Getting started
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Onboard to our platform
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Special ProgramsOnboard to our Platform
Welcome to Spark! Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to get started with the Spark Platform. Once you have received an email from Spark, you can begin your onboarding process with getting started instructions.
Prefer not to read? Sign up for a training or watch our welcome video.
1. Receive your invitation
Understand what to do once you receive your invitation
If you have any questions concerning your onboarding date, please reach out to Spark’s Agent Success team at support@sparkadvisors.com.
On your agency’s onboarding date, the Spark Agent Success team will be reaching out with 3 important emails on how to get started with the Spark Platform:
You’ll receive an email inviting you to create your account in the Spark Platform. You’ll be asked to create a password and then you’ll be in!
The email will come from support@sparkadvisors.com. If you are having any trouble locating it, check your Spam folder.
You’ll also receive an email from your Agent Success partners that will walk you through your next steps now that you have access to the Spark Platform. We recommend you bookmark platform.sparkadvisors.com for easy access when logging into the platform.
You’ll receive an email invitation to Onboarding Session 1, which we hold every Tuesday at 12PM EST. In this session we’ll give you an overview of how to complete your profile in your Spark account – like updating your marketing information, confirming your carrier contracts, uploading your book of business and more.
Want to attend next week’s onboarding session? You can sign up on our event calendar HERE.
2. Sign the terms of service & BAA
We prioritize transparency and compliance to give you and your clients peace of mind.
Spark Terms of Service
The Spark Terms of Service outline that you are the owner of your Spark account and the data that it holds. That means Spark will not use or repurpose any of the client data that is held in your account.
Business Associate Agreement (BAA)
The Business Associate Agreement describes how Spark receives, accesses, transmits, and stores your clients’ data, which is Protected Health Information (PHI) under HIPAA.
3. Import your client data
We aggregate, clean, and upload your client data for free so you have 1 place to manage all your clients.
Data Import Steps
- Carrier Portals: export your data from your carrier portals. We have walkthroughs HERE.
- Third Party CRM: if you already use a CRM, you can export the data and share with us. Please use the template below.
You’ll upload the contacts directly under the Contacts tab.
- The Spark data team will get to work merging your client files and importing them into your Spark account. This process typically takes 5 business days to complete. We’ll reach out to you via email if we have any questions about your data!
- We offer 1x upload & consolidation of up to 15 carrier/CRM reports. Make sure to upload all reports you want us to consolidate.
- You must ensure the data is complete. Spark will conduct an initial audit of the data and will confirm whether you intended to omit critical information, such as MBI numbers, date-of-birth, policy information, etc.
- You must provide the data from your CRM, excel, csv, carrier sites, and quoting tools (e.g. Sunfire, Connecture). We have extensive walkthroughs and training sessions to support you.
- If you require Spark to export data on your behalf, or have follow-up work after the initial upload, Spark can support additional data export and change-corrections at the rate of $50 per hour.
- We cannot support additional fields (e.g. medications, providers) beyond what is included in the data import template above. You will be able to add that data manually after the import is complete.
Manually Adding Contacts
You can add contacts manually by going to the add contacts tab HERE. You’ll also see the head and shoulders icon throughout various pages of the platform. Clicking that will bring you directly to the add contacts page as well
Sources
With Sources, you can create a digital permission to contact form. After contacts have added their information, they will be added directly to your book of business in Spark. You’ll find the Sources feature in Marketing → Sources tab.
Guide to create sources for generating leads
You can generate QR codes and links with Sources for the following:
- Educational packets
- Flyers for retail events
- Business cards
- Flyers for your provider partners
- Postcard lead campaigns
4. Build your marketing profile
We’ll use your marketing profile to create a website, Medicare101, and other marketing assets.
In order to take advantage of all of our features, we’ll ask you to upload your headshot, bio, logo, and color scheme during the platform onboarding experience. You can make changes at any time in the “Marketing” page in Platform. To read more about our complete marketing offering, please visit Marketing
5. Confirm your contracts
Review the carrier contracts you have under Spark today or are in the process of moving. You can manage all of your contracts from one place in the Carrier Contracts tab.
Why it’s important
In order for your quote & enroll tool to be activated, you must have at least 1 contract under Spark. While you can quote every plan, you may only enroll carriers that you have under Spark.
Read your next steps
Each contract has specific next steps associated with it unless you are ready-to-sell with that carrier under Spark. If you have questions, or are missing a contract, please notify us via the Platform.
You’ll find each carrier that you are in process of being contracted with, the status, and the last updated date. You can click Complete Contracting to get information on the next step. Once you’ve completed it, you can check the DONE box.
View more here on our Carrier Contracts page.
Additional Onboarding Information
You can use our Data Upload form if you have already completed your onboarding process and need to have extra contacts or additional information imported to the platform.
6. Needs Assessment
Gather information via a digital survey with our platform’s Needs Assessment, also known as a Needs Analysis. You can send the Needs Assessments from two locations within the contact’s page.
Sending a Needs Assessment for Prospects
7. Scope of Appointment
CMS has re-implemented the 48-hour rule between Scope of Appointment (SOA) and agents meeting with beneficiaries. There are exceptions for walk-ins and during the end of both the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) and Open Enrollment Period (OEP). According to CMS, SOAs are only valid for twelve months after a beneficiary has signed.
SOA Compliance Rules
You’re able to send a digital SOA outlining the specific topics for the meeting you and your contact are going to have. CMS has re-implemented the 48-hour rule between Scope of Appointment (SOA) and agents meeting with beneficiaries.
Generic Scope of Appointment
8. Quote and Enroll - SunFire
There’s additional training on SunFire and you can read through our Guide to Quote and Enroll for all our resources.
Once your contact has been create click "Quote and Enroll" in the contact details page. Next click "Launch Sunfire" and you'll be taken into a quote for your new contact!
9. Client Retention Program
Improve your client retention without lifting a finger! We'll send emails and postcards to your clients throughout the year – at no extra cost, and always in your brand. This is completely optional.
Activating the Client Retention Program
Activate the Client Retention Program under the Client & prospect programs tab under Marketing. Once you complete the form, your status will show as Enabled.
You can also active the program HERE.
Please note that the birthday cards are $2.50/card and you will be billed quarterly.
10. Leveraging Client Services and Support
We know your contacts sometimes need assistance with things like billing, scheduling appointments, or searching for a provider. With our Support request feature, you can have the Client Services Team act as an extension of your support team.
Your active clients can reach out to Clients Services Team via phone at (855) 949-2097 or email help@sparkadvisors.com
Here’s an informative Client Services micro-site for you and your clients: https://www.tryspark.com/
How to Submit a Support Request:
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View our onboarding session trainings
Have questions while going through the onboarding process? You can check out our Spark Support guide to get directed to the team you need.
Inducción de la Plataforma- Onboard to our Platform
- 1. Receive your invitation
- 2. Sign the terms of service & BAA
- 3. Import your client data
- Data Import Steps
- Manually Adding Contacts
- Sources
- 4. Build your marketing profile
- 5. Confirm your contracts
- Why it’s important
- Read your next steps
- Additional Onboarding Information
- 6. Needs Assessment
- 7. Scope of Appointment
- 8. Quote and Enroll - SunFire
- 9. Client Retention Program
- 10. Leveraging Client Services and Support