Overview: HowNow is a Knowledge and Record Management System designed to streamline daily tasks by making it easy to find procedures, documents, and client records efficiently.
What is HowNow?
HowNow is designed to simplify your daily tasks and routine work. It serves as a central hub for efficiently finding procedures, documents, and records. According to Best Practice, it is also the designated place for your Firm's training and reference materials.
As a Knowledge (Document) and Record Management System, HowNow enhances the efficiency of locating any document you might need.
HowNow helps you and your firm efficiently manage information and complete daily tasks. You can use HowNow to:
Quickly find procedures, documents, and records.
Access your firm's training and reference materials.
Store and organize various document types.
HowNow enhances document management beyond traditional folder-based storage by providing:
Sophisticated filter structures.
Tools to easily store, sort, and identify materials.
Additional components like a Portal and Workflow (accessible via Contacts and Workflow tabs).
Integration with third-party software like Xero and Class to import contacts and client data.
Key Areas in HowNow: Knowledge vs. Records
HowNow primarily organizes information into two main areas: Knowledge and Records.
Knowledge Area
The Knowledge area is your firm's central repository for standardized information and templates. Examples include:
Procedures
Employee Forms
Checklists
Training Notes
Standard Letters
Reference Material
URLs
Templates
FAQs
Email Templates
Records Area
The Records area stores specific instances of documents and communications, often client-related. Examples include:
Client Letters
Emails
Firm Records
Client Software Data Files
File Notes
Minutes
HR Files
Worksheets
Navigating HowNow: Understanding the Tabs
To move between the main sections of HowNow, use the tab buttons located above the ribbon, near the top of the screen.
The primary tabs provide different ways to access data stored in HowNow:
File Tab: Access administrative functions. These are typically used by the HowNow Administrator.
Knowledge Tab: Find any document or template using keywords, Procedural Area, Document Type, or Topic.
Records Tab: Find specific "records" like letters sent to clients, completed checklists, or workpapers.
Contacts Tab: View, search, and edit contact details, often synced from your firm's client management system. New contacts can be added in HowNow, but this will not update the external database.
Jobs Tab: (Requires Workflow module) Record and monitor the progress of jobs within your firm.
Tasks Tab: Record and monitor the progress of tasks, which can be standalone or linked to jobs (if Workflow is installed).
Exploring the Knowledge Tab
The Knowledge tab is your firm's "Knowledge Base." It contains all standardized documents and templates.
What it contains: Procedures, checklists, templates, forms, reference materials.
What it does NOT contain: Specific records like letters already sent to clients (these are found in the Records tab).
To find documents, type keywords into the search field. To open a document, press Enter or double-click its row.
Standard Filter Areas in Knowledge
HowNow provides standard filters in the left pane of the Knowledge screen to help you refine your search:
Procedural Areas
Administration
Clients (dealing with existing clients/customers)
Finance (your organisation’s finances)
Team (HR and WHS content)
Leadership (senior management issues like planning and strategy)
Marketing (acquiring new clients/customers)
Production (income-producing activities)
Unprofiled (temporary area for new documents)
Document Types
Procedures
Checklists
Letters
Forms
Scripts
Examples
Organisation
Other
FAQ
Reference
Web Pages
Templates
Master Style
Unprofiled (temporary area for new documents)
Topics
This is an optional area that can be configured to further enhance searching in HowNow.
Exploring the Records Tab
The Records tab contains all specific "records" stored in HowNow, such as client communications or completed work.
What it contains: Letters, emails, documents sent to or received from clients, scanned documents.
What it does NOT contain: Templates or standard procedures (these are in the Knowledge tab).
To find records, type keywords into the search field. To open a record, press Enter or double-click its row.
Finding Records for a Specific Contact
Type part of the client's name and part of the document name in the main search field.
ORClick on the bold Contacts filter in the left pane.
By default, HowNow displays records for all contacts.
Select ‘Contact’ from the ‘Filter By’ drop-down list at the top.
Select the appropriate contact from the ‘Contact’ drop-down list.
Tip: To quickly find a contact in the list, click the down arrow and type the first few letters of their name. Click their name once it appears.
You can also use more specific filters under Contacts, like location or sub-location.
Exploring Other Key Tabs
Contacts Tab
This section displays contact details, typically from your firm’s client management system. You can search for contacts using keywords in the search field. While new contacts can be added in HowNow, these additions will not update the external database.
Jobs Tab (Workflow Module Only)
If your firm has the Workflow module installed, the Jobs tab allows you to:
Manage and monitor all jobs processed by the firm.
Create new jobs quickly.
Track job status.
Display jobs by employee role, contact, date range, and status.
Tasks Tab
The Tasks tab helps you manage and monitor individual tasks. You can:
Create new tasks quickly.
Assign tasks to a job (if the Workflow module is installed) or have them as standalone items.
Track task status.
Display tasks by employee role, contact, job, date range, and status.
Searching Effectively in HowNow
While you can search HowNow like an internet browser, using filters is best practice. Filters narrow your criteria, reducing system load and helping you find information faster, especially in large firms with many users and documents.
How to Perform a Basic Search
Use Filters: Utilize the Ribbon Filter to select a Client, Area, Date, or Status to narrow your search.
Enter Keywords: Type your search terms into the search bar and press Enter.
Review Results: The number of documents found is displayed in the Status Bar at the bottom (e.g., '1 of 283'). Scroll through the list using your mouse or arrow keys.
Open Items: Double-click the row of the document, record, contact, job, or task you want to open.
Clear Search: Press the
Esckey or click the red 'X' button to the left of the search bar. Click 'Clear & Reload Filters' to reset to default filters.
Note: Filter selections remain active when you move between tabs. Some filters can be set as defaults in your personal settings, while others are set firm-wide by the System Administrator.
Advanced Search Techniques
Understanding search operators can help you perform more precise searches.
Using "AND" (Default)
When you type two or more words (e.g., leave planner), HowNow automatically searches for items containing BOTH "leave" AND "planner". The words don't have to be together as a phrase.
Searching for Exact Phrases
To search for a specific phrase, enclose it in quotation marks.
Example:
“leave planner”will find items containing that exact phrase.
Using "OR"
To find items containing ANY of your specified keywords, type OR (in uppercase) between them.
Example:
leave OR plannerwill find items containing "leave", "planner", or both.
Using "NOT"
To exclude items containing a particular keyword, use the NOT operator (in uppercase).
Example 1:
courier NOT logwill find items containing "courier" but NOT "log".Example 2:
NOT logwill find all items EXCEPT those containing "log".