CLIENT PORTAL USER GUIDE

Transcription

1 CLIENT PORTAL USER GUIDE JULY 28, 2011

2 At Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman, CPAs we take the privacy and security of your information seriously. That's why we've introduced the Client Portal for sharing your important tax and financial information with us. This guide is designed to help you in your use of the Client Portal. Table of Contents What is a Client Portal? 3 Where is the Client Portal? 3 Portal Administration 3 Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman, CPAs Portal Administrator 3 User ID and Password 3 Termination of Login Account 4 Client Portal for Document Transfer 4 Terms of Access to the Portal System Requirements Internet Explorer Settings Adding ProSystem fx Client Portal to your Trusted Sites Enabling File Download in Security Settings Trusted Sites Zone Allowing the ProSystem fx Client Portal to Launch Pop-ups How to Log In Portal Home Page Add Files to Portal 10 File Upload Progress 11 Download files from Portal Moving a File Request file Deletion

3 What is a Client Portal? A Client Portal is a Web-based file storage vault for sharing data. You access it from your web browser using your address and a security password. The Client Portal uses an encrypted connection for transmitting data to and from your private vault, so your information is safe. This portal will allow us to work together more efficiently while securely exchanging working documents,.pdf files and even large files, such as QuickBooks, that may exceed the capacity of your account. In order for your Client Portal account to be created we need a Client Portal Application. This will allow the creation of your Portal account and your login information. You will be notified of your login information by . Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman, CPAs utilizes the CCH ProSystem fx Client Portal software, and specific guidance for using the portal is provided in this document. Use of the Client Portal does not require downloading or installing additional applications (however, some adjustments to your internet browser settings are required). Where is the Client Portal? You can access your Client Portal through the home page of our website. Simply browse to our website and click the link under the Online Portal and File Exchange Services Available section near the middle of the page. You may also go directly to: Portal Administration Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman, CPAs Portal Administrator If you ever encounter a problem with your Client Portal, please send an to portaladmin@grfcpa.com or call and ask for portal help. When you or call please indicate if your problem is related to your tax return, an accounting or consulting issue or an IT problem so we can route to the right department. Please note the portal administrators are available from 9am to 5pm on Monday through Friday. User ID and Password You are solely responsible for (1) authorizing, monitoring, controlling access to and maintaining the strict confidentiality of your User ID and password, (2) not allowing another person to use your User ID or password, (3) any changes or damages that may be incurred as a result of your neglect to maintain the strict confidentiality of your User ID and password and (4) promptly informing Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman, CPAs in writing of any need to deactivate a User ID due to security concerns or otherwise. You shall notify the Portal 3

4 Administrator via at of any unauthorized use of your User ID or password and breach of confidentiality. Until Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman, CPAs receives this written notification, you will be held liable for any harm ensuing from the use of your User ID on the Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman, CPAs Client Portal. Termination of Login Account You agree to notify the portal administrator at when an individual login account is to be terminated. Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman, CPAs will make every effort to confirm and terminate access as soon as possible. However, you cannot be assured that access has been terminated until you receive an confirmation of the termination. Client Portal for Document Transfer Terms of access to the Portal Once your Client Portal has been created you will receive your login information. The Portal is considered a secure area to provide your confidential information. It is recommended that all provided User IDs and passwords be treated as sensitive information and is the client's responsibility to do so. All deliverable documents will be published and available on the Client Portal according to Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman, CPAs Portal policies. Once deliverable documents are published, we ask that you please download the documents for your records. Please see the Client Portal User Agreement for additional rules and regulations. System Requirements Portal relies on the Microsoft Silverlight platform and users may be prompted to install Silverlight the first time they login. The installation typically takes less than one minute to complete and is completely safe. Portal will support all Web browsers on PC and Mac that are compatible with Microsoft Silverlight 3. A complete list of browsers and operating systems that support Silverlight can be found at started/install/default.aspx. Mac computers with Intel processors are able to access Portal. Mac users may browse to the link below to verify the computer s processor type. 4

5 Internet Explorer Settings Portal can be used with Internet Explorer version 7 or higher. Although not required for the use of ProSystem fx Portal, changing the following settings may allow for even easier use: 1. Open Internet Explorer and browse to 2. In Internet Explorer: select Tools, Internet Options. 5

6 3. Click on the Security tab, click Trusted Sites, and then click on the Sites button. 4. Click Add to move the Portal URL to the Trusted sites zone, then click Close. 5. Click Custom level. 6

7 Scroll down to Downloads, click Enable for File Downloads then click OK to save the changes. 6. Click the Privacy tab, Settings, under the Pop- Up Blocker section. 7. Enter the following URL in the field provided: 8. Click Add, then Close, then Close. 7

8 Portal Login Login Tips Enter your Login ID ( Address), temporary Password and click the login button. (You should have received the temporary Password on the second notification upon creation of your Client Portal). This will take you to a Password change screen. Please follow the below guideline for choosing a Password. The Login ID ( Address) is not case sensitive. Password must contain at least one upper case alpha character, one number, and one special character #, etc.). The Password is case sensitive and must be between 8 and 32 characters. When you are logging into Portal on a shared Computer, consider clicking Forget me on the log in window to remove your login credentials from that computer. Create a bookmark or desktop shortcut to help you quickly and easily navigate back to the login page. 8

9 Portal Home Page Portal Home Page Key Features 1. Navigation Panel - Displays links to available portals (if available) and other administrator options (if allowed). 2. Announcements - Displays announcements associated with the selected portal. 3. Portal Info - Displays number of portal users and number of files in the portal. 4. Files and Folders - View the list of folders, subfolders, and files within those folders. 5. Add Files - Click Add Files to add a file to the selected portal. 6. Files Recently Added - View and access a short list of the most recently added files by all Portal Users. Any time you want to return to the Portal Home Page click on the Portal name under the portals tab located in the Navigation Panel (the upper left hand corner of the website). 9

10 Add Files to Portal Steps to Add Files to Portal 1. From Portal Home Page click on the To Firm folder. 2. Click the green Add Files button. A screen similar to the one shown above will be displayed. 3. Under File Location click the To Firm folder. (see red arrows in above example). 4. Click Browse for files and select file(s) to upload. 5. Verify File Name, File Location (To Firm based on step 3) from the top half section with columns. Click Upload to add the file(s) to the portal. 10

11 File Upload Progress File Upload Progress grid Key Features After selecting Upload, files will be viewable in the File Upload Progress grid. The grid will show the status of the Upload and when Completed. File upload may be paused, then Resumed at a later point in time. The file(s) will not remain paused and available to resume after logging out of Portal. You may browse to other areas of the portal while files are uploading, this will not cancel the upload. Select Add Files again to see the status of the file upload. 11

12 Download files from Portal Folders are used to organize files on the portal. Simply double click on a folder (From Firm by default) to view your files. 12

13 A simple way to view or save a file is to double click on the file icon. Double clicking on a file will display the File Download Box, displayed below. Click Open to view the file or Save to download/save a copy to your computer or network. When a file is downloaded, a copy is created and does not delete or affect the file on your portal. If the file download screen does not display due to your browser s security settings, a small window will appear in the lower right portion of the screen allowing you to access the file. The File Download example displayed above refers to Internet Explorer. Other Web browsers may respond differently when you double click on a file name, however, this will not affect your ability to access the file. It is recommended to download (save) a copy of your deliverable items from Portal, as most files will not remain there indefinitely. The firm can provide more detail regarding how long files will be accessible via Portal. 13

14 Moving a File If you right click any file and select Properties, you will see a window similar to this: Based on the above example, this document is on the main page of the portal. If you wish to move that file from to the To Firm folder, click the window. and you will see the below pop-up Select the folder you want to move it to (To Firm) and click Select. You will then be returned to the Properties window. Click Save. You should then receive a confirmation stating that the File Properties updated successfully. You may now Close the File Properties window. 14

15 Request file Deletion Files may not be edited while they are in the portal. Must send request for deletion by right click on file and left click on Request file deletion. 15