Are you still using email or shared folders to collect documents from your clients? There’s a better way. Learn how Pipefile makes document collection simpler and safer.
How well does your current document collection process work? If you use email or shared folder solutions like Dropbox or Google Drive, you could be wasting precious time and even losing clients.
The good news? There’s a better way to collect client documents — and that solution is Pipefile.
Below, we’ll explore the top challenges of using email or shared folder solutions; then we’ll share how Pipefile can streamline your workflow and give you more time to spend on what matters.
Looking for a better way to collect documents from your clients? Pipefile streamlines your document collection process to keep your business moving forward. Get started with a free account.
Collecting Documents Over Email
One of the most common tools used to request documents from clients is email. It is convenient and widely adopted, with more than 4 billion email users worldwide.
Despite the ubiquitous nature of email, it isn’t the most secure or efficient method for collecting documents. Here’s why.
Insecure by Design
Email may be fine for sending meeting invites and sharing work presentations, but it’s simply not designed for gathering sensitive data. In fact, just 35% of email servers are configured for secure TLS connections.
Email protocols are designed for deliverability, not security. Messages sent to an improperly configured email server may downgrade encryption to cleartext to ensure they reach their destination — leaving your client’s sensitive data at risk.
Many people are aware of these security issues and may be reluctant to share documents like tax forms or pay stubs through email, and rightfully so.
Lack of Organization
How many emails do you have in your inbox right now? There is a good chance you have dozens, if not hundreds of emails awaiting a response. Email can be missed, wind up in spam folders, or simply be forgotten.
Additionally, clients often respond in multiple email threads. That leaves you wondering — where did this document go? Did they send over the revised document you requested?
Worse, if you ask for a document that your client already sent (but you can’t find), you risk breaking their trust. How can they rely on you to manage their legal, financial, or otherwise personal affairs if you can’t keep track of their sensitive data?
No Reminders or Tracking
Email document management also lacks reminders and tracking features. This makes it harder to track which documents have been received, which ones need to be reuploaded, or notify clients their documents are approved.
Using Shared Folders
Another common document collection solution is using shared folders through platforms like Dropbox or Google Drive. This is more secure for uploading documents compared to email, as cloud storage providers typically use TLS and SSL to secure transmission. However, there are cons to this solution, including:
Users Must Create an Account
Most document sharing platforms require creating an account, which causes friction in the user experience. Clients may not want to take the time to create an account and verify their email just to upload documents.
While it is a small step, it’s another roadblock you don’t need when collecting client files.
Difficult to Configure
Shared folder programs require creating a new destination folder for each client. While this might only take 10 or 15 minutes to set up per client, that time adds up — especially if you work with multiple clients a week.
Once folders are set up, you must notify clients the folders have been created, send links and instructions on how to upload documents, and send reminders. All of that has to be done manually — eating up more of your valuable time.
In addition to being time-consuming, this method is ripe for mistakes. For example, you might forget to remind clients to upload a critical document or send the same reminder twice.
No Document Review Mechanism
Dropbox and Google Drive are well-known and convenient, but they essentially serve as digital file cabinets to store documents. They don’t know what files you need, so they can’t tell you what is missing. They also lacks automatic reminders and built-in instructions.
For example, in Pipefile, if a customer uploads the incorrect document, you can easily notify them of the mistake, tell them what’s wrong (for example, if an image is blurry or incorrect), and send a reminder to upload the correct document in just a few clicks. With shared folder solutions, that would be done manually.
Collecting Documents With Pipefile
Pipefile is a complete document collection solution. We don’t just gather and store documents, we keep them secure and help you stay organized.
Here’s why your clients will love Pipefile:
- Easy to use: No account necessary, clients just click the link from their inbox and upload their documents.
- Mobile friendly: Clients can snap photos and upload documents right from their phone, making it vastly more convenient, leading to quicker response times.
- Secure by design: Secure TLS transmission on every page and configurable end-to-end PGP encryption.
- Single source of information: Unlike email, which can quickly get confusing with several email threads asking for the same information, Pipefile stores all requests and documents in one, secure location, all while providing your clients an up-to-date checklist.
- Automated notifications and reminders: Clients are automatically notified when documents are requested, rejected, or approved. Messages can be customized and sent via email or text.
Pipefile isn’t just easy for your clients to use — it also makes your life easier. Let’s look at the top Pipefile features, and you’ll see how we can streamline your workflow and improve the document collection process.
Streamlined Document Organization
Pipefile makes keeping documents organized easy with customizable folders for each client. No more chasing down documents stored in multiple folders or digging through your email to find necessary documents.
Customized, Automated Notifications
Stop chasing client documents. With Pipefile, clients are automatically notified when you request documents, when documents are missing, and when incorrect submissions must be resubmitted.
Notifications are completely customizable and can be sent via email or SMS. Choose to remind clients as often as you like — one day, two days, or even a week later. Messages can also be customized to reflect your personality or brand tone.
Document Request Templates
Our templating feature allows you to easily create repeatable business processes in just a few clicks. For example, a rental company might ask every applicant for a driver’s license, proof of employment, and references. Rather than constructing a “new application” request every time, you can create a template and save your request list and notification settings to be easily reused again in the future.
Next time you have a new applicant you can grab your template, add customized details, and send out the document request.
Export Documents Easily
Once you’ve collected and reviewed your required documents, you can easily export them directly into your Box, Dropbox, or Google Drive accounts. We’ll help keep your client folders organized and up-to-date. The result? You spend less time collecting documents and more time growing your business.
Pipefile is a secure, easy-to-use document collection tool. Sign up for your free account and see how easy data collection can be.