Set up an internal document review process in Smokeball

In addition to being a secure messaging and file sharing platform, the Client Portal can also be set up to help your firm send, review and approve matter documents.

Use this guide to help set up a best practice document review process for your firm.

Send requests to review documents

As a requester, You can request another staff member to review or approve a document by right-clicking on the document and sending it as an internal message via the Client Portal.

To get started, create an Internal Matter Conversation in the matter file:

1. Right-click the document that needs to be reviewed.
2. Select Share, then select the Client Portal... option.
   
   
3. From the staff list, add the reviewer/approver. Enter a brief message in the Message field asking for document review or approval.
4. Select Send to notify the reviewer/approver of the new document and message.

Create a new task from a Client Portal message

If a Client Portal message is not enough notification for your review workflow, you can create a task and assign it to a staff member, directly from the message.

1. Go to the Messages tab in the matter file.
   
   
2. Select the Internal Matter Conversation with the reviewer/approver.
3. Hover your mouse over the message asking for approval and select the three dots next to the message.
   
4. Select Create task.
   
5. Fill in the details of the task in the New Task dialogue window.
   • By default, the chat message becomes the task Name. Amend it as required.
   • Change the Assigned to drop-down menu to the reviewer/approver.
   • Add your firm’s preferred Category for review workflow tasks. This allows a user to see assigned review tasks in a task list.
   • Select a Due date.
6. Click Save.

Review documents for approval

As a reviewer or approver, you can leave comments on documents to collaborate with the requester in real time.

If a staff member has sent you a request to review a document over the Client Portal, you will receive a notification in your Messages tab. To manage requests:

1. Select the Messages tab.
   
   
2. New requests appear in Unread messages. Refer to older requests in the Internal Matter Conversations section.
   
3. Select the chat and click the document to review.
   
4. The document previews in the chat, ready for review.
5. Use the panel on the right to add comments to the document.
   
   

Client Portal messages have a timestamp, so it can record the time of approval.

Create a new task from a document comment

When sending back a request for further edits, you should create a task from the Client Portal comment in order to leave a clean audit trail when it's needed.

1. Send a comment on the document with suggested edits.
2. Hover your mouse over the comment. Select the three dots next to the message, then select Create task.
   
3. Enter the details of the task.

We also recommend setting up a Document Review task views to ensure no task is left incomplete.

Review document edit history

If you need to review document edits:

1. Right-click the document from the Documents section in the matter.
2. Select Properties.
3. Click the History tab.
4. Review document versions in the list.

Reviewing invoices

Draft invoices do not save to matter files. For an invoice review workflow, draft invoices need to be manually downloaded from the Smokeball Web App and uploaded as a document to the Smokeball desktop app.

Alternatively, let the approver know via Messages to review the invoice in Smokeball.

Keep approval requests organised

You can remove Internal Matter Conversations to keep the Client Portal tidy. You can also create an approval/review request task view.

1. Go to the Messages tab on the main Smokeball window.
2. Hover your mouse over the Internal Matter Conversation containing the request.
   
3. Click the blue X that appears on the conversation. A record of the conversation remains on the matter file.