As we noted in a previous blog post, OfficeDrop can now be integrated with FreshBooks with the OfficeDrop-FreshBooks app. We are very excited about helping people with their online billing, and others are starting to take note of the convenience this integration provides.
For example, we recently caught the eye of WebWorkerDaily, a resource site which is part of the popular GigaOM network and provides tips, news, and guides for people in web-focused careers.
We were fortunate enough to be featured on WebWorkerDaily in a post by the talented Aliza Sherman, who explained the notable features of both OfficeDrop and the FreshBooks integration. We especially liked her real-world examples that noted the benefits of a graphic designer attaching images right to an invoice, or a freelance writer sharing drafts with clients so that they can see progress right from the bill.
Since WebWorkerDaily is a great resource for the digital workforce, we are proud to have our very own article to join the ranks of pieces geared toward promoting productivity and making online careers easier.
Thank you to Aliza and WebWorkerDaily for spreading the word about OfficeDrop and our new FreshBooks integration!
OfficeDrop turns all of your paper into text-searchable PDFs, but those new to our services may be wondering “what is a PDF?”
A PDF (Portable Document Format) is, essentially, a standardized way to represent two dimensional digital images. These images may be graphics, text documents, or a combination of the two. The PDF was created by Adobe Systems in 1993 and since them has become a standard in digital document representation. In 2008 it was published by the International Organization for Standardization as an open standard, meaning that it is now universalized and available to the public royalty-free.
The format is especially versatile because it not exclusive to any software, hardware, or operating systems - making it very easy to share. In addition, the PDF is completely extensible, which means it can be adapted to guarantee compatibility with future innovations. A PDF is typically viewed as a digital representation of a piece of paper as you would expect to see on a word processor.
Additional features of the PDF include security options like password protection, text-searchability, and interactive properties such as annotations and other edits.
Due to its heightened accessibility, security, and feature list, the PDF is the format we have chosen for your documents. We hope you now have a better appreciation of how you are viewing your documents, and why this is our favorite format here at OfficeDrop.
We are very excited to announce that OfficeDrop has integrated with FreshBooks by creating our very own online document management FreshBooks add-on! FreshBooks has compiled a sizeable list of add-ons and we are honored to lend our services to make their online billing service even more helpful. This integration merges the accessibility of your OfficeDrop documents with the convenience of FreshBooks online invoicing. With the OfficeDrop add-on you are able to append a link to the notes section of any FreshBooks document which allows recipients to view and download any selected group of documents in your OfficeDrop account. All of your documents are just one click away from Freshbooks for you and your clients.
For example, with the OfficeDrop integration, a FreshBooks user could attach a projected project timeline and scope of work to a FreshBooks estimate she sends to a prospective client. Her client can easily click on the OfficeDrop link embedded in the Freshbooks estimate and view the timeline and the contract - and the client can full text search within the contract and download it as a PDF.
Freshbooks users will also be able to attach entire folders from OfficeDrop to Freshbooks items. With OfficeDrop’s search feature Freshbooks users and clients will be able to search all the documents to find the specific item. OfficeDrop’s snippit views make it easy to find specific information in files or preview things like purchased photographs or artwork.
Some other great things possible with this integration include the ability to attach:
Scanned paper or emailed receipts to invoices
Project timelines to an estimate
Contracts to an estimate
Photos or artwork to invoices or clients
Word documents to time entries
Or even entire folders of documents and files to all sorts of Freshbooks stuff!
See how it works for yourself in the following tutorial videos we produced covering the integration:
Linking OfficeDrop documents to a FreshBooks invoice:
By linking OfficeDrop folders and documents to an invoice, clients can easily access, download and search any relevant documents.
First you will need an existing FreshBooks invoice or other document that you would like to link with OfficeDrop. Once this is done, log into your OfficeDrop account and locate the folder you would like linked to the FreshBooks form.
To do so, click the small triangle to the left of the folder to bring up the folder actions menu. From there, move down to the options listed under “Link to FreshBooks.” Select the document type that applies (Invoice in the video use case) and you will be shown a list of the designated FreshBooks documents you have created. Then select the document(s) you would like to link the folder to and decide whether this will be a private (recipient will need your username and password to view) or public link (anyone with the link can view). We recommend public link if you are sharing the document or folder with a client. Finally, you can either click “Append to Existing Notes” to add to notes already on the FreshBooks document, or “Replace Existing Notes” to replace them. The link to the shared files will appear in the notes section of the Freshbooks item; this is why you have to choose how to put it into the notes. The system will alert you of the link and the only step left is to return to FreshBooks and send the document to your client, complete with a secure link to the designated OfficeDrop documents.
Setting Up Integration
Step 1: Enabling FreshBooks API
FreshBooks API must first be enabled to start linking OfficeDrop documents.
To do this, log into your FreshBooks account and click “My Account.” From there, click the tab labeled “FreshBooks API.” The last step is to check the “Enable API” button, and you’re ready for the second step.
Step 2: Authorizing OfficeDrop for FreshBooks Integration
The second step in is to authorize your OfficeDrop account to interact with FreshBooks.
First, log into your OfficeDrop account and from the home screen select “tools.” On the resulting screen, there will be a menu on the left with a link to “Add-ons.” Click the Add-ons link, and from there move below the Evernote add-on to the space reserved for FreshBooks. Here you will have to enter your unique FreshBooks URL. You can find information on where to find this URL here. Click “Authorize OfficeDrop” and you will be asked to enter your FreshBooks username and password. Once finished, just click “Allow Access” and you will be able to start linking OfficeDrop documents to FreshBooks invoices, expenses and more.
We hope you utilize our new add-on and enjoy the ease and convenience of FreshBooks online billing with OfficeDrop document management.
OfficeDrop is happy to announce the release of another tutorial video, which demonstrates how to use your OfficeDrop account to share documents online with friends and co-workers. Sharing digital documents across your business is a great way to expedite projects and increase productivity.
Sharing documents online with OfficeDrop is simple and secure
Just select the document or folder you wish to share, and enter email addresses to which a secure link will be sent. You are always in control of your share documents with features like share duration, download access and other security features.
*See the tutorial video below for more in-depth descriptions and examples.
In order to share a single document, move to the document’s options under the document snippet and click the ‘More’ button.
From the dropdown menu, select ‘Share’ and you will be required to fill out sharing options.
Choose Security Options
First specify whether the share is public or private. Public shares can be accessed by anyone with the link you have sent, while a private share limits sharing to a specific email address.
Choose whether to grant printing or download access and whether annotations will be visible.
Designate emails of those you wish to share with.
Edit share duration to choose how long the document is shared.
Personalize the message sent to recipients.
Once finished, hit send and your document will be shared.
Note that under the document snippet, your current active share is shown, along with previous shares of that document.
You can view all of your shared documents from the shared items list located left of the interface, under the labels list.
Also note that OfficeDrop grants you the option of expiring a share so that you always have control of your share durations.
Sharing Folders Online
To share a folder, first click the folder you want to share and select ‘Share’ from the ‘Actions’ menu. You can also access the share button from an individual folder’s options by clicking the arrow to the left of a folder name.
Fill out the sharing form and your folder will be shared.
We hope this tutorial has been helpful. Please leave a comment or contact us with any questions or comments.
We have found that during the uploading and scanning process, people sometimes submit multiple copies of the same document, or submit a document that has been scanned previously. Whether this is intentional or by accident, duplicates can clutter your document list, and take up excess storage. For this reason, there is now a way to see when duplicates are submitted on your OfficeDrop online account.
The New Duplicates Tab
From your ‘Inbox’ tab, which shows current uploads, Users will now see a ‘Duplicates’ tab. When the system senses an upload that already exists in storage, it stores it under the duplicates tab before it is processed. In the duplicates tab, the user is shown which documents are suspected to be duplicates, and which existing documents they are a duplicate of. Documents are suspected duplicates if the user, name and size coincide. The user can then review both documents, and choose whether the suspected duplicate should be processed anyway, or deleted.
Just one of the many ways OfficeDrop keeps you organized. Feel free to leave any questions of comments below.
OfficeDrop is happy to announce the release of another tutorial video, which demonstrates how to use labels within your online OfficeDrop account. OfficeDrop provides you with many ways to keep your documents organized and easy to find online. The labels system lets you assign any number of label tags to each of your documents, allowing you to narrow your document view later. By labeling documents, you only have to see the documents relevant to what you need them for. *See the demo for more in-depth descriptions and examples.
At OfficeDrop, we want you to be able to work with your documents easily and effectively once you have scanned them. Organization tools like labels are there so that our customers can get the most out of document scanning by saving time, and boosting productivity. After all, what good is scanning a document if you can’t find it when you need it?
See the video below for a complete walkthrough.
Recap: OfficeDrop Online Document Management - Using Labels
To navigate labels and narrow search results, click the check box of each label to limit the list view to documents containing that label name. Checking multiple label boxes will further refine your view, while un-checking labels will broaden the list view to documents without those label names. See the ‘displaying” tab at the top of the list to see which labels you are viewing.
To apply a label to a single document, click the ‘apply label‘ button under the document’s snippet. From here you can either choose from existing labels, or create a new one.
To apply a label to multiple documents, check all the documents you wish to apply the label to, and use the ‘apply label‘ button located at the top of the list. You can also choose existing labels or create new labels from this menu.
To delete a label, click the ‘x‘ that appears after that label name. Deleting a label won’t delete any documents, but one click will delete the label without a prompt, so be careful.
We hope this tutorial has been helpful. Please leave a comment or contact us with any questions or comments.
Over the past month or so, we have introduced a few “touch-ups” to the OfficeDrop Application. These are by no-means ground breaking features, but more along the lines of “usability enhancements” and “I can’t believe it wasn’t already there”.
Here are a few of the noteworthy ones:
Context-Menus for Folders and Labels
Folders Menu Screenshot
Labels Menu Screenshot
Now you have a “right-click” for each individual folder and label. Just click the arrow to the left of the folder or label name and you are given a list of options specific to that classification.
Drag and Drop Feature
You can now Drag and Drop documents to both folders or labels. To do this, just click and drag document snippets to either a folder or label in the folder or label menu. Dragging to a folder will move that document from any folder it was in previously, to the new folder. Dragging to a label will simply add that label to the list of already applied labels.
To simplify your organizational process, OfficeDrop has introduced a new feature that allows you to upload documents directly to folders. This is especially helpful if you have a large number of documents to upload, and don’t want to spend time assigning documents to folders one by one. Uploading documents directly to folders which are already in use eliminates the need to search through document snippets in your OfficeDrop account and you can preemptively apply labels as well.
To upload a document directly to a folder:
From your home screen, click the arrow directly to the left of the folder name in the Folder menu box.
From the drop-down menu, select “Upload Files.” This will prompt a menu box.
Assign any labels you would like applied on the left side of the menu.
Click “Upload Files,” and select the document(s) you wish to upload.
Upload as many documents as you wish.
When you are finished, click “Close.”
First select the folder into which you want to upload the file
Second select a folder
Next add labels (if you want) and push the "Upload Files" button
Finally, select the files you wish to upload
Processing will begin immediately and your documents will finish processing under your Inbox tab, as usual. Once they have finished processing, your documents will appear in the designated folder.
We’re all looking forward to the New Year here at OfficeDrop, but have found ourselves thinking back on the events of the last 12 months. To bring closure to the passing year, we’ve compiled a list of the top 9 most helpful/ popular blog posts of 2009.
Google brought about a new level of business advertising with the new QR code. We showed you how to scan your code and spread your business. You’ll be sure to see more of the QR code in 2010.
OfficeDrop makes storage of your tax documents easy and hassle free, but how long are you meant to hang on to this information? This post was especially popular and will become especially helpful come April.
Apple’s new OS made document scanning easier by allowing you to scan, view and correct files through the image preview. In this helpful blog post we provide a video informing you of how to get the most out of document scanning with Snow Leopard.
Going paperless is both productive for your office, and friendly toward the environment. In this blog post we’ve provided you with some important steps to move you in a paperless direction.
In our ‘count your documents’ series of blog posts, we help you answer the question “how much paper do I have?” You can use these guides to determine the paper count in your boxes, shelves, cabinets and unbound paper.
There are a lot of ways to store your digital documents. This post will give you a price breakdown of each option, and description of when each is most effective.
Some big news of ‘09 was the launch of Documentscanningservice.com. Powered by OfficeDrop, Document Scanning Service is a free resource for those who want to know all the facts on document scanning.
At OfficeDrop, we are really happy to have integrated with Evernote. With OfficeDrop and Evernote, you can get to your scanned documents without an internet connection. Find out how to use OfficeDrop and Evernote!
These days, mobile access is huge. OfficeDrop offers a mobile optimized web page so you can access all of your documents on the go on your iphone.
Those are our top nine of ‘09. Hope you found them helpful. Let us know your thoughts on OfficeDrop, blog topics, or the past year by commenting below!
So it’s not technically an app, but OfficeDrop provides an iPhone optimized mobile web page, allowing you to access OfficeDrop’s best online features anywhere you go. Access your paper on your phone! In addition to the optimized page, users can always use their iPhone to snap a camera-phone picture and email that to OfficeDrop for conversion to your online account.
From the iPhone mobile site you can search all of your documents, and browse documents by label.
To access the site, simply go to i.pixily.com on your phone’s browser, enter your login information, and away you go. Use the interface just like you would with your standard OfficeDrop online account.
Don’t forget to click the favorites (+) button at the bottom of Safari and then “Add to Home Screen,” so you can see a shortcut to your homescreen, and access your online documents as quickly as possible.
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OfficeDrop’s Document Management and Document Scanning Service Blog
OfficeDrop, formerly Pixily, helps small businesses and home offices go paperless and manage their paper and digital documents online. OfficeDrop provides document scanning services and an award-winning online document management system. In this blog, we’ll discuss cool ways customers are using our service to tame their paper problem and get organized. We hope to share tips and tricks we are learning as we scan, image and digitize documents for our clients. We’ll also highlight new features in our document management system, let you know what the press is saying about us and keep you up to speed with the goings-on at OfficeDrop!
