Getting Started

Set up in under 10 minutes

By the end of this page you'll have the app installed, your pipeline connected, your document library loaded, and your first request sent - to a client who can upload files with one tap and zero passwords.

Total time: about 10 minutes. No developer needed.

1

Click Install - here's what happens

1 min

You're reading this from the listing, so the Install button is right there. When you click it and approve the permissions (we ask only for what the app needs: contacts, opportunities, tags, and custom values), your account is set up automatically:

  • The FileSentinel pipeline with all six stages
  • Five automation workflows - the reminder loop, ready-for-review alert, auto-cleanup, and instant fresh-link and return-note emails
  • AI-written request and reminder emails, personalized per client, each with a live countdown timer
  • All custom fields and values the automations use
You'll know it worked when Request Files appears in your left menu. Already installed? Skip to Step 2.
2

Run the setup wizard

4 min

Click Request Files. The first-run wizard opens automatically - three screens:

  1. Pipeline mapping. The wizard finds your FileSentinel pipeline on its own - confirm each stage lines up (Link Sent, Link Opened, Uploading, Ready to Review, Complete, Archived) and click Save.
  2. Document library. Choose the Standard Financial Bundle (40+ ready-made document types: W-2s, 1099s, bank statements, P&L, and more) or start from scratch. You can edit the list anytime.
  3. Notifications. Your notification email and sender name come pre-filled from your business profile - change them if you like. This is where upload alerts go and the name clients see on request emails.
[ Screenshot: wizard pipeline-mapping screen ]
Reminder emails go out at 9:40 AM (your local time) each day a request is open. You can change the time in the File Request Reminder Loop workflow.
Deliverability: connect your own email sending domain in your CRM settings before sending real requests. Without it, request emails go out on shared defaults and often land in spam.
3

Send your first request

3 min
  1. Click + New Request.
  2. Who is this for? Search and pick a contact. (Try yourself first.)
  3. What are we asking for? Tick the documents you need - each one required or optional.
  4. Send it. Pick a link expiration (2, 3, 5, or 7 days) and click Send - or Copy Link to deliver it yourself.

The request email goes out with a live countdown timer showing exactly when the link expires.

[ Screenshot: New Request - three steps filled in ]
4

What your client sees

0 min

They tap the link. No account. No password. No app to download. They see your firm's name, a checklist of what you need, and an upload button that works from any phone. Each upload checks off its item. When they tap Done uploading, you're notified.

5

Review and close it out

2 min
  • The request moves to Ready to Review when your client finishes.
  • Open any document with Review to read it and leave notes.
  • Everything there? Click Verify Complete. Done.
  • Something missing? Click Return to Client, write a quick note, and their same link starts working again with the missing items restored. Reminders resume automatically.
+

Bonus: live stats on your dashboard

1 min

Put your Average Completion time and the Request Timeline on any dashboard: open Settings > Dashboard Widgets inside the app and copy the two URLs. Then on your dashboard click Edit > Elements > Embed, paste a URL, size it, save. The widgets update themselves every few minutes.

Troubleshooting

"No document-request pipeline detected" in the wizard
The pipeline installs with the app, but if it was renamed or removed, pick any pipeline from the dropdown and map its stages manually. To restore the original, reinstall the app.
Contact search shows no results
Re-open the app from the left menu to refresh your secure session. If it persists, reinstall the app to refresh permissions - your data is safe.
A client says their link expired
Open their request and click Resend Link - a fresh link goes out and the countdown restarts. Their uploads are never lost.
Where do the files live?
Files are stored encrypted, organized per client per request. Download any file - or all of them as a zip - from the request screen.

Need a hand?

Email [email protected] · Call +1 (888) 878-4300 · Visit filesentinel.app/support

We answer fast during tax season - we know exactly what that week feels like.