What is bandwidth?

Bandwidth is a measure of the total data transfer activity on an account.  Every time a file is uploaded or downloaded using your ShareFile account, bandwidth is used. Bandwidth is recorded on your account for any downloads (including downloads canceled part of the way through) and for any uploads that fully complete.

Can I get my logo put on my ShareFile portal?

Yes. Your ShareFile account can be branded to match the look and feel of your company’s logo and colors. Our graphics team brands most accounts that enter a website address during sign up within one business day, but you also have the ability within your account to alter the branding.

What’s the biggest file I can upload?

10GB

How do I request that someone send files to me?

You can use the Request a File link in the navigation bar. This will look very similar to setting up an email. By default, files uploaded through a Request will be uploaded to your File Box. However, if you would prefer to have files uploaded using the links sent to a created folder on your account, you can simply change the upload location on the request form.

How do I change my email notifications?

You can change how frequently you receive email notifications by clicking My Settings on the navigation bar. You can choose to receive notifications in real-time, every 15 minutes, every hour, twice a day or once a day. This is available to all users with access to the My Settings link.

As always, please feel free to contact your dedicated Account Manager if you have further questions. You can easily find your Account Manager’s name and direct contact information from the Help tab within your ShareFile account.

For easy access to your ShareFile account, go to the ShareFile login now.

Dynamic folder templates can be found through the “Admin” link in the top navigation bar of a firm’s account. By selecting this option, you are able to create a template for new folders and subfolders. When creating a new folder in the system, you are able to select this template and use it as the basis for this new client’s folder. You can have an unlimited number of folder templates available for different types of clients depending on what your needs are.
Folder templates will need to be turned on by your Account Manager or a member of our Support team. To have this enabled, please contact your Account Manager directly or contact our Support team at support@sharefile.com.

Another example of our proactive approach to customer service is through our social media sites. We encourage our customers to follow us on Twitter and friend us on Facebook to receive the latest ShareFile news and stay up-to-date on current happenings in the office. Recently, we noticed a potential customer inquiring about the ShareFile service and wanting to learn more. One of our Sales representatives contacted the firm immediately to learn more about its needs and to see how ShareFile could help make the day-to-day workflow easier for the firm. After a phone conversation, they signed up for a free trial and are currently trying out the service for 30 days.

Interested in checking out a FREE 30-day trial? It’s easy! Click here or contact one of our representatives at 1-800-441-3453.

Account Services representatives conduct daily training webinars and also one-on-one sessions for customers. The team has the opportunity to work with new our accounts and learn the reasons our customers chose ShareFile as a solution for their business. I recently asked two Account Services representatives, Alex Hofford and Amanda Rogers, about the features and benefits of a ShareFile account that are most helpful to people who are just getting started or looking to learn more. Below are some of the tips they shared.

What are the most common questions that you hear from new accounts?

Alex:
FAQ- One of the most common questions I get from clients is “What is my client going to be able to see when they log in?”

Answer- While the specific answer to this question will be different with each account, the fundamental answer lies within our Folder Access permissions. With these options, the account administrator can control not only which folders each client user can see in the system, but also any download/upload capability and email notifications. These options create a level of customization so that you and your clients can get the most appropriate use out of our system.

Amanda:
FAQ- “How is the transfer secure if we send out an email with a link to download a file? What if the email gets intercepted?”

Answer- I often get asked this question, especially when going over the ‘Require user to login’ option within ‘Send a File’. I point out that if the user isn’t already created as a user on the account, the system will assign them a password. I get a lot of concern over the password coming out in the same email as the link to the file. There are measures that the administrator(s) can put into place within their account to add additional security. Our first recommendation is to create the person as user in the system and then grant them access to a folder in the account that has the material you would be sending to them. If the user is created in this way, then they will be required to log-in each time before they can access the folder. They will be sent a temporary system-generated password in an initial email and will be prompted to change that password as soon as they log-in the first time. Email notifications can be turned on, so that notification will be provided as soon as new files have been uploaded to the folder.

I’ve also helped accounts with their email templates so that a new user’s password won’t go out in an email. Some accounts even change the passwords for all users to the last four digits of their SSN (for those in Accounting and Financial industries) and then only say in the welcome email that their password is the last four digits of their SSN. I also refer those who ask these questions to the Reporting feature in their account and let them know that they can trace downloads to an IP address and location to determine who is doing the downloading/uploading of a file.

What are the most popular features with your accounts?

Alex: Across all of our accounts, we provide access to the Desktop Widget tool in order to provide easy access to the ShareFile account without having to utilize an internet browser. The Widget allows the user to see the folders and files they have access to in the ShareFile account, while providing a way to upload documents, send files, and create new folders/subfolders.

Many people tell me they like the Widget because of the ability to Drag-and-Drop files in and out of the Widget window. This is a very easy way to move a large number of folders and/or files at once from outside the client portal.

Amanda: The Outlook Plug-in—everyone loves how easy it is to use!

The Reporting page and tracking features are also very popular. All of the users on an account may not be in close proximity with each other. Our notifications, combined with the Activity Log available in each folder, help the Administrator know if their colleagues and clients are getting their work done. Many administrators like being able to check to see how many files have been downloaded and to know right away when that happens. They also like knowing that if there is ever a question about meeting a deadline, they can use the Reporting features to get a time stamp of their work.

What are the best ways to get help when you’re getting started with a new account?

Alex: The Help link in the top right corner of the ShareFile portal menu provides a variety of options to get our clients the help they need as quickly as possible. This page contains a search field for our Knowledge Base (a collection of articles detailing various aspects of our service), a link to chat live with our Support Team, and contact information for both the support team and your account manager. Using these tools, customers can get the answer they need in a variety of different ways.

Amanda: We broadcast a daily webinar, held during the week at 2PM EDT. Each account has a dedicated account manager, who serves as a point of contact for any questions that come up as you start using the service. Customers can also contact their account manager to schedule a free training session for themselves and their colleagues if the webinars are time conflicting or if they would like the ability to ask more questions during training.

Many thanks to Alex and Amanda for the expert advice on getting started with your ShareFile account! If you have any questions or would like any help getting started with your account, please feel free to contact us at support@sharefile.com.

If you don’t have an account yet and would be interested in learning more about our service, check out our 30-day free trial at ShareFile.

Another helpful tip: Our talented account managers provide FREE DAILY product demonstrations that allow attendees a way to get their most essential questions answered. These live webinars are offered Monday-Friday at 2pm EDT. You can register easily by simply going to our Knowledge Base and selecting the day that works best with your schedule.

We want to hear from you! Was this helpful? Let us know how we’re doing.

Just this past week, we made an upgrade to our http://www.sharefile.com/about/power-tools-desktop-widget.aspx, which is available to employees and clients in all ShareFile accounts. This Widget upgrade increases stability during downloads and gives more feedback when errors occur. The Widget will also retry downloads if there is a momentary loss in connectivity and will let the user know if they try to download a folder structure that is too deep.

We have also made some changes to our Microsoft Outlook Plug-In. The Outlook Plug-In is available to employees on Professional plans and above. This update includes a “convert attachments” button and support for creating links for our Virtual Data Room accounts. This version also adds the ability to choose a destination folder for “Request a File” links.

Finally, we are excited to announce the release of our new “sticky sort” functionality in ShareFile. By default, all files uploaded to ShareFile folders are ordered by creation date with most recent files appearing at the top of the folder. Thanks to suggestions by our customers, we have introduced the ability to set default sort preferences for the entire account or for individual folders. To set the default sort preferences for your account, you can visit the “Admin” link in the top navigation bar, then choose “Advanced Preferences” on the right hand side of the screen. Within each folder, you can also “Edit Folder Options” and then change the “Sort Order” option.
We are very excited about these upgrades to both our Desktop Tools and web application. All of these should allow for increased ease of use for ShareFile users and management of account by Administrators.

If there are any questions or suggestions on how we can better serve you, please do not hesitate to contact us or email suggestions@sharefile.com.

The Outlook Plug-In is an easy way for all your employees communicate directly with clients using their Outlook email. With the Outlook Plug-In, you can send files from your desktop, receive files and even send files that are already stored in your ShareFile account. For IT deployment, ShareFile also offers an MSI installation package to set preferences for all your employees who will be using the Plug-In.

With the Plug-In, you are able to set specific preferences for users requiring name and email, and even requiring login information if you choose. As with our web-based Send a File and Request a File features, your recipients do not need to be ShareFile users in order to access files and upload information.

Using ShareFile’s Outlook Plug-In, you will save yourself valuable time ensuring that your clients receive their important tax information in a secure manner. The Outlook Plug-In is available to Professional accounts and above and can be added to our Basic plans as part of our Power Tools package for an additional $9.95 per month. To download the Outlook Plug-In, please visit our knowledgebase or speak with your account manager.

ShareFile Sync allows you to sync up folders on your desktop with folder in your ShareFile account. Any files that you save into these folders will upload directly into your account without you having to first save them to your desktop. With ShareFile Sync, you can simply “Save As” or “Print To” directly from your DMS into the folders on your desktop and these files will become available to your clients the next time it syncs up, which is every 5 minutes.

Using ShareFile Sync is a quick solution that will make it easier for you to manage your workload and ensure that your clients receive their tax returns in a timely manner through their ShareFile folders. To download ShareFile Sync, you can visit the “My Settings” link in your account under “Desktop Tools” or contact your Account Manager today to walk through ShareFile Sync in more detail.

ShareFile’s Bulk Folder Upload option will create each client user in your account, assign them a password, create their folder and set their permissions for that folder. You will also be able to customize the notifications that are sent automatically to your users.

“The bulk folder upload to create the client directories was easy. I received an Excel spreadsheet with the basic info needed (last name, first name and email address). For us, this was easy to complete as we downloaded client data from internal software that we use. All directories were set up correctly and with no spelling errors (very impressive)…ShareFile sent out the emails to my clients with the user id and temporary password they would need to access their directory created by ShareFile” –Rose Tummarello, Tummarello & Associates, Inc.

Thanks to the easy setup, ShareFile’s Bulk Folder Upload will save you valuable time giving you a chance to focus more attention on your clients and their needs this season. For more information on our Bulk Folder Upload and to get your client portals set up immediately for this tax season, contact your Account Manager today!

Our existing line of robust tools features the ShareFile Desktop Widget. The Desktop Widget is one of my favorite power tools and one I use daily. The tool requires Adobe Air 2.0 and offers ShareFile users an easy way to upload, download, and delete files from an account without needing to launch a web browser. The tool offers drag-and-drop functionality making file movement simple. While users can email large files within the desktop application, user management, account administrator, and folder permissions need to be maintained and edited through the traditional web-based application. The ShareFile Desktop Widget is available of Windows and Macintosh computers.

Be sure to watch our ShareFile Desktop Widget training video by clicking here.

Download the ShareFile Desktop Widget here.

We also released a new version of the Desktop Widget that allows for easier uploads and downloads in addition to a new look, and the ShareFile service is also now compatible with iPhone, iPad, and Android use.

We feel that we are in good company. Google released an updated interface of their search engine and Gmail this spring, and Microsoft released Office 2010 only a few months ago. With Google, the improvements seem to be largely motivated by the need to keep up with competition; as search engines become smarter, user expectations have begun to evolve. Microsoft is focused on becoming a better fit for their users, as it allows for greater social communication tracking, increased consistency through the Office tools, and better compatibility.

At ShareFile, our updates have been driven primarily by customer requests- for a cleaner interface, for more intuitive file transfer methods, etc. – but we also try to stay ahead of the curve by anticipating future requests and laying the groundwork that will help us accommodate our client’s changing needs.

Here are just a few more of the recent highlights:

- ShareFile named a Company to Watch in North Carolina.
- ShareFile Desktop Widget updated to Adobe Air 2.0 with added features.
- ShareFile employees packed 10,000 meals for victims of the earthquake in Haiti
- We opened our fourth data center in Asia.
- ShareFile now offers Secure FTP to Business Customers.
- ShareFile Ranks No. 104 on the 2010 Inc. 500

If you are a new ShareFile user be sure to sign-up for one of our live training sessions here to learn how to get the most out of your ShareFile account.

If you would like a FREE 30-day trial to try out ShareFile click here.

ShareFile Training Tutorial Video

We also offer live training with a talented ShareFile Representative. Simply contact your account manager to learn more.