An Introduction to TurboRater’s API & SDK

April 29, 2015 Laird Rixford

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Integration, collaboration, and accessibility are paramount in today's connected world. ITC wants to enable an open and growing insurance rating market. So we created APIs for third parties to access the rating and storage functions of comparative rating system TurboRater directly. These groups include agencies, carriers, lead providers, and aggregators.

Service Oriented Architecture

Service oriented architecture (SOA) is a methodology of providing services and functions via multiple APIs. Organizations use these services independent of any vendor, product or technology. This creates an openness that drives interoperability. ITC took into account the principals of SOA during the development of TurboRater. Since 2010, ITC's comparative rater has had a complete API that allows access to features and functionality from any Internet-based system. This includes the agent-facing TurboRater platform itself. The API methods consumed and offered by TurboRater include rating and quote storage.

Rating API

TurboRater's Rating API allows users to request and receive rates from many of ITC's available carriers via a single request. Also, the API provides extended functionality for third parties to receive different pay plans; request rates for a single agency or for multiple agency/carrier relationships; receive responses batched or threaded; and send and receive data in either JSON or XML formats.

Quote Storage API

In addition to rating, TurboRater allows agents to store and access previous quotes. This functionality is also exposed to external partners and customers via TurboRater's Quote Storage API. With the API you have the ability to create, read, update, and delete quotes from the TurboRater online quote storage system. Using these methods you are able to access and manage all of the quote data stored throughout the rating process. For records that have been previously been rated you are able to access the carriers and rates for all previous rate iterations. You can configure an external URL to receive push notifications of updated or changed records for maintaining synchronization.

Software Development Kit

The rating process includes hundreds of fields. Not all of them are always required for rating, but sometimes they are. We have created a software development kit (SDK) to help you set up TurboRater's APIs quickly and efficiently. The SDK allows a developer to use ITC's policy objects when consuming the before mentioned rating and storage APIs. Currently the SDK is available for the .NET framework. More languages, such as Java and Perl, are coming soon.

Creating an Open Environment

We believe agencies, carriers and partners should be able to pick the technology and workflows that work best for their organizations. This is why TurboRater integrates with more than 25 agency management systems and many other vendors and partners. We have furthered this commitment with the TurboRater API and SDK. Using the TurboRater API and SDK, you can access rating services and customer data via any system you develop or buy.

If you want to learn more about the TurboRater API and SDK or the AgencyBuzz API, contact us online or at (800) 383-3482.

About the Author

As CEO, Laird Rixford is responsible for providing strategic direction and leadership for the company. Rixford has a proven executive management track record and has more than 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship and insurance technology. An expert in insurance technology and marketing, Laird is a recognized public speaker and has presented at industry events across the United States.
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