Frequently Asked Questions

Who is SmartOffice designed for? Is it a good fit for my business?
SmartOffice was designed from the ground up for the financial services industry. It is used every day by advisory firms, brokerage general agencies (BGAs), broker-dealers and other businesses. Because of its scalability, SmartOffice can power businesses of all sizes and is able to grow with you as your business grows.    

How much does SmartOffice cost?
It depends on your business and what you plan to use it for, but plans are available as low as $30/month for a single user.

What are the system requirements for running SmartOffice?
For a complete list of system requirements, see the System Requirements page in SmartOffice Help.

I currently use another application for CRM (e.g., Outlook, Redtail). If I switch to SmartOffice, can I bring over my data?
Yes. SmartOffice offers several ways to import data from other applications. If your application can export to the .csv file format, SmartOffice can import it directly at no charge. If you have another data format that requires conversion before it can be imported, our expert conversion team can evaluate the effort required and provide you with an estimated cost.

We subscribe to data feeds for policy and/or investment data. Does SmartOffice support data feeds?
Yes. For investment data, SmartOffice offers extensive support for services like Albridge, DST, Fidelity and more. On the insurance side, SmartOffice provides pending and inforce data feeds from most major carriers. Our Partners page lists the providers we support.

Do I retain ownership of my data once it’s in SmartOffice? What happens to my data if I cancel?
With SmartOffice, you retain 100% ownership of your data. If you decide to leave SmartOffice, we’ll be sorry to see you go, but we will provide you with a copy of your data to take with you.

Do I have to install any software to use SmartOffice?
SmartOffice itself is a web-based application that requires no installation; you simply sign in using a web browser (we currently support Google Chrome or Microsoft Internet Explorer). However, you will need to install a Windows plug-in to create letters, upload or download files, print, export data, and perform certain other functions.

I use Microsoft Outlook to manage my book of business. Does SmartOffice work with Outlook?
Yes. If you want to continue using Outlook, we provide a plug-in that allows you to access SmartOffice data directly from Outlook. For example, you can open a contact record in Outlook and see data about that client’s policies or investments stored in SmartOffice. You can also send e-mail from SmartOffice through Outlook (these messages are posted automatically to recipients’ contact records in SmartOffice). In addition, with our Exchange sync feature, your contacts and calendar always remain synchronized between Outlook and SmartOffice.

Is SmartOffice compatible with macOS?
Although SmartOffice’s full capabilities are not supported on macOS, Mac users can still access the contact database and about 80% of SmartOffice’s capabilities.

Can I access SmartOffice on my mobile device (phone or tablet)?
Yes. Our SmartOffice Anywhere app (available for iOS and Android devices) is include with your SmartOffice subscription. The app gives you access to your client data and critical SmartOffice features while you’re away from the office.

Does SmartOffice integrate with other applications we use in our day-to-day business, like form-filling, document management and financial planning apps?
Yes. SmartOffice integrates with many popular applications used by financial services professionals. See a list of our integration partners.

Is it easy to get up and running with SmartOffice? What types of help do you provide?
Although SmartOffice is a powerful application, the basics of using SmartOffice are not hard to learn. Ebix offers the following:

  • One-on-one assistance with first-time setup from our on-boarding team
  • A comprehensive library of online tutorials and training videos
  • Live online training classes led by our training team
  • Phone and e-mail technical support

In some cases, there may be an additional cost for the services listed above. Your sales representative can provide pricing information, if applicable.

How does SmartOffice protect my data? 
SmartOffice uses several methods to ensure that your data remains safe:

  • All data transmitted over the Internet is encrypted using HTTPS and TLS.
  • Data on our servers is encrypted using standard PGP/GPG encryption.
  • Ebix regularly backs up all data.
  • Ebix has been audited for SOC 2 compliance, demonstrating that we have internal controls in place to ensure data security.

Which e-mail systems does SmartOffice work with?
SmartOffice is compatible with Microsoft Exchange 2007 (SP1) and later for contact and calendar sync. This system also supports automated posting of e-mail messages from Exchange to SmartOffice contact records. Other e-mail systems (e.g., Gmail) are not currently supported.

We are dealing with all of the new regulations that are impacting the financial services industry. Can SmartOffice help with that?
Yes. SmartOffice is designed with compliance in mind. Our application includes tools that allow you to maintain a permanent audit trail of your interactions with clients. You can use these tools to document your compliance with a variety of regulations enforced by agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Labor (DoL).

I want to control the data that users in my office can access and edit. Does SmartOffice let me do that?
Yes. SmartOffice has a powerful system of user rights, permissions, assignment and privacy controls. You can configure these settings to ensure that users can access only certain types of data or use only certain features of the application.

Who makes SmartOffice? How can I be sure SmartOffice will be around for the long term?
SmartOffice is made by Ebix, a publicly traded company (NASDAQ:EBIX) that has been in business since 1976 (originally as Delphi Systems). Our solution is used by several Fortune 500® life insurance companies and is the practice management choice of thousands of advisors.