Office Tools Professional - Blog

Why is a Client Portal Important to the Firm of the Future?

2011-11-28T21:30:57Z

What an exciting time to be a business owner. New technologies are being introduced almost faster than we can digest. I remember a day when upgrading was an option. Now we can no longer buy software and hardware for more than a few years without considering major upgrades. As these days pass, we need to embrace things that can make a difference just to remain competitive. The one technology ready to take front stage are client portals and we better not ignore them.

Client portals can become part of the digital face of your firm. They become one of the connection points between you and your client. In these fast paced times of instant access to data and high demands on immediate service a portal can offer your firm a high tech solution for one more contact point with your client. This additional connection with our client's costs us very little time and money. This fast paced world has taken away some of the personal service we prided our business on, thus the portal returns one way to express personal service. The CPA Practice Advisor reported in 2011 that less than 30% of firms have embraced client portals. However, that number was nearly double from the year before. Use of portals is on the rise and this digital connection point is an opportunity we need to take advantage of.

Portals not only connect you and your clients, but provide a means of data transfer. The times of transferring information on USB drives or CDs is past. Just like floppy drives, other media devices are no longer needed. They have been replaced with digital connection through the web. Imagine sending a Form 8879 to your client through a secure portal and receiving the signed copy directly into your document management system, integrating it as a part of your workflow software. Portals allow the secure sending of final tax returns to a portal for your client to retrieve whenever they need to. Make sure your Practice Management software integrates due date and workflow. An integrated document storage system with a portal is even more powerful to the forward looking firm.

New ideas about client interaction and service are developing quickly. Taking advantage of these ideas make client portals extremely important to firms of all sizes. One of those ideas is driving your clients to your site, which is where they log into your branded portal. This provides one more opportunity for connection. More developed client portals create an environment to sell more services to existing clients. From your site you offer services like payroll and accounting services. A good portal allows other messaging as well. Messages about tax information, deadlines, firm announcements and even messaging about return status and estimate tax information can be displayed on your portal. The right portal does this all while being branded as part of your website with your colors and logo.

Some portals have added invoice delivery and payment and still others offer mass emailing and marketing campaign features. Technology is empowering owners to take control of their firms if they are willing to implement new firm practices and policies and let go of "old" technologies. New technology is causing us to look at processes and evaluate what changes could do for our practices. Embracing these new changes can also create a better life work balance. We will realize the benefits that drove us to business ownership when we first decided to venture out on our own. Benefits like greater freedom of schedule, less work and greater profitability. If technologies are implemented well, we will make these self-employment goals a reality.

The way we serve clients is changing. Portals by the very name connect us client to firm, creating long lasting relationships which help us retain our clients. Portals also help us cultivate more profitable relationships with our existing clients, while spending less time than traditional methods. Clients also spend less time and experience improved services. When our client can engage us when they decide and as frequently as they need, we provide a whole new value. Research conducted by 2020 Group USA with over 6000 accountants responding, show that the biggest complaints about Accounting firms is that they don't return phone calls. We are all very busy, but clients need to connect with us. Using a Portal can provide a place for the information the client seeks when calling us. This needed digital connection is a reflection of our services and firm, so don't ignore this opportunity to connect with your clients with a portal. Firms of the future are recognizing how important this is to a firm's success.

Value of Time Billing Software

2011-10-21T21:13:04Z

This year we raised the cost of our annual subscription to our time billing software, Practice Management 2011. While about 90% of customers renew year by year we always field a few calls and emails from customers concerned over the current costs. These conversations usually start out the same. "The cost is too high for us." I continue to listen to comments like, "it used to be less" and "this year's increase is way too high." After listening I usually respond by asking a question. "Are you fully using our Practice Management software?" The answer is always the same. "No." I go on to explain that our software was designed to transform firms and in many cases allow a reduction in staff and an increase in productivity, thus, saving firms thousands of dollars annually. This cannot be done by using our software simply for a calendar or time sheet. You can buy a calendar program or time billing program anywhere but they won't bring any new value to your firm.

The real value is in our comprehensive approach to solving the problems of excessive administration and resources it takes to track information in your firm. When these problems are solved, the costs seem insignificant. Every year we hear from customers that agree. Many of them are on our website and can be contacted through our users group on LinkedIn. With our annual fees running under a thousand dollars for a five user firm and around fourteen hundred for a ten user firm, the savings incurred is usually many, many times the cost. That's real value!

The solution to lowering software fees lays in correct implementation. Our software currently has over 10,000 combined features. You cannot just buy it off the shelf and instantly start using without an implementation plan and training support. We begin every sale with a comment like this. Our application replaces 3-4 applications in your office and to setup and implement that many parts of your firm will take careful planning and resources. Many firms get a good start but lack the resources and follow through to finish full implementation. We offer training, resources and a user's conference to help firms finish the task. While our software is far more comprehensive than any other product on the market and simply easier to use it still takes measured effort to implement it.

If it were just a calendar or time sheet you could just buy it and use it. However, this will not transform your firm nor save you any money. Combining work flow, time tracking, document management, due date monitoring, staffing and calendars, note taking, phone call and email management and firm billing into one arena, will save you money. With the correct approach the return on investment is seen within a few months and the continued annual savings begins.

The real value in our software is in how much it saves you if fully implemented. The cost is something you will never consider or think about again if the software transforms you firm.

Best Practices in Adopting New Technology

2011-10-19T21:52:42Z

As an owner or partner are you still teachable? If you aren't, then you better get out of the way because technology is pushing our firms forward, with us or without us. Younger partners and team members are ready to usher in new technology. Are we getting in the way? Things are not going back to the "way they use to be" so you might as well get moving forward. Just look around at the technology opportunities like Skype, the iPhone, Scan & Populate programs and the new client portals we see popping up everywhere. Someday we will receive all data electronically from employers, the IRS and banks. We will have to be paperless and will have to build a digital office. Is that time today? Maybe not it is inevitable. Technologies are changing the way we live, work and play. It may seem overwhelming. It is overwhelming, especially for the technology impaired of which class I am a part of. So, it is imperative that I jump into the deep end of the pool of technology, if I want to thrive in today's firm. Now, this doesn't mean jump in blind or in every pool. Pick what makes sense.

I have heard the voices of the accounting industry profess that if you are not in the cloud you are not "in". Spend time investigating cloud, workflow, paperless and portals. What makes sense for you and for the season your firm is in is not the same as every firm. Technology is not a "one size fits all" decision. You don't need to follow the crowd. Creative Solutions is not the golden child and Intuit doesn't rule the world. The options are many....so review and investigate. This is a big part of best practices.

When it comes to transforming my firm with technology and implementing best practices I want to engage and explore things that can change my firm. However, learning new things is not easy, certainly not for me and my age group. I remind myself of how I got here. It took schooling and hard work. I tell myself I am a chameleon. I am intelligent, I am pliable, I can still learn. I am not the "old dog" that can't learn new tricks. I am being pushed by younger forward thinking professionals. With each new application and mobile device I find myself getting more acclimated. With practice and invested time I am improving my skills. I try to empower the younger team members to take ownership of the changes in my offices reducing my invested time and improving the success of new implementations. I don't have to do it all. Remind yourself!

I am surrounded by twenty and thirty something team members that can't fathom a work place with paper. The other day I heard that someone who worked at Apple that there wasn't one piece of paper in their offices. It's almost eerie. Can you imagine an office without paper? I can. Now I know that this is not entirely possible in an accounting firm yet, but we are getting closer every day.

With the advent of better applications becoming available, comes new opportunities for improving our firms. With it are new horizons to explore and consider. After 25 years of consulting I am still learning, still inventing, still growing. That's the fun in it! Every firm I visit I learn something new. I try to implement the things my clients have shown me and add features to our software that's suits them. I regularly get asked about best practices with regards to practice management. I share what other firms are doing and their successes. Every one of them has embraced new methods of tracking phone calls, documenting client and staff interactions through documents and email. They have reviewed value billing and the related time we spend performing services. They have reviewed paperless methods, workflow changes and new client portal options. If a firm is willing to embrace best practices then Office Tools Professional's Practice Management Software can transform and renew their firms allowing them to make more money and find better work/life balance.

The most important advice I can give is to embrace technology, don't ignore it. Hirer and empower your staff to implement new technologies. You don't have to be 100% cloud or use strictly web software. You don't have to change your whole firm in one year. Decide what digestible chunks you can implement each year. Investigate and make a plan. Is it using an integrated app or purchasing a few one trick ponies? Is it one application or feature this year and another one next year? If you are willing and invest some time each year you can jump into the deep end and not drown. These efforts can help you implore best practices and turn your firm into one of the best practices around.

Increase Your Productivity and Profitability With Systems

2011-10-03T22:55:38Z

When was the last time you dedicated time to working ON your business instead of IN it?

The key to transforming your practice into a successful business machine is to transform yourself from being an employee in your business, to being a successful leader and entrepreneur. What does it take to do that? You need to shift your business from depending on YOU to depending on other people and processes. Systems are the tax materials you need to run your business efficiently and profitably.

Good processes in a tax business will lead to greater profit margins, greater employee satisfaction, greater accuracy, and greater control over scheduling and quality of work.

Many tax business owners mistakenly believe that tax businesses are impossible to systematize. But tax businesses actually present many opportunities for systematizing. Due to the fact that our work features repetitive tasks, we have an optimal environment for creating processes to streamline the work. And in spite of the fact that we have deadlines on our work, this creates an opportunity for creating controls.

Good processes include controls and safeguards that protect your business from uninformed or poor decisions or bad behaviors, so that essentially you control the outcome you desire.

External controls allow you to SEE that the right things are happening. If things are going wrong you see it instantly so you can fix the problem and keep things running smoothly.

Internal Controls control the work without someone having to remember to do something to use them. Processes that control variables are a good example of internal controls. If you establish protocol preferences in your tax return prep software for example, which limits the judgment required of your preparers you can control the quality of the work. Removing judgment is one of the variables that can kill a good process.

Most of the time tax business owners judge that our industry prevents us from systematizing due to the amount of variables we face in our work. The biggest variable by far is the PEOPLE. Clients delay submitting their information. Documents arrive in various formats and levels of completion and accuracy. People kill our chance at completely automating our processes.

One of the secrets to great systems, however, is designing a process that controls the variables. And YES, controlling the people can be done! Create a system for how you collect and distribute data. Clear communication with staff and clients will help make the process more effective.

Sticking to your procedures is essential to controlling the variables. Your clients will try to circumvent your standards, it is up to you to ensure control over your processes. If you discover problems with your systems, first analyze whether or not it is a true problem with the process or a problem with the people. If you find a problem with your process, it is easy enough to correct. If you find it is a problem with people, you may have to get tough, but the rewards are worth it! Take some accountant CPE on creating systems for your business. Then create them, sit back and let your business depend on someone else for a change!

Dominique Molina is President of the American Institute of Certified Tax Coaches, an organization of tax professionals who are trained to help their clients rescue thousands of dollars in wasted tax. In addition to her blogging and speaking engagements, Dominique provides CPA continuing education as a registered educator with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).

2011 K2 Enterprises Quality Awards Winner

2011-10-01T23:41:03Z

Office Tools Professional is proud to have Practice Management 2011 named the 2011 K2 Enterprises Quality Awards Winner in the "Small CPA Firm Solution" category.

K2 Enterprises is the premier provider of technology continuing professional education (CPE) in both the United States and Canada. With seminars in 42 states in 2011, 1,000+ presentations, special events such as their turn‐key Annual Technology Conferences, CPE & Ski, K2 Enterprises ‐ Canada, they are the largest provider of technology CPE in North America.

For more information about K2 and the Quality Awards visit their website here.

Review of Office Tools Pro Time and Billing Software Program

2011-07-29T16:38:19Z

Over the years we have had many great customers who have chosen to use our Practice Management Software, and every day we are thankful that we can continue to make great software. Many of our customers have found that they have dramatically improved their firm by using our software, and every time I hear that it brings a smile to my face. It was my goal when I first ventured to create this company to help small firms radically transform the way they work while equipping them with the same features large companies experienced. Eleven years later and we're still reinventing how small firms can do their work more efficiently.

During phone calls or meetings I'm often asked about our refund policy, we do not offer any refund. In today's world that may seem abnormal but we offer a 30-day free trial period to use the fully functional software, no limitations are ever imposed on any aspect of the software. We also provide comprehensive demonstrations of the software in a one-on-one environment. We want all users to know exactly what they are buying before they buy. That said, we are always reviewing these policies and looking for ways to best serve our customers.

We currently have over eight thousand users who have a great experience with our software. We have received many "unpaid" reviews by Accounting Today (owned by Thompson, one of our competitors) and this year we received the "Readers Choice Award" from CPA Practice Advisor for "Best Workflow" software. This "unpaid" award represents the readers of CPA Practice Advisor choosing us as their Workflow choice over ALL other software by a two to one margin. We are confident that our product solves real problems for small firms.

I always invite discussion from any customer or prospect about questions they might have about our software or policies. You can hear what our customers have to say via our video section or if you would like, we have many referrals who would love to discuss their own personal experience with our software and our company. It is our goal to enable our customers to make the best informed decisions before they decide to buy our Practice Management 2011.

Our software offers thousands of features but occasionally there might be a very specific feature or report that you are looking for that we don't offer. This is where I always suggest you do your research and decide for yourself if our products and services are right for you. We never want you to be unhappy about your choice to use our software and we understand that we simply cannot provide a solution for every firm. That is why I always recommend that if you need to confirm if a feature works a specific way that you work, download our thirty-day free trial to confirm that it works the way you hope. As always, if you need help or have questions our staff is prepared to answer them and help you make the most informed decision possible.

Our software is compatible with Microsoft Windows XP and 7 and Windows Server 2003 and 2008. It is important that you always check our technical specifications and how that relates to your current networks setup. Many people think that any computer can be used as their server and workstations, this couldn't be farther from the truth. While our software will run one almost any system it doesn't mean it will run optimally. If you want our software to operate properly it is important to ensure that the correct hardware and software is installed before running our software.

If there are problems with the software we suggest speaking with our technical support team, which is included at no charge. They are available to help you get the software running successfully. Occasionally, our team experiences very busy times, but our commitment to great customer support sometimes means that you might wait until we can have the right person to address the problem. We do not subscribe to the corporate idea of having herds of low level tech support associates address our customers, our goal is to have the right person address the problem and provide a solution as quick as possible, at no additional charge. This year we have moved into a new building, added new phone lines, more tech support and training staff to better serve our customers.

Should anyone have any additional comments, questions, please don't hesitate to email me at mikeg@officetoolspro.com or call our office at 661-794-2220 x210.

Michael Giardina

CEO

Office Tools Professional

Document Management is Best When it's Paperless

2011-03-08T16:30:00Z

The need to use a document management system (DMS) and go paperless has never been more prevalent. I was at a client's office last week and found myself trapped behind a desk that had 3 foot high stacks of paper. I found it difficult to see the person on the other side who I was training. Needless to say I really affirmed the owner on his purchase of our Practice Management software. I know there are more of you out there swimming in a pool of paper... shame on you! This blog is for you.

As your firm grows and add staff members, you add more and more data to the daily process of running your firm and automating your workflow is a must! Why spend thirty minutes looking for an email from six months ago in Outlook? Why send a tax return to the DMS within your tax software? That makes no sense, and here's why!

When utilizing the Document Management in our software, you can file all documents by client, by year, by project, by category, and by file name. This subfolder path empowers the user to locate the document within seconds because all subfolders integrate with each other as you use them to filter within the search. Ex: Choose the "Year" 2010 and "Project" 1040 tax return and the system will locate only the documents that are associated to these two filters; whether it is a PDF of the tax return or an email associated to this filter Practice Management will navigate the user to the desired documents.

Any file that can be stored to your computer, whether it is a word document, a PDF document, a JPEG, or an email...ANY TYPE OF FILE that can be stored on your computer can be navigated to by our software. See, the documents are not literally stored within our software; they are stored on your server! We are the link to the document. The Practice Management software is non-proprietary and the document is stored in its original format. These are your documents not ours, retain control over them by utilizing this non-proprietary resource!

Placing a document within the document manager is extremely easy. You may drag and drop or print to PDF and send to Practice Management through our free Adobe add-in. We also offer a free Microsoft Office add-in that allows you send over all pertinent emails or word documents to be stored. The beauty to the system is once the document is placed, you can do a number of administration functions with it. Ex: From the document manager area you can directly email documents to clients, or send documents through our web portal which is password protected and HIPAA, SAS 70, and FINRA compliant, or send them over to review by another staff member or partner: a myriad of possibilities.

Stop jumping around from software applications to accomplish the workflow management task at hand. Centrally locate all steps of your workflow, relieving the wasted time you spend trying to locate the information as well as the compromising of data within multiple databases.

Project Tracking for Accountants

2011-02-24T16:30:00Z

Project tracking really means due date and status tracking. A project is any particular service that your firm offers inclusive of multiple steps and potentially multiple staff members who will work on it. For example individual or corporate tax returns, payroll, as well as bookkeeping or audits. Not to be confused with a "To-Do" which is a single step/single staff member task, (i.e. order lunch for today's meeting).

Questions that need to be addressed when looking at tracking projects are, "What are my budgeted hours and dollars? How long did it take last period?, How much did it cost? When did we receive the work? And, when did we promise it?" Let's get started answering these extremely important questions.

When we developed Practice Management software it was our goal to create the single screen interface, which allows you to view budgets, received and promise dates, any missing information as well as the current status of who is working on it and what step they are working on without even clicking your mouse. Making the software intuitive as possible gives you the ability to track at a glance your budgeted hours and dollars vs. actuals as well as a view of your last period's performance for the projects that reoccur.

When you access the toolbar for the Project you have the ability to view the "Work List", that is associated to the project, showing you who has completed what and when they completed it. The ability to view all documents related to the project is simple with one click. Once the project is complete, you can click "Invoice Now" and bill out all time cards associated to the project. Finally with the ease of assigning projects globally for all clients based on entity type you can implement these tools in an organized, manageable, time effective way.

To prosper in the ever changing market place accountants need to find ways to implement and succeed at new workflow management methods. Integrating a single tool to run your firm's workflow is just that. Many owners use multiple software applications to complete the workflow task in their firm, in turn elongating the process and compromising the results. Our software brings all areas together; time and billing, paperless document management, company-wide scheduling, call tracking and customer relationship management (CRM).

That is why we consider Practice Management software the accountants workflow solution!

Capture More Billable Time

2011-02-21T18:43:57Z

Tracking tasks is the most pertinent step in an effective time and billing process. When we begin as new business owners it's hard to see the need to track everything. "I value bill everything, I only flat rate invoice!" Why would we want to include another process and possibly use one more software application in the already daunting task at hand as a CPA firm?

Let's face it; we operate in a world that demands the need to multitask. To survive and even get ahead you must be able to accomplish five things at once. Thus making it harder and harder to track our time, resulting in huge discrepancies in our utilization reports, (if we can even get our hands on them), as well as not observing the staff members who are really affecting our business positively and even worse avoiding the task altogether. This should stimulate the idea: "How many billing opportunities have I missed?"

Office Tools Professionals Practice Management software provides a time and billing solution that empowers you to capture billable opportunities to help your business grow. Within the customization features of Practice Management, we will determine the work codes we will use to track our billable and non-billable time. Our software has a standard billable rate per staff member as well work code, including three alternate tiers of billable rates. As we complete activities off of our work list whether it is a client telephone call, accounting, or bookkeeping we are prompted to track our time. When completing tasks throughout the day we capture more accurate records quickly resulting in a streamlined method that takes seconds to complete.

The bottom-line is so many firms are using sometimes up to five different software applications to complete the administration chore within their firm. This is frustrating, inaccurate and wasting up to one hour a day per staff member. You do not get paid for administration work but you must do it! Our Practice Management software cuts down how long you spend in administration work by managing the time, billing, paperless document storage, call tracking and CRM functions to name a few. Our system is completely integrated; by completing a call or assignment you automatically fill out a time card, which fill's in the work in progress for the client and then that time can be invoiced...all in one step.

That is why we consider Practice Management software the accountants workflow solution!

Time Tracking Diminishing Your Firms Value

2011-01-20T22:15:46Z

Why did I go into business for myself? That's a loaded question. I sometimes wonder the many what if's, like what if I hadn't been laid off in 1993 and started my own business. As the years have passed, I am now reminded that even though ownership has had many ups and downs it has truly been a blessing both in my business and personal life.

I remember how unrewarding it was working in a large company that never acknowledged workers real values and skills. Sometimes it reminded me of a high school popularity contest, so full of angst and pretentious pride. This never served the company or its customers well. I vowed if ever given the opportunity I would do things differently. I saw ownership as a way of saying, "Hey, people and their ideas are the real assets of the business." I had hoped if given the opportunity I would do better than my superiors.

I saw business ownership as a way to be my own boss, being in control, controlling my destiny. I also saw it as a way of controlling my time and daily schedule, taking time off to watch my children's dance, music and sporting events. This would also allow my family to home school and take more vacations. I never really liked someone ruling over me and my fortune 500 experience proved to be a real "Work hard for nothing experience." I also saw it as a chance to nurture my own ideas and creativity. To spread my wings, guide the ship and see if I could do a better job than others. Doing a better job than others meant unrestricted pay, right? At least I hoped so. Little did I know that ownership came with firm responsibilities that would control me if I didn't control them? I needed to get a handle on the time it takes to administer my firm.

Automation is the beginning of building a great firm. Today there are so many options for automating. Consider paperless as a first step, better workflow as a second, accurate time controls and tracking and lastly good hardware to support it. Office Tools Professional provides the foundation for administration software for any practice. It combines the most common things every firm does on a daily basis and simplifies them. It reduces the amount of time we spend in non-billable tasks and provides information not just to management but to the firm's staff empowering them for better decision making. Better decision making that ultimately takes fewer staff and creates better client relations at the same time. Now that's getting administration under control and saving money at the same time too. This provides real automation that can be measured through management reports and seen in action in the firm.

We have grown now over the years but have kept administration automation as the foundation for our Practice Management Software.

Flexibility in Time and Billing

2010-12-14T18:02:44Z

Every time I train a new client on Time and billing they discuss with me the unique things to their firm. How there procedures operate, who does the billing how demanding some clients can be determining the presentation of their invoices. Many owners and managers labor over this spending three to four days a month getting the billing done. They believe that they do things that no other firms does or that no software cannot handle. Now after training for over 10 years on this subject I don't hear too many things that I haven't heard before. So helping them improve and automate their billing methods is very rewarding. It excites me to train on our Practice Management software because it solves the needs of those using nonintegrated systems or manual systems. It improves the way they bill, provides better management reports and saves them precious time. During training I go over options like periodic, hourly and progress billing. I discuss the benefits to project and flat fee billing and it still amazes me each time when I hear "that is so much easier than the way we were doing it". We have spent nearly a decade listening to accountants, trying to build something that quickly handles their needs, no matter how unique and introduce new and improved procedures to save firm time in administration.

The 2011 version of Practice Management throws out old methods and ushers in simplicity and productivity. With four methods for tracking time from, traditional time sheets, timers, auto track time from events and using our time card option in MS Office products including Outlook. Even the most advanced firms find improvement. Add to that, five ways to bill, hourly billing, flat fee billing, project billing, retainer billing and reoccurring billing. This year will be introducing % completion billing.

Here are a few of things to consider to optimize your billings and save time processing your firms billing.

Be sure that you consider varied billing rates per staff. This is done from the Setup, Billing Rates menu. You can select with the shift or control keys multiple work codes and assign a unique rate to each billing code or work code. When you're done you can use the "Copy To" function to copy one user's rates to other users.
Be sure to use our Flat Fee reoccurring billing for client work that reoccurs periodically for the same fee. This is done from the Setup, Invoicing, Flat Rate Invoicing menu. Simply create a description, bill amount and the WIP you want to include. Note: You can also choose to bill without time at all and you can edit the bill or add time to it after it's created. You will be prompted to create the invoices that are ready when you log in.
One thing to consider is to create bill right when the job is done. Since Practice Management tracks time in real time then you can enter time automatically when tasks are completed. Time is place into the project which allows you to bill by simply clicking on the Invoice Now button on the Projects tab. Be aware you can also create staffing, task and project budgets of time and fees. When billing you can bill the fixed fee, actual hours or mark the invoice up or down with one click.

Billing

2010-11-02T22:51:07Z

We have already established we are in business to make money! How do we make money you ask? I'll tell you, by billing clients. Regardless if you are flat rate billing... by form or by project, value, progress, or hourly billing... Office Tools Professionals Practice Management software has the solutions we are all looking for.

How many of us have forgotten to bill out for our services? How many of us have invoiced from multiple software's, than wondered, "Did it get done?"? By having the ability to track all workflow and all work in process (WIP), than directly invoicing from OTP's Practice Management software all parts of our administration is centrally located relieving questions of completion as well as accuracy by not having to manage multiple databases.

By completing a task, whether it's a phone call, or a to-do, or a particular step in a project, you are prompted to track your time which associates it to a work code billable or non-billable which turns into work in process and finally a client bill. Invoice right from the software, mark-up or down and apportion the changes to all relatable time cards, notate a payment and export to QuickBooks for your general ledger and you have just killed a nest full of birds with one stone. Finally, never wonder if time and billing are being managed profitably by reviewing the Time Utilization report for staff review and Billing Utilization report for client review.

With Office Tools Professionals Practice Managements methodology, you are in control of staff productivity, accurate WIP, as well as accurate and on time billing. Never lose billable service time again. Office Tools Professionals Practice Management software: Solving your billing problems!

Time Tracking

2010-10-29T22:49:38Z

With last week's introduction to the Activity List, I am sure some important questions arose. What are we doing? Is it billable? Did that client actually pull that much of our attention? These questions need an answer. The answer is, "Time Tracking".

Office Tools Professionals, Practice Management software's time tracking abilities will equip you with client by client billable vs. non-billable time and how your staff is utilizing their time. I know what you're saying, "We flat bill everything". Great!!! You still need to know if the time you estimate to invest in each of your client's work is more than your actual time. If not you are losing money (The sound of crickets)! No one got into this business to lose money.

By tracking time you know what clients are making your business grow, and what clients may need to move on to the firm down the road. You know which staff is making your business succeed and which staff you need to develop. Three main ways to track time would be, Timers, manually enter time by client, work code, and associated project, and by the completion of activities prompts you track time and associate it with a project, work code, client and staff. You always know how time is truly being used and whether it is billable or not billable.

Time Tracking does not take more time but in-turn creates more billable time. In speaking with all of you from day to day I am confident in saying that none of you are looking for less billable time. Office Tools Professionals Practice Management software: Your tour guide to more profits.

How can I be sure your software is a good fit for me?

2010-10-27T01:15:46Z

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

How do we go about deciding what software to use, what to change in our offices or when to implement something new in our firms? Nothing is worse than being short on time and trying to make decisions too quickly. I am committed to researching things and even trying them myself before buying. I love it when I get a referral of find reviews on the product I am interested in. This helps when I know someone similar to me as been successful at doing what I am about to do.

My wife is really big on reading reviews. Over the years reviews have assisted us in making decisions. If it is a new restaurant, a movie or a big purchase like a car, she scours through all the reviews. We fire up the internet and research, research, research. It's great when we can speak to someone too. We find it interesting that often the reviews are less helpful than we would like. For instance, our opinions may differ from the reviewers. Studying the reviewer can be helpful but is not always possible. We have found this to be true with the local movie reviewer in our newspaper. Every time she says it is horrible or predictable we know it will be pleasant and enjoyable. If she loves it...then buyer beware, it will be trendy and offensive or even weird. This has made picking a movie rather easy, but every now and again we find we agree. Go figure, even reviews are not enough to guarantee a good decision.

As my wife and I celebrate our 25th anniversary we read about a new restaurant in the USA Today on our trip to New England in Burlington Vermont. So right away she heads for the computer, clicking and reading. After a few patient minutes I get a lively opinion. The restaurant, The Farm House, got just a few reviews. However, most of them were bad. After getting mixed reviews we decided to try it for ourselves anyway since the USA Today recommended it. To our delight we ate some phenomenal food. Most of the problems people had experienced we did not and the food met our taste standards....yes, we would eat there again!

I think when looking at new software, for your firm, one of the best things you can do is try it yourself. The reviews should be a guide post and assist us but not be the only determining factor. At Office Tools Professional we have wholly embraced this concept. We offer incredible customer reviews on our website and you can actually speak with them personally. In addition, we encourage you to spend as much time as you need with one our software consultants in a personal web demonstration. Yes, personal, not in a webinar where you listen to a speaker, but never get to ask the critical questions for your office. You not only get to ask questions but see the software perform live in our demonstrations! Finally, we offer a 30 day trial "Before you buy". While we don't do everything every firm needs, we are the most complete simple practice management software on the market. If you have key things you must do in your office, ask a consultant to demonstrate it or download it and make sure it is a great fit for your firm before buying.

While some firms give you a money back guarantee we go a step further....Try it before you buy it!

Practice Management 2011

2010-10-22T23:04:33Z

As we draw close to the release of our new 2011 version of Practice Management, I'd like to take some time to talk about some of the big changes that will be taking place in the program. Many of these improvements were born out of the requests of our clients, many of them are a result of our own innovation. We are confident that Practice Management 2011 stays true to and refines the core mechanics and concepts that make our program intuitive and easy to use. So let's go over just a few of the things you can expect to see that will be different in the new program.

We have tried to rethink our approach to accessibility of information. While our classic single screen interface hasn't changed drastically, things have been moved around to allow us to make the best use of the screen. For example, the contact information has been moved from the bar at the top to a display box below the contact list, the contact list can also be replaced with a detail view that shows additional contact information such as alternate contacts and workflow and billing alerts.

This allows some core information to stay displayed no matter which tab you navigate to. We have also added a summary view for To Do's, Calls, Appointments, and projects. This summary view allows you to view all items for a client in a clear list, double clicking on any one item takes you to the details of that event. The activity list has also been completely redesigned adding new sort and filter options, as well as the ability to view items for all staff at the same time. You can also adjust budget items and priorities directly from within the activity list. These improvements as well as others aim to increase the visibility of important information, while simplifying the way our users navigate through the program.

Practice Management 2011 is also taking huge steps towards increasing the flexibility and control of billing and workflow management. The billing module has been streamlined to allow managers to select and modify multiple time cards at all at once, and now adjustments are clearly displayed in color. The invoicing in Practice Management is the perfect balance between user control and automation, where invoice detail can be automatically generated and adjusted as needed on the fly. Project management has a variety of new features as well, from a completely redesigned budget system allowing managers to set specific goals for the work that needs to be completed. Projects also now have a place to track missing items, and can automatically generate an email to the client letting them know what is missing. These are just a few of the improvements that are already available in Practice Management 2011, and we are excited to see how having these new tools at your disposal will improve the way you run your business.

There are countless other improvements from an improved set of document management utilities, a redesigned web portal, reports generated in Crystal Reports, improved synchronizations, and more. From the little things that make life easier, to the big features that change the way I look at management, Practice Management 2011 has already started to push me towards being more productive, more organized, and less stressed out. I have been lucky enough to follow this new update through its process of development, and I am so excited for others to finally be able to have access to some of these new features. For more information about some these exciting new features head on over to our product page and click on the "what's new" section.