Notaron is an online notarization service. Commissioned notaries meet your signers over live video, verify their identity and notarize the document. With the Smokeball integration you can order a notarization from a matter, and when the session finishes Notaron adds the notarization fee to the matter as a billable expense or fixed fee and files the notarized PDF back into the matter's documents.
INTEGRATION OWNER Notaron builds, owns and supports this integration. Smokeball provides API access only. For help with the integration, contact Notaron at support@notaron.com. |
Overview
Once connected, you can:
- Pick a Smokeball matter when you request a notarization, then fill in the signer from the people on that matter and attach a document stored in it.
- Have the notarization fee added to the matter when the session completes, as a billable hard-cost expense (the default) or as a fixed fee if that is how your firm bills it.
- Have the notarized PDF filed in the matter's documents automatically.
- Optionally add a note to the matter, put scheduled sessions on your calendar, and create follow-up tasks.
Before you start
- A Smokeball account hosted in the US.
- A Notaron client account. If you don't have one, sign up free at notaron.com with your work email. The integration is part of the client dashboard and is not available on notary accounts.
- Each person connects their own Smokeball login. One person connecting does not connect the rest of the firm.
Cost
There is no charge to connect Smokeball, no subscription and no per-seat fee. You pay only when a notarization completes: $25 for a session with one signer and one notarization, with additional signers, seals and witnesses priced per item. Because the fee is added to the matter as a billable entry, your firm can pass it through to the client.
What Notaron can access
When you connect, Smokeball asks you to approve the permissions below. Each one is used for a step described in this article.
| NOTARON CAN | USED TO |
| Read your matters and the people on them | Find the matter and fill in the signer |
| Read and add matter documents | Attach the document to be notarized, and file the notarized PDF back |
| Add expenses and fees, and read your activity codes | Add the notarization to the matter, under the activity code you choose |
| Read your staff list | Assign follow-up tasks to the person who linked the matter |
| Add notes, tasks and calendar entries | Only when the matching setting is on |
| Receive Smokeball's confirmations | Confirm that an entry was added, so it is never added twice |
Notaron does not access your bills, trust accounting, emails or messages. You sign in on Smokeball's own screen, so Notaron never sees your Smokeball password. The access Smokeball grants is stored encrypted on Notaron's servers, never in your browser, and disconnecting deletes it.
Connect Smokeball
You can also start at notaron.com/integrations/smokeball. Click Connect Smokeball from your dashboard, sign up or sign in, and you land on the Integrations tab, ready for step 2.
- Sign in to Notaron and open the Integrations tab on your dashboard.
- On the Smokeball card, click Connect Smokeball.
- Sign in with your Smokeball username and password.
Smokeball's own sign-in screen. Notaron never sees your Smokeball password.
- You return to Notaron with the message Connected to Smokeball., and the Smokeball card shows Connected.
Connected. The settings below the line are covered in the next section.
Choose what Notaron adds to your matters
Once you're connected, the Smokeball card on the Integrations tab shows What Notaron adds to your matters. These settings apply only to requests you attach to a matter, and a change applies to sessions that finish after you make it. Each setting belongs to the Smokeball login you connected, so a colleague sets their own.
| SETTING | WHAT IT DOES |
| Add a note to the matter | When a notarization finishes, adds a note to the matter recording the document, the signer's name, the date and the Notaron session reference. On by default. |
| Put scheduled sessions on the calendar | Adds a 30-minute entry at the booked time to the calendar of the person who linked the matter. Only scheduled sessions get an entry. On-demand sessions start right away, so nothing is added. On by default. |
| Create follow-up tasks | Adds a task to review the notarized document, plus one if Notaron cannot confirm that the fee was added. Off by default. |
| How the notarization is recorded | Choose Expense (disbursement), a billable hard cost that is passed through to the client, or Fixed fee, a billable fixed-fee entry for firms that charge the notarization as their own service. Expense is the default. Changing it affects only sessions that finish afterwards. Anything already added stays as it is. |
| File the notarization fee under | Optional, and shown only if your firm uses activity codes. Choose which code the entry is added under. The list follows your choice above: expense codes for an expense, fee codes for a fixed fee. |
Each setting can be changed at any time. The activity-code menu appears below these when your firm uses activity codes.
If a setting says This needs an extra Smokeball permission, click Reconnect to allow it and sign in to Smokeball again. This can apply to the note, calendar and task settings and to the fixed-fee choice.
Start a new request
- Sign in to Notaron. Your dashboard opens.
- Click New Request in the top right.
Start every request from New Request.
- The New Notarization Request form opens. When Smokeball is connected, a Smokeball matter (optional) box is at the top of the form.
Connect the request to a matter
Choosing a matter is what links the request to Smokeball. Without one, the request works as usual and nothing is posted to Smokeball.
- In the Smokeball matter (optional) box, type a client name or matter number and select the matter.
Type a client name or matter number to find the matter.
- Notaron lists the people and the documents on that matter.
The matter's people and documents, ready to use.
- Under Fill in the signer from this matter, click Use as signer next to the person who will sign. To add more signers, click Add as another signer.
Use as signer fills in the signer's name and email.
CHECK THE SIGNER A matter's client is often not the person who will sign. Check the name and email before you submit. |
- Under Attach a document from this matter, click Attach next to the document to be notarized. PDF, Word and image files are listed. You can also upload a file from your computer instead.
The document from the matter is attached to the request, ready for the notary.
- Finish the rest of the request as usual and submit it. To remove the matter before you submit, click the × next to the matter number.
See everything in Notaron
- On your dashboard, open My RON Requests and find the request.
Each request shows its document, status and reference.
- Click View Details. A Smokeball box at the top shows the matter number and where the fee and the notarized PDF stand.
A completed request: the fee is on the matter and the notarized PDF has been filed.
- To download the notarized PDF, scroll to Completed Signed Documents and click Download.
The same notarized PDF that was filed to the matter.
What each status in the Smokeball box means. The fee wording is the same whether the entry is an expense or a fixed fee.
| STATUS | MEANING |
| Fee will be added when the session completes | The request is linked. Nothing is posted until the notarization finishes. |
| Adding the fee… | Notaron is sending the expense or fixed fee to Smokeball. |
| Fee sent to Smokeball / Fee added to the matter | The entry was sent, and Smokeball has confirmed it. |
| Fee status needs a check in Smokeball | Notaron could not confirm the result. Look at the matter's Expenses and Time & Fees tabs before adding the entry by hand, so it isn't added twice. |
| Notarized PDF sent to the matter | The notarized document is in the matter's documents. |
| Notarized PDF was not sent | Download it from Notaron and add it to the matter yourself. |
See everything in Smokeball
Open the matter in Smokeball. Everything Notaron adds is on the matter itself. The Overview tab shows the fee under Unbilled and the review task under Today's Tasks.
The matter Overview after a Notaron session completes.
The other tabs show the details. When the screen is narrow, Expenses, Events, Tasks and Memos are under View More.
- The fee. By default, open Expenses. The notarization appears as a billable hard cost named Notarization, dated the day the session completed, ready to go on the client's next bill. If you chose Fixed fee, it appears under Time & Fees instead, as a billable fixed-fee entry with the same name, date and amount.
Expenses: a $25.00 billable Notarization expense.
Time & Fees: the same $25.00 as a billable Fixed fee.
- The notarized PDF. Open Documents. The file is named after your document with - Notarized added.
Documents: GridLines - Notarized next to the original.
- The note (if turned on). Open Memos. The note records the document, the signer's name, the date and the Notaron session reference.
Memos: the Notarized with Notaron note.
- Tasks (if turned on). Open Tasks. A task to review the notarized document is added to the matter.
Tasks: Review notarized document, assigned to the person who linked the matter.
- Calendar (if turned on, scheduled sessions only). Open Events. The session appears as a 30-minute entry at the booked time.
Events: the booked session, 10:00 to 10:30.
What syncs, and when
| WHEN | WHAT HAPPENS IN SMOKEBALL | DIRECTION |
| You create a request with a matter selected | Nothing yet. Notaron reads the matter, its contacts and documents. | Smokeball → Notaron |
| The session is scheduled (if calendar entries are on) | A 30-minute calendar entry at the booked time | Notaron → Smokeball |
| The notarization completes | A billable "Notarization" entry dated the completion date: a hard-cost expense by default, or a fixed fee if you chose that | Notaron → Smokeball |
| The notarization completes | The notarized PDF, named "<document> - Notarized" | Notaron → Smokeball |
| The notarization completes (if turned on) | A matter note, and follow-up tasks | Notaron → Smokeball |
What does not sync: requests you didn't attach to a matter, changes made in Smokeball after the fact, and rescheduled or cancelled bookings (an existing calendar entry is not moved or removed).
Disconnect Smokeball
- Open the Integrations tab on your Notaron dashboard.
- Click Disconnect on the Smokeball card and confirm.
Expenses, fees, documents, notes and tasks already added to your matters stay in Smokeball. You can reconnect at any time.
Good to know
I don't see the Smokeball matter box in New Request.
The box appears only while Smokeball is connected. Open the Integrations tab: if it says Not connected, click Connect Smokeball; if it says Connection expired, click Reconnect Smokeball. Then open New Request again.
The matter search says "No open matters found."
Type part of the client's name or the matter number. Matters appear as you type. Only open matters are listed, so check the matter's status in Smokeball if it still doesn't appear.
It says "Could not load your Smokeball matters."
Notaron could not reach Smokeball just then. Try again in a moment. If it keeps happening, reconnect from Integrations. You can still submit the request without a matter, and add the fee and the document in Smokeball yourself.
Should I record the notarization as an expense or a fixed fee?
Choose Expense if you pass the notarization through to the client as a cost. Choose Fixed fee if you charge it as your own service. Switching only affects sessions that finish afterwards, and Notaron never converts an entry it already added.
The Smokeball card says "Connection expired."
Click Reconnect Smokeball and sign in again. Requests already linked to a matter are not affected.
Why is there a second copy of the notarized PDF in my matter?
If an upload is interrupted, Notaron tries again rather than risk leaving the matter without the notarized document. Occasionally this leaves an extra copy, which you can delete.
Can I link a request to a matter after I've submitted it?
Not yet. Choose the matter in the New Request form.
Is the Smokeball matter required?
No. You can submit any request without one, and it won't post anything to Smokeball.
Support
For help with the integration, email Notaron at support@notaron.com. For questions about your Smokeball account, contact Smokeball Support.