Getting the Most From Your Existing Timeslips Software

Ask many solo practitioners or managing partners for a “wish list” of features that they would like to see incorporated into their billing software and invariably, at or near the top, would be the ability to email invoices directly to clients.  This is certainly not surprising as there are several key elements related to this process that include:

• Ensuring faster delivery with a correspondingly reduced billing cycle; getting paid faster
• Going green and conserving paper and other related resources with emailing; reducing postage costs
• Automating the procedure with the appropriate set up parameters
• Also automating the delivery of statements
• Maximizing your investment and taking advantage of your existing system’s full potential

If you use Timeslips time and billing software at your firm, the ability to selectively email both invoices and statements is already an existing feature of the software.  Let’s take a look at what is required to implement this process.  At the system level, the following components are necessary – an internet connection, a MAPI compliant email system such as Outlook and a list of the current email addresses for the appropriate recipients.

The first step is to enable emailing of bills and statements:

In the individual client, indicate whether or not this client is to receive invoices and/or statements via email and fill in the applicable email address information.  Under Contact Info, you must enter an email address or addresses in the Primary and/or CC fields:

That completes the individual client set up.  In the Report Options Dialog Box for Generate Bills, mark the box Send bills via email.

It’s that simple.  If this option is marked when you print bills for clients that have email addresses AND are marked to receive bills via email, after your bills have been approved a dialog box will open with these clients automatically selected for you to complete the process:

In addition, there are default email message templates for both invoices and statements that you can use or you can customize your own.

For personal assistance or more information on how you can take advantage of this and many other existing features of the software you already own, call the experts at Marc Mintz & Associates.