The Bill4Time Blog

The new invoice template feature is here! It’s a completely new customization feature that we are introducing and will continue to expand upon throughout the year.

Invoice Designs

In addition to the standard invoice design that has always existed in the system, there are two additional designs to choose from. More designs will be added throughout the year.

Customizable Header & Footer

Use your company’s stationery on your Bill4Time invoices. You can change your header and footer to be text, an image, or just space for your letterhead.

Client Details

With the new invoice designs, you can customize the contact information for the client. You can make it as detailed or as basic as you want. The new designs allow you include additional client details: phone, fax, and a custom line. The custom line allows you to insert any extra information.

Specialized Templates Per Client

Create as many invoice templates as you need. You can assign one for the entire system that will be applied to all invoices, or create unique invoices for specific clients. Tip: when making an invoice template for a specific client, note that in the template name. This will make it easier for you to remember.

You will find the invoice templates under Settings > Invoice Setup. It is also located under the Invoice Presets tab of your Client Details screen. Want to learn how to design your own template, upload an image to your header, or assign a template to a client? Learn more about how to use the invoice templates in the Knowledge Base.

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This video will show you how to use the new timer feature in Bill4Time.

To learn more, visit our knowledge base at: bill4time.com/kb/time-using-timers.htm

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As an invoicing software company, more invoicing flexibility has been an in-demand feature that our development team has been working on for quite some time. Although they are still working on it, they’re soon coming to a point where you can already benefit from their ongoing development.

Extra Invoice Layouts

In a short time, you will see an extra feature in your invoice setup. You will have other invoice layouts to choose from. All layouts will contain the same information, including company logo and contact information. However, you can now choose which one best fits the needs of your company and your client. Any of the layouts can be applied to a specific client or used as the default.

Invoice Detail Columns on the Client Level

Just like in the Firm/System Settings’ Invoice Setup, you will be able to decide how detailed you want your invoice to report: date of service, hours, services by, rate, activity type, amount, service summary, and labor start/end time.  This is particularly useful when one client wants a more detailed invoice than another client.

Future Invoicing Software Features

There will be more invoicing features to come. This is just the first ones amongst many this year. Expect more invoice layouts, image options for the header/footer, and font styles. We’re looking forward to future ones and will keep you informed when they soon are ready for the public.

Your Feedback

We’re releasing the new invoice layouts in batches. If you would like to be in the first batches, just let us know in the comments. Have any layouts you’d like to see in the future? Let us know at ideas.bill4time.com or in the comments of this blog post.

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Our development team has fixed some bugs and added some requested functions when it comes to invoicing, client info, time entries, and more.

Invoicing

• Flat Discount – You can now apply a flat discount to an invoice. Previously, you could only apply a percentage discount.
• Pre-Bill – Style issues were corrected when using the “Create Pre-Bill” button on the Invoice Management screen. Previously, pre-bill had some issues with fonts, background coloring, etc. This has been corrected and the pre-bill has the same styling as a normal invoice.
• Applying Payments – In order to apply payments to invoices, the “Track Paid/Unpaid on Invoices” setting must be checked in the Invoice Setup settings. Previously, this wasn’t necessary to apply payments.
• Send Invoice Icon – We fixed an issue that prevented the “Send Invoice” icon (the small envelope icon on the Invoice Management screen) from bringing up the Send Invoice screen. If you have not tried this feature yet, it’s a great way to email invoices to your clients.

Client Info

• Client Note - You can now click anywhere on the row to edit a client note. Previously only clicking the subject text would prompt the note edit screen to pop-up.
• Client Info – We have added a phone and fax number to the client information and edit screens.

Time Entries

• Override Rate – Previously, if you entered “0.00″ as an override rate on a time entry, it was ignored and replaced with the default rate. Now you have the option to set a zero value as an override rate on your time entries.
• Time Entry Details – We added the date and time of the time entry to the floating tooltop you see when hovering over a row on the Time Management screen.

And More…

• Entering the Date – All date controls in the system will now allow you to manually enter in a date. Previously, the only way to select the date was to click on the pop-up calendar control.
• International Phone Numbers - We fixed a bug that occurred when an extended international phone number was entered into the phone fields.

Let us know if you have any questions at support@bill4time.com.

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This video will show you how to create and send invoices to your clients, updated for the recent redesign.

Read more…

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With the release of the new Bill4Time version, we’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback from you with the dashboard. But it was missing something: customization. In response to your requests, this is now possible! Users can choose what information they want to display by selecting which “widgets’ they would like to add to their dashboard, and can reposition the widgets to best suit their needs. This new feature is only available on the new Bill4Time version.

How to Edit Your Dashboard

To enter “edit” mode, click the gear icon in the top right corner of the dashboard.

Once in edit mode, you can select additional widgets by selecting them in the dropdown box at the bottom of each column. Click and drag the widgets higher and lower to reposition them in their column, or click the white X to remove the widget.

When you are finished customizing your dashboard, click the “Click here to finish editing” link. Now you will see this layout every time you visit the dashboard.

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Bill4Time is proud to be part of the Kennedy & Mighell Report by Legal Talk Network. Here’s a little commentary to give you some insight into one of their podcasts.

Listening to the latest podcast by the Kennedy-Mighell Report, I realized the usefulness of lists. But more important is the usefulness of following. People can take this for granted, but if you think about it, it can save us a lot of time on the internet. One can easily be overwhelmed by the massive amounts of information on the internet. There are so many articles out there. And what about the amount of Twitter users?

• Who should you follow on Twitter?
• What articles should you read?
• What sites should you go to?

Try Following Others

Go to someone that you trust on the internet. Someone who knows what they’re talking about. Find those who have been on the internet long enough and have established themselves as an authority in their field.  Wouldn’t you want to just go to the place where they go? Wouldn’t you just want to read what they read and know what they know? Sure you can’t begin where they began, but what they value is what keeps them more informed and enriched in their profession, in the internet , and in the news.

That’s where you want to be.

Why Reinvent the Wheel?

For some it’s a fun journey to scour the internet, but for others, it’s not so fun of an exploration. Use your thought leaders as your guide. Who do you trust as a blogger, as an online writer, as an authority in your interests? Find out what they read, whom they look up to, whom they reference. It will save you a lot of time and you find the gold nuggets quicker that way.

When you go to Twitter, go to those that you follow the most and follow their Twitter lists. Check out their Follow Friday recommendations. Look into who they retweet. Maybe this is someone you should follow.

If you bookmark sites in Delicious or Digg, find those that bookmarked a lot of your same sites and then look through their bookmarks for anything interesting. One good indication of a thought leader is one who leaves an informative note/comment to a bookmark.

In the podcast, Kennedy and Mighell can give you more tips to following your thought leaders using lists. They will also show you how to get a group of relevant and useful information all at once. Even if you get one idea from this, it will save you a lot of time searching, and help you keep your thumb on the latest news and updates to what matters most to you on the internet.

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Easier on the Eye

The eye naturally moves left to right. It’s what’s most comfortable to us. That lead to the developer’s decision to move the navigation menu from the left side of the Dashboard to the top of every screen. There is nothing wrong with a vertical list, but when it comes to looking at organization, a horizontal layout is easier on the eyes.

Read more…

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The new version of Bill4Time is out of beta and ready for all users! Here are the answers to some common questions regarding the new version of Bill4Time.

Is there a cost associated with the new version?

No. All updates to Bill4Time are always free.

Why should I switch to the new version?

The new version of Bill4Time is more efficient software for billing and time tracking management. Here are some benefits only found in the new version:

• iCal Integration
• Faster page loading times
• Improved, user-friendly layout
• Universal navigation
• Multiple timers
• More customization options

Do I have to switch to the new version?

No. The new version is not obligatory for current users. Because the new version is a substantial redesign, we want to give our users the chance to become familiar with it before removing the old version. The switch is only per user, so a company can have a mix of users on the new and old version at the same time. But we strongly encourage everyone to make the switch, especially as new features are added moving forward.

How do I switch?

After logging in, just click the link that says, “Switch to New Version” located under your name in the header.

Can I switch back to the old version?

Yes. However, you will not have access to the new features. You can switch back to the old version at any time by clicking the “Switch to the Old Version” link in the footer.

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Over the past couple of weeks, the Bill4Time staff and members of the Bill4Time user community have been testing the new version of Bill4Time. Now, we need your help to discover any last minute issues before releasing the new version to everyone. Anyone who wants early access the chance to start using it.

To access the new version, visit this link: https://secure.bill4time.com/b4t2/

You will still be able to access the existing version of Bill4Time by logging in normally through the Bill4Time website. Most importantly, both versions of Bill4Time use the same database. Any changes you make in one version will be reflected in the other. This makes it easy for one person in a company to try out the new version while the rest of the company continues using the existing version.

You can log in using your existing firm credentials or create a new free account. As you use the new system, notice the “Beta Feedback” link in the header of every page. Use this link to notify us if you encounter any issues.

Your help is greatly appreciated by the entire Bill4Time team and we look forward to your feedback!

If you do run into any problems or need assistance, give us a call at 1-877-245-5484 or email us at support@bill4time.com.

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