Coaches have long had the ability to add items into a client’s record that aren’t meant to be seen by the client. Specifically, you’ve been able to add private journal entries, private Session Notes, and private comments, as well as a few key areas to add private information to the client’s profile.

Megan of Fidelity National Financial recently made a compelling case for private files:

Would it be possible to create an option to mark uploaded files as private (like there is for session notes and journal entries)? We would like to upload a PDF to our clients’ dashboards for our records (as to keep everything in the same place), but we would like it to be for our eyes only.

In particular the phrase “to keep everything in the same place” made our ears perk up, as we’re very keen to make CoachAccountable be that magical one-stop-shop for coaches.

Fast forward a few days after that request was made, and private files are now a thing!  Let’s take a look.

Adding Private Files to a Client’s Record

To add a file to a client’s record that’s private you’ll add it like you would any other file (on a client’s Client Page >> Files area, click +File).

You’ll now see a Visibility menu allowing you to indicate the file’s visibility setting:

File Visibility Options

As a single coach, you’ll see these self-explanatory options:

• Share with client
• Private, for my eyes only

And in Team Edition accounts, you’ll see:

• Generally visible (meant to be seen by the client and other members of the coaching team)
• Visible only to team coaches (just meant to be internal to the coaching team)
• Just me and the client (suitable to share with the client but still to be kept confidential from any other team coaches, EVEN those coaches who are also working with the client and have access to the records)
• Private, for my eyes only (just for the uploader’s reference, and not meant to be seen even by other coaches on the team)

One note about “Generally visible”, it might evoke the concern that the file isn’t private at all.  But that’s not the case: you can rest assured the file will only ever be accessible to users who are explicitly allowed to view that client’s record!

Here’s what the files look like as shared with the various visibility settings:

The sash found in the upper-left corner of a given item reveals the visibility setting.  No sash means generally visible.

A warm thank you to Megan and her team for providing the impetus to create the new file privacy options. We value our customers’ suggestions, and you’re the ones who help us keep making the app better and better.

Keep all your client files in one easy-to-manage, easy-to-access spot with CoachAccountable. Sign up for your 30-day free trial today.