Support has now ended for Legacy Collaborate.
To upgrade to New Collaborate, refer to Upgrading to New Collaborate.
FYI allows your practice to collaborate directly with external users by securely sending them documents in the way they want to receive them and you can use FYI Collaborate to send documents to clients via Collaborate. External users include clients, their employees, their business contacts or any other user(s) who need access.
Collaborate functions are only available for practices on the Pro plan.
Sharing documents with external users via Collaborate
You can set up FYI so that when sending documents to external users, they are sent via the OneDrive Admin Account for your practice. Sharing a document via Collaborate does not attach a document directly. It sends the client an email with a hyperlink to the document that has been placed within your practice's OneDrive. From a security point of view, this ensures that attachments are NOT sent by email, which is especially important for sensitive documents. Refer to Sharing Documents via Collaborate and Creating an Email by Selecting Attachments in FYI.
Documents will be shared to the Client Folder matching the client the document is filed against in FYI.
Documents that have been shared with the client via Collaborate are displayed in the Client - Collaborate tab. Refer to Client - Collaborate Tab.
Sharing documents with external users via myprosperity
When you are sharing documents, there is also an option to share via the external integration myprosperity. Refer to Sharing Documents via myprosperity.
Sharing the Share Folder with External Users
You also use the Collaborate function to share the relevant client's OneDrive Share Folder with the client, any contacts recorded for the client in your practice management software, or any other guest user who needs access to the documents. This sends that person a link which they can save and use in the future to display the documents that have been shared and documents that are in Co-Edit with Client. Refer to Sharing the Share Folder with the Client.
Note: Sharing documents with a client using the Share function and sending documents via Collaborate, does not automatically give the recipient access to the Share Folder. Giving a user access to the Share Folder is a separate function.
Sharing the Upload Folder with the Client
Collaborate also gives clients access to the Upload Folder within their OneDrive shared folders.
The Upload Folder provides an alternate way for clients to send documents to the practice instead of sending documents by email. For example, clients can upload documents such as Tax Receipts. Also if you are doing bookkeeping services for the client, Upload provides a way to send the source documents and information. Refer to Sharing the Upload Folder with the Client.
Sharing Documents as Co-Edit with Client
Collaborate also gives you the option to share documents with your client as Co-Edit with Client. This gives the client edit access to the document and also allows team members to work on the document at the same time. Refer to Co-Editing an External Document.
Preparation for Sharing Documents via Collaborate
To share documents with your client via Collaborate, there are some preparation steps that need to be done by an FYI Admin. For information on how to link your practice's OneDrive, and how to set up the filing structure that FYI uses when documents are sent using Collaborate, refer to Link your Practice's OneDrive Admin Account.
If you are sharing the folders with your client for information on how to set up the default email template for the invitation to the shared folders, refer to Setting up the Shared Folders Email Template and Assigning Share Settings Access.