Learning Objectives:
After completing this module you should be able to _____.
describe how items transition through the different areas in the app.
distinguish which items need your attention.
illustrate how to find the items you need to focus on.
evaluate which organization techniques in the app best match your work.
Product Feature Keywords:
READ
Navigation is easier when:
There are fewer obstacles
You have a clear plan
Things can be found where you expect them to be.
Follow these three steps to maximize your efficiency working in the app:
Step 1: Organize - keep your data clean and avoid "garbage in/garbage out" decision making.
Step 2: Prioritize - methods will vary person to person, but choose a strategy and stay consistent.
Step 3: Complete - do the work, reevaluating priorities from time to time as needed.
Start by going through those three steps in the app every day, and then decide the routine that is right for you! Some people may go through this cycle once per week, others multiple times per day.
This course presents several use cases to help get you started in your routine. As you become more familiar working in the app you should customize your process to best suit your needs and preferences.
Every person and every firm is different, so methods of organizing and prioritizing which work well for one may not be ideal for another. Lastly, be mindful of specific standards and expectations your firm has in place when deciding your own personal style of work.
ACTIVITY
Step-by-step directions:
Find where your firm has documented standards and best practices for using the app. Review while completing this course to gain better context of how you'll be working in the app.
If your firm is new to the app, visit the Community and browse discussion topics that spark interest.
READ
Many people use their email inbox as a running to-do list, which is very inefficient. Inbox zero is the philosophy of treating your inbox as only a temporary place for messages.
Can you imagine your inbox being totally empty today? It may not be practical for some people to achieve, but it's a great goal for everyone to strive toward. Think of it as a journey and not a destination.
READ
Make organizing your Triage inbox easier by not being oversubscribed to information sources. Preventing unneeded items from entering your inbox means fewer items that you need to organize!
Low priority - if an email is marked as Low Priority from its settings menu, future emails from that sender will go to the Low Priority sub-folder rather than your Triage inbox. You can review contents of that folder at a time which doesn't conflict with your more important work. Remember that ALL messages from that unique sender email address will be treated the same.
Mailbox exclusion - if you receive emails which do not need to be actioned or archived within the app, use mailbox rules in your email provider to have those messages skip your Triage. One example of where this might be helpful is if you receive automated notifications from a client's payment processing service. The Triage low priority option may not be appropriate if you need to continue receiving periodic activity statements from the same address. However, daily reports may be duplicative or otherwise unneeded. Skipped messages can still be referenced in your email provider, but do not otherwise need to clutter your Triage each day.
Unfollow conversations - if you have been added or mentioned into a conversation on an email, and you no longer wish to receive notifications of new messages in the thread, simply click the notify toggle off in the side tray.
Replace emails with client requests - client requests are a special communication portal in the app built directly into your work templates (you'll learn more about those features in other courses). If you often receive emails related to standard workflows, talk to the administrator in charge of your templates about whether there are additional opportunities to incorporate more client requests into your work.
Controlling the number of client request notifications - your practice's template designs will determine how granular your notifications are. For example, would you rather get five separate notifications as a client completes each of five requests? Or a single notification summarizing them all? Talk to your template administrator if you think changes need to be made.
WATCH
Your goal is to clear each item in your Triage inbox. Bur first, you often need to complete one or more of these common actions:
Add the email to a timeline for future reference. (Make sure you've switched on auto-sharing of emails to make timeline additions more efficient and consistent.)
Assign the email to a colleague for them to take action.
Reply to an email or comment.
Add the email or note to your My Week so you can take action at a later time. Consider also adding a status to the email to help with filtering in My Week if you have a large volume of emails.
ACTIVITY
Now you try!
Step-by-step directions:
Set a three minute timer for yourself. How many items in your Triage can you accurately action and clear in that time? If you're not sure how to action an item, skip it for now. Go!
Look at the items you were unsure how to action. Are there similarities between them? Have a quick chat with your manager or a colleague for insight into your firm's proper internal procedure.
Set another three minute timer. Go to your "To Plan" area in My Week and move all items into the week you plan to work on them.
Learn more about when work items appear in My Week.
WATCH
ACTIVITY
Set your priorities
Step-by-step directions:
Go to the This Week list in your My Week page.
Find the three items that are most important to complete right now and move them into your "Working on now" section.
WATCH
WATCH
Some practices process a high volume of work that are each quick to complete. One example is personal tax returns. Each work item may require less than 30 minutes to complete and have few, or even no, tasks at all inside the work.
If you have a long queue of assigned work, but very few assigned tasks within them, try using the "work" page rather than My Week to stay organized and navigate through your work.
ACTIVITY
Further customize your view
Step-by-step directions:
Go to the Work page and choose the My Work saved view.
Change the column layout to the option that works best for your working style.
Simplify each work card by removing fields you aren't likely to need. From the sorting menu, click on details in the Display list to add or remove them from each work card.
When you're done, save your view so you can return to it later.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Read more here about inbox management techniques.