Stage automation examples (Basic): Apply folder templates
Let your pipelines do the work for you: automate creating a folder structure for your clients instead of manually creating folders. For example, the recent tax year folder could be added to your tax-return clients once the job is created in the tax return pipeline. Or the whole folder structure could be created at the final stage of onboarding a new client.
In this article, you will learn how to set up this automation in pipeline stages, but this approach also applies to setting up this automation in custom job statuses.
Step 1. How to create a folder template
If you want your folders to be generated automatically, you will need to create a template. You can create one right from the pipeline settings by clicking New template when you add the automation.
While each firm customizes their folder structure depending on their workflow, we can share our best practices for inspiration:
- Folder structure for tax preparation clients
- Folder structure for bookkeeping clients
- Folder structure for payroll clients
To put it simply, the most popular way of building folder structure is to create separate folders for years and services.
Step 2. Add the "Apply folder template" automation to the pipeline
To add folder structure to your client accounts automatically, you need to ensure that you have added a folder template automation to your pipeline. To do so:
- Open pipeline settings, then add the Apply folder template automation to the stage and select the folder template you have created. You will likely want to select the first stage of your pipeline or the stage where you are expecting actions performed by your client (e.g., Collecting Documents).
- Once the job enters this stage, the folder template is applied to the account. You can use automated messages at the same stage to inform clients about what's happening and to convey your expectations.
Note! For the Apply folder template automation, it doesn't matter if the Automove jobs toggle for the stage is turned on. The automation is triggered automatically and doesn't require action either from the client or from the firm. Also, no elements are linked to the job when the automation is triggered.