SmartApp®Help Centre

Frequently Asked Questions
General

BMO Smart App is an online electronic application that allows you to:
• Prepare quotes and applications for selected insurance products using any personal computer or tablet device
• Get more accurate and complete applications with built-in edits
• Complete medical questions with your clients or have a paramedical professional complete later
• Review missing information at a glance
• Manage eSignature easily, either in person or remotely
• Electronically submit applications to BMO Insurance.
• Protect your clients with a free Temporary Accidental Death Benefit of up to $1 million dollars while they are being underwritten.
Find out more about BMO Smart App

Smart App is available on Advisor Support, BMO Insurance’s secure web site for advisors. Enter your User ID and password to log in to Advisor Support and access your Smart App Dashboard. Login to BMO Smart App now.

There are no restrictions on the type of devices which can be used to complete a Smart App. Ideally, we recommend a touch-enabled ipad, tablet, laptop or personal computer. Of course, other laptops and personal computers can be used. We don’t recommend completing a Smart App on a smartphone due to screen limitations.

In order for all Smart App features and functions to work properly, we recommend that you have the latest version of Chrome, Firefox or Safari (for OSX and iOS users, included with operating system updates).

In order to eSign a SmartApp application, each owner and insured party must have a unique email address and mobile phone number, where an SMS can be received. This is required for the OneSpan eSign authentication process.

Your personal Smart App Dashboard provides you status of all your Smart Apps and helps you navigate through the application. Key actions like running a quote, starting a new Smart App, playing with Practice Apps or opening an In Progress Smart App are all done through the Dashboard. Click here for a quick demo.

An application can have one of the following statuses: In Progress, Awaiting eSignatures, Documents Required, Ready to Submit and Submitted.

A Practice App cannot be submitted to BMO Insurance but it gives you the full experience of completing a Smart App and trying out the eSignature process. We recommend that you complete a Practice App on your own life and discover how easy it can be. Application information completed on Practice App cannot be copied over to a real Smart App.

The best place to start is with Quote. You can also start a New Application without running a quote. The plan details and premium amount will be validated while you are completing the application. Click here for a quick demo

Yes, you can run multiple quotes for the same client by clicking Add Scenario in the Quote screen. Scenarios can be deleted too. You will need to pick one scenario your client wishes to apply for and launch Smart App. You can only submit one scenario at a time.

All In Progress applications will be displayed in the dashboard until they are submitted. You can view an application by clicking on the Application ID.  A Policy Number will be assigned and displayed once the completed application has been successfully validated under the “Review” tab before sending out for the client’s eSignature.

Yes. You can always attach riders to the base coverage of a policy that your client is applying for. When your client wishes to apply for 2 different polices, you need to submit 2 separate Smart Apps. The good news is you can easily clone applications in Smart App in a click. In your dashboard, choose the Smart App that you want to clone from the In Progress or Submitted list, check the radio button and click on the “Clone Application” button. A new Smart App will be created for you instantly with essential data pre-filled from the original application. You can then work on this new Smart App without having to re-enter common data for both applications. You can use this same "Clone Application" feature when you are setting up family coverages. Click here for a quick demo

To Delete an application, check the radio button associated with the application that you want to delete and click on the Delete button.

Pre-screen questions are designed to help you determine if a proposed insured is eligible to apply for life insurance with BMO Insurance using Smart App. These questions mainly cover the insured’s:
• understanding of the language in which the application is written, and
• status of residency for Canadian income tax purposes

Medical History questions are not mandatory. You and your client can choose not to complete them. The majority of our applications indeed requires a tele-interview be completed over the phone. Should a paramedical visit be required, you can still leave these questions for a paramedical professional to complete after the application is submitted. For non-medical applications, your client can opt for a tele-interview instead of completing non-medical questions.

The initial premium can be paid by:
Pre-Authorized Debit or Online Payment (monthly or annual premium), Visa or MasterCard (FIRST annual premium only) or Cheque (annual premium only).

Subsequent premiums can be paid by:
Monthly Pre-Authorized Debit or Annual Billing.

If selecting Pre-Authorized Debit through a new PAD agreement, ensure that the Payor provides accurate banking information and upload a copy of a void cheque with the SmartApp.

Yes, online payment is acceptable and can be completed at the time the settlement requirements are requested.

No. There is no TIA or need to submit a payment with Smart App. Instead, BMO Insurance provides a no cost Temporary Accidental Benefit on every Smart App for the face amount applied for (up to $1,000,000). This benefit covers all proposed insureds in the event of an accidental death while the applicant is being underwritten.

Yes. You can always make changes to client information or coverage details on Smart App any time before sending it for eSignature. Smart App will automatically validate such changes and you can recalculate the new premium amount by clicking on "Calculate Premium".

Yes. Once you completed the Pre-Screen, Insured and Plan Selection section, you will be able to create, save and retrieve a Smart App. Complete the remaining sections with your clients at your own pace and submit once eSignatures are acquired.

An important step before proceeding to eSignature is the Smart App Review. Helpful green and red indicators at the section headers show the completeness of the application. Adding to it is a list of missing mandatory information and links to the respective sections. You can also review key data or preview a copy of the application in PDF. Once you acknowledge the application is complete and in good order, you can proceed to set up eSignature. Click here for a quick demo

The privacy and security of your client’s data is important to BMO Insurance. eSignatures are powered by OneSpan, a solution chosen by some of the world’s most trusted and security-conscious organizations. Your clients can choose to securely esign Smart App In Person using your touch-enabled tablet or laptop; or Remotely on their own touch-enabled device. Non touch-enabled devices can esign using a mouse or smartphone. Click here for a quick demo

Smart App’s In Person Now eSignature allows your clients to review and esign the application on your device with you by their side. Touch-enabled devices like a tablet or iPad are ideal. But you can also complete the eSignature ceremony on a traditional laptop using a mouse or in conjunction with the signer’s smartphone. Click here for a quick demo

No. If your client is not available to esign in person, a secure email with a link to OneSpan will be sent to them for their eSignature. The client will login to OneSpan using a link sent to them by email and a one time authorization code sent to their mobile phone via SMS to review and esign the application. Each signer on an application needs to provide their own personal email address and mobile phone number to receive their personalized email invite to eSign. Click here for a quick demo

The signer will review the application in PDF on their laptop without touch-screen capability. When the signer comes to the signature spot, they can choose to sign with their mouse or select "Sign with a mobile device".

To sign with a mouse, the signer will draw their signature using a mouse. The signer can review the quality of the signature before applying it to the signature box on the application on the laptop.

To sign with a mobile device, OneSpan will send an email invite to the signer instantly. The signer will open the email using their smartphone and click on the link to turn the smartphone into a wireless signature pad. The signer will sign on the smartphone using a stylus or finger, and then review the quality of the signature before applying it to the signature box on Smart App on his laptop. Click here for a quick demo

Smart App and OneSpan keep you the Advisor informed about the status of the eSignature ceremony. Here are some helpful tips on how to deal with status changes. These statuses include: Expired, Declined, Locked and Error with Signer’s Email Address. Click here for more information.

Once eSignatures have been completed by all signers, you will receive an email notification from BMO Insurance. Under the Signature section, once all signers have completed their eSignature:
• The status for each signer will show "Completed "
• The Smart App package, illustration and your completed Advisor Report will be available in Documents for submission
• You can also upload additional documents for submission e.g. financial report and replacement form
Review the Advisor Certification, click "I agree" and enter your name. Verify the prefilled Advisor and MGA information and you are good to go. The Submit button will now be activated. Click on it and your application will be electronically transmitted to BMO Insurance instantly! We will update your MGA with a copy of the application. Click here for a quick demo

Before a signer starts the eSignature process, they must review and "Accept" an eSignature Consent. The signer can either click on "Accept" to proceed or “Decline” to terminate the process.

If the signer declines because they prefer signing a paper application for submission, you will need to return to the eSignatures section on Smart App and "Cancel eSignatures". From there, click on Print for Wet Signature for a hard copy and collect the wet signatures. Complete the Advisor Report and submit the application to your MGA as you would do for a paper application.

If a signer declines during the remote eSignature process, you will receive an email notification from OneSpan. Follow up with the signer and determine if you need to change the signing method to Print for Wet Signature following the same steps above.

Once You submitted a Smart App, it will be available in 2 places:
• On your Smart App Dashboard under the Submitted tab (available for 90 days); and
• On Advisor Support under the Portfolio tab for sales tracking throughout the life of the application (Pending) or the life of the policy after settled (Inforce).

No, it is not mandatory to send us a VOID cheque. Be sure to double check the bank information carefully and follow the cheque guide in the Payment Info section.

Tip: You can also take a photo of your client’s cheque and upload it as an additional document to be submitted with Smart App. See Upload Additional Documents under the eSignature section.

In most cases, your clients should receive an email from OneSpan directly in their inbox. However, in some cases due to the settings of ISP and email providers, this email may end up in the Junk Box. In such case, simply advise your clients to look for OneSpan email in the Junk Box, retrieve this email and move it to their inbox and complete the next steps. 

The default document reader on your iPad may not be optimized to read an e-signed PDF.

Please follow the following steps to view the document in a compatible PDF reader:

1. Download and install the free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from the App store.

2. Return back SmartApp to open the document you are trying to view. 

3. Once the document is open, on the top left (in landscape mode), you will see the “More…” option.

4. Click on “More…” a list of app will be presented, select the Adobe Viewer app that you have just downloaded and installed.

5. This will open your application PDF in the Adobe Acrobat Reader where you will now see the client’s signature.

Yes, Click Forgot your password? on the login page and you can get a new temporary password instantly. This feature is available if you have previously completed your challenge questions for the Automated Password Reset service.

Advisor Support and Smart App has its own time out session (30 min each). As along as the respective sessions are active (e.g. with data being entered, points and clicks etc) time out will not start. Once it is idled for 30 min, the session closes.

You may find the Advisor Support Home page (you landed there before accessing Smart App) timed out before you finished Smart App. No worries, Smart App session will continue as long as you are working on the app actively. Return to Advisor Support and login again if desired. The time out in Advisor Support will not impact Smart App.

If you exited Smart App by accident (e.g. shutting down the browser without saving the case; or when the session timed out), when you retrieve the case from the Dashboard, you will see a message “Warning! Case locked. Please select the ‘Save and Close’ button, and then reopen the case to make changes.” Follow the instructions and return to the Dashboard to retrieve the case.

Yes, There are 2 ways to retain a copy of the Smart App.
1. Before the app is submitted for eSignature but after it has been successfully reviewed under the “Review” tab, you can view and save the App in PDF; or
2. After you submitted the App (with eSignature completed by client), you return to the eSignature tab and select the Application then view and save it in PDF

You can use Smart App to apply for all of our individual insurance plans including term, critical illness, whole life and universal life plans.

Yes, you can use Smart App for Non Face-to-Face applications. In the Pre-Screen section, when you answer “No” to “Did you personally meet with your clients?”, a message will be displayed to inform you of the coverage limits and submission requirements. Click here for a quick demo.

When you set up eSignature for Non Face-to-Face, Remote eSign will become the only method. Verify each signer’s email address and mobile phone number. Each signer on an application needs to provide their own personal email address and mobile phone number to receive their personalized email invite to eSign. Click here for a quick demo.

Dual Process of Verification of Identity is required to be completed when you are not able to view the government-issued photo ID of the policy owner in person for applications for Universal Life or BMO Insurance Whole Life Plan with Additional Payment Option selected. Send the client the form for completion (click here to download). The policy owner will complete the form and send you a copy of two types of personal identification documents from a reliable source. The first required document must show their name and address. The second document must have their name and financial account. When you received the completed form, verify the attached identification documents and complete the Advisor Declaration on the form. Keep the identification documents for your record and upload the form with Smart App for submission. Click here for a quick demo.

Yes, you are required to attach a copy of the sales illustration signed by the client when you submit a Smart App on a universal life plan or BMO Insurance Whole Life Plan. These plans involve projections of policy values based on a series of financial assumptions that the client needs to acknowledge. Click here for a quick demo.

Yes, Insured(s) applying for coverages through SmartApp has to be aged 18 or above. For applications with Insured(s) aged 17 or below, feel free to use our paper application to meet your needs.

You can upload additional documents for submission with a Smart App at any time. Go to the eSignature tab, scroll down to the bottom and click open Upload Additional Documents under the Documents section. Locate the file(s) on your device that you want to upload, for example Financial Report or Replacement Form. Click here for a quick demo.

Travel details are available on the Lifestyle tab. Click on the link “Click here to enter Travel Details” responding to the past 12 months or the next 12 months. A separate window will pop up for you to enter details. Click on the “Save” button before you exit and return to the Lifestyle tab.
Physician details and family history are available on the Medical tab. Depending on your answers to the respective questions, clickable links will appear on the screen. For example, “Click here to complete physician details” or “Provide details of Family History”. Click on the link to pop up a separate window to enter details. Click on the “Save” button before you exit and return to the Medical tab. Click here for a quick demo.

Yes. The client can cancel or decline an eSignature request if the client found an error on the application which needs to be changed. You will get an email alert. You can re-open that Smart App and in the eSignature tab “cancel” eSignature. Then, make the change and “send for eSignature” to restart the process. All signers will receive email notifications to re-sign the application. Click here for a quick demo.

Yes, the eSignature process will expire when a signer or all signers fail to complete the eSignature ceremony within a total of 14 days. You will receive an email alert. You can re-open that Smart App and in the eSignature tab click “send for eSignature” to restart the process. Click here for a quick demo.

After 3 tries the signer is locked out from access to OneSpan. You will receive an email alert. You can re-open that Smart App and in the eSignature tab you can “unlock” the app and “send for eSignature” to restart the process for this signer. If there are multiple signers, their signing statues will not be affected. Click here for a quick demo.

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