FAQs

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions


Below you will find a list of FAQs that will hopefully help you resolve any questions you may have. We will continue to add to this list.

If you have anything you would like to suggest for inclusion here then please get in touch with CPL Support.

If you can't find an answer to your question here, then please contact CPL Support.

How can I contact support?

Our online support portal is available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week and can be accessed via this link: https://contact.cplsoftware.com/portal/home The online support portal has information related to our recent releases and also our knowledge base.  You can also raise support tickets from the portal.  In addition, you can also contact the support team via email at support@cplsoftware.com or by  telephone on 0345 646 0240 (Option 1).

Some of our clients have their own hierarchy for raising tickets, however, so please check with your local administrator for your company's procedure.

Don’t forget to include a full description and any screenshots of the issue you would like investigated to help with a speedy resolution.

What are the opening hours for support?

The support telephone service is available Mon-Friday from 09:00 until 17:00 with the exception of UK public holidays when we are closed.  Our online support portal – where support tickets can be raised – and our support email address are available 24/7.  Any support tickets or emails which are submitted outwith our normal support hours of business will be dealt with on the following first business day.

Who can raise tickets on the CPL helpdesk?

Most of our clients elect to have a single individual within the organisation as the main point of contact for raising support tickets.  This allows for better management of your support process and a single point of contact who generally then builds their knowledge of the system and also builds their relationship with the support team.

How do I capture a screenshot to add to my support ticket?

The easiest way for CPL Support to be able to investigate an issue for you is for you to have included a screenshot along with your description. If you hold down the Alt key on your computer keyboard and then click on the Print Screen key you will be able to capture the whole screen which will be copied to your clipboard. You can then paste this into a word document or an email to submit this to CPL Support. If you would like to only capture part of the screen then hold down the Windows key, the Shift key and click on the letter S. Your screen will appear greyed out and your mouse cursor will change to crosshairs. Click and drag on your screen to select the part of your screen you want to capture. A screenshot of the region you selected will be copied to your clipboard and you can again paste this into a word document or email to send to CPL Support.

There is a message on-screen when I log in which says my licence has been exceeded, what do I need to do?

This message will not affect your software performance.  It lets you know that the number of property units you have contracted with CPL for – in terms of software provision – has been exceeded.  A member of the CPL team will be in touch with one of your company directors or your business owner to ensure you have sufficient licences to cover the number of units your company is managing.  You can dismiss this message and continue using the software as normal.

What types of questions can I raise with support?

The CPL Support Team can help with technical issues, faults and training requirements. They can also forward on any sales enquiries you may have. Support will also deal with database queries, scripted changes to your database and batch reversals. Support has the ability to remotely access your machine to help with the diagnosis, analysis and eventually the solution to any problems you might encounter. The support team have direct access to the Development team and also our Technical Director which allows them to escalate any issues. This means they can provide solutions faster and ensure the minimum of downtime and inconvenience to you as a client.

How regularly is CPL updated?

Our planned product roadmap is for software releases once every 3 months. Therefore, in any 12 month period there should be 4 new versions of the software released.  In addition to these, there may also be smaller software patches which are released more frequently.  These patches may include ‘hot fixes’ or small deployment changes which are in addition to the main quarterly release schedule.

We have added several developments that we manage but these aren’t live yet.  Can these be added to CPL without affecting our licence?

You can add the developments as they are handed over to you from the developer or as they are sold.  Limited information can be created around the development without them counting towards your licence number however as soon as you mark the development as live, the units contained within the development will then count towards your licence.

What types of training do you offer?

We can offer classroom-based, on-site, online or blended learning training dependent upon a client’s requirements.  We can offer training in hourly chunks, half days or full days based on the subject matter being delivered.  Our course content can be delivered ‘out of the box’ or can be customised based on client configuration and requirements.

Do we need a server in our office to run CPL?

CPL can offer both a cloud-based or a server-based solution for our clients.  For clients who manage a portfolio in excess of 3,000 units we would recommend a server-based solution.  For clients with 3,000 units or less, either cloud-based or local server-based options are available.

Is there a limit to the number of tickets or a restriction on the number of tickets we can raise?

Do you have a user group forum?

We run the user groups every quarter.  These are open to any CPL user who wishes to attend. We use these groups to advise you of changes in the software, future planned enhancements and how we can improve our general business processes.  Our user group agenda is driven by our clients to ensure the content is relevant, to provide a forum to the people who use our software and to make their jobs easier.

Other people in the office can see and do things in CPL that I don’t seem able to do?

CPL is a permission-based piece of software.  Permissions can be very granular if required or can be based around job roles, tasks, departments or even your company’s organisational hierarchy.  Individual user permissions are created by a company’s superuser who decides which areas of the software a user has access to and within those areas which privileges they have (Create, Read, Update, Delete).  The CPL support team would require authority from a director within your business to change individual user permissions within your system.

I’ve heard of the term ‘two-factor authentication’. What does this mean?

Two Factor Authentication (or 2FA) is a way of adding additional security to a user’s account. The first level is the user entering a password, the second is an authorisation token provided to them via the email address or telephone number they registered for in their set-up of 2FA. You have the opportunity to set up two factor authentication for your clients in your Client Web Portal.

Are we restricted to the number of users/developments/properties we can have in CPL?

Our licence model is not based on the number of users your company has, nor is it based on the number of developments you have in your portfolio and therefore both of these are unrestricted within CPL.  Instead, our licence model is based on the number of live units you have in your portfolio which is agreed as part of your initial contract with CPL.  If this is exceeded, you would be billed for the additional units and your monthly support cost would be amended accordingly.

I’ve heard other factoring companies talking about INSPCT and BLOCKWORX, what are these?

INSPCT is a reporting app that allows you to create report templates for things like property inspections, grounds maintenance inspections and site surveys amongst a whole range of additional options. INSPCT can (but does not have to) feed data into CPL.

BLOCKWORX is an online portal and app which allows your contractors to raise their invoices with you electronically with the information being uploaded directly into CPL and without the need for human intervention.  It is designed to cut downtime and resource inefficiencies which are suffered due to delays in contractors responding to estimate and quote requests but also to minimise the delay between a contractor completing a piece of work and then raising their invoice.

How long does it normally take to respond to a support ticket once it has been raised?

We categorise the support tickets raised depending on the severity and potential impact on your business.  You should normally receive an acknowledgement the same day to confirm that we have received your ticket.

The Response Times SLA (Service Level Agreements) we work to are as follows.
  1. Critical:    1 working hour reply, 4 working hours Resolution.
  2. Major:      4 working hours reply, 8 working hours resolution.
  3. Normal:   8 working hours reply, 24 working hours resolution.
  4. Minor:    16 working hours reply, 40 working hours resolution.


Is there an escalation process if I am not satisfied with the service I have received in dealing with my support enquiry?

If you feel that the level of service or response you have received from the support team fell below your level of acceptability, you can email feedback@cplsoftware.com ideally with your support ticket reference number and the reason why you felt the service provided wasn’t to your satisfaction. Your email will be reviewed by our senior management team who will contact you directly.  If you wish to include your phone number on your email and would prefer a call to discuss, then please do so.

Can I ask for a document to be added to your Knowledge Base?

You certainly can! The training and implementation team at CPL are very receptive to requests.  The document may not be created for you immediately – based on workload – but the team will give you an indication as to how long it will take them to produce and when you can expect to see it added to the Knowledge Base.

I understand there is a traffic light system which is used for In-Tray, can you explain how this works and what it is used for? 

The traffic light symbols appear against each file which is uploaded to the In-Tray. CPL uses a system setting to control when these traffic lights change and this can be edited in order to be based on your company’s SLA’s.

These are the CPL defaults:

  1. An item will show as green when it is first added.
  2. An item will become amber after 48 hours.
  3. An item will become red after 96 hours.

This can be set for several correspondence types including emails, attachments and invoices. CPL can handle various file types, including .msg, .doc, .docx, .pdf, .jpg or .png and many others.

These traffic light symbols can allow you to manage your correspondence and files much more effectively and help you minimise the risk of breaching your response times.

What sort of information can the CPL Dashboard show me? 

Another member of my team uses CPL, can I see their data and information? 

CPL uses a database system to arrange your data and this means that any changes your co-workers make can potentially be seen by everyone in the team. The system is also hierarchical in nature with the ability for your company structure to be replicated through granting different permissions to different users. This enables management to have visibility of the data and performance of their team.

Is there a data retention policy which covers my data in CPL?

The data is yours and as such, whatever your stated data retention policy is should be mirrored within CPL.  From a financial reporting perspective, you should retain your data for a period of 7 years.  With regards to a Subject Access Request under GDPR regulations, your company data retention policy should state how long personal data is stored for. All of your data will remain in CPL until you choose to remove it.

Is CPL GDPR compliant?

Yes. CPL contains functionality which will allow you to redact client information after the correct period of time has passed or when you receive a request from an individual client. Access to this system option is restricted by the appropriate permissions having been granted to users. The system relies on the users running a process to redact any client details.  This should align with your company’s advertised data retention policy.

What are the different databases I can see on the login screen?

By default, your company will have access to a minimum of two databases in CPL. These will be your Live Database containing all of your client, development, purchase ledger, invoicing and insurance data and a Test Database. Your Test Database can contain all of the same information but can allow you to test processes or deliver training without affecting any of your live data.

Are we restricted to the number of databases we can have?

There is no restriction on the number of databases you can have.  However, multiple databases may place additional constraint on your server space and affect your network performance and you should, therefore, think very carefully before asking for these to be created.  You can have up to three databases as part of your initial configuration and setup.  Additional databases may be chargeable due to the additional support resource required to administer regular updates and fixes.

Can I get my data back out of CPL if I choose to terminate my contract?

CPL have no ownership of your data. Therefore, provided there is no outstanding debt on your account we will provide you with a backup of your data in the form of a SQL database via a secure download site or alternative method.

I’ve heard people talk about Actual and Budgeted, what does this mean and can CPL handle either or both? 

Actual and Budgeted are the different methods available to you in CPL for billing your clients.

Actual Accounting means that when you accrue charges, for instance when you are billed by a contractor, you will charge this directly out to your clients during an individual billing period. This could be monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or some other time period of your choosing.

Budgeted Accounting means you have estimated the charges for a year based on historical and estimated expenditure and you will bill your clients based on that estimate for the year. You can still bill your clients on a monthly, quarterly or any other basis but for each time period, they will be billed for the appropriate proportion of the annual budget you have set. At the end of the year you would then reconcile the actual costs you accrued against your annual budget and credit or debit your clients appropriately. You can run some aspects of your accounting as Actual. For example, you could bill everything else on a budget but choose to charge your clients for insurance premiums on an actual basis. You would run amended accounts for the insurance in this example.

Actual and Budgeted would mean that you are still charging out costs to your clients on an actual basis but you can set up a budget to go along with this, which will allow you to track your costs against what you think they will be.

Developments in CPL can either be set to run on an actual or budgeted basis or a combination of the two.

Where can I find a copy of the latest Release Notes? 

Every time we put out a new release for CPL we put together Release Notes to explain any new features and changes we have made.

A link to the Release Notes in the Knowledge Base can be found in the top-level Help menu in CPL. Within CPL, click the Help menu item and select the entry labelled Release Notes. Here you will find a copy of the Release Notes for each version.

Release Notes from version 2.51 onwards are available on the Knowledge Base directly. In addition, recordings of webinar sessions we have delivered to help explain release features are available from version 2.56 onwards.

My client says they did not receive an email, but the document shows in their letters/documents tab in their Client account?

I took my laptop home to work in CPL and I’m getting an error message.

The only part of CPL which is installed on your laptop is the part which contacts the database and allows you to see this on your laptop screen. This database, which contains all your client, development and financial information is still in your office, on your company's server. For security reasons, this server is only accessible from within your office.

However, it is possible to make your laptop work as if it was in the office by having your own IT service provider set you up with a VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection. This connects your laptop to the server in your office via a special secure connection using your internet connection.

This VPN must be set up by your internal IT service provider and will only work while you are connected to the internet, either through your home broadband or over a WiFi connection.

Companies using the CPL Cloud Solution will not require to connect through a VPN, as the database is located in the Cloud rather than in your office. However, in this instance, you will still need an internet connection to access the database and use the CPL software.

Where are the Printer Settings in CPL?

CPL does not have its own printer settings. Instead, it uses the local settings on your PC.

How can I get additional functionality added to CPL?

Please let us know, either by email at support@cplsoftware.com or by calling us on 0345 646 0240 if there is something you would like added or changed in CPL.  If your request is specific to your business, there may be a charge involved for which we will provide a quote and proceed with the work only on your authorisation. However, we are always keen to hear your ideas and if it is something which would be useful to all of our clients, we will add it to a future release.

Why should I post data to the Hold File instead of straight to the Charge File or the Transaction File?

Posting your entries to the Hold File means you have a point to reverse back to if this is required in the case of an error. This gives you an opportunity to check any entries before they are processed into charges for your clients. Posting directly to the Charge File or the Transactions File skips this step where you have an opportunity to check your entries. This could mean it might be more difficult to reverse something if there is an error.

Why am I not seeing all my Developments or Clients on the respective tabs?

On each of these tabs, in the Filter section towards the bottom of the screen, there are various fields which control what you are seeing. There are options to view records which are Archived, Current, or All records. There is also the Max Records box. Max Records sets the maximum number of results the system will display on one screen. Limiting this number will mean your screen will load faster. The Archived, Current and All options set which records will be displayed:
  1. Selecting Archived would allow Client/Development records no longer in use to be listed.
  2. Selecting Current would allow current Client/Development records to be listed.
  3. Selecting All will display both current and archived records.

Why can’t I see my CPL/RPM drive after a server reboot/power cut?

If you can no longer access your CPL/RPM Drive you could try opening Windows File Explorer on your computer and look to see if you can still see it listed on the left of the window. If it isn’t listed or it is listed but there there is a red X marked over the drive, then restarting your computer should allow you to access it again. If this doesn't resolve it then please speak with your local IT department.

Can you reverse a sale which has already been processed?

You are able to do this in CPL. For help with how to do this, please take a look at the Sale Amendments and Deletions Training Guide on the CPL Knowledge Base.

Why has a Client Notice been generated for a client who has paid today?

If your payments had not been reconciled at the point when you ran your Client Notices then CPL will not have picked up on this payment. Please reconcile all client payments before running your Client Notices to ensure this doesn’t happen.

There seem to be various statuses for Jobs, Estimates and Proposed Works, but what do they all mean?

Below is a list of these statuses:
  1. AUT    Authorisation Required
  2. CAI     Completed and Awaiting Invoice
  3. CAN    Cancelled
  4. EST     Estimate Requested
  5. EXC    External Completed
  6. INC     Internal Completed
  7. JIP       Job in Progress
  8. NAT    No Action Taken
  9. PSC    Phone Sub-Contractor
  10. PW      Proposed Works
  11. RR       RAMs Requested

Can I change the status of a job?

The Jobs Maintenance process is designed to work linearly from conception to completion. As you move through the different steps of raising your job, creating and sending the work order etc, the status will automatically update as appropriate for each stage. However, if there is a business requirement for a status change, please raise a ticket with our support team who will be able to help.

I've found the reverse Batch Tool, which Batches can it Reverse?

The following batches can be reversed using the Reverse Batch tool:
  1. Management Fees
  2. Budget Invoices
  3. Advanced Charges
  4. Advanced Charge Reversals
  5. Hold to Charge File Updates
  6. Insurance Updates
  7. Client Notices
  8. Budget Reconciliations

The tool can also be used to reverse print runs.

I've heard about In-Tray, Cyclical Maintenance and Development Area Codes, is there a reason why I can’t find them in CPL? 

CPL is comprised of a core product, including the main software modules which everyone has but also contains additional modules on top of these. The additional modules are usually in the form of optional extras which are available to be purchased. Alternatively, some will be activated once you have purchased training for them. If you would like to know more about any of our additional modules, please speak to our Sales department who will be happy to help.

How do I add the In-Tray Add-in for Outlook?

You should speak to your local IT service provider. They will be able to find a .exe file in the RPM Distributions folder. This has to be run by someone who has administrator rights on your machine to install this Add-in.

I was previously using the Outlook Add-in for In-Tray but I can no longer see this in Outlook

The Home and Accounts modules/tabs come as standard with the purchase of a CPL Client Web Portal. However, the following modules are also available to purchase to help you share information with your clients:
  1. Documents
  2. Proposed Work
  3. Jobs
  4. Development
  5. Credit Control
  6. Budgets
Please speak to us if you would like to know more about the other modules.

What's the difference between Normal and Immediate charges?

Unlike normal or standard charges, Immediate is a flag you can add to charges when you post them in the Purchase Ledger Transactions screen. This would allow them to be processed outside your normal charges process and appear on a client account immediately, rather than having to wait for the next invoice to be run. When you process the Hold File you can choose to only process entries marked as Immediate.

Why can’t I send my document to the correct module in CPL?

If you are trying to process a document into an area in CPL and you are not seeing this area appear as an option then you may need to change the way your Document Types are set up within CPL.  For help with this, please take a look at the Document Types Training Guide on the CPL Knowledge Base.

Why is my Cyclical Maintenance Task not appearing as due based on the frequency I set?

For the next Cyclical Maintenance Task to be marked as due, CPL will check two things:
  1. It will check the frequency you have set (plus any lead-in time you set).
  2. It will also check to see if all jobs were completed on the previous Cyclical Maintenance Task.

If any jobs are not marked as completed, CPL still thinks the previous instance of the task is ongoing and the system can’t mark the new task as due. Please ensure your jobs are marked as completed or mark them as internally complete.

How do I reopen the Dashboard if I have closed this down? 

Click on the Stats option across the top of the main window in CPL.

Why are my Clients seeing two entries for a charge?

In order to solve this, check your Charge Date Code does not overlap. Your charge date codes should run from the 1st to the 31st and not from the 1st to the 1st.
If the dates do overlap this can cause some issues when CPL runs charges.

If your charge date code appears to be correct, then the next thing to check is that the client has not been entered into two apportionment codes in error.

Can I return and amend the details of a job I have already raised?

Depending on what it is you would like to change then you could possibly do this. It is easier to make changes if you are on Stage 2 of the process but have not yet created your work order. You cannot change the Contractor or Job Type once you have moved past stage 2 where you have already created your work order and sent this to the contractor. You could make some changes and send another work order before moving onto completing the job. Please contact our support team if you are having difficulties making changes to a specific job.

Is there a way to resend requests for quotes in an estimate only to contractors who have not responded?

This is possible to do without resending your request to all contractors. If you re-open your estimate and go to the Quotes tab you will be able to use the Resend Unanswered Quotes option to resend a request only to the contractors who have not yet responded.

Is there a way to add an additional contractor to an estimate without resending the request for quotes to the initial contractors?

This is possible to do. If you re-open your estimate and go to the Quotes tab you will be able to add a new contractor and then use the Send New Quotes Out option. This will only send the request for a quote to the new contractor you have added.

How do I reprint invoices?

You will need the original batch number to be able to reprint invoices. Click on the Documents tab at the top of the main screen in CPL. In the drop-down menu which appears click on Reprint Letters. In the Documents: Reprint Letters screen you can enter a batch number to reprint.

Why can’t I merge certain types of files in the In-Tray?

CPL does not support merging of email (.msg) files. They can only be added to the system as stand-alone files.

Can I cease/reinstate a Development?

In order to cease a development in CPL, head to the main Development screen and click to highlight an individual development. In the Action Bar towards the foot of the screen click on the Cease button.

You can use the use the Development Filter/Search area to find a ceased development in the Archived records. When you click to highlight this development, you will notice there is a Reinstate option in the Action Bar.

Can I Bulk Assign Developments Against Property Managers?

If you have had a change in staff, you are moving your portfolio around or you are just recently implementing CPL then you may wish to change the property manager assigned against different developments. This can obviously be achieved by using the Property Manager selector on the Development Master screen, however, it is also possible to do this for multiple developments at one time.

This can be done using the Manage Development Inspectors tool which can be found under the System Parameters in CPL. Select the current property manager in the drop-down menu on the left of the screen and the new property manager on the drop-down menu on the right of the screen. You can assign all developments at once to the new property manager by using the three right-facing arrows in the middle. Alternatively, you can use the Ctrl key on your keyboard and then click to select multiple developments and use the single right-facing arrow to assign these developments to the new property manager.

Don't forget to click on the Save Changes icon in the top-left of the screen before exiting.
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CPL Knowledge Base

This article forms part of CPL's Knowledge Base which is available for all CPL users at https://contact.cplsoftware.com/portal/home

The CPL Knowledge Base will be continually updated with additional guides and information. If you have any questions or suggestions for further guides we’d be happy to hear from you. You can contact CPL Support by emailing us at support@cplsoftware.com or through our portal at https://contact.cplsoftware.com/portal/home or calling us on 0345 646 0240 (option 1).

Copyright © 2021 CPL Software Ltd

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