A First Notice of Loss (FNOL) submitted through the portal creates a real claim in BriteCore the moment the insured taps Submit. Claim numbers shown in the portal are live BriteCore claim IDs — your adjusters see the same number, photos, and metadata your insureds see.
This article covers the post-submission cases CSRs and claims reps handle.
What an insured submits
The portal claim flow has three steps:
- Loss type tile — six tiles by default (water, fire, theft, vehicle, weather, something else). Carrier configures these per product line.
- Details — date of loss, location, short description, plus photos.
- Confirmation — claim number is displayed and emailed.
The full submission is recorded in BriteCore > Claim. Photos are attached to the claim file directly (not stored on the device).
Common case 1 — "Did my claim actually file?"
The most common post-submission call. Easy to handle:
- Ask the insured for their claim number (shown on the confirmation screen and in the claim-received email).
- In BriteCore, search for the claim number.
- If it's there: confirm to the insured, give them the adjuster name (if assigned), and reassure them about the SLA per your carrier's standard.
- If it's not there: this is rare. Open a case with BriteCore Support; in the meantime, capture details over the phone the way you would for a phone-in FNOL.
Common case 2 — "I forgot to add a photo / document"
Insureds can add files to an existing claim from the portal:
- They open Dashboard > Claims and tap the claim.
- Tap Add photos or Add documents.
- Upload — the file is attached to the claim file in BriteCore immediately.
If they can't access the portal, they can email the file to your standard claims intake address; the adjuster attaches it manually.
Common case 3 — "What's the status of my claim?"
Claim status displayed in the portal mirrors the BriteCore claim status. The mapping is configurable in Settings > Claims > Status display but typically:
| BriteCore status | Portal display |
|---|---|
| New | Received |
| Assigned | Assigned to adjuster |
| In Investigation | Under review |
| Estimate Pending | Estimating damages |
| Settlement Offered | Settlement offered — review and respond |
| Closed - Paid | Closed |
| Closed - No Payment | Closed |
Push notifications fire on status changes if the insured has push enabled.
If the insured says they're not seeing updates:
- Check the claim in BriteCore — has there actually been a status change since the last notification?
- Confirm the insured has notifications on: Profile > Notifications > Claim updates.
- Confirm push permissions are granted at the OS level. iOS users sometimes deny push at install and never revisit.
Common case 4 — "I want to message my adjuster"
If your carrier has in-app claim messaging enabled (a feature toggle in Settings > Claims):
- Insured opens the claim and taps Message adjuster.
- The message is delivered to the adjuster's BriteCore inbox and triggers an email notification.
- Adjuster replies in BriteCore; reply appears in the portal as a push + in the claim thread.
If messaging is off for your carrier, the insured uses the listed adjuster phone/email instead.
Common case 5 — "I submitted but I'm in a different state than where the loss happened"
This is fine — the portal doesn't restrict by state. The claim is created against the insured's policy regardless of the insured's current location. The loss location field on the FNOL captures where the loss happened, and that's what the adjuster uses.
Common case 6 — "I need to withdraw a claim"
Insureds cannot withdraw a claim from the portal — it's a CSR/claims action. Process the withdrawal in BriteCore per your standard workflow. The portal will show the claim as Closed after BriteCore is updated.
Photo and file limits
Default limits (configurable in Settings > Claims):
| Limit | Default |
|---|---|
| Photo file size | 20 MB per file |
| Photo file count | 20 per claim |
| Video files | Off by default; 100 MB cap if enabled |
| Document file types | PDF, JPG, PNG, HEIC, DOC, DOCX |
EXIF metadata (timestamp, geolocation, device) is preserved on photo uploads — useful for adjusters validating loss timeline and location.
Common case 7 — "The app won't let me submit"
A few causes:
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Submit" button is grey | Required field not filled | Scroll up; the missing field is highlighted in red |
| Spinning forever, then error | Photo upload too large | Each photo must be <20 MB; have them retake at lower resolution |
| "You can't file a claim on this policy" | Policy is not active or not eligible (e.g., already cancelled) | Check policy status in BriteCore; this is correct behavior if policy is inactive |
| "FNOL deadline passed" | Carrier has a 24/48h cutoff configured | If override is allowed, take the FNOL by phone; otherwise follow your claims escalation |
Coordinating with adjusters
Adjusters working a claim that came in through the portal will see:
- The submission timestamp and the device used (iOS / Android / Web).
- Original loss-type tile selection (which they can re-classify if needed).
- All uploaded photos with original metadata.
- The insured's stated location vs. policy address (a flag if mismatched).
If an adjuster needs additional information, they can:
- Send an in-app message (if messaging is on).
- Trigger an "Additional info needed" email template — the insured gets a clear list of what's missing with a deep link back to the claim.
When to escalate to BriteCore Support
- Claim photos are missing in BriteCore even though the insured uploaded them successfully.
- Claim status isn't syncing from BriteCore to the portal.
- A claim was created in the portal but no number appears in BriteCore.
- Adjuster auto-assignment is misrouting (suggests a config issue).
Open a case with Severity: High for any of those.
See also
- Settings & Feature Toggles — claims section
- Editing Portal Content and Templates — claim-received and status-update templates
- CSR & Agent FAQ