plan Type	What Merlo Does
Standard plan (no commercial lots)	Merlo immediately emails the broker with the renewal request.
Plan with commercial lots	The renewal is staged. Merlo first contacts commercial lot owners overnight to confirm current tenant details before the broker is contacted.

Note: Automation will not start until instructions are provided. Renewals without instructions will remain in a pending state in the Dashboard.

Overriding the Insured Valuation #

By default, Merlo uses valuation data from your strata system when contacting brokers. If the valuation needs to be adjusted before the renewal proceeds, you can override it from the renewal detail page in the Dashboard.

Step-by-Step #

7. Open the renewal detail page in the Dashboard.

8. Enter the revised amount in the Valuation Override field.

9. Click Save.

Note: The valuation override must be set before submitting renewal instructions. It cannot be edited after the broker has been contacted. The overridden value will be shared with the broker as part of the renewal request.

Receiving Quotes and Broker Emails #

When a broker sends a quote, invoice, or certificate, you do not process it manually. Instead, you drop the broker email into a dedicated Outlook folder, and Merlo handles the rest.

Step-by-Step #

10. Open the broker’s email in Outlook.

11. Drag and drop the email into the Merlo AI – Insurance folder in Outlook.

12. Wait up to 5 minutes for Merlo to process the email.

13. Merlo will read the email and any attachments, identify the related renewal record, and generate a committee email draft.

14. Review the draft and send it to the committee.

What Merlo Does After Processing #

Action	Detail
Email and attachments read	Merlo extracts the quote details, premium amounts, coverage summary, and any attached documents.
Renewal record identified	Merlo matches the email to the correct renewal record using the plan number and broker details.
Committee email drafted	A clear, professional committee email is generated for your review, summarising the quote and next steps.
Documents linked	Any attached proposals, certificates, or invoices are uploaded to SharePoint and linked to the renewal record.

Tip: If you receive multiple quotes from different brokers, drop each email into the Merlo AI – Insurance folder separately. Merlo will process each one and generate individual committee email drafts.

Summarising and Comparing Quotes from Teams #

You can also ask Merlo in Teams to summarise or compare proposals directly, without going through the Outlook folder.

“Summarise this insurance proposal and highlight the coverage, exclusions, and annual premium.”

“Compare these two insurance quotes and tell me which offers better coverage value.”

“What are the key differences between the attached proposals for SP 12345?”

Recording the Committee Decision #

Once the committee has reviewed the quotes and selected a preferred policy, you record their decision in the Dashboard. Merlo then automatically contacts the broker to proceed with binding.

Step-by-Step #

14. Go to Insurance Renewals in the Dashboard.

15. Search for and open the relevant renewal record using the strata plan number.

16. Enter the selected policy in the Preferred Insurance Policy field.

17. Click Save.

What Happens After Saving #

• Merlo automatically emails the broker to confirm the committee’s decision.

• The broker is requested to bind the policy and provide the invoice and Certificate of Currency.

• The renewal status advances to reflect that the decision has been recorded.

Note: You do not need to contact the broker yourself. Once the preferred policy is saved, Merlo handles the binding request automatically.

Completing the Renewal #

When the broker sends the final documents; the invoice and Certificate of Currency; you process them the same way as incoming quotes: by dropping the email into the Merlo AI – Insurance folder in Outlook.

Step-by-Step #

18. Open the broker’s final email in Outlook.

19. Drag and drop the email into the Merlo AI – Insurance folder.

20. Merlo processes the documents, links the invoice and certificate to the renewal record, and marks the renewal as Complete.

What Merlo Does After Processing #

Action	Detail
Documents processed	The invoice and Certificate of Currency are extracted and stored in SharePoint.
Renewal record updated	Documents are linked to the strata plan’s renewal record with clickable links in the Dashboard.
Renewal marked Complete	The renewal status is updated to Complete and the record is closed.

Note: The renewal cycle is complete once the final documents are processed. The record will remain accessible in the Dashboard for audit and reference purposes.

Uploading Insurance Documents via Teams #

In addition to the Outlook folder method, you can upload insurance documents directly through the Merlo AI Teams chat. This is useful when you need to file a document quickly, confirm an upload, or process a document outside the standard email workflow.

Step-by-Step #

20. Open the Merlo AI chat in Microsoft Teams.

21. Attach the document; drag it into the chat or use the attachment icon.

22. Tell Merlo the strata plan number and the document type (proposal, CoC, invoice, etc.).

23. Merlo uploads the document to SharePoint and links it to the relevant plan record.

Example Prompts #

“Process this invoice document, upload it to SharePoint for plan 2604, and draft the confirmation email.”

“Upload this Certificate of Currency for strata plan 12345.”

“Store this insurance proposal for SP 98765 in SharePoint.”

Generating Insurance Renewal Reports #

Merlo can generate insurance renewal reports from Teams and export them as CSV files; useful for portfolio reporting, committee packs, or internal tracking.

Example Prompts #

“Generate an insurance renewal report for Q1 and export it as a CSV.”

“Show all insurance renewals due between 1 March and 31 March across all plans.”

“Export all completed renewals for the current financial year as a CSV.”

“Show me all plans where the renewal is still in progress.”

Real-World Usage Scenarios #

Scenario	What to Do
It’s the 1st of the month and you want to see which renewals are coming up	Log in to the Dashboard and check the Insurance Renewals listing, or ask Merlo in Teams: “Show all renewals due in the next 90 days.”
You need to provide instructions for multiple renewals at once	In the Dashboard, go to Renewal Instructions, select all relevant records, choose the broker and action, and click Apply. Instructions can be applied in bulk.
A broker has emailed you with a quote	Drag and drop the broker’s email into the Merlo AI – Insurance folder in Outlook. Wait up to 5 minutes for Merlo to generate the committee email draft.
You need a quick summary of a complex proposal before the committee meeting	Upload the proposal in the Teams chat and ask: “Summarise this insurance proposal and highlight the coverage, exclusions, and annual premium.”
Two brokers have submitted competing quotes and you need to compare them	Ask Merlo in Teams: “Compare these two insurance quotes and tell me which offers better coverage value.” Attach both documents.
The committee has chosen a policy and you need to notify the broker	Record the preferred policy in the Dashboard under the renewal record. Merlo will automatically draft and send the binding request to the broker.
The broker has sent the final invoice and Certificate of Currency	Drop the broker’s email into the Merlo AI – Insurance folder in Outlook. Merlo will process the documents, file them, and mark the renewal as Complete.
You need a renewal report for the portfolio review	Ask Merlo in Teams: “Generate an insurance renewal report for Q1 and export it as a CSV.”

Tips for Getting the Best Results #

Tip	Detail
Provide renewal instructions promptly	The renewal process cannot begin until instructions are submitted. Check the Dashboard at the start of each month and submit instructions for all newly identified renewals.
Set valuation overrides before submitting instructions	The valuation override cannot be changed after the broker has been contacted. Review and adjust valuations before applying renewal instructions.
Use the Outlook folder consistently	All broker emails; quotes, invoices, and certificates; should be dropped into the Merlo AI – Insurance folder. This is the primary method for triggering Merlo’s processing workflow.
Always review AI-generated emails before sending	Committee emails and broker communications are drafted by Merlo but are never sent automatically. Review all drafts before confirming.
Include the plan number when uploading via Teams	When uploading documents through the Teams chat, always specify the strata plan number so Merlo files the document against the correct record.
Allow up to 5 minutes for Outlook folder processing	After dropping a broker email into the Merlo AI – Insurance folder, allow a few minutes for Merlo to process the email before checking for the draft.
Use Teams for quick policy lookups	For fast access to policy details or renewal status, ask Merlo directly in Teams rather than navigating the Dashboard.

Frequently Asked Questions #

When are renewal records created? #

On the 1st day of each month, Merlo automatically identifies all insurance policies due for renewal in three months and creates the corresponding records in the Dashboard. A notification email is sent to the assigned strata manager at the same time.

Can I provide renewal instructions for multiple plans at once? #

Yes. In the Dashboard, go to Renewal Instructions, select multiple records, choose the broker and action, and click Apply. Instructions are applied to all selected records in a single action.

What is the difference between Request Quotes and Renew with Current Insurer?

Selecting Request Quotes instructs Merlo to contact the nominated broker to obtain a renewal quote. Selecting Renew with Current Insurer instructs Merlo to proceed directly with the existing insurer without requesting a new quote.

What happens if the strata plan has commercial lots? #

For plans with commercial lots, the renewal is staged. Before contacting the broker, Merlo first contacts commercial lot owners overnight to confirm current tenant details. This ensures the broker has accurate information when the renewal request is sent.

Can I change the valuation after instructions have been submitted? #

No. The valuation override must be set before submitting renewal instructions. Once the broker has been contacted, the valuation field is locked and cannot be edited.

Do I need to manually notify the broker of the committee’s decision? #

No. Once you record the preferred policy in the Dashboard and click Save, Merlo automatically emails the broker to confirm the decision and request policy binding, invoice, and Certificate of Currency.

How do I process broker emails; quotes, invoices, and certificates? #

Drag and drop the broker’s email into the Merlo AI – Insurance folder in Outlook. Merlo will read the email and attachments, identify the relevant renewal record, and generate a draft committee email or update the record accordingly. Allow up to 5 minutes for processing.

What if Merlo cannot identify the renewal record from the broker email? #

If Merlo cannot match the email to a renewal record automatically, it will flag the email for your attention. You can then manually link the document to the correct record from the Dashboard, or upload it via the Teams chat and specify the strata plan number.

Where are insurance documents stored? #

All documents; proposals, certificates of currency, and invoices; are uploaded to SharePoint and linked to the relevant strata plan’s renewal record. Clickable document links are available in the Dashboard once processing is complete.

Can I compare quotes from Teams without using the Outlook folder? #

Yes. You can upload proposal documents directly in the Teams chat and ask Merlo to summarise or compare them. This is useful for quick reviews before a committee meeting or when you need a fast comparison without going through the full Outlook workflow.

What happens to the renewal record after it is marked Complete? #

The record remains accessible in the Dashboard for audit and reference purposes. The invoice and Certificate of Currency are stored in SharePoint and linked to the record with clickable document links.

Support #

If you need assistance with Insurance Renewals:

Email: support@merlo.ai

Help Centre: https://merlo.ai/help/

Note: This page covers both the Teams Assistant workflow and the Dashboard module. If a feature described here is not visible in your account, contact support to confirm your access level.