Timekeeping and billing can be a huge time commitment for solo practitioners and law firms alike, which is why we recommend using timekeeping software to help make those processes more streamlined. And while timekeeping software can save hours of administrative work, there are always ways to make your time in that sphere more efficient. Utilizing features like speech-to-text, paperless pre-billing, split-billing, invoice automation, expense tracking, and a client portal not only cuts down on time spent on these tasks, but also helps keep your billing manager happy. Even if that’s you, who wouldn’t want features to make life easier?
TimeSolv Features for Advanced Billing
Speech-to-Text
Most people can speak faster than they can type, which makes it all the more helpful when you can dictate your time without having to type. When recording your time, rather than typing “phone call with client,” which leaves out a lot of detail, you can dictate to your timekeeping software, “had a phone call with a client where we discussed next steps and approach on [insert discussion item relating to matter].” Speech to text helps you be more specific in how your time was spent without needing to spend that much time to do it and can give your eyes some screen reprieve during your day.
Paperless Pre-Billing
Pre-billing, while important, can be an extremely time-consuming process, especially for firms that still do this process manually and paper-based. First, the draft bills need to be printed, then routed to the reviewing attorney, then the attorney’s notes need to be deciphered, the bills changed, and so on. This is a cumbersome process and can also introduce potential privacy complications. Going paperless with pre-billing allows firms to save paper, review bills and make edits more quickly, and better ensure the clients’ privacy.
Split Billing
If you’re working on a matter where you need to split your invoice ten different ways, needing to make a single edit or correct a single mistake can send you back to square one. But, if your timekeeping software has a sophisticated split billing feature, making edits is only a matter of a few clicks. With a true split billing feature, you could split invoices by hours, amounts, or split hours, then calculate amounts for each client (which is especially helpful if you have set rates for different clients). And if you’ve made an error while splitting, you can unsplit to make corrections, then split again. This feature can be a huge time-saver, especially if you’re splitting a matter between dozens of clients.
Invoice Automation
Generating invoices may require calculating your time or rate differently for each client or matter, printing out the invoice(s) in different formats, creating invoices individually, sorting invoices by the attorney, etc. With an invoice automation feature, you’ll be able to set-it-and-forget-it just the one time or create invoice narratives, depending on the type of invoice, on the matter, client or firm level, then generate hundreds of invoices specific to attorneys or clients or matters with just a matter of clicks. Then, you can download in single or multiple files for pre-billing, filing, printing out or emailing to clients, or whatever else you need. Invoice automation helps create a better overall billing process for your firm.
Expense Tracking
In addition to tracking billable, non-billable, and no-charge time, your timekeeping software should also be able to track expenses. Attorneys should look for timekeeping software that allows them to set up recurring expenses on matters, upload receipts, attach those receipts to invoices, and monitor those expenses through reports or dashboard view.
Client Portal
Once invoices are sent, clients need to pay. Having a client portal makes it easier for clients to view details on the work your firm has done for them, which means saving time on responding to routine questions on billing. Your clients should be able to create an account to view their balance, old invoices, attached expense receipts, work in progress, and even pay their bills through the client portal. Client portals are a great self-service way to interact with clients to offer a polished, secure, and professional experience.
How TimeSolv Can Help Your Firm Save Time
Saving time is not just about having features like the above. You want a robust and powerful timekeeping software that allows you to input granular detail on the client, matter, and timekeeping level whether you’re offline, on-the-go, or in the office, add your firm’s customizations and logos, apply interest, have built-in trust accounting, be able to generate different invoice formats (hello LEDES!), and run business intelligence reports and analyses to see how your firm’s time is spent, among other things.
Keeping track of all these items can quickly become complex, but TimeSolv makes it easy. With impressive and powerful features, like the ones mentioned above, add-ons, a user-friendly dashboard, and integrations with other software like Microsoft 365, Xero, and DropBox, TimeSolv is arguably one the most comprehensive cloud-based timekeeping and billing software out there.
Signing up for TimeSolv not only gives you access to a functional and powerful software, but you also get a personal account manager. In addition to having access to TimeSolv’s support team, vast resources, and training sessions, you’ll also have a dedicated person to help guide your through integrating and migrating your firm’s historic data from whatever system you’re currently using to TimeSolv, help you input your firm’s abbreviations, logos, and current invoices, and help you get your account set-up so you’re ready to go from day one.
Demo Video
The team at TimeSolv recently gave us a demo of their timekeeping software, its features, and how it can save law firms hours. Take a look at the video below to see a walkthrough they provided our Legal Tech Advisor, Zack Glaser.
How to Get It
If your law firm wants to learn more about TimeSolv, contact them at timesolv.com and get a free personalized demo. You can also sign-up for a 30-day free trial: no credit card needed.
Want to learn more about TimeSolv? Check out our full review, where you can see a features list, other demo videos, and community comments. Remember that Lawyerist readers get an affinity benefit through the review page.
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Last updated August 30th, 2023
