Overview
The purpose of the Correspondence Register tool is to make it quick and easy to document any type of client correspondence, which can be referred back to, at any point and by anyone with access to that client.
It will act as a quick reference guide that can be accessed by the staff members in your practice who are in charge of completing the client work, so that they can see all types of communications, current and past, between the practice and the client.
Before you dive into the detail, a short video is a much easier way to get a quick understanding of how the register works. Then, dive into the details below to get all the info on how to build and maintain your own register.
The Correspondence Register List Page
Area |
Description |
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1
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Create a new correspondence entry |
Click on the |
2
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Filter by, |
These are part of the Shared Elements across AccountKit. Use the first two icons to:
Click on the three-dot menu (More Actions) to export the current list to Excel. |
3
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The list... |
This is a snapshot of all Correspondence records within your practice.
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4
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Three-dot Menu (More Actions) |
Three-dot Menu (More Actions) - appears on mouseover at the end of the row. Use it to Archive or Delete a record. |
General Variables & Input Fields
Below is the fixed list of correspondence types available to create a new entry in your register.
Each correspondence type will have its own associated input fields, relevant to each content.
For the example below, we'll use the Phone Message entry.
Area |
Description |
|
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1
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Message Type |
Displays the type of correspondence for that entry. |
2
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Date & Time |
Here you record the date and time of the interaction with the client. It will default to the current date and time, but it can be changed. Simply click on it and type in the new date and time, or you can also use the calendar icon to select a date. This is the same for each Correspondence Type. |
3
|
From |
This field is where you enter the name of the person who's left the message. It can either be a contact within your client and affiliates list, or you can type in a new name, if they don’t exist within your list – i.e. John Smith or Bank manager for a client. |
4
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With regards to |
This field represents the client entity this entry will be saved against. Start typing to filter for applicable clients within your client list. If you leave this field blank, the message will be defined as an [INTERNAL] message, not attributed to any specific client. |
5
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For |
Here you select a member of your team to attribute the message and potential action to – such as to return a phone call. |
6
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Action required |
Identifies if any and what actions are required (dependent on correspondence type):
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7
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On |
This is the phone number that the client should be called back on. This will auto-populate with a short list of numbers associated to the contact, if any. |
8
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About / Summary |
Here you can summarise what that phone message or phone call summary is in relation to. This is the same for each Correspondence Type. |
9
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Detailed Notes |
This is a free text area where you can document further detail relating to the contact made, such as a message left by the client, a file note for referring back to later or a phone message for another team member to view, before returning a call. This is the same for each Correspondence Type.
Note that you can insert "Text Templates" from your template list utilising the |
10
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Notification - |
From here you select how you want the selected team member (added in item 5) to be notified. There are 4 ways to notify a team member:
You can also re-notify users at any time, by clicking on the megaphone icon
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11
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Notification - |
This is where you select additional users to be notified, if you want them to be aware of the correspondence. You can notify the team in the same ways as step 10. This is the same for each Correspondence Type. |
12
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Shared Tool Bar |
The Shared Tool Bar is also part of the Shared Elements across AccountKit.
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Before you Start
Practice Settings
So you can get things set up with how you work from the outset, your practice administrator should head into your AccountKit Practice Settings and setup the defaults.
- Review the Template Text options to customise your available templates.
Practice Settings -> Tool Settings -> Global Lists
- Tags - these are the tags you can categorise text templates under.
- Text Templates - these are where you can create new text templates utilising placeholders and the like.
- See here for more info
- Review your practice settings to ensure the default settings are set to your liking.
Practice Settings -> Tool Settings -> Administration -> Correspondence Register
Your options here are:
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Track incoming and outgoing mail within the same record
- Activating this setting allows correspondence going in and out to be tracked under the same correspondence record. This would be the equivalent of seeing email correspondence in conversation mode.
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Track incoming and outgoing mail within the same record
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Enable email notification to user upon SMS reply
- Activating this practice setting will send a notification to specified team members when an SMS sent from AccountKit receives a reply.
- You can choose the individuals who need to receive this from the drop down. (Multiple users can be specified).
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Enable email notification to user upon SMS reply
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Practice email signature
- From here you can modify the practice signature which is sent with correspondence with the email integrations.
- This is particularly relevant when emailing directly from AccountKit.
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Practice email signature
My Profile
Ensure your Profile is also matching your preferences, to have the best experience with the Correspondence Register tool. This includes your User Settings and Integrations.
Click on Your Name -> My Profile to open your profile card, review and update any settings.
Manage your Email Delegation, User Signature and Integrations.
Email Delegation allows other users to send emails on your behalf, in the Correspondence Register.
Update and edit your User Signature.
Check and manage your Integrations, at your user level.
Creating a New Correspondence Record
Select 'Create new correspondence entry' then choose the applicable type from the drop-down options. For the example below, we'll use the Phone Message entry.
A new window will pop up when we select the new message type.
Follow the prompts to create the new record, adding all relevant details.
On the right-hand side, choose who will be notified, and how.
Insert templates and format your message using the menu bar between the subject line and the body of the message.
At the bottom of the screen, you can access the Shared Tool Bar for more actions.
Viewing and Working on an existing record
Click to open an existing Correspondence record to view all details, action the request (i.e. call someone) and take more actions.
Area |
Description |
|
---|---|---|
1
|
Message Type and Date |
Displays the type of correspondence, date and time for that entry. |
2
|
Entry details and Formatting |
All relevant details will appear within this section. Add any formatting or template to the message, if applicable. Read through all this information and take action, if required. |
3
|
Client Details |
Here you can quickly access all the details related to this client. |
4
|
Shared Tool Bar |
The shared tool bar elements can be used at any point in time, even after the entry is created. |
Viewing and Working on a record in Draft
Click to open an entry in Draft to view all details and take more actions.
Users can pick up an entry in Draft and take action at any time.
For example, a Draft message can be started by a team member in preparation for someone else to review it, make adjustments and hit send when ready, or in preparation for a task that will be completed later.
See how the Draft icon in orange appears on the top right of this window, indicating this message is in Draft status and therefore has not been sent yet.
At any point users can insert templates and format the text using the tool bar between the Subject line and the body of the message.
Adding timesheets
Users can add timesheets to any entry in the Correspondence Register, to record the time they spend when communicating with clients, especially if these interactions take a lot of their time.
The option to add a timesheet to an entry (XPM icon ) becomes green and available to click on, as soon as the Client details start to be added to that particular entry.
Click on the green XPM icon and a new window will pop up.
Choose the Job and Task, add the time that was spent on it, and add notes.
You have the option to post this timesheet to XPM, otherwise it will be auto saved in AccountKit only.
Types of Correspondence Record
There are currently eight types of correspondence available in AccountKit, which can be used to create a new record every time there's a client interaction.
Each correspondence type will have its own associated input fields, relevant to each content.
See each example below.
1. Phone Message
Someone (e.g. a client) called the business and left a message for a team member.
Use this entry to register the details of the message and notify the relevant team member(s), so they're aware of that contact and, if necessary, can take applicable action (e.g. call them back, complete a pending task etc).
This is the Phone Message entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
2. Phone Call Summary
There's been a call between a team member and a contact, and details to the discussion need to be captured.
Use this entry to add a summary of the conversation, that can be relevant for future reference or for current dealings.
Notify team members that need to be aware of that call and what was discussed.
This is the Phone Call Summary entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
3. File Note
This is used if you just want to record a note about the client that you would like kept on file for future reference. If you're importing notes from another system, this is where they'll appear.
This is the File Note entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
4. Drop In
If you have clients drop in, you can use this type to identify the reasoning and any accompanying notes.
This is the Drop In entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
5. Meeting
For capturing the notes for a meeting along with the attendees and those that put in an apology.
This is the Meeting entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
6. Email
Enables the capturing of ingoing and outgoing client emails and storing them against a client and associated client group.
Utilising within the register will enable you to send an email direct to the client along with associated attachments taken from any connected DMS. See the applicable help article on how to set up and use the associated Email Centre and methods for capturing emails.
For more information see here:
This is the Email entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
7. SMS
This feature enables sending and receiving SMS messages to and from clients, using Twilio.
Please note this requires an integration with Twilio, see the below article for full details:
SMS enabling - Twilio Integration
This is the SMS entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
8. Mail
This is not an entry to send someone an email, but to create a record for something that has been sent via mail, or a record of an email that was sent outside of the AccountKit / Outlook / Gmail integration.
This is the Mail entry in AccountKit:
This is what the email notification looks like once it's delivered to a user:
i
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In most fields, if a list of options doesn't automatically appear, press the down key to show you a list of available options. |
Other Functions
View by Client Group
View all Correspondence by each client group, by selecting People -> Client Groups.
Select the relevant Client Group you want to view and all their data will be available here, including all the Correspondence Register items for that Group in specific.
You can filter the view above by a particular client, for that Client Group.
You can also view an individual entity that is not part of a group by removing the Group filter and then selecting a client from the drop-down.
And you can apply specific filters to narrow down your search.
"Search by" Functions
You can click on the magnify glass to search by a key word, and apply filters to narrow down the search.
A further explanation can be found in the Menu's & Shared Elements article.
Archive, Unarchive and Delete Records
You have the ability to archive, unarchive and delete records individually or by selecting multiple.
Simply select the relevant record(s) and at the bottom of your screen you'll have the three options to action.
Note that only an Administrator will have the ability to delete a record.
History
Track the changes made to a specific record by using the History icon in the shared tool bar section and make notes against the changes to explain the reason for them.
For a more in-depth explanation go to the Menu's & Shared Elements Article.
Integrations
Document Management
Your Name (bottom left corner) -> Practice Settings -> Integrations -> Document Management
Link back to source documents enabling quick access and previewing from within any tool, plus the ability to save reports and files direct back into your DMS (e.g. One Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox etc).
Head to the DMS Support Article to learn which providers we support and how to connect and link source documents.
Internal Messaging
Your Name (bottom left corner) -> Practice Settings -> Integrations -> Communication Settings
Enable correspondence register entries to be shared into Slack and Teams channels and to direct message people on your team.
See the articles below for more information on how to connect and use these within AccountKit.
Slack – AccountKit Support Center
Microsoft Teams – AccountKit Support Center
Email Add-Ons
Your Name (bottom left corner) -> Practice Settings -> Integrations -> Communication Settings
Enable pushing of emails direct from your inbox into the Correspondence Register whilst also saving and linking attachments to your DMS.
Click on each link below for the full details on installing, using and disabling these integrations.
SMS
Your Name (bottom left corner) -> Practice Settings -> Integrations -> Communication Settings
Enables SMS messages using Twilio, see the following article for full details.
SMS enabling - Twilio Integration
Related Articles
Shared Elements | Follow the link to see our various elements shared throughout the various toolsets. |
Practice Settings | Follow this link see what practice defaults for the mail register can be customised. |
Document Management (DMS) | Learn how to connect and manage your DMS |
Slack Integration | Learn how to connect and utilise Slack within your practice |
Microsoft Teams |
Learn how to connect and utilise Microsoft Teams within your practice |
Mail Register | New UI now has the mail register integrated with the correspondence register to allow for improved oversight. |
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