TaxFolder: Disable invitation to TaxFolder

Is it possible to disable the email that invites clients to TaxFolder? The subject line is “You’re invited to TaxFolder” and includes a link to “Activate your account”.

The reason I ask is that we use a different portal. If our clients create a TaxFolder account and begin uploading documents, it will quickly become a nightmare trying to figure out who uploaded what and where.

I would like them to simply sign their documents and send them back to us. For now, I do not want our clients to know that TaxFolder accounts are an option. Thank you in advance!

Be sure to untick the “Ask client to upload documents” when sending the forms for signature.

Thanks for your response. I double checked the options on the e-signature print set. Unfortunately, it looks like “Ask client to upload documents” was unticked and it still generated the invitation email.

I agree.

I just want clients to sign. Inviting them to portal only confuses them.

Currently there is no way to disable the account activation email. The client can sign all the documents without having to activate their account, but the account is still created and provides an additional option for clients to retrieve and sign their documents instead of having to hunt through emails.

I have heard some feedback that some preparers using TaxFolder are using a different portal for document sharing and don’t want clients using the TaxFolder file sharing. If we gave you an option to turn off the client side document uploads / file sharing would that address the issue for you?

The other option would be to disable the activation email, but then if you choose to use some of the other features we plan to add to TaxFolder for engagement management, it will be more work to invite your clients to activate their accounts later. Triggering the invite for a client already in TaxFolder requires manually going into each client record and triggering the re-send activation email.

Thank you Sarka. As things are right now, I would prefer to disable the activation email. Like @grangers2016 said, the email confuses them.

An option to turn off the client side uploads would be better than nothing if it is the faster solution.

A bit off-topic, but is there a way in TaxCycle to include the electronically signed documents in the client copy of their tax return (i.e. the signed T183 and the electronic signature certificate)? That would be really slick.

I think that would be a good option.

Not at this time, they have access to the signed document through their client portal and from the confirmation email that is sent to them once a document is signed.

Can you elaborate on what is confusing? Is there something in the email message or the request signature template that confuses them? Those things are quick and easy to change.

Changing the activation email triggers and adding additional configuration options is a lot more work. As we move closer to April we want to minimize the number of updates and releases to avoid disrupting everyone at the height of T1 season.

For some of my clients (who are not technology wizards) receiving the 2nd email (Invitation to TaxFolder) made them think they had to somehow register for TaxFolder in order to complete the signing process.

I actually cloned the T183 Template, added an explanatory paragraph to the T183 Cover Email to let the client know they would be receiving an Invitation to TaxFolder as a separate email. I let them know they did not need to register for a TaxFolder account in order to sign their T183 as the account was optional. I also let them know that I would be putting completed copies of their T1 returns into their TaxFolder for their convenience, thus encouraging its use.

I thought this was going to be awesome… until I discovered the T183’s with my custom T183 Cover email all just got stuck on “sending” when I went to generate the PDF and would never change to “sent”.
I reverted back to the standard template and everything was fine again. I figured maybe adding the extra paragraph to the T183 Cover Email made the email message too long? I didn’t have too much time to fiddle with it.

This. The email does a good job of saying that “You do not need an account to sign documents…” but that wording is buried in the middle of the second paragraph. It would be more effective if it was front and centre.

Confusion will also be caused by having another portal. I imagine our clients will read the email and their reaction will be “I thought I already had a way to securely share documents with my accountant”

For now, my workaround is similar to @snoplowguy . I have added wording to the ESignatureEmail that they will get a second email inviting them to TaxFolder and to ignore and delete it. I hope that will stop 90% of our clients from signing up for a TaxFolder account.

We have made some changes which we hope will address some of the concerns raised here.

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