When you have to be right
Tax & Accounting
7 Secrets to Portal Success
2
7 Secrets to Portal Success
With concerns over data security steadily increasing, many firms select
CCH Axcess™ Portal for a safe and secure means to exchange documents with
their clients. Portal is a convenient electronic storage solution that makes
it easy to securely exchange documents while complying with state laws
prohibiting the sending of confidential information via unencrypted email.
With proper implementation, firms have successfully guided their clients
through the change to portals. This white paper provides a brief overview
of Portal rollout best practices for firms interested in rolling out Portal for
the first time and firms looking for ways to increase overall usage. In it, we’ll
review the various strategies firms use to promote initial acceptance and
ongoing and successful use of Portal.
Creating Client-Specific Portals
Let’s start with the method your firm would
like to use to create portals. There are three
primary ways for firms to create client-specific
portals. Each method has its advantages
and unique drivers behind implementation.
Before creating portals, we recommend that
firms create appropriate folder templates,
firm users and access groups so that you
can quickly select and refer to these when
creating portals, regardless of the method
you choose.
Mass Portal Creation
The first method is Mass Portal Creation, in
which the firm creates separate portals for
multiple clients simultaneously. While this
is the most ambitious form of portal rollout,
it often proves to be the most successful
because it typically marks a significant change
in firm policy around the delivering and
receiving of confidential information.
Portal enables users to create up to
2,500 portals at a time by simply entering
client information into a Microsoft® Excel®
spreadsheet and then uploading that
spreadsheet into Portal. The batch portal
creation template, which can be downloaded
from the Portal website, includes both
required and optional columns for portals
to be created. You can use the batch portal
creation process multiple times with multiple
portal creation templates.
After creating portals for your clients through
the batch creation template, we recommend
uploading your client’s most recent tax return
to their newly created portal to encourage
them to log in to Portal and begin getting
familiar with using the solution.
Firms that use the batch portal creation
process have reported much success with it
and firms that have not sometimes regret that
decision and end up moving to it later on to
drive usage and efficiency. While completing
the batch portal creation template requires
more strategic planning and an upfront time
commitment, using the batch portal creation
process is much more efficient on a perportal basis. In addition, taking this approach
eliminates ad hoc portal creation on demand,
which also increases overall efficiency.
3
7 Secrets to Portal Success
Creating Portals on Demand
The second portal creation method is creating
portals on demand. In this approach, firms
create portals as needed using the portal
setup screen. While this is the least aggressive
approach, it also requires more time per
portal and risks making portal usage the
exception to the rule, rather than the standard
means of exchanging information with clients.
Firms wanting to drive all client data exchange
to portals will want to make sure that they
have sufficient communication strategies and
incentives in place to encourage portal usage
before taking this approach.
A Hybrid Approach
We also see firms taking a hybrid approach to
portal creation. For example, some firms send
an introductory mailer to clients and then set
up multiple portals using the batch portal
creation spreadsheet. Then, as the need
arises, they create portals on demand. This
method has been effective for firms seeking
a more flexible middle ground.
Client Notification and Enrollment
Once you create a portal for your client, we
recommend that firms send out some type
of client notification, letting clients know
about the change, its benefits and what it
means to them. In general, a firm’s notification
preferences are often driven by firm culture
and client communication policies. Some
firms notify by phone, some prefer email
notification, while others choose to send a
mailer to each client, requesting the client to
provide portal-related information.
Similarly, there are choices to be made
around how you’d like to enroll clients into
their portals. Some firms choose an opt-in
approach, requiring clients to actively choose
to create and use a portal. Other firms take an
opt-out approach and automatically assume
that clients will want a portal unless they
state otherwise and opt out. In general, the
opt-out approach generates significantly more
participation and we are seeing more clients
take this route when rolling out portals.
Another benefit of using the opt-out approach
is that the opt-out process can serve as the
batch portal creation process, saving time
and increasing efficiency. Just start with an
Excel® spreadsheet of all of your clients,
including all of their necessary information.
As clients request to be removed from the
portal creation process (which few typically
do), simply delete their information from the
spreadsheet. Upon the client opt-out deadline
date, simply upload the updated Excel®
spreadsheet to the batch portal tool. The list
of remaining clients automatically becomes
your list of batch portals to create.
4
7 Secrets to Portal Success
Successful Email Communication
There are a number of important client
communications that accompany a successful
portal rollout. Portal includes several
email templates that can be customized for
your firm. As with all communication, brief,
clear emails tend to be more inviting and
successful than long, complicated ones. We
also recommend that you take the time to
customize communications for your firm and
for each client. While these emails may seem
basic, they are key to driving consistent portal
use and require some upfront planning.
In creating a new portal, one of the first
things you’ll need to decide is whether you
want to disable the automatic client email
notifications that inform clients that a new
portal has been created for them. If you click
yes, you will have to manually send the client
notification emails at a later date. If you
confirm that you would like to disable client
email notification, it creates the portals, which
you can begin using immediately.
When you first create a portal for a client,
you can send the portal administrator an
email letting them know that a new portal has
been created on their behalf. This is a fairly
simple email that outlines the basics and
has a Portal User Guide and link to a helpful
video attached. As this can be the client’s
first impression of their portal, we’ve found
that a simple introduction is more effective
than a comprehensive one. Since this is the
only email that does not go to all users at the
client, some firms choose not to send this
email, sending the administrator a hard copy
mailer instead.
Next, the “New Portal User Account” email
goes to all Portal users and includes a link
to the portal site, a login ID and password
instructions. It also usually includes a link to
the instructional video. The password itself
is not included in this email, for security
reasons. Again, this email keeps to the basics
of how to go to the portal site and login
information, and we recommend customizing
it for each client. More complex information,
including system requirements, is better
housed on the web page or in the User Guide.
Finally, the “Password Notification” email is
the last email of the series. It leads with the
user’s temporary password and is followed
by the less crucial login tips. Including a
reference to the firm’s homepage and a link to
the portal are optional but recommended. The
more you can drive clients to your firm’s home
page, the more likely they are to see a blog
post or news item that grabs their attention
and could potentially result in new business.
5
7 Secrets to Portal Success
Website Integration
One of the benefits of Portal is that it can
be integrated into your firm’s website. Firms
often create a link to Portal from their
websites and Wolters Kluwer provides the
necessary HTML code for customization.
Many firms place the Login in the upper right
hand corner of their site to make it easy to
get to Portal. Alternatively, some firms have
a separate page dedicated to Portal that
integrates the Portal welcome screen. This
allows you to include additional information,
such as system requirements, links to the
Portal User Guide, contact details for staff
members responsible for Portal, a link to a
pop-up window to request a new portal or
new users, etc.
Your approach to website integration and
setting up the welcome emails is dependent
on which user interface your clients choose
to use. Clients using Portal have a choice of
using the CCH® Client Axcess user interface
or a Microsoft® Silverlight® version. Most
client‑facing functions can be accomplished
using the CCH Client Axcess interface.
Typically, all email notifications link to the
CCH Client Axcess version. The Silverlight
interface may be used when administrative
functionality is needed.
Customizing Rollout Materials
Once you’ve determined which version you’re
using and how you’re integrating Portal into
your website, you will want these decisions
to be reflected in your rollout materials.
Wolters Kluwer provides a fully customizable
Microsoft® Word-based Client User Guide,
which contains straightforward language
and plenty of screen shots. You can insert
your firm’s name throughout the document,
customize the introductory page and make
any changes required by your firm’s branding
policies, etc. Once customized, you can save
it as a PDF and place it in welcome emails and
on your website for easy access.
You will also want to put together the
appropriate client communication, such as
mailer notification and welcome emails.
Finally, we recommend taking advantage of
the Introduction to CCH Client Axcess video,
which describes using Portal from the client’s
perspective. Many firms provide a link to the
video in Portal introduction materials and on
their Portal website.
6
7 Secrets to Portal Success
Making Portals a Part of Your Everyday
Workflows
Most file exchange solutions are standalone
tools that are outside the firm’s typical
software, or at best are bolt-on additions
to existing, older software. In contrast,
we recommend taking a holistic approach
and using firm software that has portal
functionality built in. Documents should
flow easily between all of your firm’s systems.
And when clients provide new documents to
the firm, those files should easily roll into the
larger document management framework of
the firm. Tax returns, financial reports, audit
materials and invoices should all route to the
portal with minimal action required on the
part of your firm’s staff.
When you use portals for more than just
delivering tax returns, your clients will
become accustomed to visiting their portals
to find their information. The more different
types of documents and information they
can find there, the more successful the
implementation will be.
Give Your Clients What They Want, Where
They Want It
In an increasingly mobile world, clients are
demanding convenient, mobile access to their
documents. CCH Client Axcess is a client‑facing
app and website that makes it possible for
clients to access their files from anywhere,
using any internet-enabled device. While the
older Portal client interface required clients
to install the Microsoft® Silverlight® plug-in
or use the simplified interface (with fewer
features), CCH Client Axcess was built with
HTML5, so it is usable in any browser, whether
via a mobile device, tablet, PC or Mac.
You can also instruct clients to download the
CCH Client Axcess app, through the iTunes®
App store or Google® Play. Offering clients
a mobile app will not only help them access
their documents on-demand, but it will help
clients see your firm as staying up to date
with current technology. Many clients already
use similar apps to access their banking and
health information, so they will be more than
comfortable using CCH Client Axcess as well.
CCH Axcess™: A Powerful, Customizable Solution
In summary, deciding how you’d like to roll out Portal, which interface your
clients are likely to prefer, and how your firm will integrate Portal into its website
(via a link or embedding it in the site itself) can be helpful in making your firm’s
introduction of Portal a success. These decisions all have important implications
on the rollout material and for the portal creation process you decide to use.
Contact information:
Wolters Kluwer
2700 Lake Cook Road
Please visit CCHGroup.com/AxcessPortal
for more information.
Riverwoods, IL 60015
United States
800-739-9998
11/16
2016-1016B
© 2016 CCH Incorporated and its affiliates. All rights reserved.
When you have to be right