User Preferences

Once you have installed HawkSoft on your workstation, and you have logged into HawkSoft, you are ready to complete your User Preferences. It is important for you to configure your user preference settings to ensure your success using HawkSoft.

In User Preferences, you will see a series of tabs available to set your general preferences, and configure your calendar, email, text messaging, e-signature, and phone dial-out integration.

This article describes the types of User Preferences you can set in HawkSoft.

No permissions are required to update your User Preferences.

See User Permissions for more information.

  1. Click the User Profile icon or your username/initials in the top-right corner of HawkSoft.

  2. Select User Preferences.

    The User Preferences dialog opens.

General Preferences

Determine your preferences:

User Preferences previously contained an option for Search Default Focus. With the updated search experience, this setting only applies to the Standard Search option, and the control has been moved to the Standard Search interface. See Client Search for more information.

  • Show IVANS Appetite button on the toolbar - Check to display the IVANS Appetite icon on your main HawkSoft menu bar.

  • Enable Notifications - Check the box to allow for pop up notifications to appear in the bottom right of your screen to alert you to items such as a new text message.

  • Enable Notification Sounds - Check the box to play the default Windows sound set for notifications.

  • Recent Client List Count – Set this number to change how many of your recently viewed clients are displayed in the Recent list under the Quick Links panel on the left side of HawkSoft, and in the Client menu opened from the main HawkSoft menu bar. Select a value between 0 and 16.

  • Browser - Select the browser you want to use for launching any website, including carrier websites. HawkSoft's HawkLink for Google Chrome enables you to take advantage of mapping capabilities. See HawkLink Overview to learn more about the different HawkLink options.

    Agency administrators can override which browser opens for a specific carrier using the Website tab in Carrier Setup. See Carrier Setup Overview for more information.

    Once you have selected your browser preference, you can click the or button on the main HawkSoft toolbar to open a web browser.

    Depending on your default browser setting, the HawkLink/website icon on the HawkSoft toolbar may differ.
    If your default browser is set to HawkLink for Google Chrome, the icon will display as . For all other browser settings, the icon will display as .

    Recommended HawkLink browser option:

    • HawkLink for Google Chrome – This option uses Google Chrome with a HawkLink extension enabled. HawkLink for Google Chrome adds an easy-to-use mapping tool as a pop-out extension inside of Chrome, and is compatible with more website fields than other versions of HawkLink.

    • HawkLink for Microsoft Edge - This option uses Microsoft Edge with the HawkLink extension enabled. HawkLink for Edge provides a pop-out mapping tool for easy use.

    HawkLink for Google Chrome and HawkLink for Microsoft Edge each provide the same HawkLink extension functionality within their respective web browsers. Choose the option for the browser that you prefer, or that is compatible with most of your carrier websites. The HawkLink experience will be the same.

    Browsers without HawkLink

    You can choose to launch websites through HawkSoft using a default web browser of your choice, however, you will not be able to access HawkLink features.

    The following browser options are available if accessible on your computer or device. If the browser can't launch, you are presented with a warning, and the Windows Default Browser is used instead.

    • Google Chrome®

    • Internet Explorer®

    • Microsoft Edge®

    • Windows Default Browser – This option uses the default web browser assigned in your Windows Settings.

      Your selected browser is used when interfacing with carrier websites. Carrier preferred website browsers can be configured in Carrier Setup. See Carrier Setup Overview for more information.

Click Reset All to reset the General Preferences to the default HawkSoft settings.

Calendar

Calendar integration with HawkSoft makes it possible for you to view, edit, and create calendar items from the Calendar side panel on the Start Page.

See User Calendar Integration to learn how to integrate your personal calendar with HawkSoft.

Email

The HawkSoft email feature enables you to send an email from within a client in HawkSoft. You must have an email entered on the My Account and Signature screen. Sending an email using HawkSoft creates log note documentation that includes the date, time, sender, recipient, and content of the email in the selected client.

See User Email Integration for detailed instructions to set up your email with HawkSoft.

Batch Email

You can configure Batch emailing for specific users. Once set up, HawkSoft enables mass emailing to customers and prospects in conjunction with HawkSoft Reports.

This article provides instructions on how to configure Batch Email in your own user preferences.

See Batch Email Setup to learn more.

Text Messaging

You can select a text message integration option. Text message options depend on the text messaging tool your agency uses, or can be configured to use a different text messaging provider for yourself.

 Text Messaging Integration – Select your text message service provider.

  • HawkSoft Text Messaging: This is the default integration if your agency administrator has enabled HawkSoft Text Messaging from the Marketplace. If this is the text messaging service you use, no further action is needed on this screen. See HawkSoft Text Messaging Overview for more information.

    Check the Enable Persistent Notifications box to ensure that text message notifications will not disappear until you interact with or close the notification(s).

  • Bulk SMS (Email-to-SMS): http://usa.bulksms.com/register/
  • Message Media-New (Email-to-SMS): http://www.message-media.com
    Available for HawkSoft version 4.8 and later.

    Message Media (Email-to-SMS): For HawkSoft versions 4.7 and older. Use this option only if directed to do so by Message Media.

See User Text Message Integration to learn more.

E-Signature

You can select an E-Signature provider from the E-Signature tab in User Preferences. HawkSoft integrates with select e-Signature providers to make it easier to send documents directly from HawkSoft to your customers for electronic signature.

If your agency is subscribed to HawkSoft E-Signature and you are licensed to use it, the drop-down populates with HawkSoft E-Signature and cannot be changed.

Otherwise, you can select your e-Signature provider from the available drop-down:

See User E-Signature Integration for more information.

Phone Dial-Out Integration

You can configure your phone system to integrate with HawkSoft. Integrating your phone system with HawkSoft enables you to place outbound calls from within a client.

Only modify the settings in this tab if your phone system is different from the rest of your agency. This dialog does not configure incoming calls.

Phone dial-out integration can be configured by your agency administrator in General Configuration Settings. To use the phone integration set up by your administrator, you do not need to do any setup on this dialog.

You can override the phone provider configured by your agency administrator in General Configuration Settings and select a different phone integration.

See User Phone Dial-Out Integration for more information.

To configure incoming calls, see Phone System Integration. HawkSoft recommends you work with your agency's IT, as these steps vary between phone system providers.