To make sure a client attends to a smart file in a timely manner, you can set the file to expire after a certain amount of time—or expire it manually whenever necessary! Once expired, the client will still be able to view the smart file, but will no longer be able to take any actions (such as answering questions, signing contracts, or making payments).
PLEASE NOTE: Need to set a smart file's expiration via mobile app? Check out this article.
Setting a smart file's expiration window in advance
You can set a smart file's expiration window both while creating a file template, and in the process of sending a file to a client! Either way, you’ll follow these steps:
1. In the top right corner of your smart file or smart file template, click the gear icon.
2. Scroll to the File Expiration section.
3. Toggle on Turn on file expiration.
4. Click the Expiration Message edit button to review or update the message your clients will see if their smart file expires—and make sure to click Save if you make any changes!
5. Choose when this smart file should expire. You can set the expiration to any number of hours, days, weeks, or months after a smart file is sent, or after the smart file is viewed.
6. If you’d like, you can toggle Display expiration date in file on, so the client will have full visibility into how long they have to complete the process.
HoneyBook Tip: Click Preview to check out what your client will experience if this smart file expires.
7. Click Save when you’re ready!
Expiring a sent smart file manually
If you’ve already sent a smart file and need to expire it on the spot, that’s no problem either!
PLEASE NOTE: Smart files that have already been completed cannot be marked as expired.
1. Find the smart file in question and click to open. You can search using the search bar, or locate the file from within the project’s Activity or Files tabs.
2. Click the gear icon to open the configure settings.
3. Under the File Expiration section, make sure Turn on file expiration is toggled on, then click Expire Now.
PLEASE NOTE: The smart file will not be set to expired until you click Save in Step 5.
4. Proceed through the notifications to confirm that you’d like to expire the smart file.
5. Make sure to click Save in your configure settings when you’re done.
Client experience with expired files
Once a smart file is expired, your client will be able to view it, but not take any action.
In the smart file, they’ll see:
The expiration message you configured in your smart file expiration settings
The date that the smart file expired
Expiring a smart file will also stop any automatic payments, cancel any future payments not set to autopay, and stop payment reminders. It will not, however, cancel any upcoming sessions that were scheduled through the file.
Remember that you can click Preview when setting a smart file's expiration to check out what your client will experience.
Reactivating a smart file
Reactivating a smart file will allow your clients full access again, and enable them to complete any actions that still need to be finished. It will also resume any automatic payments and payment reminders. When reactivating, you can either edit the smart file first (and then reactivate and re-share), or simply reactivate with no changes!
PLEASE NOTE: If your smart file included payments—particularly if the payments were set to autopay—please be sure to double check the payment schedule before reactivating. Invoices that included automatic payments will process any past-due autopay payments immediately upon reactivation. If you don’t require those payments to process right away, be sure to edit the payment schedule before reactivating.
To reactivate the smart file without editing:
1. Locate the smart file using the search bar or from within the project’s Activity or Files tabs, and click to open.
2. Click the gear icon to open the configure settings.
3. Click Reactivate file.
4. Click Save.
To edit the smart file before reactivating:
1. Locate the smart file using the search bar or from within the project’s Activity or Files tabs, and click to open.
2. Click Edit file.
3. Make any changes you need to the smart file. This is a great time to double check that the payment schedule reflects any new timing for payment due dates.
4. Click Publish Changes.
5. Confirm that you’d like to reactivate your smart file and email your client to alert them to the changes!
Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message by clicking the Question Mark icon on any HoneyBook page. Our team is always happy to help!