If you have an IBM PC or compatible computer on your desk with a hard disk, charge for your time by the hour (or fraction thereof) and don't have an excellent method of doing it, read on. In fact, even if your method is excellent, you may want to read about another unique computerized time billing program called TIMESLIPS III.
Many of the activities of an attorney, consultant or any person who bills based on time are either not billed or billed improperly because of the nuisance of making a separate billing for a short period of work.
In addition to time billing, TIMESLIPS has flat fee, expense and contingency (not appropriate for consultants) billing available.
MEC has its own integrated custom program to maintain both the billings of the company and those of its owner/consultant, Captain Greiner. However, a new program - TIMESLIPS - recently caught Captain Greiner's attention. After extensive testing, he was so pleased with it that he now uses it instead of his custom program for time and expense billing.
The unique aspect of TIMESLIPS is that no matter what you are doing on the computer, a timeslip can be called up as an overlay and started without terminating your current program. Merely press the ALT and left CAP keys together, and a time slip immediately appears over the work you have on the screen.
For instance, you are working on a project for a client. You have already started a timeslip for that project using the pop-up TIMESLIP program and you are now using your word processor. The phone rings and a different client wants to discuss a problem with you. As you start the conversation, you call up a new timeslip, start the clock on it which will automatically stop the clock on the previous project, and continue with your phone conversation.
When you have completed you phone conversation and any associated work for the second client, or if you wish, during the phone conversation, stop the clock and fill in several other entries to identify the type of billing, who to bill etc. Then start the clock for the previous timeslip and return to your first project by pressing ESCAPE twice.
Simple? Very! As with any sophisticated program that provides the user with full capabilities, the user needs a short period to learn of the many capabilities and how to effect them.
You may replicate (duplicate) the information from a previous time slip on a new one thus saving several entries if you wish, another timesaving device.
The timeslip portion of the program is the unique part because it is immediately available without interrupting your current computer program. Once you have completed your billing entries, hit ESCAPE twice and the timeslip overlay will disappear. You will then be back in your original program right where you left it.
The program also has a report generator that allows billing of clients at such time as you desire to bill and in the format you desire. You can bill a single client at any time, for instance when a case is closed, or you may generate all out standing billing at the same time. Other alternatives are available in selecting who to bill such as those with more than a specified amount due, or billing between specific dates.
Retainer or trust accounts (but not both) may be maintained and separate reports printed for them to show what charges were made against each account. Interest may be applied automatically as accounts age. Many users can easily be accommodated on the same computer. If you have a network, a new version is in the works later this year that will permit multiple computers to utilize the program interactively. In the interim, another computer on the network can still do billing.
Once you have determined how you wish to bill, you may have the keystrokes necessary to create that billing saved in a macro so that you merely have to select the macro each time you wish to bill. In fact, you may create several macros to save time in operations that you do repeatedly. The program is designed to allow you maximum flexibility and yet do it with as few keystrokes as possible.
If you need mailing labels for your envelopes, or labels for your case files folders, the program will print them, too. Alternatively, the address portion of the invoices can be located so that a window envelop can be used. There is more, too. Case budgeting, graphs and reports can help you judge your productivity. Payments and disbursements can be recorded.
System requirements are IBM PC or compatible with 384K internal memory (RAM), PC/MS DOS 3.0 or higher and one floppy and one hard disk drive. The pop-up feature by itself uses about 60 K of RAM.
A new linking program, TIMESLIPS III ACCOUNTING LINK, or TAL for short, has just come on the market which will allow TIMESLIPS III to be linked with a number of full service accounting programs presently including DAC Easy Accounting 2.0, Peachtree Complete II, Great Plains Series 4.2, Manusoft Ready to Run 2.1, Cougar Mountain Software ACT 1, ver. 7.1, James River Group Accounting ver. 3.0 and Computer Associates ACCPAC ver. 4.2. While it is not necessary to use an accounting program to accomplish the above mentioned features of TIMESLIPS III, if you want the information automatically entered into one of the above programs, TAL will do it.
Price? TIMESLIPS III retails for $199.95 and TAL for $79.95. Most software dealers carry these products.
Home ! Search Page ! Master index ! Table of Contents for This Issue