Update 8.5.5 Overview Webinar Q&A
During the webinar a number of attendees submitted questions which we have collated below along with the answers. Note that as we hold additional webinars on this topic we will update this list with further questions and answers.
NOTE: All information provided in this user manual is general information only and should not be considered as legal, migration or accounting advice. You should always undertake your own assessment/seek independent professional advice regarding your situation and the laws/regulations/rules which apply.
1. When will the update be going live?
A. The update is being rolled out to all users during February.
2. Who do I contact to get BPAY enabled on my bank account
You will need to directly contact your bank who will have a process in place for setting up BPAY on your account. Once your bank has set up BPAY for you, you will be able to enable the BPAY feature in Migration Manager. For more information we recommend starting here: https://www.bpay.com.au/Business/Small-Medium-Business/Becoming-a-BPAY-biller.aspx
3. If one matter has 3 separate due payments, can they use the same CRN code as it is from the same person OR do they need 3 separate CRNs?
This will depend on how you have set up BPAY in Migration Manager. If you have set up BPAY to generate CRNs on a per matter basis, then in this scenario you would only need one CRN. However if you have set up to have CRNs on a per Invoice/Deposit Request basis, then each document will have its own unique CRN. See this section for details.
4. Do Banks charge to add BPAY to your Account
The banks that we have contacted about BPAY do charge to set it up. For example see NAB BPAY information which shows that the NAB charges a set up fee of $99. We understand the other banks are similar.
5. Our office currently uses Xero accounting system and it also is paired with another system to allow easy use of direct debit and credit card payment options. Will MM work with that as well?
The interaction between Xero and Migration Manager is one directional in that Migration Manager pushes data to Xero but no information is returned. Migration Manager's role in the equation is to handle all of the Client/Trust Account activity and to deal with the client billing and to forward details of the revenue and expenses to Xero. If information pertaining to any of those transactions is received directly by Xero, that information is not transmitted back to Migration Manager. Note that BPAY is the first payment solution that we are integrating with and we have plans to add additional payment solutions in the future. If there is a particular payment solution that you would like to see MM integrate with please send us those suggestions so that we can ascertain the demand for such features.
6. Outside of the ref #, is there any other benefit to BPay vs EFT... keeping in mind the inherent cost of BPay?"
The benefit of the reference is somewhat linked to how good your clients are at making payments you can identify. For an overview of the pros and cons of using BPAY, we recommend reviewing: https://www.bpay.com.au/Business/Small-Medium-Business/Becoming-a-BPAY-biller.aspx
7. How does BPAY integrate with Xero
See the above comment about the flow of data between Migration Manager and Xero. Migration Manager does not send BPAY information to Xero.
8. Can you please tell me how to resend the Portal Invitation
If the original logon email has not been saved to the Documents tab (via email capture), then you can resend the Portal logon information by going to the Portal interaction window for the matter (accessed via the Progress tab) and clicking on Account Details then Email Username and URL option. For full detailed instructions please see: How to Resend the Portal Logon Details
9. Will the client be notified by email that there are messages in the portal or do they need to log on to keep up to date.
When you send a message to the client, you have an option at the time of sending to also send an email notifying the client that a change has been made to the Portal and that they should logon to check.
10. Can you modify the doc sent by the client after it has been dowloaded in MM? they very often misname docs or send only part of it... and if so will this update the progress tab as well?
Note that if a user sends a document to you via the portal and has done so by selecting one of the progress document items that you have added to the Portal, then the document will be downloaded and saved as the name of the Progress Item to which it was linked.
If you do not like the name of the document, for instructions on how to change a document name please see: How to edit the Name of a Document
11. Can I send an Invoice to the client using the Portal Messenger?
Yes you can. For instructions on how to send a document via the Portal Messenger please see: How to send a Letter or Document via the Secure Client Portal
12. Do we need to attach the 956 form if we are requesting it as well?
The Document Request function only creates a request and a means for your client to send a document to you. Your client would still need to obtain a copy of the form some how.
13. Can a logo be added to the signature block for portal?
The Portal Message system does not currently allow jpegs or png files to be added to the body of the message.