Set Up Your New AdvicePay Account in 6 Simple Steps
All of the features available below are available on our Professional plan. While users on the Essential plan will not have all of the options described, however, you can still use it to get up and running quickly! More information on our plans can be found here.
In This Article:
Welcome to AdvicePay! We're glad to have you!
We have so many great features and customizations available within your AdvicePay account! We're here to help get you up and running the quickest, smartest way possible. By using the guide below it's possible to start issuing billing to clients within an afternoon.
To start, we highly recommend checking out our AdvicePay Demo Center -- if you haven't already. This has a few videos on the main features and is an excellent way to get familiar with the app!
As you complete the following steps, you'll be guided through our most helpful Advisor Knowledge Base tutorials for new users. These can be found anytime right from the app by clicking on the "beacon" as shown below and using a keyword to search:
You can also access the knowledgebase from the dropdown arrow top right to search articles:
Step One: Configure your Firm and Account Settings
The first place to begin personalizing your AdvicePay account is by adjusting your settings. To get started, head over to Firm Settings. Each tab has specific settings.
Here we've highlighted the most popular areas to be customized before issuing invoices to clients:
- Uploading a Custom Logo
- Adding Additional Info to Invoices (e.g. a company address or phone number)
- Adding a Custom Disclosure
- Invoice Date Ranges: In Advance or In Arrears
- Fee Calculation on Invoices (for help on creating a fee calculator, check out Using the Fee Calculator)
- Description of Services
Next, head to Account Settings:
Under Invoice, we recommend reviewing the following to allow those types you want clients to be able to use on payment requests. This is set here to show the options in the payment workflow where they can then be set per invoice/subscription if needed:
Step Two: Review and Adjust Email Notifications
AdvicePay has a variety of email notifications available for both clients and advisors!
Visit Firm Settings > Emails & Notifications to add a legal disclosure to emails or a BCC recipient for all emails sent across your firm account:
When you're ready, we recommend jumping on over to Account Settings > Emails & Notifications to look at our system notification emails:
📍 Click here for a demo on managing the above settings.
Step Three: Add Admins (and Advisors if needed)
On our Professional Plan, you can add unlimited Administrative users at no extra cost! Each additional Advisor with login permissions will cost $50/month and show this in a banner when added.
To get help with billing and bookkeeping, you'll want to add Admin and/or Analyst users to your account. Head to the left sidebar to Accounts>Admin> Add Admin:
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- Admin (Home Office under the Account Owner) can add/delete and edit any Admin/Analyst for an Advisor if needed in the firm. Admin can also view and export reports, but cannot see firm settings, view billing bank information, change the company name, and/or delete the account.
- A Home Office Analyst user can only view activity on the account (e.g. clients, invoices, and transfers), as well as export transaction reports. They cannot view the billing bank information or make any changes.
- An Advisor Admin canonly can add/delete or edit any Admin/Analyst for their Advisor specifically (only if the firm allows Advisors to add Admins). They cannot view, add/delete, or edit any Admin (Home Office).
- An Advisor Analyst can only view Admin/Analyst for their Advisor specifically. They cannot view, add/delete or edit any other Admin/Analyst or Admin (Home Office).
Read here for more detail: Adding Administrative Users to Your Account
If you need to add other Advisors as well, begin by navigating to Advisors > Invite New Advisor:
Tip: Here's how to invite Advisors, as well as a breakdown of all our Advisor permission types.
Step Four: Add eSignatures
We have two options available to ensure you get all your documents signed in a compliant workflow that's streamlined for you and painless for clients.
Our built-in DropBox sign integration option is included in your Professional plan at no extra cost, but you can also link us to your existing DocuSign account (paid separately) if you prefer to use that integration.
To enable either option, navigate to Firm Settings > eSignature and click Enable eSignature.
Want to use Dropbox Sign? Check out this article.
Want to use DocuSign? Check out this article.
Alternatively, if you're not quite ready to implement eSignatures right now, you can skip this part and incorporate it later!
Step Five: Introduce your Clients to AdvicePay
When introducing new technology to clients, we allow you to send an email invitation, or just a payment request when ready.
If needed, we've provided a sample email here that you can use to introduce us to your client! Feel free to use it as-is, or simply take bits and pieces to incorporate into your firm's existing messaging.
Many advisors like to send clients the following one-pagers as well (clicking on the links below will initiate a PDF download):
Finally, we recommend letting clients know they can always reference our client-facing Knowledge Base to get help for common "how-to" questions or contact our team at support@advicepay.com.
Step Six: Add Clients and Start Billing! 💵
Tip: Once all of the customizations in your account are completed, one of the best ways to become familiar with AdvicePay is to set up a test client account. With this test client, you can experiment with requesting a payment, go through the steps of paying an invoice yourself, and even experience how payouts work along with any refunds.
To get started, we generally recommend that you do the following together when you're ready:
To add a new client and request payment in a single workflow, we've got you covered! Start by going straight to Invoices or Subscriptions in your sidebar and click Request Payment.
Select the + Add New Client link in the Client drop-down to add your new client, then proceed to finish the payment request.
If you want to add upfront payments to your subscription requests for increased efficiency, check out how to bundle a subscription and one-time invoice!
Need to reach us?
We know it can sometimes be intimidating to implement new technology into your business, but we're happy to help at AdvicePay! Our knowledgeable customer support team is standing by to help with all of your questions so you can focus on more important things like growing your business.
Please note, our customer support team at AdvicePay takes place over email. We offer speedy help Monday through Friday between 9 am and 5 pm MT, working diligently to reply to everyone -- including your clients -- within 60 minutes or less. In most cases, you'll hear back from us much sooner!
Getting in touch with us is simple: you can always reach us at support@advicepay.com or in the app. Just click the beacon in the bottom right-hand corner and search keywords to find an answer or click Ask to send over your question.
