Providing renewal instructions is the most important manual action in the entire renewal lifecycle. It is the step that starts the automation – without it, Merlo AI will not contact the broker, will not reach out to commercial lot owners, and will not progress the renewal in any way. Every renewal record that appears in the Dashboard is effectively paused, waiting for your instruction.
This step requires you to answer two questions for each renewal: Which broker should Merlo contact? And what should Merlo ask them to do – request a new quote, or simply renew with the current insurer?
1 Understanding Your Two Key Decisions #
Decision 1: Choose a Broker #
You must select which broker you want Merlo AI to contact for this renewal. The broker you select will receive an automated email from Merlo on your behalf. The content of that email will reflect the action you select in Decision 2 below.
You should consider factors such as your existing relationship with the broker, any prior quotes or service history, and any client preferences or instructions when making this selection.
Decision 2: Select an Action #
You have two options for the action Merlo should take when contacting the broker:
| Action | What It Means |
| Request Quotes | Merlo will email the broker asking them to prepare fresh insurance quotes for the upcoming renewal period. This is appropriate when you want to compare options, test the market, or when the client has asked for quotes from multiple insurers. |
| Renew with Current Insurer | Merlo will email the broker with instructions to renew the existing policy with the same insurer, on the same or updated terms. This is appropriate when the committee has already indicated they are happy with their current coverage and simply wish to continue. |
2 Step-by-Step: How to Provide Instructions #
Follow these steps to submit your renewal instructions for one or more policies:
- Log in to the Merlo AI Dashboard at https://dashboard.merlo.ai
- Navigate to Insurance Renewals → Renewal Instructions from the left-hand navigation menu
- You will see a list of all renewal records that are currently awaiting instructions. These are policies that have been identified but not yet actioned.
- Select one or more renewal records from the list. You can provide the same broker and action to multiple renewals at once if they share the same broker, which can save time when you are processing a large batch.
- In the instructions panel, choose your Broker from the dropdown list of available brokers
- Select your Action: either Request Quotes or Renew with Current Insurer
- Click Apply to confirm and submit your instructions
3 What Happens Immediately After You Apply Instructions #
The moment you click Apply; Merlo AI reads your instructions and begins the next stage of the process. What happens next depends on the type of strata plan:
For Standard Plans (No Commercial Lots) #
Merlo immediately sends an automated email to your chosen broker. The email contains the renewal details including the strata plan information, the insured valuation (or your override value if one has been set), the policy expiry date, and your specific instruction – either requesting a quote or instructing renewal. The broker will receive this email promptly, and you do not need to do anything further until the broker responds with their quote or confirmation.
For Plans with Commercial Lots #
When a strata plan includes commercial lots, the process is staged to ensure the broker has complete and accurate information before being contacted. Commercial lots present a unique challenge because the insurance requirements for the plan may be affected by the nature of the businesses currently operating as tenants in those lots. An outdated tenant profile could result in inadequate coverage.
To address this, Merlo first contacts the owners of commercial lots overnight, requesting an up-to-date list of current commercial tenants. Once those responses are received and the tenant information is collected, Merlo then proceeds to contact the broker – this time including the current tenant details as part of the renewal brief. This staged approach ensures the broker can prepare an accurate and appropriate quote.
| Why the Staging Matters for Commercial Lots |
| Insurance premiums and coverage terms for strata plans can vary significantly depending on the types of businesses operating in commercial lots. |
| A plan with a restaurant or industrial tenant may carry different risk considerations than one with retail or office tenants. |
| By collecting current tenant information before approaching the broker, Merlo ensures the quotes you receive are relevant, accurate, and based on the actual current state of the property. |
4 Can I Provide Instructions for Multiple Renewals at Once? #
Yes. If you have a number of renewals that all share the same broker and the same action (for example, a batch of plans all managed through the same brokerage, all requiring fresh quotes), you can select all of them simultaneously in the listing and apply a single set of instructions. Merlo will process each one individually and send separate emails to the broker for each strata plan.
