Get the most from the Aprio board portal during the pandemic: 6 ways we can help

Virtual board meetings are here to stay for a while, so how can we all make the most of them? It’s a great time to ask if meetings are running smooth and consider what you can do to keep board members engaged. Aprio is here to help! 

Your board portal technology can help support effective communication, collaboration, and decision making. Here are three key ways Aprio can help directors, plus three ways for board administrators to save time and energy. 

Also, you can get even more out of your board portal by attending our upcoming Aprio customer webinar for admins on October 14, 2020. Stay tuned for the registration details!

3 ways Aprio can help directors 

Directors are in the hot seat right now, supporting organizations during this time of uncertainty. Here’s how Aprio’s board technology can help you stay informed, well prepared, and communicate securely.

1. Take advantage of director training

Whether you’re new to Aprio or a long-time user, one-on-one training is a great way to stay current with new board portal features that can help you prep for meetings and collaborate securely and efficiently.

With so many life activities not happening right now, it may be a good time to fit training into your schedule. To book a training session, simply email us your request to support@aprioboardportal.com. 

Webinars can also help you master new features and maximize the use of your board portal software. Previous Aprio webinars are recorded and available when you are logged into Aprio. Go to the help section, and review past webinars including: 

• Director webinar: mastering board prep with Aprio
• Director webinar: how to download a complete package, moving from one document to another, decision collaboration, sharing annotations with a group and more

2. Use personal annotations to effectively prep for meetings

Annotations are the notes and comments that directors make to their board materials as they review and prep for meetings using board portal software. They can either be private, for personal use, or shared, so that all meeting attendees can view them. 

Unlike paper notes, annotations are kept with your board materials online, stay archived, and keep conversations secure, unlike email. Learn more about the Aprio annotation tool and how annotations help better board meeting prep and collaboration.

3. Keep documents confidential by editing permission settings 

As organizations consult with experts to map a best response for their organization during the pandemic and beyond, boards may occasionally invite special guests such as consultants, leading experts, or employees to share specialized knowledge to the group. Your board can continue (or start) this practice for remote meetings, without any concern about data security.

To have a guest participate in a meeting with limited access, edit the permission levels on your board materials. Simply open the document, click on the “File Details” icon, and under permissions, select deny for any relevant guest.

3 board portal features that help administrators reduce workload 

In the past few months, we’ve heard that many board administrators are feeling overwhelmed and overworked. Aprio’s board technology can help reduce your workload and make board administration easier. Here’s how:

1. Share the workload with a sub-admin user

Using the sub-administrator role can be a great way to share the workload when managing subgroups such as committees. By becoming a sub-admin, a user is allowed to perform key tasks such as creating events, adding materials, updating attendance, starting discussions, and more.

Adding other staff members as sub-admins to a group can ensure workloads are shared amongst board administrative staff and makes a smooth transition for vacation coverage.

2. Organize virtual video meetings like a pro

While board administrators may feel overwhelmed with their current workload, “video conference organizer” has also been added to their list of responsibilities. The good news is that your board portal technology can help you organize and run smoother video board meetings. 

Whether you’re using Zoom, WebEx, or another video conferencing service, you can add the video link to your event in your board portal. Attendees will be able to join the video conference by clicking the link in the event description—there’s no separate meeting invite required. Interested in seeing how it works? Just send us an email at support@aprioboardportal.com. 

Some other helpful tips to ensure more effective video conference meetings:

• One person can share their screen and the other attendees can follow along. If you have multiple presenters, the organizer can give them presenting rights when it’s their turn. 
• Directors can have their own Aprio app open on their computer (or on a second screen if they have one, or a tablet) and can flip back and forth, if needed.  
• It’s important for the person presenting to ensure that they are communicating exactly which report is being displayed and which page so that those who are looking at their own screens can follow along.

3. Keep an audit trail

In any time of crisis, there can be so much going on that it’s easy to lose track of board activities. Audit trails of board decisions and board participation are essential, especially in industries that are highly regulated. 

In Aprio, you can:

• Run a report to determine who’s engaged and viewing documents 
• View meeting minutes and motions for your groups or based on your permissions
• Upload reports to the library for anyone with the right privileges to access. 

Aprio customers: we’re here to help, 24/7

Pandemic or not, our support team is here to support you 24/7. We provide training, answer questions, and provide technical help when you need it. Connect with us anytime.

For 24/7 support, call 1-855-55-APRIO (1-855-552-7746) or email us at support@aprioboardportal.com.