CCH Portal

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Like most accountancy practices, we now use email for most client communication. It’s quick and easy, but we do worry about the security of sensitive data.

Recently we tried some of those online document exchange

websites, but a public file-sharing system is at odds with our aim

of providing personal client service and – like other professional

firms – we have some concerns about confidentiality.

Client portals that are designed for general use seem quite

limited and only offer document exchange and approval.

We need something that’s been specifically designed for an

accountancy practice. It needs to be totally secure and linked

to our client and contact database so we can treat our clients

as individuals and they can communicate easily with the

appropriate practice staff.

We want to be able to publish documents and other files

directly from our tax and accounting systems and add secure

messages to the files so that all client conversations are

managed from a single, central location.

A practice like ours definitely needs a portal that goes beyond

basic document exchange and approval.

client communicationfacing today’s challenges

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CCH Portalthe solution from Wolters Kluwer

Manage client relationships

Good client relations are the foundation of any accountancy practice. That’s why it’s so important that your

document exchange system understands the relationships you already have and helps you to build new ones.

n Client database – CCH Portal uses the client and employee information already set up in CCH Central,

including client associations and team security settings, so you can manage all your client relationships

on a single system.

n Multiple relationships – CCH Portal recognises that each client can have a variety of relationships to other

clients – for example as a spouse, co-director or business partner – and makes it easy for you to communicate

with them in all these roles.

n Personal communication – Where there are multiple contacts in an organisation you can restrict messages,

documents and even approval requests to named individuals.

n Single logon – If a client has multiple relationships with the practice – for example as both the director

of a company and a personal tax payer – they can be given a single logon to access all necessary files and

documents.

n Client teams – Set team responsibilities at both a practice-wide and client level. The names of these team

members will appear in drop-downs on the client’s portal, making it easy for them to communicate with

the correct individual. Team responsibilities also allow you to limit access to sensitive client data.

n Document review – Many practices have a policy of reviewing all communications before they’re sent

to clients. CCH Portal allows one employee to draft a message and forward it to a colleague for review,

amendment and internal sign-off.

n Personalisation – System emails use templates which can be customised and edited for content and

appearance. Messages sent within a portal can include a photo of the team member.

n Look and feel – A “cascading style sheet” gives precise control over the appearance of your client portals

so that you can align them with the rest of your firm’s online presence.

Use existing partner and team responsibilities to support client relationships

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Improve practice efficiency

Even a generic document exchange system can save you time and eliminate postal charges and delays, but when

you choose a dedicated client portal you’ll find the efficiencies don’t stop there.

n Mobility – Give your clients immediate, secure 24/7 access to documents and files. Eliminate the confusion

of having multiple versions circulating by email.

n Add value – Capture all client communication in a single location for greater visibility and control. By giving

everyone in your practice a complete picture of client communication at all times, CCH Portal maximises your

opportunities for offering value added services.

n Direct publication – The CCH Portal is fully integrated with the rest of the CCH software suite so you can

publish documents straight to the portal as you work on tax, accounting and practice management tasks.

n Comprehensive – You can add files – such as spreadsheets and PDFs – from any source, so that all document

exchanges can be managed in a single system for optimum security, visibility and control.

n Client approval – Request approval for any document that you send to the portal and get immediate

notification once approval has been given. The extra assurance of your client’s secure sign-off is backed

up by a full audit trail.

n Instant notification – If you’re logged into CCH Central, a pop-up message will alert you whenever a client

sends you a new message or file via their portal. If you’re unavailable, you can set up an automatic out of

office message.

n Simple admin – The CCH Portal simplifies the process of setting up new users by automatically emailing an

activation link. If a portal user forgets their password a fully automated ‘forgotten password’ facility enables

them to create a new one. By allowing clients to self-manage their access, CCH Portal frees the practice from

ongoing admin.

Your CCH Central home page gives instant access to client documents and messages

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Integrated messaging

You wouldn’t send an email attachment without a word of explanation, so why send a file to a client without a

message to put it in context? CCH Portal goes beyond basic document exchange by allowing you to add secure

contextual messages to every document or file that you send.

n Personal communication – CCH Portal includes a two-way messaging facility so that conversations with

your clients can be stored in the client file and accessed from a single, central location.

n Reduce risk – CCH Portal protects client confidentiality and reduces risk by keeping all sensitive

communication within a totally secure environment.

n Client notification – When you add a message or file to a client portal, an automatic email notification is sent

to any client contacts linked to that portal so that they know there’s a message or file for them to review.

n Multiple roles – Because it uses the contact and relationship information you already hold in the CCH Central

database, CCH Portal enables you to communicate easily with your clients in any of their roles – for example

as a personal tax payer or as a director of a company.

n Visibility and control – Teams within the practice can work on client communication together, accessing

conversations from a secure, central location.

n Organisation – Create your own folders within each client’s portal. Files uploaded by your clients are held in

their own, dedicated folder for you to review, move or delete.

CCH Portal makes it easy for your clients to approve documents

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Reduce risk

In order to feel comfortable using a client portal, your clients need to feel confident that their sensitive, private

information will be safe. Practices are well aware that any data breach could have a catastrophic impact on their

reputation as a trusted adviser.

n Security – CCH Portal uses the highest available, military grade 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard, giving

you and your clients complete peace of mind.

n Reassurance – We also apply the same security protocols used by internet banks and similar websites to

provide your clients with the visible reassurance of the familiar closed padlock and https website address.

n Personalised logins – The CCH Portal makes the process of setting up new users as easy as possible with

system-generated emails, activation codes and an activation link.

n Client passwords – You control the minimum length and complexity of the passwords that clients have

to set up. For complete security, neither the practice nor Wolters Kluwer holds a record of any client’s password.

n Server security – The servers which host the CCH Portal service have reached the highest security standards

and are fully protected against power failure, physical intrusion and network outages.

n Team access – Access to the CCH Portal is administered separately from access to other parts of the

CCH software suite, so you have complete control over who can use it.

Control password length and complexity

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CCH Centraldelivering a competitive advantage

CCH Portal is part of the CCH software suite.

At the heart of this integrated software suite is CCH Central which combines

information from multiple applications on customisable ‘home pages’.

CCH Central redefines the meaning of

‘integrated software’. Data from across

the practice can be extracted, reported on

and used for CRM, business development

and practice management.

The intuitive, browser-style interface

makes it easy for everyone – even

occasional users – to use the software.

Because CCH Central operates across

the entire software suite you only have

to learn a function once to be able to

use it anywhere.

Data management

CCH Central eliminates wasted effort and eradicates errors with a single, central database so you only have to enter and update information in one place. And because CCH Central works across your software suite, you get a complete picture of your clients and your practice without constantly swapping between applications.

Reporting

Using CCH Central Reporting, even non-technical users can construct complex reports, simply by dragging and dropping fields. Data can be drawn from multiple CCH applications and presented in a single report. Simplified cross-client and cross-application reporting enables rapid data mining, opening up new markets and opportunities.

CRM and business development

CCH CRM powered by Workbooks is integrated with CCH Central so you can grow your practice and engage with your clients using the information and skills you already have. The cloud-based CRM system improves the efficiency of the entire marketing and business development process, from running events and capturing web queries to managing your new business pipeline and measuring the return on your marketing spend.

Managing KPIs

CCH KPI Monitoring enables you to manage business-critical events, deadlines and tasks occurring across all your applications. When a trigger condition – such as overdue information, excessive WIP or a completed tax return – is met, the software sends out an alert email which can include a report on the exact status of the key performance indicator being monitored. You can also use it to automate the production and distribution of regular practice reports.

Workflow

CCH Workflow allows you to manage tasks across your entire software suite. Workflows can be triggered by an event – such as setting up a new client – or by the completion of another workflow, and can be extended to interact with third-party systems. CCH Workflow helps you monitor deadlines, avoid resource bottlenecks and focus on managing end-to-end client relationships rather than just individual jobs.

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Wolters Kluwer is one of the world’s largest providers of tax, accounting and audit

software, information and services.

As a global market-leader with annual revenues of over €3.5 billion, operations in

40 countries and more than 18,000 employees worldwide*, our software, information

and services deliver smart tools, vital insights, timely training and the guidance of

subject-matter experts.

In the UK our products and services – supplied through the CCH and Twinfi eld brands

– support more than 20,000 professionals. We work hard to help you improve effi ciency

and reduce compliance risks so you can use more of your time to build stronger

relationships with your clients.

The Wolters Kluwer difference

97% of the top 100 accountancyfi rms use a Wolters Kluwer product

54% of FTSE 350 companies use a Wolters Kluwer product

*Revenue in 2013 €3.565 billion. Other fi gures from the Wolters Kluwer annual report. Customer numbers based on internal research, November 2014.

Call: 0844 561 8181*

Email:

Visit: www.cch.co.uk/software

Find out more about CCH PortalFor more information about the CCH software suite:

cchsoftware@wolterskluwer.co.uk

Wolters Kluwer (UK) Limited. Registered in England and Wales, No 450650, VAT No. 710 9357 45. Registered Office: 145 London Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 6SR, United Kingdom. *Calls cost 7p per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge

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