Boilerplate is a secure platform for managing document request workflows using digital checklists and organized portals. Think of a CRM designed specifically to collect form and file requests. It commonly replaces email-based documentation requests and tracking spreadsheets. It can function as a standalone tool, or operate alongside existing systems.
Collecting checklists of documentation, like onboarding clients, employees, contractors, vendors, and more.
Share re-usable digital checklists to collect requests like forms, files and e-signatures.
These digital checklists can be shared using a postable link, or sent to a specific person from within our system using an emailed link.
The other party (client, new employee, contractor, vendor, etc) clicks the link, logs in, sees a list of form and file requests, and works their way through the list. They can fill and sign PDFs, complete digital forms, upload files, and mark tasks completed.
The requester gets notified once the checklist has been submitted. They can track submissions on an automated, visual dashboard. Submissions can be returned through the system for updates. Reminders can be sent for open items. Submitted files can be stored on Boilerplate, or downloaded/ exported.
Yes. Create a checklist with form and file requests. In the checklist hamburger menu (=), choose create shareable link. Copy the link and paste it into your website. You’ll be notified when people submit.
Boilerplate combines the core functionality of emails, cloud storage, project management, and e-signature tools when managing documentation requests. For most document-request type processes, it will likely replace these disparate tools. However, it is unlikely to completely eliminate the need for cloud storage or project management software across your entire organization.
Boilerplate combines the ability to manage forms and e-signatures, plus file requests and assigned tasks through a single system with built-in tracking and storage capabilities. It commonly fills manual gaps in existing processes where files are being requested via email and tracked in a spreadsheet, or collected via a file selector button on a website.
Yes. Through the Admin settings you can add your logo. It will appear at the top of the client portal so that it appears to be part of your own system.
We help almost anywhere there are lots of repetitive file requests – especially human capital and financial services. Examples of client uses include hiring coordinators, insurance brokers collecting data and documents from their clients, tax preparers, payroll companies, tax credit consultants, mortgage brokers, lenders, property managers, real estate agent onboardings, non-profits, government contractors, event venues, transportation companies, school therapist agencies, healthcare staffing organizations and more.
Efficiency, organization, transparency, client experience, and compliance. Most of our clients see a drastic reduction in back and forth communication around the status of open requests. They can hire faster since the new hire documentation requests are now streamlined. Their clients are happier with an easy onboarding process. Everyone knows what’s going on. Compliance risks are reduced by having complete records in a single system.
One 8-person HR team is saving over 40 hours per week ( one full time employee) in admin time by using Boilerplate. They’re hiring almost 20 employees per week, with about 20 required documents per employee. That’s 20x20 = 400 items that need to be requested and chased down each week before the employee starts their job. This equates to approximately 2 hours directly saved per new employee. This doesn’t count the time saved by the new hire themselves, or supervisors and other team members who would be spending time inquiring about open document statuses.
While the basic premise of collecting file requests seems straightforward, the necessary functionality to efficiently handle the nuances of documentation requests turn it into a multi-year, capital-intensive project. There are substantial risks around cost overruns, scope creep, and long term maintenance that make a third party solution like Boilerplate a faster, lower risk, more cost effective solution.
In Boilerplate, digital checklists are a list of requests that can be shared via link or assigned to a specific person. They that can contain:
Yes. As long as a checklist does not contain any personalized documents, you can place a link on your website to have a visitor submit files, complete digital forms, and/or fill and e-sign generic PDF templates within the system. You’ll be notified as soon as they are submitted.
Checklists are reusable. Set them up once, and send them to hundreds of contacts.
For commonly used checklists, we recommended creating separate versions by duplicating and customizing, for example a New York new hire checklist vs a Florida new hire. One of our clients hires employees in over 15 states. They started with one base checklist for all new hires, then customized and saved a unique checklist for each state. You can create different checklists for any reason you like.
Yes. If you are sending a checklist to a specific individual, you’ll have the opportunity to add and remove requests, import and/ or prefill documents, add a custom message, and set due dates.
Absolutely. We have clients that use one checklist to collect materials from job applicants, a second checklist to send their contract or offer letter, and a third checklist to collect all their new hire onboarding documents. After a submitted checklist has been reviewed, the admin user will see a pop up asking if they’d like to send the next checklist.
Recipient specific templates can be pre-filled (fill in the blanks) or swapped in before sending to a specific recipient.
Through the Templates screen, you can import a PDF document with blanks to be filled in the system. You’ll be able to add fields to be filled and signed before sending, by the client, or after they’ve submitted.
Yes. If you have a standard document with just a few blanks to be filled, it’s easiest to set it up as a reusable template directly in our system. However, for more complex documents, you may want to prepare them offline in Google Docs or Word, print to a PDF, and then Swap In/ Import before sending a checklist. When you import that outside PDFs, you’ll be able to add fields for filling and signatures, designating who is to take action.
Yes. A checklist can be sent to the same person more than once. The requester will be given the option to add a unique identifier to tell them apart (i.e. Q2 vs Q3).
A client can submit more than once if that’s enabled in the checklist setup on the admin side. They can use the ‘Create new submission’ button on the client portal. For example, contractors submitting monthly invoices, expense reports and timesheets.
Yes. Boilerplate has a proprietary ESIGN compliant e-signature tool built into the system.
When setting up PDFs for signature, fields can be designated for signature before sending, by the client, or after the client has submitted.
Yes, the client receives an email with a link to retrieve the completed document with all signatures.
The signer must first consent to the use of legally binding electronic signatures by typing their full name before moving to the signature screen. On the signature screen, they can choose between generating a stylized signature based on their typed name, or drawing a signature with their mouse, or finger on mobile.
Bold red boxes appear around any fields to be filled, checked, or signed. The system will ask if they’re sure they want to proceed if they leave any fields blank.
When a document is electronically signed in Boilerplate, the user must be logged in through their email and password. An unchangeable signature is applied with an audit log that records the person’s name, date/ time, and IP address of their device used to sign the document. The audit log is appended to the end of any signed PDFs.
Digital forms do not require a physical PDF to be loaded into the system. The digital form can contain short and long answer questions, multiple choice, and multi-select. The data can then be exported once submitted. As a user works through the list, completed items turn green and the status automatically updates so they know what is completed and what is left to do.
Yes. In some cases, you don’t want a client to see a long, complex PDF document like an insurance application. Instead, you can send a simplified digital form asking them the questions they do know, then export that data onto PDF templates and fill the rest for them.
The data collected on digital forms can be saved to the contact’s profile, which is accessible via the admin panel. The data is your property, Boilerplate does not sell it.
Sometimes you need to ask someone to do something that doesn’t require a form to be filled or a file immediately uploaded. For example, watching a training video and affirming that you completed it. These can be included within the requests portion of a checklist.
Yes, through our Task request type, you can include a link within a checklist for the client to follow and mark as completed. For example, the link to obtain a background check, watch a training video, or enroll in benefits.
Yes, they can upload a confirmation file like a background check certification.
Not at the moment, however you can give clients task links to your own third party payment processing site to make payments.
Yes, when sending a checklist you can set a due date based on a specific date or a set number of days after sending. The other person will get reminder emails with links to complete the request as the due date approaches or if the submission is overdue.
What about manual reminders?
Admin is the term for the person or people making requests. There can be multiple users on the admin team. The other party who submits the requests may be a client, vendor, contractor, employee, or someone else – for simplicity, we refer to all of them all as clients.
A client will first click an assignment link. These links may be posted on a website, shared in a mass email through a tool like MailChimp, or arrive in a system-generated email through Boilerplate. They’ll be asked to create or enter an email address and password for security purposes. Once inside the Boilerplate system, the client sees a list of all assigned items. They can upload files, mark tasks completed, populate digital forms, and/ or fill and sign PDFs.
No. Forms can be filled and signed in the system without downloading. The application is web-based, so they don’t need to download an app.
After finishing all requests in a checklist, the request will turn green and display ‘Submitted’ status with the date. The client will see a completion confirmation pop up that can be downloaded or printed. The system will automatically send a confirmation email to both parties. This cuts out some unnecessary emails and phone calls.
Absolutely. Your logo will appear at the top of the client portal. This can be done through your admin settings. The colors used in the platform– blacks, whites, grays – were intended to make it feel like it could be part of anyone’s site.
Boilerplate lets clients mark files unavailable and then prompts them to select a reason. For example, a person does not have a passport.
Right now Boilerplate is set up for just one client/ recipient to be working on a checklist. This doesn’t mean they can’t collaborate behind the scenes, but only one person is uploading the documents.
Yes, when a checklist is completed, you’ll receive an email notification. In your Boilerplate admin account, the submitted items will be identified as ‘Ready for Review’ on the Dashboard. An indicator button will appear to show there are items in your review queue.
There are all sorts of reasons submitted files need to be returned… wrong file, cutoff, out of date, etc. Before being saved in the system, all submissions appear in a review queue where an admin user can accept or reject each item. If they reject an item, they can send a custom message to the other party through the system on what they need to fix or resubmit. The other party gets an email with that message and a link to log in and fix the issue.
That is your decision. There’s an Accept All button on the review screen.
We figured out the most common reason files were getting returned. Client users can preview and replace file uploads and pictures in Boilerplate before they submit them. Fillable forms provide warnings before submitting with blank fields.
A visual dashboard shows all assignments, sorted by contact, with a status column and colors to indicate where each item stands. You can drill down to see each checklist, and further expand to see the status of each individual item. This status information can also be found in the Contact Details section of each individual client/ contact.
Yes. You can sort by contact, contact organization, submission status, and more.
By default, all submitted files are stored for 60 days before being automatically removed. After the retention period, a record of the request still exists, but the files are inaccessible for security purposes. The retention periods can be shortened or extended indefinitely.
Yes. Expiration dates on file submissions can be tracked. The client will be asked to add a date when they upload it. You’ll be able to review and edit that date when the submission is reviewed.
Yes. When you download files from Boilerplate, we even automatically rename them to include the submitter’s name, file name and date to reduce version control issues and ensure that you don’t end up with 500 files saved as ‘Resume’ or ‘License’.
This can be done via an API. Tell us where you need it to go and we’ll determine the level of effort.
Yes, through our Internal Filing Cabinet feature files can be manually added to any contact. Simply open a contact, and you can manually add files that will be saved to their profile.
All files and data are encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256). Files and data are hosted and backed up on AWS servers in the United States, leveraging numerous AWS security capabilities. Multi-factor authentication is available for admin users. Each week, the US Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) conducts a cyber hygiene scan on our system (not an endorsement). We utilize accredited third party penetration testers to identify vulnerabilities. We actively monitor for threats and suspicious activity.
Yes, for the security of everyone’s data and documents, passwords are required for both admin and client users. We have processed requests for thousands of users and have not had any complaints about requiring a password that can be easily saved to a password manager.
Our technical team can work with you to set this up.
Yes, we have an open API that can be set up.
Setup can range from 20 minutes for simple use cases, to months, depending on the complexity of the checklists, templates, and any data mapping.
Our client success team can help structure checklists to meet your process workflows.
There are three steps:
1 Defining your process workflow and checklist needs
2. Setting up checklists, forms, and templates.
3. Walkthrough/ review with the Boilerplate team, then go
We’ll do regular follow-ups to ensure everything is going well.
You’ll need to add your PDF templates and create your request checklist(s). Our system can detect fillable fields in some PDFs, but in other cases each field will need to be manually added to the PDF. You’ll also need to select who and when a field will be filled (before sending to client, client fills, requester after submission, anyone). This is something our client success team can help with.
Yes, depending on the complexity of what you’re trying to do. In many cases, our customer success team will help with templates, forms, and checklists to save them time. We’ll then do a walkthrough over Zoom.
Yes, after setup we’ll do a Zoom walkthrough to ensure everyone on your team is comfortable using the software.
There’s a chat bot in the bottom right corner of the application, on both the admin and client side. The messages go directly to our team via Slack, and we reply as quickly as possible. We respond to emails, phone calls, texts, and more. We can also hop on a Zoom with you and your team to walk through any questions or issues.
We’ll work with you to try and make it work, or worst case arrange a refund. We want you to love using our product and have no doubt about the value you are receiving from it.
We think so. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We’re always listening to our customers and their clients, then incorporating that feedback into our product roadmap to continually improve the product.
You can email hello@boilerplate.co, schedule a 15 minute introductory meeting here, or fill out the contact us form. Let’s chat and see if we can save you some time and money.
Contacts can be added using their email address. This can be done on the contacts screen or when sending a request. You can add first and last name, email, company or organization, phone number, and a start date.
Yes. On the Contacts screen, you can use the Bulk Import button to upload a CSV file of new contacts. You’re able to download the CSV template, add your list of contacts, re-upload, and then bulk send to those contacts.
For checklists that don’t contain personalized documents (ilke offer letters, contracts, etc), you can select multiple recipients using the Send button the Checklists screen or the Bulk Send button on the Contacts screen.
We call this feature the Internal Filing Cabinet. To use it, go to Contacts > Contact Details > Documentation tab and there’s a button to upload files to their internal filing cabinet. The contact will not have access to these files, but they are stored in their profile.
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