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PattiS

Bookmarked Slips Report

SUGGESTED
Posted By

We have version 2016.  Is there a way to do a slips report that shows which ones have been bookmarked?

Our firm differentiates between paid and not-paid time slips, so this would be better that doing it on paper or excel sheets. However, we would need to be able to do a report.

Parents
  • 0
    SUGGESTED
    Timeslips 2016 does have a filter available on the slip listing called "slip has bookmark". That should do it for you.
  • 0 in reply to AllenH
    Ok. I tried it and I can't get the report to show a description of the slip
  • 0 in reply to PattiS
    Would like to take a step back and ask what you are trying to accomplish as it sounds like bookmarked slips may not be the best process. However you can run a slip listing report and filter for slip has bookmark. The slip listing report should show the descriptions.
  • 0 in reply to Caren2
    We create excel spreadsheets that list all of the slips for an attorney for the month and we note if each one is paid or "NP" (not paid). This is a lot of work. I would love if we could mark the slip in Timeslips so that everyone can see that it is not paid and that we need the client to make a payment. This is how we mark the attorneys' performance, as well.
  • 0 in reply to PattiS
    Do you need it at the slip level? You can easily run a report of invoices not paid. You could also look at the timekeeper contributions and collections report.
  • 0 in reply to PattiS
    (I'm going to get up on my soapbox now just because, well that's how I am, this topic gets me worked up.....)

    I think you are DEFINITELY working too hard on this. You need to find another way to measure "performance." Your firm is spending more money having you track this than any benefit they might be getting out of it.

    Key numbers that make sense to track:

    -How much time did the attorney record for the month total? Do they need more work assigned to them? Do you have excess capacity? Are they overworked and you need to hire more people to keep up with the demand? Are they turning in their time? Timely?

    -How much of that time was billable vs. unbillable? Are they being efficient with their time, or spinning their wheels? Do they need more mentoring/management with their work?

    -Has the firm billed out all of the time? Are you leaving time on the table that then gets stale and cannot be billed?

    -Which clients owe the firm $$$? Who is in charge of that client? Do you sort your A/R by the attorney responsible for managing that client? Have they called them to discuss collections?

    -If you don't get paid on an invoice, why? It isn't always the attorney's fault the client doesn't pay. Could be a deadbeat client you should have never undertaken representation on in the first place.

    The problem is that payment is the LAST thing that happens, and so gets clouded/muddied up by everything that precedes it from marketing, to engagement, to managing the work and expectations of the client, to whether the client has any $$$ to pay, to collection efforts.

    It's like trying to coach a team by only providing guidance after the game is over. No prep, no training, no practice, no scouting, no in game comments, just evaluation on how the player performed after it is all over.

    (Getting down off my soapbox.)

    I get it, you are just trying to do what the boss wants. It's not necessarily your job to change how the firm measures performance. I know, I know. But the fact that this exercise is so tedious should be a clue....

    Good luck with it! :-)
Reply
  • 0 in reply to PattiS
    (I'm going to get up on my soapbox now just because, well that's how I am, this topic gets me worked up.....)

    I think you are DEFINITELY working too hard on this. You need to find another way to measure "performance." Your firm is spending more money having you track this than any benefit they might be getting out of it.

    Key numbers that make sense to track:

    -How much time did the attorney record for the month total? Do they need more work assigned to them? Do you have excess capacity? Are they overworked and you need to hire more people to keep up with the demand? Are they turning in their time? Timely?

    -How much of that time was billable vs. unbillable? Are they being efficient with their time, or spinning their wheels? Do they need more mentoring/management with their work?

    -Has the firm billed out all of the time? Are you leaving time on the table that then gets stale and cannot be billed?

    -Which clients owe the firm $$$? Who is in charge of that client? Do you sort your A/R by the attorney responsible for managing that client? Have they called them to discuss collections?

    -If you don't get paid on an invoice, why? It isn't always the attorney's fault the client doesn't pay. Could be a deadbeat client you should have never undertaken representation on in the first place.

    The problem is that payment is the LAST thing that happens, and so gets clouded/muddied up by everything that precedes it from marketing, to engagement, to managing the work and expectations of the client, to whether the client has any $$$ to pay, to collection efforts.

    It's like trying to coach a team by only providing guidance after the game is over. No prep, no training, no practice, no scouting, no in game comments, just evaluation on how the player performed after it is all over.

    (Getting down off my soapbox.)

    I get it, you are just trying to do what the boss wants. It's not necessarily your job to change how the firm measures performance. I know, I know. But the fact that this exercise is so tedious should be a clue....

    Good luck with it! :-)
Children
  • 0 in reply to Nancy Duhon
    I appreciate your input. We get retainers up front, in addition to a trust fund amount (for example: $1500 general retainer plus $2000 going into the trust account. However, at $295 per hour, they use up the money quick and we ask for more money as we go. We do not collect AFTER the work is done necessarily. And some clients get a refund of what's left in their trust account. Every case is different. So we need to know which of a client's slips are paid and which are not. They can have $500 left in their trust account, and we can go to court for three hours ($885). So, now the client owes $385 and the slip for court is NP (not paid). We keep track of all of this for various reasons. We track every tiny detail

    -How much time did the attorney record for the month total? Do they need more work assigned to them? Do you have excess capacity? Are they overworked and you need to hire more people to keep up with the demand? Are they turning in their time? Timely?

    **All valid points

    -How much of that time was billable vs. unbillable? Are they being efficient with their time, or spinning their wheels? Do they need more mentoring/management with their work?

    **Doesn't really apply to us.

    -Has the firm billed out all of the time? Are you leaving time on the table that then gets stale and cannot be billed?

    **We bill as we go, this isn't a problem

    -Which clients owe the firm $$$? Who is in charge of that client? Do you sort your A/R by the attorney responsible for managing that client? Have they called them to discuss collections?

    ** One attorney per client. We have a collections department (me) and the attorney steps in sometimes. However, they think it compromises the attorney-client relationship and want me to do it.

    -If you don't get paid on an invoice, why? It isn't always the attorney's fault the client doesn't pay. Could be a deadbeat client you should have never undertaken representation on in the first place.

    ** I've never used invoices in Timeslips. Do you mean "bills"? Yes- we have deadbeat clients that we have to chase down. Not sure there is a solution to that problem.

    The problem is that payment is the LAST thing that happens, and so gets clouded/muddied up by everything that precedes it from marketing, to engagement, to managing the work and expectations of the client, to whether the client has any $$$ to pay, to collection efforts.

    **The attorneys are supposed to make sure the client's account is funded before they do work, but that isn't always possible.


    So hopefully you can see how marking the slips would be so helpful. For now, I create spreadsheets of their daily and monthly time and mark the slips with a red X. I can't think of another way to do it, the partners are not willing to change the program.
  • 0 in reply to PattiS

    PattiS said:
    -If you don't get paid on an invoice, why? It isn't always the attorney's fault the client doesn't pay. Could be a deadbeat client you should have never undertaken representation on in the first place.

    ** I've never used invoices in Timeslips. Do you mean "bills"? Yes- we have deadbeat clients that we have to chase down. Not sure there is a solution to that problem.

    and BTW, yes, "invoices" and "bills" are kind of synonymous in Timeslips.

  • 0 in reply to PattiS

    If the partners are unwilling to change, then there is not much we can do to help you other than Allan's suggestions about running reports with the filter. But I would suggest you look at the following tools already in your Timeslips program: Aged Client Investment Report - shows WIP and A/R but not Funds, Retainer Replenishments which you can use to get clients to MAINTAIN a Funds balance with you (i.e., pay as they go with a funds "cushion" if they don't) instead of just getting money in the beginning and spending it down before you ask for more.

    What I still don't understand is this: WHAT DO YOU DO DIFFERENTLY based on the report/information you track? I.e., what decision about how you do business is driven by that data? All we have so far is that you track it, minutely. Which is only part of the equation, my question is WHY do you track it? How do you USE it? Because then we might be able to suggest something for you that gives you the same or better data more easily.

    Just to give you some perspective, I've been using Timeslips since 1986, and consulting since 1994. I have NEVER seen a firm do what you are doing, mainly because it is so mindnumblingly tedious. So we are trying to both answer the question you asked: can I report on slips that are Bookmarked, but also find you a better solution to the underlying problem.

    As an analogy, you are asking us how you could make yourself a better sling for your broken arm because it really hurts to carry it around in the sling you have now, and we are responding to you saying "Oh My Gosh, your arm is BROKEN!" Let's get that fixed, and you won't have to have a sling at all.

    ;-)

  • 0 in reply to Nancy Duhon
    I appreciate everyone's input, but we have completely gotten off topic. I understand now what I have to do as far as bookmarking slips. I may get them to try it. We literally just need to know if there is enough money to cover a slip or not. It's not any more complicated than that. Doing it by hand is the only way.

    I understand, as well, that we do a ton of tedious busy work with extreme attention to detail. I also understand that most firms do not. I prefer our way, as other firms don't seem to have any idea at any given moment what the client's exact balance is. This is why I love Timeslips. It seems to be the only program that can do that. Part of it is procedural, though. Some firms put their time in once a month, for instance. This seems extremely inefficient to me.

    I love this SageCity site, as well. Lots of great input. Thanks!!
  • 0 in reply to PattiS

    To PattiS and other, future Timeslips users who are trying to find an efficient solution to this or a similar situation while perusing through this user forum:

    To determine whether you have enough money in Trust to cover time and expense slips that have already been entered into Timeslips, please consider running a WIP Report.  (As of Timeslips 2009, there were two of them available.) WIP means "Work in Progress" and it gives you total dollar amounts of all unbilled time and expense slips.

    Here's what my TS2009 help files say (bold and italics are mine for emphasis):

    The Aged WIP report is available from the Client page of the Report List dialog box.

    This report breaks down unbilled slips into aging periods. Please note that these totals do not include WIP from interim and progress billing arrangements. Use this report to identify charges that may have been overlooked during the billing process. You can format this report using the settings within the Report Options dialog box. For example, you may optionally detail the fees and costs for each client, show the percentage of the total for each value, and print the report in a grid format.

    The Available WIP Listing report is available from the Client page of the Report List dialog box.

    This report summarizes work in process (WIP) amounts for each client. It subtotals WIP amounts by fees, costs, slip amounts, and billing arrangement amounts. Use this report to identify clients with unbilled charges. You can format this report using the settings within the Report Options dialog box. For example, you can omit detail and show only subtotals and totals, determine which name format to use, or choose the format of the dollar amounts.

    For more information, see Help files available inside Timeslips.

    (I'm guessing we've lost PattiS by now, but you never know...)   [:)]

  • 0 in reply to Laurie Lynne
    If by "losing" me you mean it doesn't apply to us, then yes. The WIP reports (by definition) only show what was billed since the last bill, not what they owe overall. If they owed $200 last month, and his WIP report shows $500, then he owes $700- not $500. So, this report is not really useful. If your clients pay every bill sent to them in full, you are very lucky. Ours do not. There is a carry-over amount in about half our clients. Additionally, the WIP report does not show a list of slips with bookmarks, which was my original issue.

    If I just want a list of the client balances, I use the firm assistant listing. :)
  • 0 in reply to PattiS
    PattiS, what you find sometimes here at the SageCity forum is that sometimes someone asks a novel question, and it sparks the curiosity of all of us to brainstorm about it.

    You are correct that sometimes that leads us off topic from the original question. But then sometimes that can be were the really fun (well, okay, fun for US on a VERY geeky level) things can happen. Sometimes the question is a bit like an intellectual earworm in that we just can't stop thinking, brainstorming and talking about it.

    For the VAST majority of folks who post on this bulletin board, their participation is comprising of finding the forum, posting their question, getting their answer and then pretty much not coming back until they have another question. I.e., they tend to take from the well of information, but don't necessarily contribute to it in the form of trying to help others with answers. While most of the folks posting responses and answers to questions are either Certified Consultants like myself, or Sage Timeslips technical support personnel, Laurie Lynn is one of the few actual end users like you that takes the time to contribute possible answers and solutions to questions posted by her compatriots. For that reason Laurie is a SHERO in my opinion, and I value her answers immensely.

    That said, a couple of things regarding your last post:

    1) I need to clarify one bit of information that you posted. (And only because sometimes other users might find this thread later on, and we don't want them to be confused.) Your sentence reads "The WIP reports (by definition) only show what was billed since the last bill, not what they owe overall." I think you forgot two critical words that drastically change the meaning of the sentence. The sentence should have read (emphasis added) "The WIP reports (by definition) only show what was RECORDED, but NOT billed since the last bill, not what they owe overall." WIP is always recorded, not yet billed information. But you are correct in that the 'Plain' WIP reports that Laurie suggested do not contain A/R (previously billed and still not paid) information.

    However, if you recall, I previously recommended that you look at the Aged Client Investment report which DOES have both WIP and outstanding A/R in the same report. What it does NOT have is the Funds Balance which figures into your equation of what you want to know. Thus it contains only two of the three numbers that you need to know. That's fair.

    But....

    2) Your reference to the Firm Assistant Listing got me thinking, because it DOES contain all three numbers: Unpaid A/R, new WIP charges and Funds as an aggregate rather than the per slip stuff you are doing now. Unfortunately, while it shows or displays the amount of Funds in the account, it does not automatically calculate A/R+WIP-Funds for you.

    But all is not lost. I was able to print that report to EXCEL, with the option to put the data in COLUMNS. That gave me a spreadsheet with a line for each client, and Fields/Columns A thru R. Now, here's where it gets interesting. Column Q is the Funds Balance, Column R is the New Balance Due (A/R + WIP). So if you manually then add a Column S which contains the following formula: =SUM(R*-Q*) where * is the Row Numbers. Then you can look at the value in Column S and know the following: If the number is a Negative number you have excess Funds to cover (A/R + WIP) and your charges are "covered", and if the number in Column S is a Positive number then you do not have enough $$$ in Trust to cover the work, and you need to ask the client to send you more Funds.

    Which I found really cool! What does everyone else think?
  • 0 in reply to Nancy Duhon
    1) You are correct- RECORDED, not billed. We never ever record time and not bill it (unless it's a mistake). So I misspoke.

    2) That's exactly what we do with the Firm Assistant Listing. I make an excel sheet out of it, delete all of the columns but the general and trust balances, and add a column for a total of the two.
  • 0 in reply to PattiS
    I believe you can actually create a user defined client report that will show the information without exporting to excel.
  • 0 in reply to Caren2
    Caren, I tried it for a bit yesterday, but couldn't because it crosses two tables. The Client Information has the A/R and Funds, but the Slip table has the WIP. But I didn't bang my head on it too long, and may have missed something.

*Community Hub is the new name for Sage City