February 2026

If you’ve been following our Risky Business articles, you’ll recall that our December edition focused on underwriting innovation, enhancing the application process, streamlining requirements, and enhancing MAUDE, our AI tool.

What’s often overlooked is the critical role you play in how quickly a case moves. By using our digital solutions on Advisor Portal, you can adopt a more hand-offs approach while staying informed and improving workflow by communicating directly through the underwriting file, positively influencing turnaround times. When time is used wisely, everyone wins—tick tock.

Every journey begins with the insurance application. Save time by submitting an electronic application instead of a paper application – no re-keying and no added time. When using our online Manulife E‑Application (sign in required) tool, whether you choose to ask your client the medical questions, or have a tele-interviewer ask those questions, once your client signs electronically, the file moves seamlessly to underwriting—and the clock starts. By using our Manulife E‑Application, you save time before the journey even begins.

Using Manulife E-Application is easy, but just in case you need help:

• Manulife E-Application job aids and videos (sign in required)
• Insurance Digital Desk, call 855-664-2541 or email digital_desk@manulife.ca

Once submitted, get regular online updates through your Advisor Portal Secure Inbox which provides timely status updates, key milestones, new requirements, and communications from both your underwriter and case coordinator.

Secure Inbox keeps you informed and ready to act quickly, ensuring you can quickly provide information to help us make decisions and issue policies, all while protecting client privacy.

Tip: Make it a habit to check your Secure Inbox (sign in required) regularly.

NBNs (sign in required) are one of the most effective features to keep your cases moving quickly. The key benefit is your ability to respond directly to the case coordinator and underwriter—you can ask a question, provide missing information, and attach forms. 

Attachments submitted through an NBN go quickly to underwriting for review. By contrast, emails create extra handling and extra time before documents reach the file. Using NBNs keeps cases flowing and avoids unnecessary delays.

The last step in the journey is E-Delivery (sign in required). This is the electronic delivery of new business insurance contracts and allows the client to electronically sign their contract (sign in required), using DocuSign, saving you travel time to deliver a paper contract. 

Once issued, delivery documents are sent to you via an NBN. These copies are for advance awareness only—not for delivery—but they allow you to prepare your client (sign in required) for what is coming. Within 24 hours of you receiving your copies, the link for delivery is sent to the client. Once your client signs, all documents are returned to us IN GOOD ORDER and the file, settled. 

Have a paper contract? No problem – simply attach the signed documents directly to an NBN so they reach the file with minimal delay.

Small actions, done daily, create big results. Using digital tools, responding promptly, and keeping everything within Advisor Portal helps reduce delays, improve turnaround, and delivers a better experience—for you and your clients.

Time matters. Let’s use it well.

For more underwriting tips and insight follow Karen Cutler on LinkedIn. Karen is our VP, Head of Underwriting and Claims, Chief Underwriter Individual Insurance.