DSP Overview: Quick Reference Guidea1027.g.akamai.net/f/1027/2744/1d/mass.download.akamai.com/2744/mmu_b/... · DSP Overview: Quick Reference Guide MassMutual’s ... Glossary 25

Field Development For Internal Use Only – 04/01/2016

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DSP Overview: Quick Reference Guide

MassMutual’s Producer Book of Record


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Table of Contents

If you are viewing this document electronically, click a heading to quickly navigate to that section.

Click the Back to Menu link (on the following pages) to return to this page.

Topic Page

Getting Started & Manager’s Workbench

Accessing DSP & Applying the Easy Access Menu 3

DSP Terminology 4

Accessing Manager’s Workbench & Terminology 5

Searching for Business Partners 6

Navigating Business Partner Information

Hiding the Locator Pane


Address & Address Overview Tabs

Identification & Allowance Data Tabs

Industry Professional Designations & BP Relationships Tabs

Credential Inquiry Tool

Partner Profile Tab

7 7 8 9 10 11 12

Defining & Interpreting Relationships 13

Defining Roles and Units 14

Searching For & Interpreting Relationships 15

Viewing & Navigating Contract Details 16

Business Packages

Viewing & Navigating Business Packages 17

Viewing Business Package Details & Participation 18

Advanced Relationships and the Relationship Decision Table (RDT)

Exploring & Interpreting Complex Relationships 19

Viewing Additional Data for Relationships 20

Accessing & Interpreting the Relationship Decision Table 21

Appendix

DSP Navigation Quick Reference 24

Glossary 25


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Accessing DSP & Applying the Easy Access Menu Back to Menu

Overview

Distribution Servicing Platform, commonly referred to as DSP, is a system used by various

home office groups at MassMutual. DSP enables you to view and manage demographics,

relationships, contracts, credentials, compensation, and other types of business functions for

business partners.

In DSP, business partners are also known as agents, producers, brokers, firms,

corporations, entities, and so on.

To Access DSP:

1. Open Internet Explorer.

2. From the MX Mutual Exchange homepage, select the Employee Tools Home link.

3. On the Work Center tab, click DSP/R3 at the top of the screen.

4. The SAP Easy Access screen appears.

Tip! Even though the bar at the top of the screen says “SAP Easy Access – User Menu” this is the main home page for DSP.

Applying DSP Settings

The first time that you enter DSP, it is recommended that you immediately change some settings to make it easier for you to navigate and view information within the system.

When entering DSP for the first time, a menu appears by default on the left; however, it is strongly recommended that you change this menu to the DSP Easy Access Menu.

To Apply the DSP Easy Access Menu:

1. Click the SAP Menu button on the toolbar at the top of the screen.

2. The SAP Easy Access Menu appears on the left.

Tip! Double-check to verify that the menu visible looks like the screen above. If these folders do not appear, repeat the steps above!


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Old Term DSP Language

Agent Producer

Policy Number Primary Holding ID

Sales Manager Unit Career Unit

First year compensation

Initial Duration

Subsequent year compensation

Renewal Duration

DSP Terms Definitions

Business Package A Business Package is the storage area in SAP that contains bundled information about the business partners involved in the sale and servicing of a policy or holding, and the related compensation.

Business Partner

A business partner is any person or organization with a vested interest in the pre-sale, sale and/or post-sale servicing of MassMutual business that has a business relationship with MassMutual.

From a DSP perspective, a business partner is established with demographic information such as a social security number (SSN) or tax identification number (TIN), name, date of birth and address.

Child-to-Parent Relationship

In every relationship in DSP, one business partner is the child and the other is the parent. The relationship itself is referred to as a “child to parent relationship.” Which business partner plays the parent and which one plays the child is determined by the nature of the relationship itself and how the business partners work together. In DSP, the relationship is built in Manager’s Workbench from the Parent to the Child with each role having its own set of rules which will be applied when the relationship is created.

Cling-Ons and Direct Relationships

The walk the walk (WTW) process also collects additional relationships for the participants of the package (i.e., comp affiliate, broker dealer). These additional relationships are called “cling-ons”. If cling-ons are found, these participants are added to the business package.

These relationships represent participants that are not a part of the direct distribution chain, but rather are necessary to include because of their involvement with another participant on the package.

When the business package is created, WTW will pick up cling-ons and direct relationships in the chain/relationship.

Inception Date The inception date is the greater of the Part 1 or Part 2 date for Life and Annuity products or the effective date for RS and LCM. For additional coverage packages, the inception date is the application signed date of rider adds or increases.

Product ID A unique number assigned to the product.

Roles, Relationships & Contracts

A role is a job that a particular business partner is performing, such as a broker dealer or distributor.

How that job comes together with another job is what forms the relationship.

A contract is what defines the rules and agreements for the relationship.

Walk the Walk Process

When a business package is created, DSP performs a self-checking function called walk-the-walk (WTW). During the process, a series of checks are performed to validate that the proper roles, relationships and contracts exist in DSP to support the distribution.

DSP Terminology Back to Menu

Once you’ve accessed DSP, this tool has a unique set of terminology that might be different from the systems and terms that you use today. Review this section to

familiarize yourself with the key concepts and terminology used in DSP. For more terms and definitions, see the Glossary at the end of this guide.


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Accessing Manager’s Workbench & Terminology Back to Menu

Accessing Manager’s Workbench

One of the tools in DSP is known as “Manager’s Workbench” which is a storage

area that includes business partner information.

To Access Manager’s Workbench:

1. Click the arrow next to the Business Partner, Roles, Contracts &

Relationships folder.

2. Double-click the Manager’s Workbench menu item.

3. The Manager’s Workbench menu appears and displays folders for:

Business Partners

Relationships

and Contracts

DSP Terminology and Facts

Business Partners

A Business Partner is any person or organization with a vested interest in the pre-sale, sale

and/or post-sale servicing of MassMutual business and has a relationship with MassMutual.

While you may refer to them as “agents or brokers” – DSP refers to agents as “producers” – since that is the role that an agent may hold in DSP-language.

Business partners are essentially one of the key building blocks to the data in DSP and are required in order to enter the necessary relationships and contracts in to DSP.

When a Business Partner is entered in DSP, a record is created which holds the

demographic details of the Business Partner such as name, address, birth date, social

security number or tax ID number.

Each business partner in DSP has a BP ID number or “business partner identification

number”. This BP ID is a unique number assigned to the business partner – and is the same

as a producer’s AA number or MMID. So when searching for business partners in DSP – you

may often search for them using their BP ID number.

Relationships, Roles & Contracts

Once a Business Partner is in DSP, specific relationships with that Business Partner must be

built – and these relationships will ultimately influence how the business partner is paid. These play a very important part of the business process.

A Role is a job that a particular Business Partner is performing, such as a producer, broker dealer or distributor. How that job comes together with another job is what forms a Relationship.

A Contract is what defines the rules and agreements for the relationship.

Relationships, contracts, and roles all work together. In order to accurately compensate our Business Partners, we need to know how people relate to each other and in what capacity.

Every Business Partner can play various roles depending on the relationships formed with other Business Partners. Every role has a set of valid relationships.


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Searching for Business Partners Back to Menu

Searching for Business Partners

A Business Partner is any person or organization with a vested interest in the pre-sale,

sale and/or post-sale servicing of MassMutual business and has a relationship with

MassMutual. In DSP, agents or brokers are known as “producers.”

To Search for a Business Partner:

1. Click the Arrow next to the Business Partner folder from the Manager’s Workbench menu. This action expands the menu.

2. Double-click the Display/Search BP menu item. The Open Business Partner dialog box appears on the screen.

3. Search for a business partner by entering the BP ID number in the Business Partner field

-or-

Click the button to the right of the Business Partner field to display the Advanced Search

Popup Screen

While many tabs appear at the top of the Advanced Search pop-up screen, only two active tabs are available for query searches:

The MM Search Criteria tab

And the Partner by Address tab.

4. Press Enter on the keyboard

–or-

Click the Green Check button to execute the search.

Tips!

You can use the asterisk (*) to represent unknown characters to perform a wildcard search.

Please note that wildcard searches cannot be completed using the social security

or tax identification (TIN) numbers since you need to have all digits for this type of search.

If you’re searching by social security number or TIN number, you can include or

omit the dashes; however by including the dashes the query will bring back very

specific search results.


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Navigating Business Partner Information Back to Menu

Hiding the Locator Pane The first time that you enter DSP, a Locator pane appears on the left of the Business

Partner information. This Locator Pane should never be used since you may receive

inaccurate results if you search using this pane. Therefore, it is strongly recommended

that you permanently hide the locator pane using your DSP settings. This action will

prevent inaccurate query results from appearing and increase the amount of “real

estate” so that you can see more information about business partners on the screen.

To Permanently Hide the Locator Pane:

1. Search for and display a business partner in Manager’s Workbench.

2. Click the Settings button on the DSP toolbar. The Settings dialog box appears.

3. Click the Hidden radio button in the Locator section of the dialog box.

4. Click the Green Check button to apply the setting. In the future, every time you search for a business partner, this Locator pane will no longer appear on the screen.

Tip! Clicking the Back button, on the DSP toolbar at the top of the screen, returns you to the previous screen in DSP.


Once a business partner is found, different pieces of demographic information appear under

different tabs on the business partner screen.

The top portion of the Business Partner screen displays general information including the

BPID, name of the producer, the role.

A series of tabs contains various pieces of information. To navigate among the tabs, you can

use one of the following navigation options:

o Click the tabs

o Click the Arrow buttons to the

right of the tabs.

o Click the pop-up menu button to

display a list of all tabs available

Tips!

To quickly search for another business partner, click the Open Business Partner button at the top of the screen.

To open a new DSP session, click the New Session button on the DSP toolbar.


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Tab Name & Summary of Information Example of Tab Information

Address Tab

Displays the Resident Address in the Standard Address section of the screen.

Address Overview Tab

Displays both the standard address as well as the preferred business address in the Address Usages section of the screen.

This tab displays the full address history and enables you to view all current and prior addresses.

Business Partner Information Back to Menu

After searching for and displaying business partner information, different pieces of demographic data appear under different tabs on the business partner screen. Use the table below to view the tab name, key information available on each tab and an image of some information on each tab.


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Identification Tab

Displays the social security number or TIN number—either the full number or only the last four digits of the number depending on your access to DSP.

Also includes the producer’s gender, marital status and date of birth and the retirement start date for career agents.

Includes the GA years of service and a GA retirement plan indicator for business partners in the role of GA, if applicable. This information is populated if the GA has retired or terminated.

Additional identification numbers are also available on the bottom of this screen such as:

o DTCC (Depository Trust & Clearing Corp) number

o NPIR (National Insurance Producer Registry) ID

o A producer’s ID number with an outside firm

Allowance Data Tab

Displays information for CAS producers, not entities such as corporations or other types of non-CAS business partners.

Includes information such as:

Full-time start date

NADA (new agent development allowance) end date (a form of secondary compensation). Note! This date is also known as the Manpower Term Date in other systems.

Also includes a disability indicator, financed indicator and whether or not contract qualifications and Leaders Level for GCAA have been met

Displays District Office information as well.



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Industry Pro Designations Tab

Displays a business partner’s industry professional designations and the year received.

Some examples of the professional designations you might see here include:

o CFP

o CHFC

o FLMI

Business Partner Relationship Tab

Displays only the active relationships for the business partner sorted and listed first by the role (in alphabetical order) then by the BPID number (in numeric order).

This tab shows the business partner’s home agency and home agency transfer history.

It does not provide you with the full history and picture of all relationships the producer has had with the company. For this reason, you should view relationships for a business partner in the Relationships section of DSP



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Business Business Partner Information & the CIT Back to Menu

The Credential Inquiry Tool (CIT ) is a tab within DSP that is used to

research and review business partner credential information for new

business cases that are not in good order due to a missing license,

qualification, or an appointment. Searches can be conducted to verify or

confirm if Business Partners possess the required credentials necessary

to sell specific products. Searches can be conducted to verify or confirm if

business partners possess the required credentials necessary to sell

specific products.

To View Search Credentials in the CIT:

1. Enter the Signature State.

2. Enter the Credential Date, if other than today’s today.

3. If applicable, indicate the Line of Business, Product Name and

Owner’s Resident State or Contract State.

4. Click View Credentials. The information appears on the CIT screen.

Note! If you do not

indicate the Line of

Business,

Product (for Annuity and

LTC), and the Owner’s

Resident State on the

bottom section of the

screen, then Annuity and

LTC credential

information will not

appear in the search

results.

Interpreting Credential Information in the CIT:

Section Description

Top Section Displays business partner information including the BPID, name, the

state entered as well as state-related information such as if it is a just-

in-time appointing or restricted state.

Last NIPR

Inquiry Date Indicates the last date that the NIPR data was updated in the CIT for

the producer.

Licenses

Held

Displays a list of all licenses held including the license name, effective

date and end date. Every state will have an expiration date.

Credentials

Held

Displays a list of all credentials held by Line of Authority.

Green check marks () indicate the credentials held for each Line of Authority.

Outstanding

Credentials

Displays red Xs and indicates credentials that the business partner

has never had or is not allowed to sell in a specific state as of the

application date on the screen.

Comments Displays reminders that additional information might be required

depending on the state entered in the search criteria.

Scroll bars enable you to view all credentials held or outstanding.

Tip! Notice that Variable Annuity and Fixed Annuity credentials do not appear in this

screen on the right because Annuity or LTC were not included in the search criteria.


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Partner Profile Tab

1. Click the Credentials button.

2. All credentials held currently or previously appear on the screen.

Displays the entire history of all credentials for a business partner.

The columns of information on this screen include:

Credential Group

Credential Name

Status (e.g., active or terminated)

Effective Start and End Dates



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MassMutual

(Company)

BPID: 421815

Agency 157

(Distributor)

BPID: 100000

Agency 157

(Distributor)

BPID: 100000

Sam Sample

(Produced)

BPID: 123456

Insurance Inc.

(Corporation)

BPID: 222222

Sam Sample

(Produced)

BPID: 123456

Defining & Interpreting Relationships Back to Menu

What is a Relationship?

In DSP, a relationship is an association between business partners, with terms and conditions between them defined by a contract. It represents the selling arrangement – that is the contract – that the parties have entered into for the purpose of doing business.

This contract defines the parameters of the relationship, the role the business partner will play in it, and will ultimately influence or determine how compensation will be generated. When relationships are built, contracts are created that reflect the details of the partnership.

It takes individual pieces of data entered into DSP and creates a complete picture of the partners involved in the sale and their relationships that support compensation, reporting and servicing of

the client. In essence, it creates a view of: who is involved in the sale, who can receive compensation, and what percentage they participated on the sale or servicing of that business. Ultimately,

every producer is linked to MassMutual – also known as “the Company” through a network of relationships.

In every relationship, one partner is the Child and the other is the Parent. The relationship itself is referred to as a “Child to Parent relationship”. Which partner plays the Parent and which one plays the Child is determined by the nature of the relationship itself and how the Business Partners work together. In DSP, the relationship is built in Manager’s Workbench from the Parent to the Child with each role having its own set of rules which will be applied when the relationship is created. In the complete distribution relationship, a Business Partner must at some point, have a relationship with a Distributor who in turn has one to the Company – which is MassMutual.

Explanation: Sam Sample also has a relationship with MassMutual through Insurance Inc. which is a corporation that has an agreement with Agency 157 in the role of the distributor.

.

Explanation: In this relationship chain, Sam Sample is a producer who holds a Broker or Career Contract and is linked to MassMutual through agency 157 which is in the role of a Distributor.

In this example, Sam Sample is a child in the child-to-parent relationship

with Agency 157 – and agency 157 is the child to MassMutual.

Tip! Though there are many roles available in DSP, not all of them can be paired together in a relationship.

For example, a producer cannot have a direct relationship with a General Agent (GA); however, a producer can have a relationship with a distributor.


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DSP uses many of the same roles that you might be familiar with in other MassMutual systems such as producers, sales managers, distributors and so on. Use the table below to define some of these roles and terms.

Term Definition

Cling-ons Sometimes, when relationships are created in DSP, the system will automatically create Cling-ons to providers so that the relationships in the relationship chain are valid. For example, a producer’s broker dealer would be included. The broker dealer here is considered a Cling-on in DSP.

Producer An individual representing a life insurance company and/or distributor, who is authorized to solicit insurance and collect initial premiums for that company or entity.

Retail Firm Brings a sales force to MassMutual and is responsible for their producers but they cannot come in directly to MassMutual due to the lack of infrastructure to support the

back office processing.

Units Used in DSP as a way to group producers together for the purpose of aggregating reporting and generating secondary compensation. In DSP, units can take four different forms:

Career units are synonymous with a Sales manager’s Unit. Sales managers perform a supervisory role where they are responsible for recruiting, training, developing and/or mentoring career agents. Their primary responsibility is the overall management of their unit and their producers.

Agency units are used to house experienced agents who do not need the assistance of a sales manager.

Brokerage units are used as a way or grouping different types of relationships such as brokers, corporations, or strategic and financial alliances for the purpose of aggregating, reporting and generating sales in that unit – regardless if a brokerage director is assigned to it or not.

And Brokerage House Accounts are used to group brokers, corporations or strategic alliances together rather than placing them in a Brokerage unit as a way of avoiding the need for assistance or aid from a brokerage director.

Depending on the form of Unit created, a sales manager or brokerage director may be assigned to the unit to provide assistance or aid to the producers assigned to the unit.

Collaborative

Practice

A group made of two or more career agents who have been approved to be part of a formalized partnership often referred to as a Collaborative Practice Group – or CP Group. Collaborative Practices are formed for the purpose of aggregating, reporting and generating Aggregated Agent Allowance (AAA) along with broadening sales opportunities for agents. They also improve recognition opportunities as well as servicing the client.

Back to Menu

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To Search for Relationships:

1. Click the Arrow button to expand the Business

Partner, Roles, Contracts and Relationships folder in Manager’s Workbench.

2. Click the Arrow button next to the Relationship

folder in the menu.

3. Double-click the View Relationship(s) menu item. The Relationship Search screen appears.

4. Enter business partner ID number in the Child BP ID: field.

Tip! To narrow the search, you can also enter the Parent BP ID in the field provided if you want to view only one specific relationship between the parent and child.

5. Click Search. The relationship information appears on the screen.

Example of a Relationship Chain in DSP:

Interpreting the Relationships Screen

The columns include:

Business Partner name

BPID number

Role of the business partner in the relationship chain

Start and end dates of the relationship

And Contract information.

Below the column headings, you’ll see all of the child to parent relationship chains from the business partner ID number you searched for up to the ultimate parent – which is MassMutual. The “parent” of the relationship is always listed on top of the “child” in the relationship chain.

Green rows indicate active relationships.

Any relationships with an end date of 12/31/9999 are “active.”

Any red rows indicate terminated relationships and indicate an end date in which that relationship was terminated.

Explanation:

In this example, we see that this producer has two active relationships with agency 038.

In the first relationship, the producer has a relationship with GFS Inc. which has the role of corporation in the relationship chain.

Notice that Agency 038 is in the role of Distributor and ultimately connects to MassMutual.

In the second relationship, this producer is a producer associated with GFS Inc., a corporation, which is a child of Brokerage Unit number 1493.

This brokerage unit is the child of Agency 038 which is a child of MassMutual.

Tip! Click the pop-up menu button to display more search

criteria.

Tip! Clicking the Expand Relationship menu item from the DSP menu displays all children under the selected parent in the relationship

chain.


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Types of Contracts in DSP

When a relationship is created, a contract is automatically built in DSP

that defines the terms, conditions and parameters of the association or relationship. The contract:

defines the parameters of the relationship

identifies the role the business partner will play

and determines how compensation will be generated

DSP creates either a Commission Contract or an External contract,

depending on the role assigned to the Child and Parent in the

relationship.

To further meet our business needs, MassMutual has created its own

different Standard Contracts Types that can be assigned to a

Commission or External Contract. These standard contract types are based on a Business Partner’s role, and the Parent’s relationship.

Depending who the Parent of the relationship is, the SAP contract

type list will display the MassMutual Standard Contract Types associated with that role.

For example, if a new producer, Sam Sample, has a relationship with

a CAS distributor, then he would have a Career VII Standard Contract

Type, which would have a compensation and taxation agreement that

specifies a career comp schedule and W2 taxation.

If producer Sam Sample had a relationship with a Non-CAS

Distributor, the Standard Contract Type list would not allow you to

select a Career contract. A business partner’s role and relationship determines the Standard Contract Type.

Based on the Parent/Child relationship, and the Standard Contract

Type selected, the system will default and assign the necessary Agreements with their required values.

Viewing Contract Details for a Relationship

Contracts are attached to a relationship in DSP. In order to locate a contract, you must first view the relationship. Since business partners can have multiple relationships, it is important that you choose the correct relationship. Once you find the correct relationship, you can view the contract details.

To View the Contract Details of a Relationship:

1. Select the business partner in the relationship chain associated with the contract that you wish to view. Tips!

Click to the left of the business partner name to select row (it appears in yellow highlight)

2. On the Manager’s Workbench menu, click the arrow to expand the Contracts folder. 3. Then click the View Contract Details menu item. The contract details screen appears and displays the most

recent version of the contract by default.

Contract Versions

Any time changes are made to a contract, a new version of the

contract is created. These versions are created from the inception date

of the contract beginning with version 1. Therefore, each version

means a change was made to the contract with the effective date.

Changes might include an update to the annualization agreement,

contract type, product agreement updates, and so on.


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What is a Business Package? A Business package is a storage area in DSP that contains all information about the business partners involved in the sale and servicing of a policy or Primary Holding ID, as shown in DSP, and the related compensation information. Business packages enable you to view who is involved in the sale, who gets paid and what percentage of

compensation they receive.

To Search for Business Packages:

1. Click the Arrow next to the Business Package folder on the DSP main menu.

2. Click the Arrow next to the View Search folder.

3. Double-click the Business Package Inquiry menu item. The Business Package Display screen appears.

4. Enter the policy number in the Primary Holding ID field.

Tip! You must enter the following prefixes for the following Annuity products when entering the policy number:

RetireEase Choice = RC

RetireEase = RE

5. Click the Execute button (green check mark button at the top of the screen). The

policy information appears on the screen.

Exploring the Business Package Selection Screen

After searching for a business package using the Primary Holding ID (policy number), the Business Package Selection screen appears and displays all products that are included in the policy. It displays the base package information as well as any riders that may have been added to the policy over time.

The following table defines fields appearing in the business package table sesctions of the screen.

Column Description

Primary Holding ID The policy number appears in the header section at the top of the screen.

Base Product Indicator

Indicates the base product on the policy.

Inception Date Start date of the policy.

Package Status “A” indicates that the product is currently active on the policy.

Last Change Date Date on which the most recent change was performed.


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After viewing the Business Package selection screen, you can view more details regarding the current policy information, the history of the policy as well as the policy information within a specific date range. Depending on what you’re trying to research, you may want to consider viewing the entire history of a policy.

To View the History and Participation Information of a Policy:

1. Click the cell next to the Business Package you want to view in order to highlight and select the row. If there is only one Business Package, you do not need to select it.

2. Click the History radio button from the Display Options section of the screen.

3. Click Display. The Business Package Participation information appears on the screen.

[

The Header section of the business package provides several tabs and displays key information including the primary holding ID, a base package indicator, the inception

date and so on.

The Participation section of the business package is always visible regardless of the tab selected in the Header section of the screen.

This information is read-only and displays all business partners who participated in the initial and renewal durations of the policy and their compensation percentages.

Tip! Clicking the Arrow buttons to the left of the Initial Duration and Renewal Duration folders expands the folders (as shown on left) and displays all producers who participated on the sale and on-going servicing of the

policy.

The following table defines some key columns in the Participation Table of the business package.

Column(s) Description

Initial Duration & Renewal Duration

Represents those business partners entitled to first year compensation on a package. (e.g., those producing roles who are the writing / soliciting / signing partners)

and producers whose roles are entitled to receive compensation on renewals (e.g., servicing). Percentage Displays the compensation split percentages for all producers listed on the business package for both the initial and renewal durations.

Effective From & To Start and end dates the business partner is/was on the business package.

Servicing Indicator Indicates the producer in the role to service the policy under the Renewal Duration section of the Participation table.


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MassMutual

(Company)

BPID: 999999

ABC Inc.

(Distributor)

BPID: 888888

J. Livingston Associates

(Office)

BPID: 944444

NFP Securities

(Retail Firm)

BPID: 444444

NFP Securities

(Broker Dealer)

BPID: 555555

NFP Insurance Agency

(Comp Affiliate)

BPID: 666666

Sam Sample

(Producer)

BPID: 123456

NFP Securities

(Broker Dealer)

BPID: 555555

NFP Insurance Agency

(Comp Affiliate)

BPID: 666666

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Some relationships, especially those including national accounts, can get to be quite complex. Use the following graphic and explanations to explore how complex some relationships may be and the various roles that may appear in a relationship chain in DSP.

Explanation:

In this example, Sam Sample is a sub-producer of NFP Securities.

A compensation affilitate may appear on a business package if the comp affilitate holds a specific license that the distributor does not hold.

When this happens, the compensation affilitate will receive the compensation and not the distributor.

In this scenario, NFP Insurance Agency holds the licenses and credentials needed and will “come along” on the business package and receive compensation. This is an example of a role referred to as a “cling-on,” meaning that for the relationship to be valid in DSP NFP Insurance Agency must appear in the relationship chain.

When compensation affiliates are part of a relationship chain, MassMutual validates the licenses held and lists the states that the licenses are held in on the Territory Agreement tab of the compensation affiliate.

Territory Agreements are applicable only for compensation affiliates.

In this example, since there is an office in the relationship chain, the office could also be receiving some sort of secondary compensation such as an override.


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Relationship Additional Data Overview

Depending on the type of role and relationship you’re viewing in Manager’s Workbench, there may be additional data th at is helpful and applicable. Some types of information found in this section of Manager’s Workbench include:

The Agency ID for a specific entity

And the type of entity – for example, if it is a bank

To View the Additional Data (for a specific relationship):

1. Search for the desired relationship in Manager’s Workbench.

2. Select the correct business partner and role in the relationship chain.

3. Click the Arrow for the Additional Data folder on the DSP menu to expand the folder.

4. Click the Arrow for the desired role sub-folder to expand this menu item. A series of folders appears and contains the additional data about the selected relationship.

What is an Agency ID?

The Agency ID indicates the Line of Business that an entity can submit business through for MassMutual.

To View the Agency ID:

1. From the Additional Data role sub-folder, click the Arrow for the Agency ID folder.

2. Click View. The Display Agency ID screen appears.

To View the Enterprise Channel Type:

The enterprise channel type indicates the type of entity for a business partner.

1. From the Additional Data role sub-folder, click the Arrow for Enterprise Channel folder.

2. Click View. The Display Enterprise Channel Type screen appears.


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What is the RDT?

The Relationship Decision Table (RDT) is a tool within DSP that contains the active relationship path for National Account re lationships with Producers (producers in a relationship). This information is often used for the calculation or directing of secondary compensation known as NATLA (National Account Allowance) and payment for any non-DSP policies that still sit on Legacy systems.

RDT is useful in various scenarios. It is essentially used for establishing and verifying a valid relationship between a Producer and a Retail Firm (National Account or their Comp Affiliate or between a Producer and a Third Party Administrator). It can also be used to determine if a producer is setup to receive payment for all products or only registered products.

To View Relationships in the RDT: 1. In Manager’s Workbench, click Relationship on the menu to expand the folder.

2. Click the View Relationships menu item.

3. Search for and select the desired relationship.

5. Click the Arrow for the Relationship Decision Tbl folder to expand the folder.

6. Click View in the Relationship Decision Table menu.

7. Click Continue.

8. The Relationship Decision Table appears on the screen.


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Click to toggle between Current View and History

View

End date of the relationship. An active relationship has 12/31/9999 as the Effective

Until date

Role 1, the child participant role; always a Producer

Name of the

Producer

Role 2, the actual National Account (Retail Firm) or Third Party Administrator in the relationship with the

Producer

Role 3, the Comp Affiliate of Retail Firm (National Account),

determined thru DSP

This "Business" effective date for the specific pairing:

The first day of the month

The date business is signed if it is signed already

The processing date for pre-appointment states:

PA, KS, and MT

The BPID number of the Producer

The BPID number of the RTF or TPA

The name of the Retail Firm (National Account) or Third Party Administrator

The BPID number of the Comp Affiliate, if applicable

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The Product Category helps to identify what type of product/compensation is valid:

R (Registered): Variable business only is to be paid to the National Account’s Broker Dealer or to the Broker Dealer’s Comp Affiliate

A (All): All business will be paid to the National Account or the National Account’s Comp Affiliate

The date and time the user created or changed the record

Should always be a (active), unless a record has an end date equal to the start date. The previous active record would then be listed with an I (Invalid) status on the

History View only.

The MM number of the user that created or changed the record

Valid or active record will always have a date ending in 12/31/9999

The name of the Comp Affiliate

Click the Details button to quickly display all RDT information for the selected record in one easy-to-read pop-up screen!

NOTE! You can also right click on the record and select Details from the drop-down menu to display this Details view.

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The following table describes each of the navigation buttons available on various toolbars in DSP.

Button Name Function

Enter Confirms the data you have selected or entered on the screen. Same function as the Enter key. Does

not save your work.

Command field Allows you to enter commands, such as transaction codes.

Save Saves your work. Same function as Save in the Edit menu.

Back Returns you to the previous screen without saving your data. If there are required fields on the screen,

these fields must be completed first.

Exit Exits the current function without saving. Returns you to the initial screen or main menu screen.

Cancel Exits the current task without saving. Same function as Cancel in the Edit menu.

Print Prints data from the current screen.

Find Searches for data required in the current screen.

Find next Performs an extended search for data required in the current screen.

First page Scrolls to the first page. Same function as the CTRL + Page Up keys.

Previous page Scrolls to the previous page. Same function as the Page Up key.

Next page Scrolls to the next page. Same function as the Page Down key.

Last page Scrolls to the last page. Same function as the CTRL + Page Up key.

Create session Creates a new SAP session. Same function as Create session in the System menu.

Create shortcut Allows you to create a desktop shortcut to any SAP report, transaction, or task if you are working with

a Windows 32-bit operating system.

F1 Help Provides help on the field where the cursor is positioned.

Layout menu Allows you to customize the display options and print screen shots.

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Term Definition

Broker Dealer (BD) A required entity that serves as a financial intermediary between buyers and sellers for all registered business.

Business Package A Business Package is the storage area in DSP for the bundling of information about Business partners (BPs) involved in the sale and servicing of a holding/policy and the related information necessary for payment of compensation. Once it is created, it provides a complete picture of the distribution partners, including who will receive the compensation along with data to satisfy servicing and reporting requirements.

Business Partner A person or organization involved in the distribution and/or servicing of MassMutual products. It is a person or organization record that contains demographic information. A Business Partner may have many roles defined when distributing MassMutual products.

Business Partner Identification Number (BPID)

A unique identifier that distinguishes each person or organization as a separate entity in DSP.

Cling-ons Sometimes, when relationships are created in DSP, the system will automatically create Cling-ons to providers so that the relationships in the relationship chain are valid. For example, a producer’s broker dealer would be included. The broker dealer here is considered a Cling-on in DSP.

Collaborative Practice

A group made of two or more career agents who have been approved to be part of a formalized partnership often referred to as a Collaborative Practice Group – or CP Group. Collaborative Practices are formed for the purpose of aggregating, reporting and generating Aggregated Agent Allowance (AAA) along with broadening sales opportunities for agents. They also improve recognition opportunities as well as servicing the client.

Commission Contract

A direct agreement between MassMutual and the contracted Business Partner(s) including, but not limited to, product agreement. This relationship directly to the Company is at an Enterprise level. A commission contract is a means to compensate partners for services they provide.

Compensation Affiliate (CA)

An individual or organization that holds the license for the Retail firm, or broker dealer existing for the sole purpose of receiving compensation.

Credentialing or Credentials

Credentials allow a Business Partner to solicit/service MassMutual, CM Life and/or MML Bay State business. Credentials include State Insurance Licenses, lines of authority, carrier appointments, state securities, FINRA exams and continuing education.

Distributor (DST)

Our career agencies and any non-CAS entities that offer producers a variety of product selections and services by offering products of many different carriers as well as providing back office support.

External Contract Represents relationships from a Business Partner to their Parent. This means their Product Agreement can be different from one relationship to another.

Incentive and Commission Management (ICM)

A module within DSP that calculates compensation.

Insurance Products Distribution Agreement (IPDA)

A selling agreement between a firm and a company which contains the products that the firm can sell as well as the compensation rates applicable to those products. This agreement also contains any compensation affiliates that hold the license. It would also indicate the broker dealer if variable products are included in the agreement. It also includes the responsibilities of a retail firm for their producers.

Manager’s Workbench

The central repository for managing Business Partners, contracts, and relationships.

Producer An individual representing a life insurance company and/or distributor, who is authorized to solicit insurance and collect

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Term Definition

initial premiums for that company or entity.

Product Category The Product Category is a field on the RDT which determines the recipient of compensation. Similar to the B and N on the ASAS screen. A definition of each Product Category is as follows:

R (Registered) - Only Variable business will be paid to the National Account/BD

A (All) - All Business will be paid to the National Account/BD

Relationship A relationship is an association between partners, with terms and conditions between the partners being defined by a contract. It represents the selling arrangement (contract) the parties have entered into for the purpose of doing business.

Role Identifies the relationship that a business partner holds.

Retail Firm (RTF) An entity that brings a sales force to MM and is responsible for their producers, but they cannot come in direct to MM because of the lack of infrastructure to support the back office processing. The retail firm would hold their own IPDA. RTFs are national accounts, regional firms, or broker dealers.

Role Identifies the job/responsibilities (e.g. Producer, General Agent, broker dealer, etc.) of the business partner. To date, in DSP, there are approximately 23 roles which a Business Partner may fulfill in a relationship

Service Contract A direct agreement between MassMutual and a contracted Business Partner detailing payment allocation. This Service Contract is not part of a relationship but resides on the Business Partner record only. The Business Partner can only have one Service Contract.

Third Party Administrator (TPA)

Firms that provide marketing and/or services associated with an intricate financial solution that could involve the use of our life products, often referred to as vendors.

Units Used in DSP as a way to group producers together for the purpose of aggregating reporting and generating secondary compensation. In DSP, units can take four different forms:

Career units are synonymous with a sales manager’s unit. Sales managers perform a supervisory role where they are responsible for recruiting, training, developing and/or mentoring agents. Their primary responsibility is the overall management of their unit and their producers.

Agency units are used to house experienced agents who do not need the assistance of a sales manager.

Brokerage units are used as a way or grouping different types of relationships such as brokers, corporations, or strategic and financial alliances for the purpose of aggregating, reporting and generating sales in th at unit – regardless if a brokerage director is assigned to it or not.

Brokerage House Accounts are used to group brokers, corporations or strategic alliances together rather than placing them in a Brokerage unit as a way of avoiding the need for assistance or aid from a brokerage director.

Depending on the form of Unit created, a sales manager or brokerage director may be assigned to the unit to provide assistance or aid to the producers assigned to the unit.

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