In Part 1 of this two part series “Save Time, Go Paperless” we talked about using the vault to eliminate the need for exchanging paper documents. Instead of using email, which is not secure, we talked about using another electronic alternative you already have with CPASiteSolutions, the Vault. Of course if you’re already comfortable with using the Vault the next obvious question then becomes, how can I get my clients to use it? That is what we will be covering in Part 2.

One of the first things you might consider is making a campaign geared around letting clients know about the benefits of using the portal. The first message might be one that talks about how they can get any of their past tax return information 24/7 just by logging in and downloading the information online. They won’t have to schedule an appointment with you and can access the data anywhere they have internet access. That way if they are away and suddenly need access to financial information for such things as buying a house, they can get it without much difficulty.

The nice part about an email campaign is that you can keep track of all the messages in one place. After some time has gone by with the first message, you could send a second that tells them something along the line of “since email is insecure you will no longer be using it to exchange client data”. It is important to mention the reason you are doing this is to keep their data as secure as possible and avoid such things as identity theft. You can also mention the the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act which regulates how financial data is kept

You can then offer some alternatives, the easiest of which is just logging into the portal. You can even point out that you will be automatically notified by email when there is a change to the files. This way you won’t miss out on any important updates. If you are new to how this email process works you can take some time to review it.

Taking a moment now when you have more of it will pay off come next tax season when your clients are able to access their data without having to come to you first. You will be able to still maintain a finger on the pulse of activity for each of the accounts while continuing  the personalized attention that your clients may be used to. In the long run going paperless not only makes things easier but also more secure. In this digital age, could you offer your clients anything less?

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–Ben Bennett (bmbennett.com)

Everyone talks about switching to a paperless office but in the end when it comes time to do it, what does it mean? How would you go about it? If there ever were a time to figure that out it would be now when there is some breathing room from the business of the regular tax season. Lets take a closer look at going paperless. This is part one of a two part series dedicated to the process of going paperless. This first part will look at the Vault and how to use it, the second will look at how to get clients to adopt using it.

There are some who consider the process of making your office paperless part of getting into 2.0 business stream. Whatever you call it, the process is the same, making your firm more efficient by leveraging the tools of the Internet. Although there are many directions that you can turn when thinking about going paperless ultimately you want something that will not just save paper but time. Having a website with CPASiteSolutions gives you automatic access to a paperless solution within the Vault. This gives you a portal to exchange files with clients on-line with 24/7 access and no paper used in the whole process.

How is this any better than sending an email? An email is not secure and is much like sending a postcard in the mail, anyone can read it and take whatever information they want. Not only would it be damaging if the information got leaked but your firm could get fined from breaking some of the laws in place. To avoid this it is best to stop using email to exchange files and start using the Vault.

The best way to think of the Vault is as a virtual filing cabinet that you or your clients can access from anywhere at anytime. Unlike a real filing cabinet you can actually limit what clients can see and do while logged into the Vault. This control gives you and your clients the piece of mind they need surrounding their financial information. This also means you can exchange even larger documents anywhere you have access to a browser and much more securely than with email or even regular mail. This freedom can save both of you time and money.

To get started with the Vault make sure your familiar with signing up new client users and managing client accounts. You can look forward to features such as having an email sent to your client or sent to you when a change is made. This means when a client uploads a document you will be notified via email so you can still have your finger on the pulse of client activity. Once you have a familiarity with the system the next step is getting your clients to use it. Look forward to part 2 where we go into steps you can take that will give your clients motivation to join your paperless office.

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The FileVault Windows Application, as you’ll recall, is a downloadable application available at our Gold and Platinum service levels.  Using the application, you and your clients can quickly upload files to the Secure File Exchange System with just a few clicks, directly from your desktop.

What our client found most useful, was the FileVault Application’s Automated Backup feature.  Using this feature, his clients could select a list of vital files, and schedule automatic daily backups of those files.  Once the backup is complete, his clients’ essential files are stored safely off-site. If a computer is damaged or lost, those files are backed up in our secure document vault.

Our client offered valuable peace of mind and secure backups to his clients for only five dollars a month.  All he needed to do to earn that monthly charge was create a Client Portal user, pass it on to his clients then adjust his billing. When he had signed up just ten clients, he had completely paid for his CPASiteSolutions website.

In fact, when compared to other off-site backup providers, five dollars a month is an incredible deal. Many other providers charge anything from $9.95 per monthly up to $29.95.  You’re getting all that with your website at no additional cost, and your clients are getting a great deal too.

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With our most recent Portal security updates and new FileVault application, we’ve begun the process of phasing out the older file exchange applications, so that we can be sure you’re always providing the most advanced, secure and fully-functioned tools to your clients.

You should already have the Firm and Client Portal built into your site. Check for a login button at the top or bottom of your site. It’s simply a matter of providing a new login and password to your clients, and we’ve added a tool to allow you to easily add a batch of client users.

To add a batch of users, simply log into your Portal as and administrative user and click the Firm Administration link on the upper right. Once there, you’ll find an “Add Batch Of Client Users” tab, which allows you to simply copy and paste a list of email addresses to create new accounts for each user.

Client files still stored on the previous versions of the Secure File Transfer will need to be moved over to the Secure File Exchange. While you’ll have to download each client file manually, the new FileVault application is ideal for moving the downloaded files into the new Secure File Exchange.

To make this transition as easy as possible, we’ve just added a new feature to our Vault help to walk you through the Secure File Transfer transition.

Once that transition is complete, your client users will have access to all the new features, tools and security provided by the Portal and Document Vault system.

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This new Windows application is actually installed on your computer and allows you and your clients to quickly upload files to your Secure File Exchange System without having to log into the Client Portal.

This new version of the Windows Application includes many new features you’ve been requesting.

It allows you to upload complete batches of files with just a few clicks , eliminating the repetitive process of uploading one file at a time.

You can quickly upload files to any Client User. And each of your clients can upload files to their own account.

The One-Click Upload feature allows you to easily send any file to your Secure File Exchange System. Simply right click on any file and select ‘Send to FileVault’.

This new application also includes an automated file backup feature that allows your clients to backup their QuickBooks file (or any other file) every night. This is a great disaster recovery solution because your clients vital financial records are securely stored off-site. So if anything ever happens to their office or their computer they still have a clean backup of their accounting records.

Ensuring safe off-site backups of your clients accounting data is another way you add value. You use this feature to generate extra revenue by charging a small fee for the service. Many firms charge their clients anywhere from $9.95 to $29.95 a month for this service. Or you can offer it Free as a way to thank your clients for their continued loyalty.

The FileVault Windows Application is only available to Gold and Platinum level clients. To download it, log into your Firm Portal, select More, then click “Download Windows Application.”

Our Online Help includes a full walk through of installing this new tool and using all of these features.

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You no longer need to log into the portal, then log into the Vault, then select the client folder, then upload files one-by-one into their folder.

Simply double click on the FileVault icon on your Windows toolbar at the bottom of your computer screen.

You’ll see this window come up. Click the “Browse” button to select the client folder that will receive the file(s). I selected Client Documents -> Demo Company -> Tax Returns -> 2007 in this example.

Now select the files you want to upload by clicking on the “Add Files” button. Select the files you want to upload, then click “OK”. You can repeat this process to gather all the files you want to upload to this client’s folder.

After selecting the files, click on the “Upload” button and the files will start uploading to the Vault as a Windows Background process so you can continue working.

If you haven’t downloaded the FileVault Windows Application yet, you may want to give it a try now because it can save you a lot of time when exchanging files with clients during tax season.

The FileVault Windows Application is only available to Gold and Platinum level clients. To download it, log into your Firm Portal, select FileVault, then “Download”.

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