Bill4Time Staff

The Bill4Time product team releases new and enhanced features, system improvements, and bug fixes several times per week. Organized by month, the Release Notes blog series will highlight all the changes we’ve implemented, so you can easily stay up-to-date on what’s new. If you have a question, feedback, or an idea – please leave a comment below!

 

Take a look at what we’ve released this October:

Updated 10/24/2017

Undefined Trust Amount – Our developers have identified and resolved a bug affecting a small subset of accounts where trust payments were displayed as ‘undefined’ when viewing an invoice batch.

Widget Project Creation – Our developers have identified and resolved a bug where the Client Contact field of a project was being automatically populated when creating the project from the desktop app, when the field value should have been blank.

Edit Batch Invoice Selections – We’ve updated the Edit Batch page to more clearly delineate between clients and projects that are selected for inclusion within a batch. This change is particularly apparent for firms using Project Accounting Isolation as now only the specific projects being billed will be highlighted in green when viewing the Edit Batch page.

 

Updated 10/19/2017

Invoice Batch Optimization – Our developers have revamped the Invoice Batch pages to improve load speeds and allow users to complete actions more quickly within a batch.

Statement Status Sort –  Our developers have identified and resolved a bug affecting a small number of users where sorting the ‘Status’ of clients within Statements caused an error. This issue is now resolved for all users.

Statement Header Formatting – We’ve resolved a bug affecting users of FireFox v56.0 where Firm Headers were not appearing on all statements. This issue has not been resolved for all users (and all versions of FireFox).

Whole Word Search in Conflict Checker –  When opening the Conflict Checker, you’ll notice a new filter option, which is enabled by default, called ‘Whole Word Search’. With this option enabled, the Conflict Checker will limit results to only those that match the term exactly and completely.

For example, previously if you were to search for the term “and” results like “Andrew” and “Brandon” would be included. But with this new filter option enabled, only results of “and” would appear – and not those results where ‘and’ matched only a portion of the term. 

Updated 10/17/2017

Batch Trust Payments – We’ve updated the ordering of the Trust Payments tab to match the Invoices tab. This change was implemented in an effort to prevent confusion stemming from a different sorting method between the two pages.

Client Portal Settings – Our developers have identified and resolved a bug affecting a small number of users where they were unable to modify their Client Portal settings. This is now resolved and access for users with the appropriate permissions to edit the Client Portal has been restored.

 

Updated 10/13/2017

Trust Batch Client Order – Our developers have identified and resolved a bug affecting the order in which Clients were shown on the Batch Trust Payments tab.

Batch PDF Error – Our developers have identified and resolved a bug affecting a small number of users where invoice batches would show an error when exporting to PDF.

 

Updated 10/11/2017

Unassigned Invoice Numbers – Our developers have identified and resolved a bug affecting accounts using Internal Accounting where invoice IDs were displaying as Unassigned.

Currency Code Update – We have added the Turkish New Lira to the currency code drop down.

 

Updated 10/05/2017

Invoice Display Project ID and Description – Our developers have identified and resolved a bug affecting a small number of users where invoices would display the Project ID and Project Description in duplicate on the invoice. This issue is now resolved for all users.

Stripe ACH Gold – The Bill4Time Team is thrilled to announce that we’ve closed the open beta program for Stripe ACH integration and now consider this feature fully operational and released.

API Update – We’ve updated our API to expose the ‘Position’ field within each user’s profile. We’ve also updated our API Documentation to reflect this change.

View Documentation

Updated 10/03/2017

Show Payment History Toggles – We’ve updated the display of the sub-options within the Invoice Template Editor under the ‘Show Payment History’ option. Now, both options will always appear – previously we had some users report that only one of the sub-options was appearing for them.

Updated Report Permissions – Our teams are reviewing the current Report Permissions setup to enhance the availability of certain reports to users with varying levels of system access. You may notice a new report appearing that was previously unavailable to you, and while no new data is being made available the convenience of running a report and the export options are now available to more users. If you have any questions about a newly appear report – please reach out to our Support team and we’ll be happy to assist you.

 

 

Click here to view September’s Release Notes

Question or comment about a change we’ve made?
Please contact Bill4Time Support by Email or phone: 877-245-5484

Alpine Investors Backs Bill4Time, Appoints Steve Reardon CEO

 

The Bill4Time product team releases new and enhanced features, system improvements, and bug fixes several times per week. Organized by month, the Release Notes blog series will highlight all the changes we’ve implemented, so you can easily stay up-to-date on what’s new. If you have a question, feedback, or an idea – please leave a comment below!

 

 

Take a look at what we’ve released this September:

 

Updated 09/28/2017

Desktop Widget Syncing – Our developers have updated some backend processes to increase speed and accuracy when syncing the Bill4Time Desktop app (PC version) with your online account. The issues involving a slow-to-sync app and client names displaying with the incorrect formatting have been resolved for all users.

 

Updated 09/26/2017

Contingency Billing Method – A recent update to the backend of the system calls for the Contingency Rate field to be required when utilizing this billing method. Going forward, any newly created projects using the contingency billing methods will require the rate field to hold a value.

Bill at Closing and Creating Invoices – Previously, a project with the ‘Bill at Project Closing’ setting enabled had to have its status set to Closed, then also had to be specifically filtered into view when creating an invoice. We’ve updated this process so that whenever the ‘Create Invoice’ button is clicked from within this project – the project is automatically filtered into view as available to bill.

In-System Password Update – We’ve updated the back-end of the system to being the process for changing a password into alignment with all other methods. Passwords must be 8 characters in length – previously one was able to create a shorter password by editing their user details manually.

 

Updated 09/22/2017

ACH Payments Alpha – We have officially closed the BETA testing phase of our ACH features. Thanks to everyone who provided feedback and helped us iron out any issues. The ACH Payments feature is now a full Alpha feature and full details are available here. 

 

Updated 09/21/2017

Time Entry Report Update – We have implemented a new filter within the Time Entry Report that allows you to filter for the Paid or Unpaid status of the entry.

Batch Trust Payments – Our developers have updated the cascade of default accounts listed when entering a trust payment by batch. Previously, the system would allow for any matter’s account to be selected, but going forward only accounts associated with the specific matters on the invoice will be available to select from.

Update Payment Method – We have streamlined the process for updating the Credit Card you keep on file with Bill4Time. As we more closely integrate with Stripe, we’ve implemented their form-entry for entering in your CC info.

 

Updated 09/20/2017

ECheck Payment Method – A new payment type called ‘ECheck’ is now available system. This new type functions similarly to our other types, in that it can be selected for analysis when running reports and when reading the API, etc.

 

Updated 09/19/2017

Professional Template Logos – We’ve updated the system to allow for larger logos (up to 6.5in) on the Professional Template design layout. This also includes an update to the header text formatting so that when using a larger logo, the company name and address are still formatted clearly.

LEDES Timekeeper Classifications – We have updated our list of Timekeeper Classifications to bring them into alignment with the LOC Revised Timekeeper Classification Codes. 

 

Updated 09/14/2017

Receipt Attachment  Orientation – We’ve resolved an issue affecting certain kinds of file types where the image was rotated 90 degrees upon its upload. This bug has now been resolved for previously affected images, and going forward.

Monthly Productivity Report Activity – We have implemented a new default filter option within the Monthly Productivity report. When running this report, by default users without any activity will not appear in the report. If you would like these users to appear, simply check the box for “Include Users with No Activity” and rerun the report to generate a version with these users added.

Unbilled Summary Report – Our developers have created an entirely new report that pulls only the unbilled time for review. This report generates in a format similar to the other summary reports, with similar filter options a table layout.

 

Updated 09/12/2017

Case Closing Settlement Entry – We have resolved a bug where the system would allow for more than one Case Closing Settlement entry to be created. We have updated the system to allow for only one entry within a project to use that particular entry type label. While this bug did not impact billing, we expect this added clarity will improve the user experience as it relates to engagement tracking and report analytics.

Client User Rate Report Update – We’ve fixed a bug where additional rows were added to this report in some instances, and were showing duplicative information for disabled users. The report will now show only one instance of a user’s rate at each rate level.

 

Updated 09/07/2017

Default Header Formatting – We have resolved an issue where the company header text was formatting the State on its own separate line. This has now been updated and resolved for all affected invoices.

 

Updated 09/05/2017

Non-Alphanumeric Characters in Conflict Checker – We have updated the Conflict Checker feature to allow search terms to include non alphanumeric characters.

Subscription Quick Link – We’ve improved access to details about your Bill4Time Subscription. Users with access to Account Settings will now have a ‘Subscription’ option when they click on their name in the upper right corner of the page.

Are you burning the midnight oil to complete your month-end reports? Has this task become a 3-day battle against a monster-sized data set that requires too many manual corrections? Ready to put an end to the madness?

In the typical organization, “mission-critical” data is frequently used information that supports strategic business processes. Areas can include revenue tracking, bookkeeping, regulation, customer service, and compliance. If your month-end reporting takes too long to complete and includes tasks that you’re unsure the value of – it is time to question whether this time-consuming task still observes the best practices for your business.

Unless you are a founding partner of your firm, you’ve probably inherited some tasks that you didn’t originally assign or include in your month-end reporting protocol. When is the last time you asked why this data needs to be generated? Who originally assigned this task and are they still using data – do they even still work here? By tracking down the originator requesting this data you can confirm that the reporting metric still serves a purpose. Maybe the original use-case for the report was to hold a former vendor accountable, or to hold employees accountable, and over time the need for this accountability has naturally faded. However, until you know if the request’s originator still needs the report data – you might as well save the time and cut the report from your month-end protocol. Alternatively, you may discover that the originator isn’t reviewing the data monthly and uses it only for an annual review.

You might find that the data being generated during your month-end reporting process isn’t being reviewed, rather it gets stuck in some file until it’s needed. If that is the case, prompt the request’s originator to revise the frequency for how often they need updated report data. You might find that they require this data only quarterly, or annually, or only as-needed, and you should no longer include this report in your regular protocols. In the inverse, the originator may prefer more timely reporting and could better analyze the data if presented in smaller chunks – maybe weekly or daily? Perhaps the data would be more useful if presented in an alternate format that highlights different data within the set, or outlines trends your firm wasn’t previously tracking. Assessing the value each report provides is a key indicator as to whether you should continue to produce, reformat, or altogether drop this report from your monthly protocols.

To determine what reports are mission-critical for your firm, you start by asking key stakeholders to identify exactly which data they need to keep producing. One could ask, “If this data was weeks/months late, would this undermine or altogether disrupt the stakeholders process?” Engaging stakeholders in this way enables you to weigh and classify the priority of all data generated through the monthly reporting process. The ultimate goal in this is to classify each reporting task as follows:

• Vital: Its absence would be felt after a few weeks, up to a month.
• Sensitive: It would be one to several months before its loss had any effect on the business.
• Non-critical: If the data was generated less than quarterly, the impact would be minimal.

A tiered approach allows you to clearly delineate between the data that is critical, and those you can potentially drop from your month-end reporting. Once satisfied that the stakeholder’s need is critical, you are assured that the reporting task has value and is therefore time well spent.

 

Not every data-point or report is going to be a business-critical game-changer for your organization – and that’s okay. This continuous updating and decluttering of your month-end reporting protocols will ensure that your business always has optimal access to the data it needs, when your firm needs it. Hopefully, with these changes implemented, you’ll find your month-end reporting protocol a satisfying exercise in practice improvement rather than being tied down to busy work and outdated requests.

The Bill4Time product team releases new and enhanced features, system improvements, and bug fixes several times per week. Organized by month, the Release Notes blog series will highlight all the changes we’ve implemented, so you can easily stay up-to-date on what’s new. If you have a question, feedback, or an idea – please leave a comment below!

Take a look at what we’ve released this August:

 

Updated 08/31/2017

Multi-Timer Update – We have updated the Multi-Timer feature so that when opened there will always be at least one timer populated within the dropdown list.

 

Updated 08/24/2017

Invoice Template Preview – We have resolved an issue where some invoice template previews were not able to load properly. This issue only affected the preview tab, and not any actual invoices, and has also been fully resolved.

Assigned/Subscribed Matters Dashboard Widget – We have updated this widget to remove the extra blank lines so that this widget takes up less space and allows the dashboard to display more data within the pageview.

 

Updated 08/22/2017

Batch Description Update – We have resolved a bug where the description of an invoice would reflect ‘Multiple Invoice Batch’ even when only one client was listed. We have resolved this bug and restored the usual naming conventions for single invoices and invoice batches.

 

Updated 08/17/2017

Schedule Report Update – Based on user feedback, we have updated the Schedule Report to reflect ‘All Day’ in the appointment time column for events categorized as such. We’ve also updated the All Day entries to allow them to be marked ‘Completed’.

Custom Template Logo – We have updated the file field so that the name of the current image file being used is displayed after uploading the logo.

LEDES 98bi Client Tax ID – We have created a field within the LEDES File Settings of a client for the “Client_Tax_ID”, which is mapped to the appropriate field within the exported file.

Show Full Names on Invoices – We have updated all of the billing templates to allow for the Full Names of users to be displayed in the Services By column. This setting can be toggled on/off by editing your invoice template.

 

Updated 08/15/2017

API Includes LEDES Settings – We have added the LEDES Timekeeper Classification and ID to the Users API.

API includes Contacts – We have exposed Contacts in the API so that users may now pull data on their Bill4Time Contacts.

View Documentation

Updated 08/10/2017

Client Portal Permissions – We have consolidated the Client Portal permissions into the Firm Settings permission. Any user with the Firm Settings (or Users) permission can access the Client Portal. We’ve also remove this permission from appearing on the  the User Permissions report.

Clients Tab Pagination – We’ve resolved an issue where if you navigated away from the Clients tab and then came back, the pagination would reset to page 1. Users will now return to the last page of clients they were viewing when they navigate back to the Clients tab.

Disabling Users – Previously, within a user’s profile there was a button to ‘Delete’ a user. However, because a user does not actually get deleted, they just become inactive – we’ve updated the label for this button to read ‘Disable’ for clarity (no functionality change here, just an update to the label).

Payment Popup – We’ve enlarged the payment popup slightly, no functionality change. However, we are in the midst of redesigning the entire payment process (including both receiving and applying payments) so if you have any input or feedback, please directly submit your ideas by clicking HERE. 

 

Updated 08/08/2017

External Accounting Batch Invoicing – We’ve resolved a bug affecting a small number of users with the ‘External Accounting’ setting enabled, where Custom ID numbers in a batch were not displaying correctly. This is now resolved for these select users.

Duplicate Client ID Alert – When adding/creating a new client, and choosing an ID number that is already in use, the system will now more clearly alert you to the duplicitous use a specific Client ID number.

 

Updated 08/01/2017

Mobile Login Tracking – We’ve enabled login-tracking for mobile app users. Whenever a user makes a login attempt via mobile app, this attempt is recorded under the Login History tab within your account settings.

Internal Time Entry Layout – We have implemented a change to the description box found on Internal Time entries for Internet Explorer users only. This box is now able to be more easily expanded to accommodate larger blocks of text.

Case Closing Settlement Entry – We’ve resolved a minor bug where the system was prompting users for an amount of Labor Time when creating a Case Closing Settlement Entry on a Contingency-billing method project. The field for Labor Time is no longer required when creating this type of entry.

Schedule Page Formatting – We have implemented a fix for a display-only issue affecting Chrome and Firefox users. Previously, when the user had their browser zoom set to less than 100%, the Edit Event popup would open to a 6-day week format. This issue is now resolved for all users on all browsers.

Late Fee Auto-Calculate – We have updated this feature so that the Late Fees are now recalculated every time a payment is applied to an invoice or deleted.

Expense Image Uploads – We’ve resolved an issue affecting a small number of users, when unusually large images (over 700px wide) were uploaded to the system, the file path was not linking back to the entry from the server properly. This issue is now resolved for all users, and we’ve greatly increased the image size threshold for uploading expense attachments.

API Documentation Link – We have added a quick-reference link to the API documentation page to the API tab within your account settings.

View Documentation