AgencyCloud system configuration overview

This guide has been reviewed against our global client base and classed as relevant to all regions

AgencyCloud has over 1000 configuration options and numerous variations - these options have been developed over the long history of Reapit's software development - with a number of options driven through specific client requests

In order to provide context and a framework to support you gaining confidence in using these powerful features, the image in the first section below, Configuration hierarchy & options, sets out the framework in which these configurations operate

Access to configuration is only available to authorised users - before making configuration changes, the relevant guidance provided in this section should be read thoroughly

Any changes made to configuration that impact the operation of AgencyCloud may incur a charge to rectify

Configuration hierarchy & option overview

Summary

Configuration business options

The table below refers to each option in the Configuration menu - with links to related articles, where available:

Configuration menu option	Functional Scope	Observation	Office Configurable
System Configuration - see next section	All	General configuration that influences day to day user experience	All levels
Setup Areas	Sales, Lettings/Rentals	Define / setup areas to support targeted applicant matching	Yes
Setup Contact Categories	Sales, Lettings/Rentals	Define / setup categories which can be selected in the contact screen	Yes - default all
Default Fees	Accounts	Relates to fees that are defaulted at start of a tenancy to ease the operational burden and ensure consistency	No
Departments	Sales, Lettings/Rentals	Setup at project stage - impacts portal feed, do not change	No
Mailing & Events	Sales, Lettings/Rentals	Define / setup mailing & event types which can be selected in the contact screen	Yes
Setup Negotiators	Sales, Lettings/Rentals, Accounts	Set up your staff as users on the system	Yes
Setup Offices	Sales, Lettings/Rentals, Accounts	Create or amend office setup (addresses, contact numbers, portal IDs)	Yes
Source of Enquiry Applicant Status/Position Viewing Feedback	Sales, Lettings/Rentals	Setup options to be used as sources, applicant position and feedback relevant for your business - doing this supports effective analysis of your customer base to drive process and determine ROI	Yes
Setup Referrals / Leads	Sales, Lettings/Rentals	Setup and amend referrals that will be presented on the referral panel on an applicant/property record	Yes
Setup Tax Rates	Sales, Lettings/Rentals, Accounts	Do not change	No
Setup Tenancy Checks	Lettings/Rentals	Pre/post tenancy checks, break clauses, allowances, renewal options	Yes - default all

The Getting Started section below outlines how to access the above menu options

System Configuration - general overview

Do not change is stated where adjustments to values stored can create instability/data corruption within your Agency Cloud system. Where this is stated, these values are very rarely changed by Reapit once setup.
Professional services - some options state that professional services are required to enable an option - this is usually for features that are associated with project delivery, normally due to data migration and setup and the coordination of a number of tasks to support a successful launch.
Third party integrations - integrations are setup and deployed by the Reapit Services team. Currently, this cannot be undertaken by our customers (although Marketplace will enable this in the future). You should request any third party integration requirements via the Reapit Service Portal.

The options listed below relate to the configuration option categories available in the System Configuration screen (via left hand side tab options) - links to related articles are also included:

The Getting Started section below outlines how to access System Configuration

System Configuration tab title	Summary	Most common usage
Applicants	Options to influence the handling of applicant management	Inter-office referrals enablement
Applicant Status	Ability to define default values for the applicant and to define your own applicant status options	Default status, buying position bespoke options
Auctions	Do not change - requires Professional Services to enable
Contacts / Companies	Options to influence management of contacts	Configuration of Check ID Setup (AMR Checks)
Custom Lists	Extend the categorisation of various lists used across Agency Cloud	Commonly used to refine types to client-specific requirements For example: setup new certificate types, which can then be added to Property Management Power Organiser Panel
Custom Grids	Define columns shown by default, dependant on the object being viewed	Add specific columns as used by a client (differs for all clients) Warning: do not create new fields that are not stored against the object in focus as causes significant performance issues
Diary	Ability to define default values for Diary management	Add new Diary Entry types Note: some types drive integrations (e.g. SmartView = SV)
Email / Word / Excel	Do not change - determines the behaviour of Microsoft integration from Agency Cloud
File Paths / WebDav	Do not change - use as a reference point only
General	Company level defaults - should not need to change	Enable referrals which are displayed in the Referral Panel for properties/applicants
Housekeeping	Do not change
International	Do not change
Landlord Statement	Do not change
Lettings Accounts	Should only be updated by Client Accountant / Accountant	Default allocation of nominals to charge/cost lines
Lettings Payments	Should only be updated by Client Accountant / Accountant
Lettings / Tenancies	Ability to define default values for management of tenancies	Default Inspection Value (days); enable Inspection value to be set at Tenancy level (post initial)
Market Place	Do not change - relates to Reapit Foundations migration
Matching	Ability to define matching defaults/tolerances	Do not enable geocode matching - requires professional services to deploy
Offers	Ability to define how offers are managed/presented to users	Order of offers presented, etc.
Organiser	Mostly relates to previous (legacy) Organiser screen, rather than current Power Organiser	Internet registrations enablement (office, user level); will require the user to apply offices on Power Organiser panel to display Set default Power Organiser for company, offices, staff Determine properties included in certificate expiry panel
Particulars	Do not change
Pictures	Do not change
Programs / URLs	Do not change - exceptions in common usage	Adobe Sign details are entered here - set per user Client website link stored here (used on templates, portal feeds)
Properties	How properties are represented online / internally	Display next date or last call, number of days to next call, default status of new properties, inter-office referrals
Property Descriptions	Enhanced property descriptions (note: fields created here are not presented to portals)	Create additional marketing screen fields (up to 5)
Reports	Influence specific fields relating to reporting output
Sales Progression	Ability to define your own stages/checkpoints for use on Sales Progression screen
Searching	Options that determine general, applicant, property searches	Include / exclude archive in searches
Security	Do not change
System	Do not change
Tenancy Renewals	Setup up your own tenancy renewal checks and agreement details	Set-up pre and post tenancy checks, agreement details for break clauses, allowances and responsibilities, plus renewal options
Trust Accounts	Applicable to Australian clients only

Use of configuration options - good practice advice

We would like to share our experience to help you successfully take on the configuration of your own Agency Cloud environment; the advice and guidance outlined here is based on many years of working with Reapit Agency Cloud with all of our client-base.

Always determine what outcome/challenge you are trying to address before considering any change; avoid the desire to scour options to 'find something new'

We recommend that you start by looking to align configuration, on paper, to your business processes, policies and service levels before mapping to Agency Cloud configuration

Nominate one person who will have responsibility for applying changes; ensure changes are managed formally and controlled (this also help our Support teams)

Consider the impact on your customers and - more importantly - your staff; how will the change be communicated and trained out - the adoption of change comes from understanding why and the value to be derived

Avoid the temptation to create a myriad of configuration options - complexity serves to confuse, rather than clarify and focus staff

Avoid reactive/unconsidered changes to configuration; as the saying goes - change in haste, repent at leisure!

If in doubt, seek assistance - talk to Reapit Support or your Customer Success Manager who can offer advice

DO NOT REMOVE / DELETE CURRENT ENTRIES FROM SYSTEM CONFIGURATION
ALWAYS VERIFY YOUR CHANGES BEFORE APPLYING TO ALL STAFF
See Testing configuration changes below for more information

Getting started - accessing Configuration options & System Configuration screen

This section outlines how to access the configuration options available to you (as outlined in the earlier section entitled Configuration business options):

1. Access Configuration menu and options available

Click name/office top left of the main menu
From the System menu, click Configuration

The options displayed will depend on the level of access to configuration you have
Selecting System Configuration displays the screen shown in step 2

Other Setup options are available below this

2. System Configuration options

On the System Configuration screen:

Use the tabs along the left side of the screen to access the required section

3. Saving changes

After making any updates, click Save (bottom right)

Warning

Be careful when making changes that impact Company level - see Testing configuration changes below for more information

Testing configuration changes

We recommend that all configuration changes are verified/tested before they are deployed to all users or an office.

The guidelines to follow are:

Apply changes against your own negotiator account
Log out/in of Reapit Agency Cloud for changes to take effect
Verify/validate that the changes perform as you expect

Hints & tips when using configuration

This section contains some hints/tips useful when dealing with configuration requests, queries or where things aren't working as expected

Common question / issue	Guidance
I can't find the option or area I need	Use the search field at the bottom of the configuration screen - enter the topic you are looking for in search field at the bottom of the screen, then press enter to perform the search The tabs that contain reference to your search word(s) will be highlighted (as shown below) In this example the word Applicant* was searched*
Changes do not appear to be taking effect	Log out of Reapit Agency Cloud and back in again to ensure that the change has taken effect If you've tried that and changes have still not taken effect: Check configuration settings at Negotiator, then Office level as a previous configuration may have taken precedence (shown in the Configuration for field, see previous section)
Need to identify a reference to a field	The Letter Template Editor (LTE) is the quickest and most effective way to identify the programmatic reference to a field If you've checked the LTE and still don't know what the reference to a field is: Use the LTE to identify the structure used against the object you wish to reference Download the Reapit Agency Cloud Data Dictionary; this will then highlight in most instances the field name you will require
Don't understand what a configuration option does	Hover over the item and, where enabled, a hint or explanation will be provided via a tool tip Raise a request via the specific Reapit Agency Cloud Configuration form

How to request Support

Any advice or guidance you require must be raised via the Reapit Customer Portal by clicking this link

All support provided is based on a reasonable endeavours basis only and we do not offer Service Level expectations for this

A series of guides on how to get access & use a selection of setup screens is also available here: Self-service configuration options