vPortal Housekeeping Guide

for vPortal Firm Admins & Support Coordinators

Housekeeping Tasks

About vPortal Roles & Permissions

Firm Admin Role

Default Firm Admin:
- The individual who originally signed the Master Services Agreement (MSA) in vPortal on behalf of the firm.
Termination of Firm Admin:
- The Firm Admin can reassign the role to someone else before leaving the role or firm (see Manage Users & Access section below).
- If the Firm Admin leaves the firm without reassigning the role, the owner of the firm must contact Client Success with the name of the new Firm Admin, who will receive an email link to create their Firm Admin account.
There is only one Firm Admin, but other individuals can have Administrator access.
Administrators can manage user rights, but only the Firm Admin can Add Users.

Administrator vs User Access Level

When you add a User, the Role can be set to Administrator or User access level.
Administrator access level allows individuals to manage current users, user access level, and user permissions.
Carefully select an individual’s user permissions, whether they have Administrator or User access level (see below).

User Access Level vs User Permissions

Besides Administrator or User access level, you set user permissions to various vPortal actions.
View the vPortal User Permissions, Access & Visibility table.
- When you add a new user, many of these permissions will be checked by default.
- Therefore it is essential that you uncheck any permissions you do not wish a user to have.
- Below is an example of the permission check boxes that are checked by default.
- User permissions will determine the visibility of vPortal menu items associated with permissions.

Purchase & Monitor Services

Hourly Professional Services: Training | Consulting | Emergency

Purchase Web Based Training, Web Based Consulting, or Emergency Services on the vStore.
- Direct support that goes beyond what Ask Goldie can provide is handled through Professional Services Consulting.
- Professional Services training is reserved for pre-planned sessions and is not for use in lieu of Consulting hours for direct technical support.
- If you wish to convert Training hours to Consulting hours or vice versa, please make the request to convert hours at the time of your order.
  - 1 Training Hour = 30 Minutes Consulting
  - 2 Training Hours = 1 Hour Consulting
  - 1 Consulting Hour = 2 Training Hours
Emergency Services include a maximum of 2 hours to solve an emergency issue.
- Emergency Services may require additional hours to resolve the issue.
- If the emergency is resolved in less than 2 hours, the balance cannot be used for any other issue.

For on-site training, please purchase an hour of Web Based Consulting to discuss your needs.

vPro Service Package: Predefined Hours for a Set Service

Each vPro Service Package specifies the number of Consulting or Training hours to purchase on the vStore.
If you want to apply pre-purchased hours to a vPro package, refer to How to Order vPros & Use Banked Hours.
- See how to convert Training hours to Consulting or vice versa (also shown in the Hourly Professional Services section above).
- When ordering, please make a request to convert hours.
When purchasing hours, enter the vPro package number in the field as shown below.

SOW-Based Professional Services: Business Consult | Custom Work | Data Migration

Please check the list of vPro Service Packages as some packages offer custom work that previously required a SOW.
If a vPro package does not address your needs and you don’t know how much time will be required, you can create a SOW request.
Complete the New SOW Request, then click the [Submit Request] button.
Find out more about the SOW process.

Monitor Service Requests: Remaining Hours | Expiration | Service Notes

You’ll want to monitor service requests that have expiration dates.

Hourly Professional Services expire 180 days after purchase.
- Expired hours are non-refundable.
- Any balance of Web Based Training, Web Based Consulting, or Emergency Services is visible to users with permission.
  - Go to My Services on vPortal to see hours purchased, used, and remaining.
  - Click on the number of Hours Remaining to see the expiration date.
  - The expiration date is the deadline for services to be completed.
  - Please submit your order well in advance of the expiration date.

After your service is completed, My Service Events will display any service notes. Simply click on the name of the service. In the example below, clicking on “Web Based Training” will display the name of the trainer, attendees, and details about what was covered.

SOW-based Professional Services have various requirements to monitor.
- A potential research fee must be paid before SOW preparation begins.
- You have 14 business days to accept the SOW in writing and pay for it in vPortal.
- Go to My SOWs on vPortal to see All SOWs, including Signed and Pending.
- For more information see the Statement of Work (SOW) section of the Professional Services page.

Audit & Update User Count

How to Audit Your User Count

An audit ensures you are not paying for someone who is no longer with your firm.
Confirm your user count by going to vPortal > My Vertican > My Products.
- Click the [View License Details] button next to your product.
- On the Product Info page, the Subscription Agreement section displays the number of users for your firm.
- Follow the instructions below to Add Users or Remove Users.
For Collection-Master, Q-LawE, and Q-Law, there is a minimum monthly subscription fee equivalent to 11 users, regardless of the number of users.
- If your user count is less than 11, you can add additional users up to 11 at no extra cost.

Multi-Year Contract User Count

Your Multi-Year Contract (MYC) commits you to a minimum base user count throughout your contract term.
- MYCs are based on the firm user count at the time of signing.
- Before signing a MYC, confirm the user count for your month-to-month subscription, which will carry over to the MYC.

Add Users in vStore

For Firms on a Multi-Year Contract (MYC)

Go to the vStore and select your Product (Collection-Master or Q-Law).
From the product page, select [Product] Subscription – Add Users.
The page defaults to vIP Subscription – Add Multi-Year Users to Multi-Year Contract.
Your current MYC user count is displayed. You now have 2 options to add users:
- Option 1: Add users to your firm’s MYC at the discounted rate for the remainder of your MYC.
  - Remain on this page and use the Additional Multi-Year toggle to add users.
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- Option 2: Add users at the higher month-to-month rate. The month-to-month rate could change at any time but provides flexibility to remove users that were added above the MYC base user count.
  - At the top of the vIP Subscription – Add Multi-Year Users to Multi-Year Contract page, you will see a message that says, “If you prefer to purchase users that you are not obligated to pay for for the full term of your multi-year contract, at a higher price, click here.”
  - The “click here” link opens a new page for vIP Subscription – Add Month-to-Month Users to Multi-Year Contract.
  - Use the Additional Month-to-Month toggle to add users.
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Click the [Add Additional Users To Cart] button.
A popup window displays the price for adding the user(s) on a pro-rated basis through the end of the month. Click [OK].
Scroll to the bottom of the Terms and Conditions window and check “I agree”.
Click the [Proceed to Checkout] button.
Click the [Proceed] button.
Perform Additional Actions Required to Add Users.

For Firms on a Month-to-Month Subscription

Go to the vStore and select your Product (Collection-Master, Q-Law, or Q-LawE).
From the product page, select [Product] Subscription – Add Users.
The Add Users page displays your current user count.
Use the Additional toggle to add users.
Click the [Add Additional Users To Cart] button.
A popup window displays the price for adding the user(s) on a pro-rated basis through the end of the month. Click [OK].
Scroll to the bottom of the Terms and Conditions window and check “I agree”.
Click the [Proceed to Checkout] button.
Click the [Proceed] button.
Perform Additional Actions Required to Add Users.

Additional Actions Required to Add Users

Whether you added users under your Multi-Year Contract or added them as Month-to-Month users, you will perform actions in the software to assign additional users to any of your available licenses.

This is true for all products.
Collection-Master and Q-Law firms have a minimum subscription of 11 users. If you currently use less than 11 licenses, you may have unused licenses that can be assigned to additional users without any additional cost.

Add Users in Collection-Master / VLM: If you added users in the vStore, you will now follow additional directions for Collection-Master and the Vertican License Manager (VLM) in How to Change Your Collection-Master Subscription User Count. You will also follow these directions if you wish to assign additional users to any of your 11 availalble licenses so that users have access to Collection-Master.

Confirm User Licenses in Q-Law: Once you have the user count from the vStore, review the number of user licenses in Q-Law to ensure the number of user licenses in the vStore is equal to or higher than the number in Q-Law. Go to [Maintenance] > [System maintenance Admin] tab > QLaw User Licenses. The Q-Law Subscription User License Manager screen displays your user License Count (the number of users included in your subscription) and how many licenses are Used in Q-Law. Job Scheduler machine(s) also require user license(s). The Admin license is not included in the license count. Find out more about Q-Law vPortal Licensing.

Confirm User Licenses in Q-LawE: Once you have the user count from the vStore, review the number of user licenses in Q-LawE to ensure the number of user licenses in the vStore is equal to or higher than the number in Q-LawE. Go to [Maintenance] > [System maintenance Admin] tab > QLawE User Licenses. The Q-LawE User License Manager screen displays your user License Count (the number of users included in your subscription) and how many licenses are Used in Q-LawE. Each Job Scheduler session requires a separate license. The Admin license is not included in the license count. Refer to User Management for more information on adding new users in Q-LawE.

Remove Users in vPortal

Month-to-Month Subscription – CM / Q-Law

Go to vPortal > My Vertican > My Products.
Click [View License Details] next to your product.
On the Product Info page, click the [Extend Subscription] button in the top right.
On the page that opens, use the toggle to lower the number of users (the minimum is 11) and click [Next].
On the Support Coordinators page, confirm or update your Support Coordinators and click [Next].
On the vExchange Support Plan page, your current plan displays a check mark. Confirm or change your support plan and click [Next].
On the Order Summary page, you will see the new Monthly User Price total plus Monthly vExchange Support & Mailbox price.
- Scroll down the vExchange Terms and Conditions and check the “I Agree” box.
- Scroll down the Month-to-Month Contract Subscription Extension Terms and Conditions and check the “I Agree” box.
- Click [Proceed to Checkout].
The Checkout page will show the price for your Subscription Extension.
- Your firm will prepay the next month with the reduced user count.
- Click [Proceed].
Perform Additional Actions Required to Remove Users.

Month-to-Month Subscription – Q-LawE

Go to vPortal > My Vertican > My Products.
Click [View License Details] next to your product.
On the Product Info page, click the [Extend Subscription]button in the top right.
On the Support Plan page, click the [Buy Now] button for your support plan, which you can change if you wish.
On the Support Coordinators page, confirm or update your Support Coordinators and click [Next].
On the User Selection page, use the toggle to lower your user count. Click [Next].
On the vExchange Support Plan page, enter your Implementation Contact Details and click [Next].
On the Order Summary page, you will see the total Monthly Support Agreement Price, Monthly User Price, and Monthly vExchange Support & Mailbox Price.
- Scroll down the vExchange Terms and Conditions and check the “I Agree” box.
- Scroll down the Subscription Extension Terms and Conditions and check the “I Agree” box.
- Click [Proceed to Checkout].
The Checkout page will show the price for your Subscription Extension.
- Your firm will prepay the next month with the reduced user count.
- Click [Proceed].
Perform Additional Actions Required to Remove Users.

For Firms on a Multi-Year Contract (MYC)

If your firm has a Multi-Year Contract for Collection-Master or Q-Law, your contract is based on the firm user count at the time of signing and cannot be reduced during the term of the contract.

Additional Actions Required to Remove Users

Remove Users in Collection-Master / VLM: If you lowered your user count in the vStore, you will now follow additional directions for Collection-Master and the Vertican License Manager (VLM) in How to Change Your Collection-Master Subscription User Count. Go to the Remove Users section.

Confirm User Licenses in Q-LawE: Once you have the user count from the vStore, review the number of user licenses in Q-LawE to ensure the number of user licenses in the vStore is equal to or higher than the number in Q-LawE. Go to [Maintenance] > [System maintenance Admin] tab > QLawE User Licenses. The Q-LawE User License Manager screen displays your user License Count (the number of users included in your subscription) and how many licenses are Used in Q-LawE. Each Job Scheduler session requires a separate license. The Admin license is not included in the license count. Refer to the User Management page for more information on adding new users in Q-LawE.

Update & Verify vPortal Account

The actions in this section are for Firm Admins and Support Coordinators with Administrator permissions. Update your Client Profile when your firm has new Support Coordinators or your firm’s billing information changes.

Confirm / Update Business Details

From vPortal, select the VT gear icon in the top right menu.
Using the dropdown arrow, select Site Management.
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In the Client Profile, review and update the following.
- Business Address, Phone, Email
- Billing Address and Email

Confirm / Update Support Coordinators

Scroll down the Client Profile to the Support Coordinator section. Follow Best Practices for Support Coordinators.

Review and update the name, email, and phone for Support Coordinator #1, #2, and #3 as applicable.
IMPORTANT: After you verify the client profile (see next step), please proceed to the Manage Users & Access section of this Housekeeping Guide, to ensure Support Coordinators are users with the correct User Permissions.

Verify Client Profile

Please verify your Client Profile.

Finish updates to your Client Profile.
Click the [√ I have verified and/or updated my firm’s vPortal account information] button at the bottom of the screen.

You will now see a date next to “My account information was last verified on”.
Click [√ Save Changes].
The verification date will be updated anytime you make a change to the Client Profile and click either [√ I have verified and/or updated my firm’s vPortal account information] or [√ Save Changes].

Until you click the verification button, you will receive a reminder when logging in to vPortal to verify and/or update your account information.

Add Users

User Access Level & User Permissions

Administrators can Add Users that are new to vPortal, grant them a User Access Level and User Permissions, and invite them to vPortal. We encourage Administrators to provide vPortal access to all product users so they can take advantage of the Help Center and other vPortal resources such as Help Manuals for Collection-Master, SQL-Sync, EDI, and Q-Law.

Note: Vertican Client Success cannot add users for your firm.

From vPortal, select the VT gear icon in the top menu.
Using the dropdown arrow, select Site Management.
Select Add Users from the left menu.
Enter the individual’s email address.
Define User Access Level as Administrator or User.
- Administrators can Manage Users or Add Users.

Under User Permissions, check or uncheck boxes.
- The boxes below are checked as a default.
- Refer to the vPortal User Permissions, Access & Visibility table for information on each permission.
- After checking the boxes you desire, click the [Invite] button.

vPortal Invitation

Once you click the [Invite] button, the new User will receive an email from portal@vertican.com.
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The new user should click the link in the email, which takes them to the Create New User page.
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Creating vPortal Login

The User enters their information in the fields, including creating their own username and password.
Then they accept the End User License Agreement and click the [Register] button.
After the new User registers, the Firm Admin can confirm that they are listed as a User in the Manage Users screen.
If the new User is a Support Coordinator, they will now have access to create a technical support request in the vPortal (or the VSA), create an SOW, or create a Professional Services request.

Manage Users & Access

To see instructions for managing Ask Goldie users, see the Ask Goldie User Guide > Firm Admin Actions section.

Navigate to Manage Users

If you have Administrator access, the Manage Users page allows you to manage current users, User Access Level, and User Permissions.

From vPortal, select the VT gear icon in the top right menu.
Using the dropdown arrow, select Site Management.
Select Manage Users from the left menu.
You can also select the blue Manage Users icon from the vPortal home page.

Confirm Support Coordinators are Users

Each Support Coordinator listed on your Client Profile should also show as a user in the Manage Users screen.
If a Support Coordinator is not listed, add them in the Add Users screen (see the Add Users section of this Housekeeping Guide).

Set Firm Admin or Disable / Delete User

The Firm Admin can reassign the role to someone else.
Click on a user’s profile card.
Under the gear icon, select Set as Firm Admin.
Or you can select Disable User or Delete User if users are on leave or terminate.

Edit Permissions > User Access Level

Click on a user’s profile card.
Under the gear icon, select Edit Permissions.
To change User Access Level, simply toggle to Administrator or User.
Administrator access level allows an individual to manage current users, User Access Level, and User Permissions.
You can only have one profile card in edit mode at any one time.
Click the orange [Cancel] button at the bottom left of the card to edit another card.

Edit Permissions > User Permissions

User Permissions are defined when you Add Users.
You can change User Permissions without changing the User Access Level.
Refer to the View the vPortal User Permissions, Access & Visibility table for information on each permission.

Ensure Email Notifications

Firm Admins and Support Coordinators can play a key role in making sure they and their firm users receive important updates from Vertican. Here are actions you can take to make sure information reaches you and your team.

Update role-based emails to individual emails:

For all emails, please use an individual’s email and avoid role-based email addresses (i.e. support@yourfirm.com; billing@yourfirm.com), as these types of emails are often marked as spam by email providers. That means Vertican is prevented from sending the email to you since it’s suspected of being spam.
If your firm is using any role-based emails, please update these email addresses to an individual staff member.
This will ensure you and your staff receive important Vertican updates.

If you must use a role-based email:

Please subscribe the role-based email, which will give us permission to use this email.
Add at least one additional individual email address to the Support Coordinator section of your Client Profile.

Ensure the right people receive key notifications:

Individual(s) responsible for installing or maintaining your software should receive release notifications, even if they are a third-party IT service.
If you have a third-party IT resource performing software updates, make sure they are listed as a Support Coordinator.
Keep the Support Coordinators in your Client Profile up-to-date and make sure Support Coordinators do not unsubscribe from Vertican emails.
In order to receive support, software must be the latest version or a version released within the last 6 months.
You may wish to read more about keeping your software current and how to find your software version.

Educate users about the risks of unsubscribing:

It’s not just IT resources that should receive product notifications; your users should as well.
If your staff unsubscribe from Vertican emails, they will not be informed of product enhancements, new options, or issues being worked on.
Users who have previously unsubscribed can Re-subscribe to Vertican’s Email List.

Verify DTPs & Modules

Verify that the DTPs and Modules you are paying for are the ones expected and used.

Go to vPortal > My Vertican > My Products.
On the My Products page, click [View License Details] next to your Product Name.
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On the Product Info page, select the toggle for DTPs or Modules.
If there are any DTPs or Modules you are paying for but not using, you can uncheck the box under Autorenew.
Make sure you are taking advantage of something you have that may be free!

Assign Default Payment Method

Make sure to assign a Default Payment Method (DPM) for your firm. If you have no DPM, access to products and services may be interrupted until one is selected. Adding a DPM ensures you will never have an unpaid invoice that can disrupt service.

By choosing ACH for all payments, firms will avoid credit card transaction fees.

For all clients, here are the actions you can take in vPortal > My Vertican > My Wallet. The My Wallet page is only visible to those with the proper User Permisions.

Check if your firm has a Default Payment Method:

If your firm has a DPM, you will see a radio button selected under Default Payment Method.
If your firm does not have a DPM, the radio buttons under Default Payment Method will be unselected.

My Wallet Default Payment Method

If you have a payment method but not a Default Payment Method:

Select the Default Payment Method radio button next to the payment method.
You will receive a popup message: “Successfully updated default payment method.” Click “OK”.

If you want to add a payment method:

Add another payment method by clicking the “+” sign for Credit/Debit Cards or an ACH Account.
When adding a new payment method, you can place a checkmark to Make This My Default Payment Method or uncheck it and have another method be the DPM.
You will receive a popup message: “Your payment method was added successfully.” Click “OK”.

If you want to remove a payment method:

Click X Delete next to the payment method.
If you have no Default Payment Method, you will receive a popup message: “Successfully removed payment method. You have saved payment methods but none of them are set as your default payment method. To avoid interruption in service, we recommend you select a default payment method.”
Make sure to assign a Default Payment Method from the remaining payment methods.

Vertican Help Center