Alcova User guide
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Operator

Create Word documents and presentations

Ask Operator to write a Word document or build a PowerPoint presentation from your meetings, files and client information. Operator can follow your firm's own templates.

What firms use it for

  • A review presentation. Before an annual review, ask: "Make a PowerPoint presentation for the Nguyen Family annual review. Use last week's meeting notes and their current portfolio."
  • Slides to go with your advice. When a recommendation is ready, ask: "Create a short presentation that walks Alice and Bruno Abbott through the insurance recommendations in the attached document."
  • A Word document for the client file. After a strategy meeting, ask: "Write a Word document that summarises the super strategy we discussed in the Calderon meeting, with the figures in a table."
  • A firm template, filled in. Ask: "Fill in our review letter template in Firm Resources for the Gallagher Family."
  • An update to an existing document. Ask: "Update the figures in this presentation to the June statements," and attach the presentation.
  • Comments on a draft. Attach a Word document and ask: "Read this draft and add your suggested changes as tracked changes."

Ask for a document

  1. Ask Operator. See Ask Operator.
  2. Say that you want a Word document or a PowerPoint presentation. If you do not name one, Operator may give you its answer as text in the conversation instead.
  3. Say what the document is for, who will read it and what it must include. Name the household, meeting or files to use, or attach them. See Attach files.
  4. To use your firm's design, attach the template or say where it is in Files. See Use your firm's template.
  5. Send your request.

While Operator works, the steps show Preparing files... and then Saving files.... A long document can take a few minutes.

When it has finished, the file shows in the conversation and in the Resources panel, under In this conversation. See Files in the conversation.

Open, change or download the file

  • Open it. Select the file to open it beside the conversation.
  • Make your own changes. With the file open, select Open in Word or Open in PowerPoint. This shows for files you can change. See Edit a file.
  • Ask for changes. Reply in the same conversation, for example "Make slide 3 shorter and move the fees table to the end." Operator makes the changes.
  • Download it. In Resources, select the actions button (⋮) on the file, then select Download.
  • See earlier versions. In Resources, select the actions button (⋮) on the file, then select Version History. Select a version to open it.

Keep the file where your team can find it

Operator saves its work in the conversation's own folder in Operator sessions. Only you can see that folder.

To keep the file with the client or the firm, ask Operator to save it there, for example "Save this in the Nguyen Family folder in Client Context." Before it saves outside the conversation's folder, Operator shows a Confirmation required card with the Path it will save to. Check the path, then select Approve. See Approve an action.

If a file with the same name is already in that folder, Operator adds the new file as a new version of it. The earlier versions stay available.

Saving a file to Client Context does not share it with the client. To share a document with a client or their accountant, see Share statements and documents.

Use your firm's template

Without a template, Operator uses its own plain starter design. It has no logo or firm colours.

To make documents that look like your firm's:

  1. Upload your Word template (.docx or .dotx) or PowerPoint template (.pptx) to Firm Resources, so everyone in your firm can use it. See Upload files.
  2. Each time you ask for a document, attach the template or name it, for example "Use the Review letter template in Firm Resources." Operator does not choose a template on its own.

Operator keeps the template's layout, styles, fonts, headers and footers, and fills in the content you asked for. For a presentation, it uses the template's slide layouts.

Operator does not change the template. It saves what it makes as a new file.

Use your firm's colours in charts

When a document or presentation needs a chart, Operator draws it as an image. Charts use Alcova's standard colours unless you ask for your firm's, for example "Use our brand colours for the charts."

To set up your firm's colours once:

  1. Ask Operator: "Set up our branding."
  2. Give Operator your brand colours, for example as colour codes or a style guide. If you do not have them, Operator can work them out from your firm's logo or website.
  3. Approve the Confirmation required card. Operator saves your colours in a file called BRANDING.md at the top of Firm Resources, then shows a sample chart in your colours.

Anyone in your firm can open and change BRANDING.md. A change can take a few minutes to show in new charts.

The colours set the order of colours in charts, and the colours for gains and losses. A logo or font named in the file does not change charts.

If you ask for your firm's colours before BRANDING.md exists, Operator works them out from your organisation's logo. See Change your organisation's name or logo.

Check Operator's work

Operator drafts. You stay responsible for the advice. Check every figure, recommendation and disclosure before a client sees the document.

If something goes wrong

  • The file is too large. Operator can work on files of up to 32 MB each. Split a larger file, or attach only the pages Operator needs.
  • The template was not followed. Check that you attached the template or named it in your request. Then ask Operator to make the document again from that template.
  • Could not save shows in a step. Operator could not save the file. Ask it to try again.

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