November 19: Optimized Features for Service Providers and Clients
😃 The New Profile for Service Providers
Service providers can now add a profile photo and show a friendly face to potential new clients. Navigate to your Profile in the upper right-hand corner of your Rapidly account, then click to upload a profile photo.
Service providers can now add their service types and specialties that they offer to stand out with new clients. Navigate to your Profile in the upper right-hand corner of your Rapidly account, then add as many service types as needed.
📈 Additional Information in the Marketplace
Team Rapidly has been listening to your requests, and we are excited to announce further information within the Marketplace. Service providers can assess client needs and send even more accurate quotes.
Before submitting your quote or sending a message to a potential new client, service providers can view more client information, including the number of dependents, their zip code, and the forms that they need to be filed.
📝 Simplified Onboarding Forms for Taxpayer & Business Clients
We have optimized the service request questionnaires with more specific questions related to your service type. We have also simplified the onboarding forms for both Taxpayer and Businesses service requests, condensing the request forms from multiple pages into one quick and easy form.
November 9: Text Chat
With this month’s feature updates, we have made client communications within the Rapidly platform faster and easier for all user types: service providers, taxpayers, and businesses.
💡 Pro Tip
Check your email inbox for message notifications from Rapidly!
✉️ Text Chat For Service Providers
There are three tabs in which to send quotes or messages to your potential and confirmed clients:
Marketplace
Messages
Bookings
1. Service providers can now send a message to a client in the Marketplace asking for further information about their service, before sending a quote.
2. When you have sent either a message or a quote, your potential new client will show up in your Messages tab. Here you can easily see all messages with potential and confirmed clients, or send a quote.
3. After you have sent a quote to your potential new client, you are also able to message the client with further questions from your Bookings tab. Simply click “Message” next to the client’s name under your Pending Bookings.
Once the client has accepted your quote, you can visit your Bookings tab and confirm the booking by clicking “Accept Client.”
Pending service requests in which a taxpayer has not yet selected their tax professional will stay marked as Pending. If a client accepts a quote from another tax professional, the service request will be marked as Declined.
✒️ Text Chat For Taxpayers & Business Users
There are two tabs in which to view quotes or messages to your potential and confirmed service providers: Requests and Messages.
Taxpayers and Business Users will see all quotes for their service request, along with corresponding messages from the tax professionals in their Requests tab. You can also easily see all messages with potential and confirmed service providers in your Messages tab. You are able to message a tax professional before clicking “Accept” for your desired quote.
Once you accept a quote, all other pending quotes for that service will be marked as “Declined.” Messages to other service providers, other than your accepted provider, will be disabled.
After accepting a pricing quote, clients can directly message their tax professional with questions about their request from either the Requests or Messages tab.
November 1: In-App Billing
Rapidly Service Providers with premium subscriptions have access to an array of amazing features, such as the Marketplace and the Access features. Team Rapidly has now streamlined our sign up and onboarding process for Service Providers!
📄 Billing for Service Providers
After creating your Rapidly Service Providers account, you can now subscribe, view, upgrade, downgrade with all Premium subscriptions.
Simply navigate to your Profile -> Billing Tab -> View Plans or Update Plan.
After selecting your Premium subscription plan, you can visit our FAQ page to find out more about our platform and billing.
Coming Soon: Rapidly for Business
Team Rapidly has been working to expand our platform offerings for business owners. The same great Rapidly platform that connects tax professionals and individual taxpayers will be available for business users who need a range of tax, accounting, and bookkeeping services. Learn more about Rapidly for Business or sign up for the waitlist.
September 1: Activity Feed Feature
The Rapidly platform helps tax and accounting professionals organize and manage their clients and client documents. We rolled out our Activity Feed feature designed to help professionals get organized and stay organized with client activities and communications.
📄 Activity Feed For Tax Professionals
For each booked client, professionals now have access to an Activity Feed with a summary of updates for your client and their service request. You can easily access this feature for your confirmed clients:
Log into your Rapidly account
Navigate to your Bookings tab in the left toolbar
In your confirmed bookings, find your selected client
Click View Details for your client
Scroll down to see all client activities in the Activity Feed
Here are some examples of Activity Feed items you'll see for each booked client.
💡 Tax Professional Pro Tip
Keep an eye on your email inbox, because Team Rapidly sends automated email alerts every time you are matched with a new client or your client uploads their documents.
August 1: The New Cash Out Application
With Cash Out by Rapidly, taxpayers are able to quickly and easily access a percentage of their tax refund or unemployment benefits when they need it the most. Visit our Cash Out FAQ for more information on how it works.
💸 Cash Out For Taxpayers
We recently updated the application process for a Cash Out, streamlining our questionnaire to be quicker than ever. Taxpayers can submit a Cash Out application from the Overview dashboard.
1️⃣ Select your Cash Out type
Taxpayers can submit their Cash Out request to access a portion of their tax refund or unemployment benefits on their time
With both requests, you can add a custom gratuity/tip amount when your Cash Out request is completed
2️⃣ Provide your updated Taxpayer information
Provide your basic taxpayer information, including date of birth, SSN, filing status, and spouse information
We ask for your employer or unemployment benefits information, to verify your income and provide you with the most accurate refund estimate
3️⃣ Submit your application and look out for an email from Team Rapidly!
June 16: 1040-X Amended Returns
For the first time ever, the IRS will allow e-filing of Form 1040-X later this summer. For individual taxpayers that need to change or update their Tax Year 2019 filed return, this new e-filing option will allow amendments to Form 1040.
Taxpayers can submit their amendment requests now on the Rapidly platform in preparation for this service offering.
✒️ For Taxpayers
The 1040-X Amended Returns service option is available for individual taxpayers, regardless if your Form 1040 was filed on the Rapidly platform
You have this new service request type available on your Rapidly dashboard
Overview -> Request A Service -> Tax Preparation - Amended Return
You have two payment options for 1040-X
Upfront preparation fees at time of service (via Stripe)
Delayed payment (from your tax refund funds)
💡 After e-filing an amendment for Tax Year 2019, you can view the status of your Amended Return via irs.gov.
📄 For Tax Professionals
How does this new service type help tax professionals?
The new electronic filing 1040-X service option is another way to differentiate your firm's comprehensive tax offerings
You have another service type you can offer to your new Rapidly clients
You can better serve your client's tax season needs virtually
Both you and your clients can feel confident with faster processing times for e-filing vs. mail-in
Keep an eye out for 1040-X e-file requests from your new and existing clients on the Rapidly platform!
June 5: Updates For Taxpayers
Here at Rapidly, we are working as diligently as we can to improve our Taxpayer-facing platform, so you can have your tax requests completed quicker than ever.
✒️ For Taxpayers
Cash Out by Rapidly Fees
There is no longer a $5 processing fee for Cash Out requests on the Rapidly platform
Now, you can add a custom gratuity/tip amount when your Cash Out request is completed
Taxpayer Profile
On your Profile dashboard, you have additional fields regarding your tax information
Driver's License: Number, State, Issue Date, Expiration Date
Dependents: First & Last Name, Date of Birth, SSN
Filling out these additional fields makes tax preparation quicker for you and your tax professional
💡 These key updates for Taxpayers will expedite your Cash Out and tax prep requests.
May 4: The New Rapidly
This has been Rapidly's biggest update yet, with a new and improved user interface and design scheme. You can see more about our May 4 updates.
✒️ For Taxpayers
Your navigation toolbar has moved to the left of the platform, with new dashboards:
Overview
Service Requests
On your Overview dashboard, you can create a new tax and accounting service request
With our Access Feature, you no longer have to upload documents, and instead you can connect the data from your payroll provider securely
On your Service Requests dashboard, you can see the status of your past requests, plus view quotes from tax professionals
📩 Taxpayer and Business Request Options
Request Types for Taxpayers:
Tax Refund Cash Out
Unemployment Cash Out
Tax Preparation
Other Requests
Request Types for Businesses:
Bookkeeping
Tax Planning
Business Consulting
Write Up
Payroll
Financial Modeling
Other Requests
💡 Taxpayer Pro Tip
You can still update your profile, billing, and preferences in the upper right corner of the Rapidly app.
📄 For Tax Professionals
Your navigation toolbar has moved to the left of the platform, with new dashboards:
Overview
Marketplace
Bookings
Your Overview dashboard is the bird's eye view of your day, with a summary of your confirmed clients and potential new clients
The Rapidly Marketplace generates leads for you and connects you with potential new clients
Your Bookings dashboard organizes your confirmed client bookings
With our Access Feature, Rapidly securely verifies your client's payroll data, saving you time at the height of tax season
💡 Tax Professional Pro Tip
There are 3 ways to change your service price before you submit a quote to a potential new client:
Slide the slide bar
Type in a number
Click the up and down arrows