Account Setup

Change My Password?

You will want to reset your password upon your first login to your new account. To do this, simply click on the ‘Profile’ option from the menu at the top right of the screen and ‘Save Changes’.

You will have to assign a password to your Team Members and Clients when you add them to your account. It’s a good idea to have them reset their passwords when they login for the first time.

Add My Team Members?

From the user menu, click on the ‘People’, then the “Add user” button to the top right of the listing.

There are two key fields on the form, one is the ‘Role’ This determines what information the user may access.

• Administrator – can access any part of your company, including adjusting billing plans.
• Manager – can acess almost everything, with the exception of closing your account or adjusting the billing.
• User – have the ability to see all clients/projects/tasks, but may be restricted slightly by adjusting per-project permissions and cannot see others recorded time.
• “Basic” – role is the most restrictive, it only allows a person to enter time and expenses, and cannot view other screens.
• Client – may only view information pertaining to their client.

Make Sure My Manager Has Access to all Features of My Account?

When you add your Team Members, you can choose role that they will be using and this determines their access levels.

If your project manager is already added to your account, from the user menu (icon in the upper right corner) choose, people, then set their role to what you would like it to be.

If you have yet to add your project manager, follow the same steps as in the example above, taking care to give them the desired role when prompted.

How to add a Client or Subcontractor

There are two ways to do this.

1. You can dynamically add a client in the project screen when setting up a new client. This only adds the client and client name to the system. To do this, just type in the client name in the Client section of the project, if the Client does not exist it will pop up a ‘Create Client’ button, select that and the client is created.
2. If you would like to add more information to a client, set certain settings for a client you can do that through the Client menu option in the User Menu. Here you can add their address, set preferences for notifications, or set an hourly rate.

How can I allow a Client access to their projects?

• From the user menu, click on ‘People’
• Select the Client tab
• In the upper right hand corner click on ‘add user’
• Select the client this user is assigned to

How can I assign users to only one or a few clients?

• From the user menu, click on ‘People’
• Click on the User you want to limit (you must be a manager or Admin to do this)
• In the drop down box labeled ‘Assigned Clients’
• Choose which clients you would like to limit the user to
• Save your changes

Remove a Client or Subcontractor?

If you would like to delete someone from your account, go to the ‘People’ screen from the main menu.

• Click the ‘Edit’ icon next to the user’s name.
• In the window that appears, click on ‘Disabled’ checkbox to remove access for that user
• A disabled user can no longer login to the system, but their user record still exists so that past activity can still be linked to them.

Know that My Correspondence Is Secure?

Using 128-bit SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption, the same as used for online banking, we ensure secure communication between your browser and the MyClientSpot server. We encrypt your login attempts and billing information by default. If you have Clients in need of maximum security, you can force the use of SSL for each of your transactions, though this will slow things down slightly.

From the ‘Settings’ tab, you can choose to encrypt all communications rather than only login and billing information (paid accounts only).

Upgrade My Account?

At any time, you may upgrade or downgrade your account. To do this:

• Select the ‘Settings’ tab from the main menu. Here you will see your current account settings.
• Click the ‘Upgrade/Downgrade Your Plan’ link.
• You will be taken to a new screen that will give you a list of options to choose from. Select the plan you would like to change to.
• Click ‘Change Plan’.

Change My Billing Information?

If you need to update your credit card information:

• Select the ‘Settings’ tab from the main menu.
• Click the ‘Update Your Billing Information’ link.
• Update your information.
• Click ‘Save’.

Cancel My Account?

Keep in mind that when you cancel your account, all of the projects/tasks/time you have entered, files you’ve uploaded, etc. will be gone forever. We strongly suggest you consider downgrading your plan instead. Doing so will retain all your information even if it’s over the choosen plan’s limits.

To cancel your account:

• Select the ‘Settings’ tab from the main menu.
• Click the ‘Upgrade/Downgrade Your Plan’ link.
• At the bottom of the screen, you will see a heading that says ‘Need to cancel your account?’ Read through that information, and if you really (really) want to cancel, click on ‘Cancel my account’.

Your account information will then be removed from our servers and cannot be restored.

Projects, Tasks, Files and Comments

Add a Project?

MyClientSpot is organized by Project. To add Tasks related to a Client, you must first enter a Project for that Client, and then add the related Tasks.

From the ‘Project’ tab:

• Click ‘Add Project’ on the right hand side.
• Choose which Client this Project is for from the dropdown box.
• Name the Project.
• Select who will be responsible for the completion of the Project. Be careful to assign this to the people you want to receive notification of the Project. If you only assign it to yourself, there will be no way for your Subcontractor to know you’ve added it as a Project for them to complete!
• Choose a Target Date or deadline for the Project.
• Enter any pertinent notes to provide more detail for the person responsible for the Project.
• ‘Save Project’.

Limit Project Access to Specific People?

While viewing a specific project as an administrator:

• By default all users in your company can view a project.
  • This can be adjusted in the ‘Account Settings’ area of the settings. There you can choose to either allow everyone in the company or only Administrators and responsible users.
  • If ‘Only Administrators and responsible users’ is choosen in Settings, then the Responsible Users on a project controls access as well.
• You can also restrict a project to only listed users.
  • Visit a project and click ‘Access’ button at the top right of the screen.
  • Select which Team Members you would like to have access to this project.
  • ‘Save Permissions’.

Add a Task?

You may now add ‘Tasks’ to be associated with this Project.

• Click ‘Add Task’ under ‘Tasks’ within your Project.
• Give the Task a concise name.
• Select the person that will be responsible for the Task. The person it’s assigned to will receive email notification of a new Task.
• Select a Target Date.
• Enter notes to provide further detail.
• If you want this task to be private and would rather your Client not see it, click the box to ‘Make this Task Private’.  Private tasks can only be seen by other people in your company.
• ‘Save Task’.

You can also add tasks by email using the project dropbox feature. Account administrators can get the dropbox address by clicking Edit from a project screen - the dropbox will appear at the bottom of the form. To add a task, send an email with ‘@task’ as the first part of the subject line, followed by the task name. The message of the email can contain any notes on the task. Finally, to assign a task by email, add the email of a valid project user as the To: or Cc: of the email (default is to assign the task to yourself). NOTE: To send tasks by email, you must send the email from the same address as your MyClientSpot user name.

Upload Files to a Project?

Now you are ready to add any relevant files to a Project.

• Click on the desired Project.
• Click ‘Upload File’.
• Click on ‘Browse’ to select the file from your computer you want to upload.
• Click ‘Upload File’ to send it to the system (maximum size is about 45Mb).
• Your file can be shared by anyone with access to this particular Project.

Add a Document to a Project?

You can add online text documents to a Project that can be edited right in the software.

From the Project screen under the Files area, click the “Add Document” link.  This will show a screen where you can set the document title, and enter document text using a simple editor that has basic formatting options.

Each time you or another team member modifies the document, a new version is created, and you can view all previous versions using the links to the right of the view.

You can also download the document as HTML (can be edited in MS Word as well).

Add a Comment to a Project?

You may add Comments as to the status to the Project or anything else related to it. Remember this can take the place of countless ‘back-and-forth’ emails, so go ahead and make detailed Comments.

You can also add or reply to comments by email. To reply to comments directly from email just “Reply” to a comment notification message. To add a new comment, you’ll need to use the project dropbox feature. Account administrators can get the dropbox address by clicking Edit from a project screen - the dropbox will appear at the bottom of the form. To add a new comment, just send an email to the dropbox with a subject and message. MyClientSpot can read plain text emails only (make sure your email client can send text emails, or a combination of text and html). NOTE: To send comments by email, you must send the email from the same address as your MyClientSpot user name.

To add a Comment:

• Click ‘Add Comment’.
• Give the Comment a subject name.
• Add your Comment.
• If you would like the Comment to be private, among team members, click the ‘Make this Comment Private’ button.
• Click ‘Add Comment’.

When a Comment is made on a Project by the Client or Team Members, the person ‘responsible’ for the Project receives that Comment via email. Anyone who replies to a comment is also added to the notification list for that comment. You can also select a list of people to notify for that comment initially by clicking the “Notify additional people” checkbox when adding a comment.

Tell at a Glance Which Tasks Are Outstanding?

When you click on the ‘Overview’ tab on the main menu, you will see the calendar’s events for the current week.

Beneath the calendar, you will see a list of all Tasks with their due dates. When your Client or Subcontractor views their ‘Overview’, they will see items associated with their Projects. As the administrator on the account, you see everything.

See Recent Comments across Projects?

When you click on the ‘Overview’ tab on the main menu, you will see Recent Comments (comments added in the last 7 days, limited to 20 shown).  You can click the comment link to jump to the full text of the comment, with the opportunity to reply.

Mark a Project as Completed?

To mark a Project as completed, from the ‘Projects’ screen:

• Select your Project.
• Click the ‘Mark Completed’ button on the right hand side of the screen.
• Once marked ‘completed’, the Project will still appear on your Project list, but it will have a strikethrough across it.
• You can Reopen a project later if you need to do additional work on it

Edit or Delete a Task?

If you need to update notes for a Task, or change its title, from the ‘Projects’ screen, select the Project that houses the Task you want to edit.

Next to each Task, you will see a ‘Time’ icon, ‘Edit’ icon, and ‘Delete’ icon.

• Click the ‘Edit’ icon.
• Here you can change the title of the Task, the person responsible for the Task, the due date for the Task, or the notes for the Task. Change what you need to.
• Click ‘Save Changes’.

Edit or Delete a Project?

If, for some reason, you must change a Project’s details, or delete it, take the following steps:

• Select the ‘Projects’ tab from the main menu.
• Select the Project you want to edit.
• Beside ‘Project information’ you will see an ‘Edit Project’ link. Click that link.
• Now you can change the Project title, the person responsible for the Project, the due date for the Project or the notes associated with it.
• Make your desired edits.
• Click ‘Save Changes’.

To delete your Project:

• Select the Project you wish to delete from the ‘Projects’ screen.
• Click the ‘Delete Project’ link on the right side of the screen.

Duplicate a Project or Create a Project from a Template?

You can use any existing project as a “template” to create a new project, complete with tasks. To duplicate a Project:

• Select the existing Project (from the Projects list).
• Click the ‘Duplicate this Project’ link on the right hand side of the screen.
• Fill out the project information just as you would for creating a new project (name, target date, notes, person responsible, etc.).
• Click Create to save the new project, which will now have a copy of all tasks from the original project without the dates or assignments set.

Remove or Archive a Project when It’s Completed?

Since each account has a preset number of Projects, it’s important to keep everything tidied up. When a Project has been archived, it no longer counts as an active Project, which means it doesn’t count towards your account limit.

To archive a Project, from the ‘Projects’ screen:

• Select your Project.
• Click the ‘Archive Project’ button on the right hand side of the screen.
• Once marked ‘archived’, the Project will no longer appear on your Project list, and cannot be modified.

To make the Project active again:

• From the Projects list, filter by status “Archived”
• Click on the Project.
• Select ‘Reopen Project’ from the right side of the screen.
• The Project will now be open again, and you may add additional Tasks, etc.

You may also delete Projects that are in progress, completed, or archived. Simply:

• Click on the Project.
• Click on the ‘Delete Project’ link on the right side of the screen.
• You will be given a warning before removing this Project for the rest of eternity. You will have to click on a large button that says ‘Delete Project’ before it actually disappears.

Download Project and Task Information to Excel?

From the main Project list, click the View Task List link to show all tasks across projects.  From here (as an account administrator) you can now filter the tasks by client and status (active or completed).   You can download the filtered list as an Excel file (tab delimited) for backup purposes or to share the task list with someone not using MyClientSpot.

Time Tracking

Keep Track of Time Spent on a Task or Project?

This step couldn’t be easier. You will notice on the top right of your screen, there is a ‘Task Timer’ button.

• Click on that ‘Task Timer’ button.
• A small window will pop up that displays a list of all active Tasks you have in your account.
• Select the Task you want to work on.
• Click the large ‘Start Working’ button at the top of that window. When the timer starts, that button displays the words ‘Stop Working’. When you click that, the timer pauses, so you can take a break or have a snack. You can also very easily switch to another Task by selecting something different from the list. It has never been so easy to switch between Clients with time tracking software!
• Any time you’re logged on, that particular Task will now show up where that Task is displayed.

At any time, click the ‘Time’ tab from the main menu to see how much time you have spent per Client, per selected date range.

Know How Much Time Has Been Spent on Each Client by My Team Members?

You can view your time tracking report from the ‘Time’ screen on the main menu. You can choose whether you want to see a detailed report or a summary. You may view time spent in total for a certain date range, or you can select a particular Client to see how much time has been spent by your Team Members for that person. You can also select one of your Team Members to view a report on the time they’ve spent on different Tasks for different Clients.

Whichever report you select, you can easily export to Excel or QuickBooks for accounting purposes. All you do is click on the preferred link at the top of the report: ‘Export to Excel` or ‘Export to QuickBooks format’.

Keep Track of Retainer Hours Remaining for My Clients?

If you have retainer clients, you can enter this information in the Edit Client screen, including the number of hours available, and start and expiration dates.

To see remaining retainer hours, select the Client Summary report, available from the ‘Time’ tab (for account administrators only).  This report shows a summary of your clients, the total hours worked, and retainer hours remaining for each.

Once a client’s retainer hours have expired or are used, you can update the information in the Edit Client screen to indicate a new retainer arrangement.

View a Detailed Log of when the Time Tracking Feature Was Used for a Task?

If you would like more than a summarized time log, that information is available.

• From the ‘Projects’ screen, select the Project the Task is associated with.
• Click the ‘Time’ icon for the Task.
• A dialogue box will appear. At the top of that box, click the link that says ‘Show time log’.

Edit the Time I’ve Spent on a Project?

Sometimes we forget to start or stop our timer. Unfortunately, we’re all only human. If you do realize you’ve left your timer on in between Clients, or forgot to start your timer, from the ‘Task Timer’ window:

• Click the ‘Edit hours’ link next to the ‘Start Working’ button.
• Change the time as required.
• Click ‘Update hours’.

Or, to edit individual time entries, you can click the “Time” link for a task from the main project edit screen, then click “View/edit time entries”.  From here you can edit the hours and description of specific time entries or remove them by entering 0 for the hours.  You can also edit hours from the main Time Tracking report screen by clicking the “Show detailed tracking” checkbox.

Account administrators can edit all time entries, and other users can edit only their own time entries.

Integrate My Time Tracking with My Accounting software?

This feature is available, if you use QuickBooks.

QuickBooks supports a Timer format (and a little program called the QuickBooks Timer). MyClientSpot can export it’s time log information into this format, which can then be imported into QuickBooks using the QuickBooks Import Timer Activity feature. For further information, consult your QuickBooks manual.

Expense Tracking

Keep Track of expenses on a Task or Project?

• Click on the ‘Expenses’ tab.
• Click add expense
• You can filter the listing by adjusting the fields at the top of the report.

Attach a file such as a picture of a receipt to an expense

• When adding or editing an expense, there’s an “Upload File” area at the bottom left corner of the modal. Clicking it will open a file chooser that allows uploading. Images will have a small preview shown, and other file types may be downloaded by clicking on them.

Know How Much Been Spent on Each Project by My Team Members?

The “Expenses” panel in a project displays a total amount at the bottom. It can also be filtered by user to display only a given users total.

Reminders, Notifications and Calendars

Make Sure I Receive Notifications about Tasks, Comments and Projects?

You will be notified via email (by default) of any Tasks, Comments or files added to Projects you are responsible for.

Notifications can be further customized for your company, and for each client company in your account.  To customize notifications:

• Edit the company you want to configure by selecting the ‘People’ tab from the main menu
• Under the Email Notification Setting area, you can check or uncheck notification options for when to send a notification (for project adds/updates, task add/updates, comment adds, and file adds).
• You can also choose who to notify – by default notifications only go to the person responsible for a task (and only when a different user makes the change).
• If you want to always receive notifications (as an administrator), you can choose the “Always notify administrators” option.
• If you want everyone with access to a project to receive the specified notifications, you can select that option as well.

Disable Notifications about Tasks, Comments and Projects?

To disable notifications globally (for all clients as well as your company):

• Select the ‘Settings’ tab from the main menu.
• Under ‘Notification of changes’ select ‘Disabled’ from the dropdown box.
• Click ‘Update’.

To disable notifications just for a particular client company:

• Select the ‘People’ tab from the main menu.
• Edit the company you want to disable notification for
• Under ‘Email Notification Settings’, you can uncheck all boxes under “Who to notify” – this will suppress notifications for all people associated with the client.

Receive Reminders for Tasks or Projects Coming Due Soon?

You can configure your own company as well as your client’s to receive email reminders within 2 days of a task or project due date.  Reminders will be sent based on the same preferences you set for general email notifications, such as sending to only the person responsible, or notifying everyone with project access.

To enable reminders for a specific company (yours or your clients):

• Select the ‘People’ tab from the main menu.
• Edit the company you want to enable reminders for
• Under ‘When to Send Notifications’ select ‘Reminders’ for projects, tasks or both.
• Click ‘Update’.

Add Events to My Calendar that Are Not Associated with a Project?

You will notice all Tasks and pertinent Project dates are automatically displayed on your MyClientSpot calendar. If you would like to keep your Subcontractors informed of outside meetings and goings on, it’s quite simple.

• Click the ‘Calendar’ tab on the main menu.
• Click the ‘Add Event’ button on the right side of the screen.
• Select the appropriate Client from the dropdown box or your own company, if it’s an internal event.
• Give the event title, and select the appropriate date.
• Click ‘Add Event’.

The items on your calendar are color coded so you can quickly identify what is a Project deadline (pink), what is a Task (yellow) and what is a General Event (blue).

Sync My Calendar with Google Calendar or Outlook?

You can subscribe to your MyClientSpot account from Outlook 2007, Google Calendar, Mac iCal, or other software that supports access to web calendars using the iCalendar protocol.

MyClientSpot creates a private calendar link for each user that you can use to see your project and task deadlines. Currently calendar entries from the current month and dates in the future are published.

To subscribe from Outlook 2007, go to the Calendar view and click the “Subscribe to Calendar” link on the right side of the screen (Note: this only appears for Basic plans and higher).   You can also right-click the link and choose “Copy link location”, then paste the link into the software you are using.

Forms

What are Forms?

Forms are a collection of input fields that can be embedded in your website. When they are submitted, the results are emailed to you.

They’re a great way to automate information gathering from your clients. You can make them to request new tasks, or to field general customer inquiries.

Create a Form?

You can create a form by clicking “Forms” from the menu drop down at the top right of your screen once logged in. This will take you to the forms listing page, which will be empty initially.

Create a form by clicking the + icon at the top right, and then:

• Add at least a name and email address
• Drag and drop a few fields onto the form builder
• Click “Preview Form” button to verify the form looks the way you want it to
• Save the form by clicking the “Save” button at the top right

Embed a Form?

Once a form has been created, you can embed it in your website to make it easy for your customers to access.

To embed a form, click the “View Embed Code” button after saving a form. Copy the HTML code inside the text box and paste it into your website source. Each website will have a different method of doing this, and if you need further assistance with this step we’re happy to help.

Miscellaneous

Get Help for Problems not Addressed in this Document?

If you have a question that was not answered here, send us an email at info@myclientspot.com. You can email us any questions, feature requests, or feedback on how we’re doing.