FAQs
This is a list of questions most often asked about Gavel. As always, feel free to reach out to us at help@gavel.io or chat with Gavel BFF.
Getting Started - Understanding the Gavel framework
Does Gavel have AI that I can chat to and it will create all my perfect documents for me? No. Gavel does have a feature that uses generative AI to create an automated document quickly by simply uploading a Word document or fillable PDF. But Gavel does not have a chatbot that creates documents for you. In fact, the concept of document automation is the old-school concept of AI - where you can set rules that create a systematized, consistent output every time. Although AI chatbots are fun, document automation is reliable and foolproof. We also have Gavel BFF, an AI chat assistant, which you can consult for any questions you have about Gavel.
What does it mean to make a client-facing workflow? With Gavel, any workflow or questionnaire that you create can be shared with a client simply by sharing a special link to that workflow. More info here.
My clients aren’t tech savvy, do I have to have them fill out the questionnaire? No, if it’s not right for your clients, you definitely don’t need to use this feature! Some of our customers want to use the client-facing link functionality. But many of our customers are using Gavel internally to speed up their own drafting.
I thought Gavel was a web app. Why do I need to download a Word add-in? Even though it may seem basic and ubiquitous, Word is an incredibly robust tool, so Gavel works in tandem with it. The questions and variables are created in the web app in Gavel, and the Word add-in allows you to pull them into your Word documents. Once you set it up the first time, it will always be there for you. Setting up the Word add-in.
I created questions, but it’s not automating my document. Adding a question (or “a variable”) to your workflow does not automatically insert that variable into your document. For a PDF, you will need to then tag the fields to match them to the variables. For a Word document, you will need to use the Word add-in to insert the variables and conditional phrases into your document.
Gavel also has a feature that does some of this for you as a first draft. You can:
- Upload a Fillable PDF and have the first draft of a workflow made for you.
- **Upload a Word document and have the first draft of a workflow made for you**
After that first draft is created, if you add any additional variables, you will need to tag them in the PDF and/or add them into the document using the Word add-in.
Do you have onboarding resources? Yes! Start here. The Gavel Crash video series is also a great option
Do you have templates or an out-of-the-box solution I can start using today? Yes! See our No-Setup Automated Forms. These can be added to your account within 24 hours and require no additional set-up.
Logging in
I’m having issues logging in.
- Have you done a hard refresh like this?
- Make sure you’re logging in at \[yoursubdomain\].gavel.io. Bookmark that page for the future.
- Have you cleared your browser cache?
- What device are you on? We recommend using Gavel on your desktop, with Chrome, for the best experience.
- Have you done a password reset? ****Make sure you’re using the exact same email as the one associated with your account.
What’s my clientname in the Word add-in? This is your subdomain. So, if your Gavel site is at mylawfirm.gavel.io, it would be “mylawfirm”
Building in Gavel
How do I do checkboxes in Word? To format the checkboxes in Word, you will want to use a conditional syntax. Include one line of syntax for when you want the box to be checked, and one for when you don't. For example, if the check box is determining marital status, for the Divorced option you world include:
{% if marital_status != "Divorced" %} INSERT CHECKED BOX HERE {% endif %}
{% if marital_status == "Divorced" %} INSERT UNCHECKED BOX HERE {% endif %}
You can use the "Show phrase when" option in the Gavel plug-in to develop this syntax.
I need help with syntax in my documents. Use the search option in the Learning Center to find articles explaining repeat item syntax, formatting of simple variables, and so much more. You can also chat with GavelBFF, an AI chat that answers your Gavel questions!
Account Management
I have billing questions. Admins can make billing adjustments from the billing portal in their dashboard, if they go to Settings>Billing on their Dashboard. If you have other questions, email help@gavel.io.
My colleague logged into their account and isn’t seeing anything. Is your colleague set as a Builder or an end user? Go to “Users” and check whether they’re set as the correct type of user.
A common misconception about Gavel is that all Builders on your account will see the exact same Dashboard upon logging in. Gavel Builders are siloed by design. If you would like your colleagues to be able to use workflows you have created, you need to send a copy of them to their Builder seat, or assign the workflow to them. See User Management for more info.
Can I change my subdomain? If you want to keep all the data in your Data Manager, there is no way to create a new subdomain for your existing account. However, if you are on the Pro plan, you can set up a custom domain to cover up the original subdomain URL with something else (e.g., documents.mynewlawfirm.com instead of oldfirm.gavel.io)
Troubleshooting
I’m getting an error message and I don’t know what it means. Please send help@gavel.io the URL of the page you’re on and a PDF or screenshot of the full error message. Don’t worry, it’s fixable! You can also paste the text of the error message into Gavel BFF for help troubleshooting.
Why am I seeing “no sessions” in data manager? If you are in Data Manager and you see “No sessions” but you know that this workflow has sessions, it probably means there is an error in your workflow. Click run on your workflow and start filling out a test run to trigger the error. If you need help resolving the error, you can paste the full error message into GavelBFF for troubleshooting advice or email help@gavel.io with a PDF or screenshot of the full error message and the URL of the page you’re seeing the error.
I’m getting this “time out” error page, how do I get my documents?This means that you’re trying to load many or a few large documents and the website timed out in the process. You should be able to come back in a bit and refresh the page to see the document. Feel free to reach out to help@gavel.io if this is happening a lot so we can make an adjustment for you.
When I open my automated PDF, I am not seeing the fields/the fonts are not matching. Try opening the document in another PDF reading tool. Reach out to help@gavel.io if you continue to see this issue.
