Timeline Templates allow you to create a customized case timeline for your clients to toggle through and see the life of their case. You can use Timelines to communicate ground rules, expectations, and market with videos, images, and outbound links. This is the first of two steps that are crucial to a well-designed Client Portal, with the second being Phase Mapping, which maps Filevine Phases to your Timeline.
You have three choices when it comes to displaying your Timeline:
Unless you are disabling the Timelines, you will want to build a Timeline for each Filevine Project Type Template that is client-facing. Let's walk through each choice.
Custom Timeline
To begin a Custom Timeline you'll click the Create Custom Template button. Start by providing a name and description for your timeline, and choose to allow or not allow on mapping page. This choice gives you the choice to map Project Phases to this timeline or not. Standard choice should be to Allow on mapping page.
Add Rows ("Categories") one-by-one. The front end design of the Client Portal allows for you to create up to six different categories for your custom timelines. Provide a Category Title and Description. Remember that Descriptions support rich text like headers, colors, font styles, links, and media, such as video embed, images, or PDFs. So get creative and build some engaging content!
Pre-Built Templates
VineConnect offers pre-built template for many different practice areas. They are worth testing out because they may save you hours or time from having to build custom Timelines from scratch. Of course each timeline template is completely customizable once you add it, so you can still make it "yours".
Simply click Select Timeline Template and choose a practice area, then click Add Template. Be aware that we may have many more templates active than what appears in the list screenshot below.
Once your template is chosen, you'll want to customize those Descriptions that auto populate as you use the dropdown options. Your description can be up to 500 words. Use the Add Row to add each Phase Category available and complete them all:
All of the titles and descriptions of our Timeline Templates are completely customizable and we encourage you to make changes - but you don't have to! Our Timelines have been written using an advance model of Open AI's ChatGPT4, so they are really well written and perfectly practical on default, saving you time and energy!
This flexibility allows you to use our templates and customize to your needs!
Category Descriptions
Descriptions can be as simple or as detailed as you wish them to be. You can create links, embed videos/images, and other in-page elements to describe what's happening at this "stage" of the case.
Here's a great guide to get you started. When writing Phase Category Descriptions, think of:
Who: Who are the people who typically work on the case at this point? What are they doing? What do they need to client to know?
What: What is the firm's responsibility at this point? What are the possible outcomes of an intake stage? What do you want the PNC to know or do during this time?
How: How does the process work in intake? How do clients do certain things, like upload or share documents, information, and other facts? Is there a form you want them to complete, or is the intake entirely by phone?
When: When does all of this take place? Over a day? Over three days? How long does the intake process take?
Variables
Many variables are available for you to use in your Timelines! Head to the Variables page from your left-hand side menu to see what variables are currently available. Here's a select list:
[client_name] = Client First and Last name
[client_fullname] = Client First Name only
[project_name] = The full name of the project
[project_phase] = The current phase of the project
[law_firm_name] = This is the display name for your firm that you configured in the Client Portal Base Configurations settings.
[review_link] = utilize review links outside of Review Requests.
Embedding Rich Text and Media
You can now use embedded media within your Descriptions! You can insert Images, Videos, Links, and Tables by selecting the Insert option:
You can then choose which you would like to action, be sure your cursor is in the spot you would like to insert this item.
Image
When inserting Images you can search for it locally or copy/paste the Source into the provided area. You can then provide an alternative description and resize the image if desired.
Link
When inserting a link you can copy/paste it directly into the URL area provided, or find it locally if you have it locally saved. You can adjust the text that is displayed for this link as well as indicate if you would like this link to open in a separate window for your clients when they click it.
Media
When inserting Media there are a few ways to perform this that allow for further flexibility!
General: Copy/Paste your source of media, this is usually a link to the video you want to insert.
Embed: Many platforms allow you to use the embedded code to insert media, this is as easy as Copy/Paste into the box provided.
Advanced: This allows for alternative sources to be inserted if desired.
NOTE: These new inserted options are also available in the Timeline Mapping!
When you are done with your Timeline Template Descriptions, move on to Timeline Mapping.
Disable the Timeline
Sometimes firms want to disable the Timeline all together. As of Version 3.6, this is now as easy as a toggle setting, which will remove the Timeline from the front-end of the Client Portal entirely.
