Post-Activation checklist

Chris Horroll
Chris Horroll
  • Updated

wcbfti All users who are moving to Alto from any crm other than Jupix.png

After your Alto activation and once you receive your logins, there are some key tasks to complete in order to ensure you're getting the most from Alto. 

Welcome to Alto video and drop in session

We advise you watch our Welcome to Alto video that your Onboarding Coordinator will share with you. This will support your teams by providing guidance on key navigation within Alto. We’ll talk you through the post-activation checklist, including activating the portals and configuring your Alto database.

Then, if you have any questions, you can book onto our Welcome to Alto Drop In session with one of our expert Alto trainers.

Check your new Alto login details

Alto is a cloud based system meaning you can access it from anywhere with an internet connection.

To ensure a smooth log in process, there are three key things you will need; your Alto URL, your Email address, and your Password. Your team will receive these details from us on the first day you start using Alto.

  • Your Alto URL - During your onboarding, you’ll have been provided with a URL which you must use to access Alto.
    It's important that you then save it as a bookmark using the specific process below, on any computer you use regularly to access Alto, to ensure the link works correctly every time.

     Note

    Set up a bookmark for the URL using Google Chrome

    1. Click the ellipsis (three dots) in the top right hand corner of your browser
    2. Hover over Bookmarks and lists and click Bookmark manager
    3. Click the ellipsis (three dots) in the top right hand corner and select Add new bookmark
    4. Enter a Name for your bookmark, i.e. 'Alto login', and then paste in the URL we sent you
    5. Click Save
    6. Once this has saved, make sure you remove any previous bookmarks to avoid confusion

    Set up a favourite for the URL using Microsoft Edge

    1. Click the star (Favourites) in the top right hand corner of your browser
    2. Click the ellipsis (three dots) in the top right hand corner to open up More options
    3. Click Open favourites page
    4. Click Add favourite
    5. Enter a Name for your favourite, i.e. 'Alto login', and then paste in the URL we sent you
    6. Click Save
    7. Once this has saved, make sure you remove any previous bookmarks to avoid confusion

    Additionally, you can always access Alto via the Log in to Alto option at the top of the Help Centre 

  • Your Email address - Also known as your Username/Login Name, this will be a valid email address that you’ve provided us with. Each user will have their own unique and individual email address.
    Please be assured that marketing emails will not be sent to this address
    For more information on Changing the Alto Login Name, click here
  • Your Password - You will be sent an email containing details of how to log in to Alto and set up a password.
    If you, or someone in your branch forgets their password, the user can reset their password themselves
    For more information on How to reset your password, click here

For your added security, each Alto user can choose to enable two step verification.

With it enabled, once users enter their Email address and Password, they’ll be emailed a verification code. When this code is entered into Alto, the user can then add the mobile number that they'd like to use for two step verification. Alto will then send another code via an SMS text message to the mobile phone number, this will need to be entered into Alto to confirm the login.
For more information on Two step verification, click here

Updating any changes

As part of your Preparation ahead of your Alto activation, you were advised to take manual notes of any changes that had been made to your previous CRM after the Data Grab had occurred, as it wouldn't have been reflected in the migrated data in Alto.

You're now able to manually update the migrated data within Alto, ensuring you're fully up to date.

Below are some Help Centre articles that you might find useful when re-adding your data:

Adding a new applicant
Changing the status of a property
Booking a viewing via the diary

Check all available properties

As part of the Data Migration process, whilst you would've checked a range of active records to ensure their data was mapped correctly, there will still be a need to check the details of properties that are For Sale and For Rent, to ensure details such as the price, summary and photos are correct.
For more information on Preparing the property to go on the market, click here

Also, if you have migrated two CRM's into Alto, there may be duplicate properties. These duplicated properties should have their status changed to Withdrawn and then Archived.
For more information on Changing the status of a property, click here

Set your web address and web link for mailshots

With your feed set up and properties uploading to your website, you might want to consider setting the branch Web Address in Alto with that of your website's property listings page, as well as setting the preferred web link for individual properties.

Setting your branch Web Address

 Note

You will need access to System Administration, to edit your default settings. Your appointed Group Administrator will have access to these permissions

Within the System Administration section of Alto, there's a field titled Web Address which by default is blank. You can set that as the URL of your website's property listings page, or any overarching page on your website where all your available properties display.

One of the key areas where the Web Address is visible is within your emails. The two most likely instances of it being surfaced are:

  • Within your email header/footer whenever you send any outbound property emails from Alto - If you were to send out either a property web style list or a property brochure via email to a contact such as an applicant, the Web Address is listed with your branch and negotiator details
  • Within your email template body - If your email template has a text area linking to all your properties, similar to “Click Here to see all our available properties”, when the applicant, or any contact, clicks on the link, it’ll load your specified Web Address

To set your branch Web Address:

  1. Click Tools on the main navigation bar
  2. In the dropdown menu, click Templates and admin
  3. On the side menu, under System Tools, click System Administration
  4. Click Branches
  5. Click Edit next to the relevant branch
  6. Scroll down to Web Address and enter the URL of your website's property listings page
  7. Click Save

Setting a web link for individual properties

Each property record has a field titled Our Link which is blank by default. For any marketed property, this is where you can set your own preferred web link for that individual property. This is commonly the property listing page itself on your website, or on a portal.

Whenever you send any outbound property emails from Alto such as a property web style list to a contact such as an applicant, when they click on the individual property, it’ll load your preferred web link.

 Note

It’s not a requirement that you enter a web link in to the Our Link field as even blank, Alto automatically creates its own property listing page. The advantage of entering your own link is increased functionality all while being in your own branding and enticing traffic on to your own website

If you do want to add individual web links to each property record, the easiest way to do this is to use Step-Through mode.

Step-Through mode allows you to toggle your groups between the usual "List View" and "Step-Through mode", allowing you to view the details of each record and navigate through the list.
For more information on Step-Through records, click here

  1. With the property record open, click Property on the side menu
  2. Click the Marketing top tab
  3. Enter your own preferred web link for that individual property in the Our Link field
  4. Click Save
Configure your Alto database
  1. Your appointed branch Group Administrator should allocate time in their diary to view our learning pathway on System Admin
  2. With that complete, you can now tailor your settings and configure your Alto database. This can be done from one central place in Alto.

    Your appointed branch Group Administrator will have access to these settings within System Administration, which is accessed via Tools > Templates and admin on the main navigation bar. From here, you're able to manage your staff members logins, edit your branch settings and edit your default settings, amongst many others.

    system

    The System Administration settings are broken down into several categories, the most commonly used are outlined below:

    • Group Roles - Roles control user access to certain parts of the software, and this is where roles can be accessed, defined and amended that affect all branches and all users
      For more information on Roles, Reports, Permissions & Access, click here
    • Reports - Whilst all users can access the reports within Alto, this area lets you set which reports are Active and visible, as well as set Report Tokens. Report Tokens can be set so only specific users can use the reports
      For more information on Report tokens, click here
    • Group Users - This is where individual user details, roles and permissions can be accessed and amended. For example, changing a users Login Name email address, their job title, deactivating a user, or adding a users physical signature to a template
      For more information on amending user details, click here
      For more information on Adding a signature to an email template, click here
      For more information on Adding a signature to a letter template, click here
    • Brands - If your agency operates under different brands, the details of each can be amended here. It's also where the Media Items section lives. This is where you can store your varying brands imagery to use for marketing, letters, brochures and other templates
    • Companies - This is where you can add or amend company details such as your VAT Registration Number or set Invoice Due Days
      For more information on Adding a company VAT number, click here
    • Branches - This is where you can add or amend your branch details, and subsequently the vast majority of your branch settings you'll likely want to configure are here. Settings such as your contact details, reminders and follow ups, default templates, default fee settings are all configured here
      For more information on Setting up SMS text or email reminders for viewings and market appraisals, click here
      For more information on Enabling and disabling lettings charges on finalising, click here
      For more information on Adding an image into a letter template, click here
    • Client Bank Accounts - From here, you can create additional bank accounts for your branches. These bank accounts can also be used for custodial deposits or deposit accounts for DPS, TDS as well as other schemes
      For more information on Setting up additional bank accounts, click here
    • Agency Bank Accounts - This is where you can add your agency bank account details. This is a requirement in order for you to Process Agency Fees via BACS
      For more information on Adding bank details for the agency bank account, click here
    • Group Settings - Any changes to Group Settings will affect all branches and all users. This is where you'll look to set General Settings, GDPR Settings and upload Media Items (images to use for marketing, letters, brochures and other templates)
      For more information on Setting up default settings in Group Settings, click here
      For more information on Adding or removing property types, click here
      For more information on Customising the diary colours, click here

    The System Tools section of the Help Centre contains articles in order of the System Administration categories. Whilst we'll guide you on the most important areas to look at as part of your post-activation checklist, we advise you take a look through these articles, making any additions or changes that suit your branch needs. 

Make sure you can send emails from Alto

It's important you ensure that you're able to send emails from Alto successfully, and that they don't end up in your recipients junk/spam folder. One way to improve email deliverability is to check that Alto is included in your domain’s SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records.

Alto uses a third party provider called SendGrid to send emails on your behalf. When you send an email from Alto, we pass the email to SendGrid and they are then sent from the SendGrid servers. When the emails are received by the recipient, their security software will check the validity of these e-mails. Due to the process of how these e-mails are sent, they can be perceived as spam mail as they are sent on behalf of the agent by SendGrid. To verify the email is genuine, a check is done against the agents domain TXT records, otherwise known as SPF (Send Policy Framework).  If sendgrid.net isn't included on the SPF records, this will reduce the chances of your email being received by the intended recipient.

For more information on the steps you can take to add Alto into your SPF records and overall improve email deliverability, click here

Check your marketing materials

Now's the time to make sure your marketing materials (brochures, window cards, browse sheets and letter heads) are set up the way you want. You'll also need to tailor your letter and email templates which can be done quickly and easily in Alto's letter/email editor.

Set your Default Brochure & Window Card Template

When you completed the Alto 'My Account' program, you'd have been given the opportunity to select a Marketing Pack containing some pre-designed publisher templates for your brochures, window cards and browse sheets. These will be tailored to fit with your branding and will already include the relevant merge codes to pull information from your property records.

At this point, you should view and proof the templates, ensuring you’re happy with their appearance and that they’re pulling through the appropriate property information.
Once checked, you can then determine the template design you prefer and set that as the default for each template type.

Viewing your publisher templates

You can view all of your publisher templates via Tools>Templates and admin in Alto.

  1. Click Tools on the main navigation bar
  2. In the dropdown menu, click Templates and admin
  3. Click Publisher Templates on the side menu
    1. If you need to, use the dropdowns to filter your templates by Type (brochures, window cards or browse sheets), Branch, Brand or department
  4. Click on the relevant Template Name for the template you wish to view and proof
  5. The template opens in our designer, in a new browser tab. Click PDF Test in the top corner of the designer to preview the template as a .pdf document, simulating a populated brochure or window card

 Note

We strongly advise you not to edit the core templates provided as charges may apply for restoring them to their original format if they become corrupted. Should you wish to make any changes to any of the provided templates, we recommend first making a copy of the template using the Clone Template option in the designer

Setting your default publisher templates

Once you're happy with your templates, you can set a template design as the default for each type of publisher template. This means that all properties when setting them up for a brochure or window card, will automatically default and preview using the specified default template.

To set your default:

 Note

You will need access to System Administration, to edit your default settings. Your appointed Group Administrator will have access to these permissions

  1. Click Tools on the main navigation bar
  2. In the dropdown menu, click Templates and admin
  3. On the side menu, under System Tools, click System Administration
  4. Click Branches
  5. Click Edit next to the relevant branch
  6. Scroll down to Default Brochure Template, Default Window Card Template and Default Browse Sheet Template and set the default template accordingly
  7. Scroll down and click Save

Generating a brochure and window card for a property

Whilst you’ve set a default template to be used, you may also want to preview and customise the template on a per-property basis.

 Note

The branch templates aren't affected and will still be available in their original form for use on other properties

To do this:

  1. Click Properties on the main navigation bar
  2. Select the relevant property from Recent & Favourite Properties
    1.  Alternatively, find the property using the Search Properties bar in the top right
  3. Click Docs
  4. In the dropdown menu, click Brochure Setup or Window Card Setup accordingly
  5. Use the dropdown menu and click the relevant brochure or window card style from the list, or, click through the carousel
  6. From here you can:
    1. Click Customise to alter the text, imagery or details (address)
    2. Click Preview (PDF) to preview the brochure or window card design
    3. Click Use this Template, if you don’t need to edit it, which will then default that brochure or window card template for the property

For more information on Creating and customising a brochure template for a property, click here
For more information on Creating and customising a window card template for a property, click here

Create standard paragraphs per branch

Creating a selection of standard paragraphs in Alto can save your team time when you enter room descriptions for properties or send out routine email or SMS notifications to clients.

 Note

When creating standard paragraphs, they will only be added to your default branch. Should you want the standard paragraphs available for all branches, they must be set up on each branch separately and with different names

There are three different types of standard paragraph you can create:

  • Standard Paragraph - paragraphs with this Type will be available to use in room descriptions from the Rooms side menu tab on the Property record
  • Standard Email - paragraphs with this Type will be available to use when you send an email to any contact via Alto
  • Standard SMS - paragraphs with this Type will be available to use when sending an SMS from the Home screen side menu. Bear in mind there is a maximum character limit for standard SMS messages of 160 characters

For more information on the process of Creating and deleting standard paragraphs, click here

Once you have created a standard paragraph for email or SMS, you can add it to the contents of your message, prior to sending your completed email or SMS message.
For more information on Adding a standard paragraph to an email and SMS, click here

Tailor your letter templates

Alto comes with a set of standard letters for you to use at various stages through the property lifecycle. These letters can be edited ad hoc when you create them, or the main master template changed for all future occasions, to suit your own requirements.

You’ll have at least 1 Stationery Template set up (the branch default) along with a list of Letter Templates. Stationery templates are set up with your header, logo and footer, (depending on what you supplied to us), then associated with each letter template to produce a complete document for Print, Email or eSign.

 Note

Whilst letter templates deal with creating the text of the letters, i.e. the main content of the letter, the stationery template is used to add the graphics and branding to the template

We recommend that you identify the letter templates that you’ll likely use, before proofing/tailoring them as necessary. To view your letter templates:

  1. Click Tools on the main navigation bar
  2. In the dropdown menu, click Templates and admin
  3. On the side menu, under App Tools, click Letter & Stationery Templates
    1. If you need to, use the dropdowns to filter your templates by Type (Stationery or Letter), Branch, Brand or department
  4. Click on the relevant Template Name for the template you wish to view and proof

Once you’ve checked the letter templates provided, in order to tailor them you can either:

Any tailoring is done within our letter editor, which works in a similar fashion to modern document editors like Microsoft Word, making it easy to:

  • Copy and paste - Insert text from Microsoft Word and other document editors at the click of a button
  • Change fonts
  • Add bullet points and numbering
  • Drag and drop content into tables

For more information on our letter editor features, click here

Create and tailor your email templates

Alto comes with 1 email template set up (the branch default) that you can select and use when sending an ad hoc email. It'll contain merge codes for your logo and branch details in the header, merge codes for negotiators and branch details in the footer, with space for text in the main body of the email.

We recommend that you take the time now to create and tailor a range of email templates (i.e. an appraisal thankyou email) so that in the long run you have a range set up for different scenarios ready to use.

 Note

Email templates can't be copied and need to be created from scratch each time

For more information on the process of Creating and editing Email Templates, click here
For more information on Customising the main body of your Email Templates, click here
For more information on Sending a Templated Email (including all merge codes available), click here

Property Management and Accounts

If you will be using the Property Management and Accounts features:

  1. You should allocate time in your diary to view our learning pathways on Property Management and Accounts
  2. With that complete, there is a specific checklist which covers the initial settings of each record, as well as preparing for the accounts function of opening balances.
    For more information on Accounts Go Live - Checklist, click here

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