Application Pipeline Management
Manage and streamline your application process in HomeKeeper
Table of Contents
HomeKeeper's out-of-the-box features are designed with Affordable Housing Application tracking in mind. The Service File and related Objects have fields for almost anything you'll need to track and report on, including Income, Assets, Debts, DTI, AMI, and Demographics. But you can do more than store your data in HomeKeeper! This article reviews just a few features to help you manage and streamline your application process.
Tools to Enter and Update Applicant Info
Easily Access, Enter, and Update Application Data in HomeKeeper
For users manually entering applications into HomeKeeper, and for users with online integrated applications, the following features are there for you to easily access, enter, and update application data:
NOTE: For complete instructions on “Manually Entering an Applicant,” see the Knowledge Article here.
The Applicant Info Tab
Managing Income, Assets, and Debts
HomeKeeper is built to track individual income sources, assets, and debts. This includes some automatic calculations such as calculating household Gross Annual Income, total liquid assets, and total monthly debt obligations. You can also track details such as Verification of Employment, Occupation, and Verification Type, etc.
Calculate AMI
When you've entered gross annual income, all household members, and connected the Service File to the appropriate AMI record, HomeKeeper will automatically calculate the Percent of AMI for your applicants' household.
NOTE: See Calculating AMI in HomeKeeper for complete instructions
Application Tracking, Step-By-Step
Leverage the “Application Workflow” Section of the Service File to Monitor Each Step in Your Application Process
The “Application Workflow” section of the Service File was created to help you track what has been done, what needs to be completed, and important dates related to your program's application.
Customize this section by rearranging fields, removing inapplicable steps, and adding new fields for any steps that might be missing.
NOTE: See the following articles for detailed instructions on Adding Custom Fields and Editing a Layout.
Mass Edit, and Create Interactive Visuals of Records, Using List Views
Create List Views for Tracking Key Milestones and Updating Applications Seamlessly!
List Views allow you to filter which records are being displayed for a particular Object, based on the filter criteria you select. While they are similar to Reports in many ways, List Views are much more interactive and are a great tool for streamlining manual updates.
The example shown here is a List View for an Application Pipeline, showing only records with an open application status. This List View also has the program's key application steps from their Application Workflow (see above) listed as columns for quick updating.
Using this type of List View, you can…
Mass Edit Records
Update multiple files at the same time, without having to click into each record.
WARNING: In order to mass edit, your List View must be filtered by Record Type, with only ONE record type selected
Visualize Your Pipeline
Use the Kanban list display (pictured below) to create a visual of your pipeline. This view also allows you to drag and drop your files into the next “Status” when goals are met:
Leverage Split-View Display
Use the Split View display to see all records in that List View in the left-hand column, but view the full record in the right-hand column. This display is great when you are working on multiple files but need to update individual fields separately (i.e., you received a Credit Score and Application Fee from one applicant and Work Documentation and a VOE from another).
Integrating an Online Application or Client Portal
Integrated Online Applications to Create and Update Applications in HomeKeeper
There are many ways to create online applications that link to Salesforce, automatically creating records for your Applicants, and updating HomeKeeper fields with application details. We've detailed just a few of these for you below.
CAUTION: Your organization would set up and manage this customization. HomeKeeper cannot support the implementation or maintenance of any third-party online application solution.
We typically recommend this solution for organizations with time-consuming multi-step application processes, and/or a high volume of applications. Setting up and maintaining these third-party solutions can be time-consuming and costly, so we recommend always weighing the pros and cons of any customizations.
NOTE: You may want to consider working with a consultant for this type of customization. You can view a list of HomeKeeper's recommended Partner Consultants on our website here.
Online Application Options:
A form application with a Salesforce integration. Examples: Form Assembly (template available from HomeKeeper), Fillout, Formstack, and Jotform (just to name a few).
EXAMPLES: Here are a few Online Application examples from our partner consultants that you may want to consider:
- Public House – A template online portal that connects to HomeKeeper. Includes multi-step application processes, document collection, lottery function and release forms.
- Project Own - An online portal option with credit reporting and financial coaching capabilities.
Custom Online Client Portal:
Example Here. Many of our other partner consultants have experience with this type of customization as well.
Template Application Screenflow to Leverage a Site Guest User Form:
Coming soon! Our Development Team is working hard to create a template that leverages Salesforce's native features with no additional monthly cost or third-party applications. More to come.
Customizations to Consider
Make your HomeKeeper Application Process Your Own!
In addition to adding an online application integration, there are many ways you can customize your HomeKeeper to accommodate (and streamline) your Application Workflow.
See our “Simple Customizations” article for step-by-step instructions
CAUTION: Customizations to HomeKeeper are yours to implement and maintain. They may also affect HomeKeeper's ability to support our out-of-the-box features and functions. Please contact HomeKeeper Support with any questions, concerns, or errors. We are also happy to provide guidance and best practices for integrating customizations with your HomeKeeper App.
Audit and Edit Your Layouts
HomeKeeper's Layouts are totally editable! You can create new custom fields, remove unnecessary fields, add and remove sections, and rearrange fields to ensure that you see only the data you need where you need it. See our additional support articles below to get started:
- Add Custom Fields
- Edit the Layout
NOTE: When deciding what fields you need, try to start with your end goals in mind. Some questions to ask your team might be - What do you need to measure program performance? How can you show your “Impact” and what do you need to track in order to show this? What is feasible and realistic to collect? What do my funders require for reporting?
See our “Simple Customizations” article for step-by-step instructions
Change the formatting of your layouts with Lightning Record Pages
Page layout structures such as Tabs, Columns, and Style and Formatting are controlled by Lightning Record Pages. HomeKeeper's default Lightning Record Page for Service Files is managed. However, you can clone our original Lightning Record Page to make changes. You can also create your own to start from scratch.
See our “Simple Customizations” article for step-by-step instructions
Automate Processes using Flow
You can create your own custom automations, such as:
- Automatically create and assign a task when a new record is created
- Send an email notification when a field is updated
- Change Status (or other field) when conditions are met
Building working Flows in Salesforce is a complex administrative Salesforce function. We typically recommend working with an experienced Salesforce Administrator to build and maintain automations.
See our list of Partner Consultants that can help with this type of work.
Interested in learning to build Flows? You can start with this Salesforce Trailhead.