General Web Collection Projects are a special Project type within PensionPro, and are provided with additional features to simplify the process of retrieving information from Plan Sponsors. Most notably, these Projects begin with Data Collection, where Plan Sponsors can be directed to PlanSponsorLink in order to provide any information required to manage the Plan, as well as to access any deliverables and upload any files for collection. Once collected, this data can be easily managed within PensionPro.
Tier Availability: Business
Security Rights Required: Add/Edit Projects
Article Contents
- General Web Collection vs Annual Administration
- Preferences
- Project Templates
- Blast Email for Web Collection Requests
- PlanSponsorLink for Data Collection
- Data Collection on the Project Tab
- Frequently Asked Questions
General Web Collection vs Annual Administration
General Web Collection Projects bear some similarity to Annual Administration Projects—in that they rely on the use of PlanSponsorLink—but Web Collection is designed to be more flexible. Annual Administration Projects are meant to be performed once per Plan Year for the purpose of filing of 5500 tax forms, and Data Collection for these Projects tends to be a lengthy, involved process.
On the other hand, General Web Collection Projects are more suitable when Data Collection is required on a more frequent basis, or on an irregular one. Questionnaires for General Web Collection Projects may be as short or as long as necessary; on top of that, these Projects may also include Deliverables and Collection Items—files that are passed to and retrieved from the Plan Sponsor, respectively.
Preferences
Prior to beginning a Project utilizing Data Collection, it is a good idea to review the firm's PlanSponsorLink and Data Collection preferences. Refer to the article PlanSponsorLink Preferences for more information.
In particular, ensure that the preferences in the following views are set as desired:
- General > General Web Collection
- Web Steps > General Web Collection
Project Templates
Once the preferences have been properly established, a Project Template will need to be created for the General Web Collection Project. A good Project Template can be reused across multiple Plans on a recurring basis. Most General Web Collection Project Templates will have Data Collection enabled.
A Questionnaire can be created by navigating to the Project Template's Workflow, opening the Data Collection grouping, and editing the Questionnaire Task. This Questionnaire will be provided via PlanSponsorLink during Data Collection.
General Web Collection Templates can also include Collection Items. Each Collection Item represents a file that the Plan Sponsor may provide on PlanSponsorLink. If a Collection Item is required, Data Collection will not be completed until an appropriate file is uploaded.
For more information, refer to the articles Project Templates and General Web Collection Templates.
Blast Email for Web Collection Requests
The first step of any General Web Collection Project is Data Collection, and that data must come from the Plan Sponsor(s). While the communication method used to notify the Plan Sponsor of a required Web Collection is ultimately up to the TPA or firm, PensionPro recommends utilizing its Blast Email feature. Blast Email allows for the creation of email templates to be reused for both Data Collection requests and reminders; it also simplifies Contact management, and stores a record of the email Interaction so that there is no more uncertainty over whether a reminder was sent or not.
Sending a General Web Collection Blast Email will automatically complete the first Task of the Data Collection Task Grouping.
For more information, refer to the article Blast Email for Data Collection.
PlanSponsorLink for Data Collection
The Data Collection activity is the process by which data provided by the Plan Sponsor is entered into PensionPro. Directing Plan Sponsors to PlanSponsorLink.com—where they can upload Collectibles and answer Questionnaires at their leisure—is the most convenient method. Any changes made to data within PlanSponsorLink will immediately update for that Project within PensionPro.
Data Collection on the Project Tab
Regardless of what stage Data Collection is in—whether it has not yet been started on PlanSponsorLink, or has already been completed—the information can be accessed and managed through the relevant views on the Project tab. This section provides details on all the views found under the Data Collection grouping within the Views Panel of the Project tab. For details about any other view, or for information on the Project tab itself, refer to the article The Project Tab.
The views within the Data Collection grouping on the Project tab—Questionnaire, Deliver, and Collect—match the steps that are performed by Plan Sponsors using PlanSponsorLink, and the data contained in these categories is the same across the two applications.
The following subsections detail each Data Collection view for General Web Collection.
Questionnaire
The Questionnaire view displays any questions intended for the Plan Sponsor, as determined by the Project Template. If the Plan Sponsor has completed this step, the answers will also be displayed.
Selecting Send Email will display a popup window, allowing the user to manually send a Data Collection Request email to a designated contact for the Plan. This can be used as a simpler—albeit less flexible—alternative to Blast Email. The default email subject and body, as well as the Contact Role that will receive the email, can be changed within Maintenance > Preferences > PensionPro, in the General > General Web Collection view.
Deliver
The Deliver view allows deliverable files to be uploaded for the Plan Sponsor to receive. Ideally, Deliverables are uploaded prior to sending the Web Collection request to the Plan Sponsor. When the Plan Sponsor reaches the Collectible Items step in PlanSponsorLink, they will be prompted to download any files that have been uploaded to the Deliver view.
New Files may be added by selecting Add
- The following are required fields: Select a File, Title
- To choose a file for upload, select Open File in the Select a File field, then use the File Explorer window to open the desired file.
Hovering over any File record displays the Edit and Delete options on the right-hand side.
Double-clicking a File record opens the File in a new browser tab, where it can be downloaded.
Deliverables can be Archived by selecting the Archived checkbox in the Edit Collection Item Deliverable popup window. Archived Files will be hidden from the Deliver view by default; to view these records, select More > Show Archived.
Collect
The Collect view contains files that the Plan Sponsor will be requested to provide. Ideally, Collection Items are uploaded prior to sending the Web Collection request to the Plan Sponsor. When the Plan Sponsor reaches the Collectible Items step in PlanSponsorLink, they will be prompted to upload any file types that have been added to the Collect view.
New Collection Items may be added by selecting Add
- The following is a required field: Name
- If the Required checkbox is selected, Plan Sponsors will not be able to complete Data Collection until a file has been uploaded for this Collection Item.
Hovering over any File record displays the Edit and Delete options on the right-hand side.
If the Plan Sponsor uploads a file for a Collection Item, the filename will appear in the File column. Double-clicking the record opens the File in a new browser tab, where it can be downloaded.
To remove an uploaded file from a Collection Item, select the Collection Item, then select More > Delete Collection Item File. The View Collection Item File Links popup window appears. Select the checkbox next to each Collection Item the file should be removed from. Removing the file from every Collection Item it has been applied to will delete the file; this cannot be undone.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I edit the Tasks found under the Data Collection Task Grouping of a General Web Collection Project?
No. However, additional Task Groupings and Tasks may be added outside of the Data Collection Task Grouping. - Can Deliverables be automatically uploaded from a template?
No, Deliverables must be added manually. - Can deliverables be uploaded to multiple projects globally?
No, Deliverables must be uploaded individually. Alternatively, files can be uploaded to a Bulletin on PlanSponsorLink, or a Secure File Exchange can be sent to distribute a generic document to multiple recipients at once.