Webinar and Q&A: TaxDome Q4 product roundup

We recently hosted a live webinar covering five game-changing TaxDome product updates that will be available to you all soon. More than 2,000 people joined co-founder and Chief Product Officer Ilya Radzinsky — thanks to everyone who took the time to make the event such a success. 

If you weren’t able to attend, fear not — you can watch a full recording of the webinar below. To answer some of the questions you may have, we’ve also transcribed the Q&A session. 

Here’s a brief overview of what we discussed: 

• Two-way SMS communication
• Proposals and engagement letters
• TaxDome Marketplace
• Reporting (AI-powered analytics platform)
• New mobile app for firms

Want to learn more about these exciting TaxDome features? Schedule a demo with our implementation team:

Q&A transcript

Here’s the Q&A transcript from the webinar. We’ve grouped the questions and answers into the following categories to make it easier for you to navigate:

• SMS communication
• Proposals and ELs  
• TaxDome Marketplace 
• Reporting and AI
• Firm and client mobile apps
• Billing and payments
• Everything else

SMS communication

Do clients have to download an app to reply to SMS messages sent from TaxDome?

No, clients can reply and initiate conversations just like they’d normally do using their cell phones.

Can you send SMS messages using automations?

While the initial release won’t include SMS automation, we plan to include this in one of the future releases.

With bulk SMS messages, can you confirm that clients will only see their own messages?

Yes, each client will receive their own unique SMS message. If they reply, that message thread will be visible only to them and you, not to other clients. You can use shortcodes to personalize bulk messages. 

Is SMS different from how we currently communicate with clients through TaxDome? 

Yes, SMS communication allows you to reach your clients where they are — on their phones — in a way that’s highly familiar to them. And all without your clients having to log into their client portal. Together with secure chats and synced emails, you now have access to the three most popular communications channels in one place. 

Will clients need to opt into SMS communication?

Your clients don’t need to do anything to be able to receive SMS messages from your firm. When they register in TaxDome and accept the terms and conditions, they agree to receiving SMS messages from you. 

Will we be able to send SMS messages using Tags?

Yes. You can filter your client list — for example, by Tags — and then send a bulk SMS to the resulting contacts.

Will there be an option to disable SMS messaging if we don’t want to use it in our firm?

Yes, of course. SMS communication is fully optional — you opt in if you want to use it. Once it’s set up, you can choose to disable it again at any time.

Does SMS communication support MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)?

As most firms will be using SMS to send reminders, SMS will be the core system used and MMS will not be supported in the first release. Given PII concerns, we recommend utilizing secure chats or other secure tools within TaxDome to exchange documents and other PII. 

Do we need to know the cell phone provider of each client?

All you need to know is the client’s phone number to send an SMS. You don’t need to know the operator. 

Will we need a separate phone number for SMS? I still have one from my old software.

As part of the registration process, you will be provided with a new phone number for SMS messaging. You can’t reuse an old phone number. 

SMS messages are sometimes associated with security issues. Is there anything we need to be aware of when using SMS in TaxDome?

SMS is a great way to send a reminder, a short message or a call to action — text messages have significantly higher open rates than traditional email. That said, it’s not ideal for sending documents or other sensitive information. For this, we recommend utilizing the secure chat feature in TaxDome. As a reminder, you can send unlimited chats.

Will there be a “Communications” tab on the left-hand side to properly navigate bulk messages?

Yes, our team is working on redesigning the platform and creating more global sections that will make navigating TaxDome even easier. The new design is planned for early next year. 

Does SMS communication support phone numbers from all of the 25+ countries where TaxDome is used?

The first iteration of SMS communication will be available only for firms in the US and Canada. We’ll add more options for the other countries in future releases.

Here in the US, we’ve had to start setting up “campaigns” and have detailed plans of how we plan to use SMS for business purposes. Is that going to be required for using SMS in TaxDome?

When you set up SMS communication in TaxDome, you will be asked to provide all necessary information for campaign registration. This info will be verified by Twilio.

When will SMS messaging be released? Does a client have to be registered with TaxDome to receive SMS messages?

We plan to release this new feature in late December. SMS messages go straight to a contact’s phone number — they don’t have to be using TaxDome to receive the text. To send a client a message, however, you must add them as a contact in an account in TaxDome. 

If we send an SMS and a client does not want to receive any more in the future, are we able to have an opt-out option? 

This option isn’t part of the initial release, but if there’s enough demand for it, we’ll definitely look into it.

Will SMS history be stored?

Absolutely! You’ll find your SMS history under the “Communication” tab in a client’s profile.

Will SMS messages show up in our normal messages on our phones or in the TaxDome portal?

They will show up in your TaxDome portal under the Communication tab for a specific client account. You will also get notifications in TaxDome when you receive new SMS messages from your clients.

Can clients send us SMS messages without us initiating the conversation?

Yes, once you provide them with the phone number, they can send you SMS messages.

Once a phone number is selected, will Twilio use the same number every time it texts the client?

Yes, that’s right.

Will there be an additional fee for SMS messaging?

Yes. There will be a fee paid to Twilio for brand registration and verification, along with the phone number. Separately, SMS will be billed on a usage basis, similar to KBA.

I don’t have my clients’ phone numbers in TaxDome. Is there an easy way to add them all at once, or do I need to add each phone number individually?

Please see this article on how to bulk update existing contacts: CRM (Advanced).

If I decide not to use SMS messaging, will the client see the function as there but not available? Or will it just not be there at all?

The client won’t see it if it’s not enabled. This feature is only on the firm side. There is nothing added to the client portal. 

Proposals and Engagement Letters (ELs)

Does TaxDome integrate with Ignition for proposals?

TaxDome replaces Practice Ignition with built-in proposals, at no extra fee.

Can Proposals & ELs be added as automations in workflows?

Yes, they can be added as automations. Proposals and ELs fully replace the Contract feature we had before — with much broader functionality.

Will Proposals and ELs have monthly automated billing capability?

Yes, this already exists in the Early Access Program and will be rolled out to all users in the coming weeks.

Can Proposals and ELs be for any type of business — e.g. bookkeeping, accounting, advisory? 

Yes, that’s correct! Proposals and ELs are fully customizable and flexible. You can tailor them to suit your business’s needs. 

In Proposals and ELs, can we send clients various options and they then get billed based on their selection?

It sounds like you’re asking about “Packages”— we plan to add the ability to let clients choose from multiple packages in a proposal during the first half of 2024.

Can we turn off payment options in Proposals and ELs? We don’t always want to charge right away.

Yes, Proposals and ELs are fully customizable. If you don’t want to charge right away, you can choose to send a price list of your services instead of an invoice. If you choose this option, you’ll be able to create invoices later on with a single click.

Will Proposals and ELs be printable to a PDF that looks professional?

Yes, they will.

For the invoices that are automatically generated through Proposals & ELs, will they be automatically linked to the Job Card the proposal originated from?

Yes — if a proposal and one-time invoice were created using workflow automation, they will be automatically linked to a job. If one-time or recurring invoices were created as part of a proposal, however, they won’t automatically be linked to a job. We’re looking at adding this functionality in the future.

Will Proposals & ELs have more options for different fonts, colors, and other design elements?

The proposals editor currently has one base font, but we are considering adding more customization features, including fonts and design elements, in the near future. We strongly recommend utilizing multimedia options to promote your brand — logos and especially videos.

If we can now differentiate and customize engagement letters, does that mean we can choose which ones are automatically sent in pipelines?

Yep! You can customize all of the automations and the templates you use. 

TaxDome Marketplace

Will we be able to preview what’s inside a template before we purchase it from TaxDome Marketplace?

Templates in TaxDome Marketplace will have video and screenshot content, as well as in-depth descriptions.

Will there be templates for Canadian tax in TaxDome Marketplace?

Yep! There will be many templates. If you want to add your own templates to TaxDome Marketplace, you can become a creator!

Will we be able to see who created the templates in TaxDome Marketplace?

Yes, you will see the name of the creator.

Will the current TaxDome template library be replaced by TaxDome Marketplace?

Yes, that’s correct.

Will users be able to rate or review the templates and tools available in TaxDome Marketplace?

Yes, users will be able to write reviews and leave ratings out of five.

Reporting and AI

Is reporting available to everyone, or just the owner and admin?

The reporting section will be available for owners and admin roles by default. Employees can be granted access on an individual basis.

We usually need reports before meetings that are derived from TaxDome workflows. Will that be possible?

Yep! You’ll be able to build reports on almost any data in TaxDome, including invoices, time entries, jobs, tasks and pipelines (workflows). 

When will we see more AI integration on the platform beyond reporting? 

We will be adding more and more functionality and integrations in the coming months, and our team is always looking into adding additional options and AI features. Stay tuned for more information!

I pay my tax preparers a percentage of the fee they bill. Can we now get revenue from team members?

You could always do that — but now you can do it even more efficiently using the AI-powered reporting features discussed in this webinar.

Firm and client mobile apps

Is there a way to upload documents to a client folder using the firm mobile app?

Not currently, but the good news is that we’ll soon be releasing an updated version of the firm mobile app that will allow you to upload and view documents. The new mobile app for firms was covered in this webinar. 

Is there a way for clients to upload a multipage PDF in the mobile app, or just one page at a time? 

Clients can upload PDFs of any page number — there is no limit. They can also use the native scanner. Here are the links to the client mobile apps on iOS and Android!

Is there an email template introducing the app? 

Yes! The template in the old template library is called “EN (US) Introducing TaxDome -intro email” — EN means English. We’ve also added this PDF, which we recommend you send to your clients. It outlines the mobile app and other client-facing improvements to show clients how your firm is  investing in their experience.

Billing and payments

Will we be able to receive ACH payments?

Yes, you can already accept ACH and other bank debits in TaxDome (read more about ACH payments) — in addition to credit card payments.

How do you mark an invoice as paid?

To mark an invoice as paid, you need to create a manual payment. To do so, navigate to +NEW at the top of the left-hand sidebar, select Payment and then select which invoice you want to mark as paid. You can read more about this process here: Correct Invoices & Payments.

Does TaxDome save the bank information for ACH or credit card payments?

No, TaxDome doesn’t save the bank information. But if you are using automatic payments, your clients’ payment information will be stored in your Stripe account. This means that clients just have to enter their ACH or credit card information once, and all future payments will then be taken automatically. 

Is there an option to allow clients to pay for transaction fees?

Not yet, but we do plan on adding this feature in the future.

Are we going to tackle recurring invoices?

Recurring invoices have been available as a standalone option for a while, but we’ve now added this functionality to Proposals and ELs as well, which will be available to all users next week!

Is paying by debit card available in Canada now?

Yes, this is available already (read more here).

Are we able to accept bank debit using Stripe now in TaxDome?

Yes! You can accept ACH and other bank debits through Stripe in addition to credit card payments. 

Is there a way to provide a lower price if the client pays using their bank account rather than credit card?

Not at this time.

Everything else

Is there a timeline for these new product releases?

Yep! Everything in this webinar is planned to be released in the coming weeks.

Are the product releases you’ve covered in this webinar all included in our current subscription, or will they cost extra? 

All of these new features will be available to every TaxDome user at no extra cost. SMS will carry a usage fee (similar to KBA) and Marketplace will have both free and paid templates. All TaxDome templates are free.

Can we add a TaxDome link to our website so that new clients can upload their documents?

Yes. Please see this article for more information: How to get documents from clients. 

Any idea when the Xero integration will be complete?

This is in our plans, and our team is already working hard to set up this integration, but we currently have no specific dates for its release.

Are there any plans to add NOT logic to pipelines and organizers when using tags?

Yes!

When will you release the ability for organizer answers to automatically update custom account fields?

This is planned for Q1 2024.

Can files be deleted in bulk in TaxDome?

Yes, of course. You can do this either in the web browser or TaxDome Drive.

Is there a time-keeping component to TaxDome?

Yes! We have a time-tracking feature.  You can see more on that here: Time Entries.

Is there any way to limit what bookkeeping staff can see within an account document folder? I saw that I can limit regular staff to only specific clients, but I didn’t find a way to limit them to only some of the folders within that account.

Great question, we’re working on this right now! You will be able to add granular access rights to documents so that your bookkeepers won’t see documents they don’t need access to. 

How can TaxDome reminders be turned off automatically when clients complete the requested task?

Check out this article for information on how to set up and stop reminders: Manual & Automatic Reminders.  

How do we send bulk emails to our clients?

Everything is covered in this Help article: Sending Emails.

Where can we get more information on the features of the IRS transcript retrieval module?

Please see this Help article: IRS Integration. 

I am US-based but have many Russian-speaking clients. For some of them, it would be very helpful to use TaxDome in Russian.

We currently offer Danish, Dutch, English (US and UK), Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese (including Brazilian Portuguese), Spanish and Swedish. We will be adding more languages as demand for them increases. You can request new features on the Feature Request board (read more here).

 . . .

In the coming weeks, we’ll be hosting additional webinars to explore each of these exciting TaxDome features in more detail, starting with Proposals and ELs. Stay tuned for more information and invites!