CPA Websites Marketing Tips

Backing up your critical files to a secure area is best to do before you need it. If you have a Gold or Platinum hosting package with CPA Site Solutions there is a small application that lets you do this and more automatically. Here is a quick breakdown of how it works and why you should use it.

The FileVault Windows Application is very light yet connects your computer directly to the vault. This connection allows everyone in your accounting firm and their clients the same time saving features.

Follow the instructions from this help file to find out how to download it. Here are some ways to use the application to save you time.

One-Click Upload

One-click upload. Send a file directly to your own vault file by just right-clicking and choosing “Send to Vault.” Once you set up the FileVault then you can set exactly which folder a file goes to when you use one-click upload.

Files directly to your client’s folder. You can send multiple files directly to a particular clients folder without having to login. Just open FileVault, click on the Upload tab, choose the files to upload, the destination folder and click “Upload Now.”

This can save everyone in your firm a lot of time logging in and going to each of your clients folders. When you are done with one client you can then choose more files and send them to a different clients folder.

A client can also use this same feature to upload multiple files to their own folder. Your clients will thank you each time they use this time saving feature.

Critical File Backup

Backup critical files. You can choose which files to backup and what time each day you would want the backup done. When you are in the FileVault just choose the backup tab, add files to the list, choose when to backup and click ok.

Mind you this is different from backing up all your computer files. This is intended for particular files that you need to backup and keep secure.

If you are wondering the difference consider the amount of overall space you currently have compared to the amount of clients. In general most of the financial files won’t take up a lot of space.

If you are curious as to where the space is going you can run a quick report. While you are logged into the Secure File Exchange, choose More (see image), and then Usage Report.

Vault Usage Report

The report will tell you how much space each client is using. Find a client using 50% your accounting firm’s space? Most likely the client is using the service inappropriately.

You can let them know that they get only so much space as a service to them. After this space is used up then it costs a certain amount for the extra space. If they decide to use it then you can purchase more space at only $9.95 a month for 2 additional gigs of storage.

Since they are paying for the space then it isn’t a disadvantage to your firm. The seven layers of security provided by the Vault makes this an economical solution.

Once you start using the Vault with the one-click upload feature you start saving your accounting firm and your clients time. If you are at the Gold or Platinum level you can download and start using it today!

Have a comment regarding your own use of the Vault and backing up critical files? Send a comment.

Adding the Secure File Exchange

Among other things our new update of the Portal allows for a direct login to the Secure File Exchange without going through the portal. This can be a great time saving feature for those who are new or use the Secure File Exchange on a regular basis.

You can now have a client go directly to the Secure File Exchange if that is all they are using or if they want a faster way to get there. Here is a quick breakdown on how to add this feature:

Add a new page titled Secure File Exchange. Adding this page to your accounting firm’s website displays a basic login area. When a client logs in here they are taken to the Secure File Exchange without having to go through the Portal.

Secure File Exchange Direct Login

Direct clients to this new page. Instead of having a client go through the Portal direct them to this login page. This can be done on as a link from one of the main home, contact, or resources page.

Alternatively you can direct clients via any email contact you have with them. By placing the link within the email the client can click on this and be taken to the Secure File Exchange login page.

Log-out redirects back to your accounting firm’s website. If the client is logged in using this method, when they log out they will be taken back to the firm’s website rather than back to the portal. This can help prevent some confusion in terms of having to log-out of both the Secure File Exchange and the Portal to be completely logged out.

This new feature can help with any accounting firm’s clients who just use the Secure File Exchange and nothing else. It can also help with those inside or outside the firm who want a quick way to access the Secure File Exchange. It is just one of the many features we continue to add to any accounting firm’s website hosted by CPA Site Solutions.

Have a comment on using the direct login to Secure File Exchange? Send us a comment we would love to hear from you.

“I really like your Secure file exchange. Even my clients that aren’t that computer literate find your File Exchange easy to use. We used to use the post office a lot to send tax returns and other documents to our clients but now we are using the post office a lot less which saves us time and money.  Also unlike typical mail, we get proof that someone receives a file with the exact date and time. As an added bonus, If someone ever gets a tax penalty, I don’t have to worry if they claim that it’s because I didn’t send them a file because I have proof that I did. “

–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.

One of our clients recently described how he’s monetizing both the Client Portal and the Secure File Exchange’s FileVault Windows Application, and make his website pay for itself.

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.

Once you’ve created accounts for all your client portal users, they can begin taking advantage of all the tools and features included with your account, but now that they’re sending you files and logging into your Portal, you may find out you need to know exactly when they logged in and what actions they took. Fortunately, your Firm Portal and the Secure File Exchange both have extensive usage and activity logs, so you can see which of your users are accessing your Portal, what they’re doing, and how they’re managing their files.

By logging into your Portal as an administrator, you’ll find the Portal’s Activity Log under the Account Information heading. This log displays the user email address, time, date, IP address and actions of every user who logs into the Portal. Using the drop-down menu at the top, you can view the actions of specific users, or search for all users performing a specific action, like logging into the Tax Organizer. You can even export the data to an Excel, Word or CSV file so you can examine the data however you’d like.

The Secure File Exchange itself has two logs, Activity and Usage. You’ll find them both under the ‘more…’ menu in the Secure File Exchange.

If you’re running low on storage space and you need to clear out some old files, or if you just want to see who’s making the most of your Secure File Exchange, the Usage Report is just the thing you need. It generates a list of all your users, how many files each one is using and how much of your storage space those files are taking up. Then, if you’re running low on space, you can quickly find out where to trim some fat.

The Activity Log tracks exactly how your users are using the Secure File Exchange. By using this report, you can monitor exactly how and when your clients send and receive files. Using the drop-down menu on the upper right, you can view the Secure File Exchange activities of any of your users, or choose ‘All Clients’ to view everyone’s activity. If you need to know when your client uploaded a file, or which Firm User deleted a client file, you can find all that and more through the Activity Log.

For more information on the level of control you have over your Firm Portal and Secure File Exchange, take a look over our Help Center. You might just find that there are more resources and tools available to you than you realized.

When you log into your Secure File Exchange today you’ll see a slick new version of your dependable Secure File Exchange.  This streamlined new look is just the beginning of the improvements included with this new version.  It’s faster, cleaner, easier to use and more intuitive for your clients.

The sidebar is gone, and the full width of the page is now available for you to more easily view and manage your files.  In the sidebar’s place is a space-efficient and intuitive “breadcrumb trail” above your files. This breadcrumb trail makes it easy for you to ensure, with a glance, that you’re uploading the file to the proper location without any chance of confusion.

Uploading and downloading files works the same as it always has- just navigate to your target document folder and click the ‘Upload’ button.  The difference now, is that navigating the Secure File Exchange and browsing through your stored files is lightning fast. Have you got a client with a lot of stored files? Do you need just one? Files are listed quickly, so you can find the specific file you’re looking for in the alphabetized list without waiting.

If that’s not fast enough, you can now search through both users and files to find just what you’re looking for in seconds. Simply type the term you want to search for in the field, and the Secure File Exchange will return a list of all the files and users that match your search term.

You can download, move or delete the file right from the search results, or click the link in the Description column to visit the file’s location. It couldn’t be easier to find files and client users now.

In fact, you suggested another improvement that makes it easier to find your client users. The Client Documents list now displays both the clients’ names, and company. So if your client self-registered under a different company or an unfamiliar name, you’ll be able to find the user on your list easily.

Even communication with your clients has been improved thanks to your feedback and suggestions.  The Secure File Exchange’s email notifications have been adjusted and corrected to minimize the chances of the message being caught up in your client’s spam filter.

We’re continually improving our tools and features to produce the best possible services for you. If you have any concerns, suggests or improvements we can make for you, please give us a call, send an email or contact us through our Live Help Chat.

Your Client Portal has a brand new feature.  In response to your requests, we’ve made it easier for you to manage your Portal users.

Now you can stop spending your valuable time searching through unfamiliar email addresses to edit a single client. The next time you log into your Portal’s Add/Modify Client Users section, you’ll see our new Search By Name feature.

Your client User list can get pretty long, and with the self-registration tool it’s easy to lose track of which email addresses belong to which clients.  This new Search By Name lets you easily find a user by simply entering a name or company in the search field.  The Portal will then list every matching account, allowing you to quickly find the user you’re looking for.

With your feedback, we’re continually improving our tools and features to produce the best possible services for you. If you have any concerns, suggests or improvements we can make for you, please give us a call, send an email or contact us through our Live Help Chat.

You may not even notice a difference, but we’ve just completed a repair to the Secure File Transfer to keep it running smoothly for you all through the upcoming tax season.

Some of our power users- firms with over 500 clients in the Portal and Secure File Exchange- noticed that the system slowed down when they signed in to manage client files.

With that feedback, we were able to optimize the code and make Secure File Exchange even quicker.  As a result, not only is it faster, but it can now handle over 2,000 users without any difficulty.

What’s more, these extra users won’t cost you a penny more.

Unlike other secure online document storage providers, we don’t charge per client.  If you compare us to eDocsOnline.com, you’ll see that they charge $249.95 per month for 25 clients, so even 100 clients would cost you $11,997.60 per year. That’s more than twenty years worth of our service. Plus with us you also get your website, content, email and all the other tools.  Likewise 100 clients with Leapfile.com costs $24,000 per year, that’s over forty years of our service!

This is exactly why we love your feedback.  When you pointed out that the system was running slowly, it gave us the chance to improve our services to better suit your needs.

We’re always on the lookout for ways to improve, so if you ever run into any problems with our tools or content, or if you just have a suggestion for an improvement we could make, please call, email or use our Live Help Chat to let us know.

Your Portal’s Secure File Exchange has just been improved. We received a lot of requests for more detailed information about how much space your clients are using in the Secure File Exchange.  We listened to you and added a new feature to your Secure File Exchange.

The next time you log in as a Firm User, you’ll see a new item on your Secure File Exchange’s ‘More’ menu: Usage Report.

This report displays all your users, the number of files and the storage space they’re using.  By viewing or printing this report, you can easily monitor your total storage space and see who’s using what.  Then, if you’re running low on space, you can quickly find out where to trim some fat.

We’re always on the look out for new ways to improve our service and our tools. If you have any more suggestions for us, feel free to call, Live Help chat or email.

A year ago we released The Vault, our full Client and Workgroup Colloboration tool and Secure File Exchange System. Since then we’ve continued to improve and update the tool and have kept it on the cutting edge of security and usability.

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.