Sharing the Share Folder and Upload Folder with Clients

Client folders can be shared with external users, including clients and any of their contacts.

In New Collaborate there are two different folders we commonly refer to:

• Share Folder
• Upload Folder

The Share Folder, displayed as the Client Name and Code, gives access to all documents that have been shared with your client. The list of documents is displayed in the Client - Collaborate tab in FYI. The folders within the Share Folder are created based on the Folder structure configured in the Collaborate app settings. Refer to Summary of New Collaborate Folder Structure. 

Note: External users with access to the Share Folder will be able to see all documents that have been shared. To send a private document that others should not see, the document should be sent via email.

The Upload Folder is also included in the Share Folder and provides an alternate way for clients to send documents to the practice instead of sending documents by email. For example, clients can save source documents such as Tax Receipts that are automatically uploaded into FYI.

Sharing Folders with Clients

Clients and authorised recipients can be added to the Share Settings on the Collaborate tab to provide access to all files within the client folder on the New Collaborate SharePoint site.

Note: Internal users are not added using the Share Settings. Staff access is managed via the selected Microsoft Group in the Collaborate app settings. Refer to Set up and Create a New Collaborate Site (New Sites only) and Set up and Create a New Collaborate Site (Upgrade from Legacy Collaborate).

Step 1 - Adding Clients to the Sharing Settings Access List

1. Display the Client - Collaborate tab for the relevant client.
   
   
2. Click Sharing Settings to display the Sharing Settings pop-up.
   
   
   
   Initially, the client folders are not shared with any users. Adding at least one user creates the shared folders for the first time.
   
   
   
   
3. Click the Give user access button to add a user.
   
   
4. In the Select a contact or enter email address to give access, use the drop-down to select or enter the client or external recipient to share the folder with. Ensure that the email address does not match an internal user, or contain any special characters, such as apostrophes.
   
   By default, the email address of the client is displayed. If the client has any Contacts in your practice management software, these will be displayed in the drop-down.
   
   If the email address matches a practice user's email or recovery email address, an error will be displayed and a new email address will need to be added. Refer to your IT admin team to unlink the recovery email from the user's Microsoft 365 account if required.
   
   Note: If you have multiple contacts for the client with the same email address, you do not need to add each contact to the Sharing Settings (only once per email address). Collaborate creates the permission based on the email address. If the same email address is used for multiple clients, the email will need to be added to the Sharing Settings for each client. 
   
   
   
   
5. The selected user displays.
   
   
6. You can click Give user access and add additional users to share the folder at the same time with a client contact or to another email for any other people who need access to the folder.
   
   - You can select additional users from the drop-down list if relevant.
   - You can also enter the email address of any other additional user(s).
   
   Note: If the email address matches a practice user's email or recovery email address, an error will be displayed, and a new email address will need to be entered. Refer to your IT admin team to unlink the recovery email from the user's Microsoft 365 account if required.
   
   
7. When ready to share, click Save.
   
   
8. A loading box will be displayed in the bottom right-hand while the accounts are created on the Collaborate site and shared with your selected users.
   
   
9. After adding the user, the Status check and ability to remove the user is locked for 15 minutes while Microsoft completes the processes required to add the user.
   
   

Step 2 - Emailing the Client a Link to the Share Folder

Now that the client has been added to the Sharing Settings, they will be able to access the Share Folder, and all underlying content, from the Collaborate site.

From FYI, you will be able to send an email to the client with the Collaborate Site Link and Upload Folder Link. The client will be prompted to log in, and then use the menu on the Collaborate Site to access the Share Folder. Refer to Login Experience for Clients using New Collaborate.

1. In FYI, create an email to send to the email addresses added to the Sharing Settings Access List.
   
   
2. Enter the Client name. 
   
   
3. Select the Email Template if created for your practice to include the Merge Fields that add the links to the Collaborate site. Refer to Setting up Collaborate Email Templates. Otherwise, enter a Name for the email.
   
   
4. The Recipients of the email include all of the email addresses you have selected to give access to. Click the 1 Recipient link to add additional recipients if required.
   
   
   
   
5. Update any filing details as required to the email, and select if you want to save it as a "Draft in FYI", "Draft in Outlook" or "Send Immediately". Refer to Sending Emails Immediately or Saving a Draft.
   
   
6. Click Create to create the email. If you have selected "Draft in FYI" it will be displayed in the editor. If you have selected "Draft in Outlook" the email will be sent to the FYI - Drafts folder in your Outlook and you can then send the email in the usual way. Note that emails sent to Outlook will be immediately marked as "Sent in FYI, and should be managed in Outlook from that point on. Once sent, the email will be updated in FYI and filed accordingly.
   
   
   
   
7. Send the email.
   This sends an email to the selected users to advise them they have shared folder access. The links can also be sent manually at any time if the link needs to be resent. Refer to Resending the New Collaborate Share Folder Links Manually.

To understand how clients will be able to access the newly shared folders, refer to Login Experience for Clients using New Collaborate.

FAQs for Sharing Folders

Sharing Folders with Additional Users at a Later Time

You can select additional email addresses at a later time in the same way if additional people need access to the client folders. This could be any of the contacts for the client that show in the drop-list, or to any other users who need access.

Sharing the Folders with a User who is not the Client or a Client Contact

You can also share the folders with any other user who requires access to the client folders. This could be for example, to a family member or to a bookkeeper who is not held in FYI as a contact for the client.

1. In the Sharing Settings, click Give user access.
2. Type the email address.
3. Click Grant "typed email address" access.
   
   
   

Sharing the Folders with the Client Group

If you need to share all the clients within the Client group, this is done by sharing each client in the group individually.

If the Client Changes their Email

If the client changes their email, the email address in Sharing settings will not be updated automatically. You need to remove the existing email address and re-invite the client by adding the new email address. Refer to Removing Access to the Shared and Upload Folders.