Practical Checklist To Set Up Your Account For The First Time

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Done

1

Bring together your client information

Create a complete list of the Organisations and Individuals to import. Gather as much client and contact information as possible from your spreadsheets and other systems. Check for duplicates, data quality and completeness.

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2

Decide which records you need

Sole traders are Organisations in PracticeFlow. Decide whether to manage Self Assessment on the Sole Trader client or on a separate Individual record, and whether to link them. See the separate sole trader help article for guidance.

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3

Identify any links you want to create

You can link Individuals to Organisations. To link an Individual to a company during import, enter its Companies House registration number in Linked Company Number in the Individuals template. Import the Organisation first.

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4

Identify Prospects and Contacts

The Relationship field in both templates defaults to Client if left blank. Only enter a different value where needed: Prospect for Organisations; Prospect or Contact for Individuals. Smart Tasks apply to Clients.

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5

Identify services and collect the relevant information

You do not need to record the services you provide to clients in PracticeFlow. Tasks are created automatically when the minimum information needed for that task is included in the client’s details. For example, adding a VAT registration date and quarter schedule in the import template will create a VAT task.

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No.

Done

6

Add your users

Go to Settings > Users to add users to your account. Users are created here, not through the client import CSV. Their email address can then be included in the import templates to assign Account Managers or Partners.

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7

Decide who will be Account Manager

Every client record needs an Account Manager. If left blank, this will default to the user processing the import. Enter a user email address in the Account Manager column or the owner’s email if someone is importing on their behalf.

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8

Set up custom fields — optional

Compare your information with PracticeFlow’s standard fields. Go to Settings > Custom Fields to create any additional fields before importing. Each template supports ten custom fields. Match the data to the correct column leaving column headings unchanged.

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No.

Done

9

Prepare a few rows in each template

Download the Organisation and Individual import templates and prepare a small sample for testing. Choose records that let you check your service information, custom fields and any planned links. Follow the separate template guides.

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10

Import a few Organisations then a few Individuals

Import the Organisation test rows first, followed by the Individual test rows. Include links to the test Organisations if you plan to use them. If the import reports errors, use the explanations to correct the file.

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11

Check the results

Check the records, Relationships, Account Manager assignments, custom fields and any links. Check your sole trader setup and that the expected Smart Tasks have been created.

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12

Undo and retry if needed

Return to the same import button and select Undo import. You can undo imports for up to 48 hours after they were made. Undo multiple imports in reverse order, starting with the most recent. Correct the files and test again if needed.

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No.

Done

13

Decide what to do with your test records

Keep, archive or delete your test records as needed. Exclude retained or archived records from the remaining import files. Include removed records if you want to import them again.

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14

Import your remaining clients

Complete the import files. Import the remaining Organisations first, then Individuals. Review each import result, resolve any reported problems and check that all intended records are present.

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15

Review your tasks

Check that tasks cover the work you expect, with the correct periods and deadlines. Add any final missing information that could not be imported. You can amend or switch off any Smart Task in Settings > Smart Task Templates.

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16

Customise your views

Customise the views on the different screens so you can see the information you need, then check your dashboard. Refer to Quick Start for the next steps, including adding one-off and recurring tasks.

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17

Review other settings when needed

In Settings > Account Settings review your AML risk profiles for Low, Medium and High risk, client portal, e-sign settings and email settings. In Settings you can create Forms and Email Templates.

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