3.1.3 Agent Management

3.1.3 Agent Management

Blocks Online provides a number of administrative functions which are typically only required on an infrequent or extraordinary basis.
1. Agent Suppliers - This is where you set your global list of suppliers that can then be linked to the blocks in order to record supplier invoices. 
See article:  3.3.1 Suppliers Overview for more info on this.
See below section (Agent Suppliers Upload) to see how suppliers can be added in bulk. 

2. Communication
This screen allows you to communicate to your leaseholders in one or multiple blocks via letter or email. 
Access via the menu option: Agent Management -> Communication


The screen displays all the blocks with some general information about them such as the block name and unit numbers.  It allows you to select one or many blocks where you wish to send out a communication. The screen also defaults to showing only 10 entries. If you wish to select all the blocks, instead of ticking the tick box on the left of the blocks, you can click on the box at the top in the header on the far left hand side. 
  
To select more than 10 blocks, please change the number of records to show using the drop-down where you have 10 as the default. Then you can use the tick box at the top left of the header. 

The screen also presents you with 3 buttons on the right hand side. 

Send Email
This allows you to send an email communication to the leaseholders in the selected block(s). Once this is clicked, a pop up window will show all the units from the selected block(s). 
Then you are able to pick the units that you wish to email. 


It has a button for you to click on called ' Select Owners' which selects all units that have the Role as Owner.
There is another button which allows you to select all the Management Team/Directors of the block. 
These users are also highlighted in the Mgmt column with a tick. 
If you wish to only email out to Rentees and Agents then you can perform a search with the word in the search box. 
Once you are happy with the units that are selected, you can click on Next to take you to the next pop up window. 


This window has many different header labels and functions:
Templates: If multiple telates have been created in the Email Template settings screen, then you can choose the one you want from this drop-down
Attachment(s) - allows you to add one or many attachments. There is a restriction on the size of each attachment (10 MB) but it will allow you to upload many. 
You can remove attachments that you don't want as well

From Name - This shows the name from whom the email comes from when the recipient opens the email. 
Reply To - This is the reply email address to which the recipient can reply back to
To - These are all the email addresses that you selected in the previous window. You have the ability to enter other email addresses as well. 
NOTE: any new email addresses you enter, will not have the placeholders pre-populated for you. They will just see the placeholder name instead. 
Copy email addresses - Allows you to copy all the email addresses in a concatenated list so you can email it outside of Blocks Online.
Subject - The subject of your communication - e.g Easter Holiday information.
Message - Contains the message that you wish to deliver. It can be formatted using the basic tools such as the Bold or Italic. 
You can also drag in images if you wish to. For example signature images into the bottom. 
You have the option to add placeholders from the right by simply clicking on them:

Then based on the records you have picked, the email address will be populated from that. 
For these 2 emails:


The email will be Dear Ram and Dear Wouter. 

Then it presents you with the two tick boxes that allow you to :
  1. Send yourself a copy of every email sent - if you send the communication to 10 email addresses then you will get 10 emails
  2. Send yourself a summary of the email that was sent - if you send the communication to 10 email addresses then you will get 1 email with a summary of who it was sent, including any attachment(s)
Once you are satisfied with the preview, you can send it. A record is inserted into the History tab of the Distribution Manager (Agent Management -> Distribution Manager) so you can see the summary such as the one you can send to yourself. 
The records are also kept in the Email Audit tab ( 8.5 Email Audit). The attachments can also viewed here. 
NOTE: You can't send yourself a copy of the email from here. Please make sure you send yourself a copy when you send out emails if you wish to have a copy of what was sent. The email audit is an accurate log of what has happened to the emails and this should be the point to verify the status of an email. There isn't a way to download the emails separately at the moment.

Unit Details Extract
This allows you to download a CSV extract of the blocks that you have chosen. It pulls together the details you need in order to do a mail merge. 
Once clicked on, it allows you to download an extract of just the selected Owners or the ones without an email address. This will be useful to have your communication sent to ones with an email address via email and those that don't have it via post. 



Letter Template
Blocks Online has devised a basic template (attached on this article) that consists of some text and placeholders (will be replaced by the information in the CSV extract). 

In order to incorporate the CSV into the template, within the template -> click on Mailings -> Select Recipients -> Use an existing list and then select the extract. 



Initially the ‘Preview Results’ option is disabled but once the merge is done, the Preview Results at the top is enabled and clickable.

3. Distribution Manager -  The Blocks Online Distribution Manager is the means to control the distribution of documents to leaseholders.
See article: 8. Distribution Manager for more info on this.
4. Bulk Upload
Blocks Online provides a Bulk Upload facility to assist agents with the entering of key information into the Blocks Online system. This is particularly useful for agents that have a large number of blocks to load into the system, or need to enter leaseholder details for large blocks.
Access via the menu option: Agent Management -> Bulk Upload
Blocks Upload

1. Download CSV template by clicking on the button (attached to this article at the very bottom). 
2. Once the template has been filled in, you are able to Upload CSV file.
There are various conditions for the file which must be met, otherwise the system will not accept it. These are the validation rules:
  1. Must be a CSV file (please do not add or remove columns or change the format of the template)
  2. The file must contain at least one data record (empty templates will not be accepted)
  3. The file must contain all title fields - None must be missing
  4. The following fields are mandatory and must not be blank: 
    1. Block reference
    2. Block name
    3. Address 1
    4. Town
    5. Post Code
    6. Management Company Name
    7. Contract Start date (NB: date format needs to be DD/MM/YYYY)
    8. Number of Units 
      1. NOTE: The max limit for the number of units is 3000. If you enter anything above, the system will prompt a warning. Please speak to support if you have more than 3000 units in a block. 
  5. Block reference field must be no more than 8 characters long (used in many reports and must not be a duplicate of an existing block)
  6. Contract start date must be a valid date (it can be in the past or the future)
  7. Number of units must be numerical and must have a value between 1 and 999
Once the file passes the validations for the fields above and is ready then you can upload. If you confirm the upload, you will be presented with message while the upload is processing. Please wait for the upload process to complete. 
Units Upload

1. Unit Details - Select block to download the csv extract with the units and their ID's. Download CSV Extract (attached to this article at the very bottom). 
2.Once the template has been filled in, you are able to  Upload CSV extract.
There are various conditions for the file which must be met, otherwise the system will not accept it. These are the validation rules:
  1. Must be a CSV file
  2. The file must contain at least one data record (empty templates will not be accepted)
  3. The file must contain all title fields - None must be missing
  4. The Unit ID column must not be changed
  5. The date format must be valid (NB: date format needs to be DD/MM/YYYY)
  6. The following fields are mandatory and must not be blank:
    1. Unit ID
    2. Unit Name
    3. Unit Address Line 1
    4. Unit Town
    5. Unit Post Code
    6. Name of Legal Owner
    7. Correspondence Line 1
    8. Correspondence Town
    9. Correspondence Post Code
    10. Correspondence Country
    11. Name w Salutation
    12. Tenant Reference
    13. Ownership Commencement  (NB: the system default is 01/01/2000) 
Unit Name (used in many drop downs within the system) is best kept the same as Unit Address Line 1 (used in demands and letters). 
Tenure - You can choose whether the unit is a Leasehold, Freehold, Commonhold and Other. 'Freehold' properties will result in the section 47 / 48 notice being excluded from service charge demands and will alter the text on Ground Rent demands, otherwise it will be included. Please insert one from the 4 options. 
If flats are owned on a leasehold basis, the Tenure is Leasehold. (And the flats are therefore governed by the legislation associated with leasehold properties.)
It is common for people who buy a leasehold flat to also receive a share in the company that owns the freehold of the building - People often refer to this as having "a share of (the) freehold". However, the flat itself is still owned on a leasehold basis.

Notes - Any additional notes you wish to add 
Once the file passes the validations for the fields above and is ready then you can upload. If you confirm the upload, you will be presented with message while the upload is processing. Please wait for the upload process to complete. 

People Involved Upload

The ‘Bulk Upload – People’ function allows contact details for individual people associated with a
unit to be quickly loaded into the system.
This upload function is of particular use when new agents are loading multiple blocks into the system
or when an existing agent wishes to quickly load details for a single block.
An audit function keeps a record of all information loaded via this facility.

Upload Process -  Once a block is chosen, a CSV extract can be downloaded. This file will contain the existing contact
details for all people associated with the units of the chosen block.
Users then update this file with all the contact details they wish to have loaded.
Once completed the CSV file can be upload. At this stage, all names and contact details of the exiting
people recorded against the units in the block will be deleted, and they will be replaced by the
contents of the CSV file.
This upload function cannot be used for blocks that have recorded any ‘change of ownership’
for any units and cannot be used for blocks that have sent out Leaseholder Portal email invites to
users. The upload can also not be used if there are People Involved records for any units before the upload. 
File Format -  The Upload facility accepts a CSV file in the format provided by the ‘Download CSV Extract’ function.
Details for a single person should be recorded on one record.
If you do not have details of any individuals in a unit then you can either leave the record blank or
you can delete it from the file.
If you have details for multiple people related to a specific unit then copy the record and enter the
details for each person. Note: Every record must contain the Unit ID and the Unit Name otherwise
the file will be rejected.

The specific validation for each field is as follows:

Field Name
Contents
Unit ID
This ID uniquely identifies each unit in the system and is provided in the
Download CSV extract. It must not be changed.
The ID must be included on every record
Unit Name
This is the Name of the Unit and is provided in the Download CSV
extract. It must align with the unit ID and must not be changed.
The name must be included on every record
Type
This classifies the type of person whose details are being loaded. The
options are ‘Owner’, ‘Agent', ‘Rentee’, or ‘Other’.
A type must be provided for every record that is to be loaded
Full Name
This is the name of the person whose details are being loaded. This
name is primarily used in email correspondence with the person.
The Full Name must be provided for every record that is to be loaded. It
can be any text up to 256 characters e.g. John Smith
Name with Salutation
This is the formal name of the person including any salutation. It is
primarily used in email correspondence with the person.
This field is optional.
It can be any text up to 256 characters e.g. Mr J Smith
Telephone
This is a telephone contact number for the person.
This field is optional.
It can be any text up to 256 characters e.g. 020 3384 3418
Note: It is recommended that you include spaces in the number. If you
do not include spaces and you enter the data via a spreadsheet (rather
than Notepad) then any leading zeroes will be removed.
Mobile
This is a mobile telephone contact number for the person.
This field is optional.
It can be any text up to 256 characters e.g. 07798 123 456
Note: It is recommended that you include spaces in the number. If you
do not include spaces and you enter the data via a spreadsheet (rather
than Notepad) then any leading zeroes will be removed.
Email
This is an email contact for the person. It is used to provide the person
with access to the leaseholder Portal.
This field is optional and can only contain one email address.
The email address must contain one (and only one) ‘@’ and cannot
contain a SPACE, Comma, Semi-colon, or Colon
Mgmt Team
This designates whether the Person is a member of the Block’s
Management Team, often a Director. Management Team members have
increased access rights in the Leaseholder Portal.
This must either be ‘N’ or ‘Y’. If it is left blank, then any records will be
set as ‘N’

Example file layout has been attached on this article.
Video link for People Involved: https://youtu.be/wqjTIzb3p2w
Once the file passes the validations for the fields above and is ready then you can upload. If you confirm the upload, you will be presented with message while the upload is processing. Please wait for the upload process to complete. 

Agent Suppliers Upload

Download Suppliers CSV template by clicking on the button (also the template is attached to this article at the very bottom). 

Once the template has been filled in correctly, you are able to Upload CSV file using the ‘Browse…’ button to select the file you wish to upload.

There are various conditions for the file which must be met, otherwise the system will not accept it. These are the validation rules:

  • Must be a CSV file (please do not add or remove columns or change the format of the template)
  • The file must contain at least one data record (empty templates will not be accepted)
  • NOTE: Only upload one Supplier and their relevant details per line on the CSV spreadsheet. If you want to add more than one Contact for the Supplier then do the Bulk Upload first and then go to the relevant Supplier Details screen in the Workbench to the add additional Contacts if required. If you do end up with more than one record for the same Supplier on your Agent Suppliers screen then you can delete duplicates.
Fields:

Supplier Details

o   Supplier Name (The Name of the Supplier must be provided for every record that is to be loaded. It can be any text up to 256 characters)


Default Services

o   Service (This should be the name of the primary service that the Supplier provides – a note of other services they provide can be made in the Supplier Notes section once their particular Supplier record has been created in the system)

NB: When you load the file if you have put the name of a Service that does not match an existing Service that you have created in your Blocks Online account then you will need to select a Service from the dropdown Default Services menu to allocate for the Supplier record (see further details below*)

 

                Contacts

o   Person Name (Person’s name, it can be any text up to 256 characters)

o   Person Email (Person’s email address, it can be any text up to 256 characters)

o   Direct Line (This is the telephone number for the relevant Contact, It can be any text up to 256 characters e.g. 07798 123 456 Note: It is recommended that you include spaces in the number. If you do not include spaces then any leading zeroes will be removed)

NB: If you wish to add more than one Contact to a Supplier record then add additional lines copying all the other completed fields for that particular Supplier Name BUT then add the relevant details in the Contacts fields for the additional Contact(s) you are adding.  

 Mail Correspondence

                       o   Address Line 1 (can be any text up to 256 characters)

o   Address Line 2 (can be any text up to 256 characters)

o   Town (can be any text up to 256 characters)

o   Postcode (can be any text up to 256 characters)


 o   Telephone (This is the main telephone number for the Supplier, It can be any text up to 256 characters e.g. 07798 123 456 Note: It is recommended that you include spaces in the number. If you do not include spaces then any leading zeroes will be removed)

o   Web URL (This is the website address of the Supplier, it can be any text up to 256 characters)

Payment Method

o   Cheque or BACS or Other (This is the Supplier payment method you input for the relevant Supplier)

 

Cheque Details

o   Payee Name (The Supplier name that you input for payment)

o   Address Line 1 (can be any text up to 256 characters)

o   Address Line 2 (can be any text up to 256 characters)

o   Town (can be any text up to 256 characters)

o   Postcode (can be any text up to 256 characters)

BACS Details

o   Account Name (this the Bank Account Name)

o   Account Number (this is the Bank Account Number and it must have 8 numbers)

o   Sort Code (this is the Bank Sort Code and it must have 6 numbers)


                 Other

o   Payment Note (this is a free form field in the Payment Method section of the Supplier details screen that can be any text up to 256 characters)

Once you have loaded your file if there are no pop-up error messages which tell you what you need to do to correct to load a valid file then you will see a pop-up Supplier Upload screen with all the relevant fields you have input for you to verify and if you are happy with the information displayed then click on the ‘Save’ button and the file will load and populate the Supplier screens which you can access via the Workbench > Agent Management > Agent Suppliers menu:
(See article: 3.3.1 Suppliers Overview)


* Services

If you load a file and have put the name of a Service that does not match an existing Service that you have created in your Blocks Online account then you will need to select a Service from the dropdown Default Services menu to allocate for that particular Supplier record. See screenshot:


If you have completed:
then the relevant Services and their descriptions will appear on your Default Services dropdown menu from you to select from.  

NOTE: Please do your Chart of Accounts first before this template is used.
Once the file passes the validations for the fields above and is ready then you can upload. If you confirm the upload, you will be presented with message while the upload is processing. Please wait for the upload process to complete. 


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