It’s no secret that law firms can have a large number of tasks to complete at any given time. From administrative duties and court cases, to client intake meetings and discovery calls, there’s no shortage of tasks. With the intricacies of a law firm’s workload, it’s no surprise that many small legal firms are looking to task management software to help manage their ever-growing to-do list.

Bill4Time makes task management easy by storing all your business’s tasks, creating your own custom workflows, and tracking time, all in one platform. Below, we’ll discuss the importance of task management for small businesses and law firms and why Bill4Time is the perfect solution for your task management needs.

How Bill4Time Simplifies Task Management

Firms have a lot going on. That’s why it’s important to have the proper task management software to keep your business running efficiently. Bill4Time has many different features to help manage tasks, follow workflows, track time, and more.

Workflow Automation

Prioritizing tasks is one of the most important steps you can take when managing your firm’s workload. Firms are running nonstop, so it’s easy for staff to get distracted when new tasks or cases get added to their plate. Prioritizing tasks allows you to get what’s most important done first, then follow up with other tasks. If firms don’t have a solid system in place to do so, they can find themselves overwhelmed with to-do lists and overdue tasks.

Bill4Time’s customizable workflow automation allows you to create custom workflows for tasks that are repeated often — syncing those tasks with your calendar — ensuring you don’t miss a step in the process. Firms can even make relative due dates for each task, designing a comprehensive workflow that will keep employees on track from intake to project conclusion.

Task Assignment and Delegation

When choosing software to assist with task management for small businesses, it’s helpful to look at the big picture. Large projects and cases require a detail-oriented approach, one that needs frequent attention and management. Using digital task management software can help your projects be completed on time.

Using the tasks tab in Bill4Time gives you the ability to create and assign tasks for specific projects. With custom descriptions and details; high, medium, or low priorities to be designated to individual staff; and due date customization, Bill4Time gives you complete control over your project task lists — ensuring all your tasks are completed by their due date.

Time Tracking and Reporting

Bill4Time enables you to capture lost revenue by accurately tracking time. Some businesses lose more than 30% of billable time due to poor time tracking. Without knowing the essentials of time tracking, some may look to sticky notes, Word documents, or even mental time tracking to record their hours. Digital time tracking software like Bill4Time can create an efficient time tracking system for your firm.

Track how much time each task takes and manage your firm’s productivity with Bill4Time’s time tracking feature. Know how much time each task takes to complete, then send it directly to an invoice.

Managing Tasks on the Go and Staying Productive Anywhere

Task management software is most effective when users can access it from anywhere. Pairing your task management software to a mobile device allows you to stay up-to-date on any and all tasks on the go.

Bill4Time’s mobile app creates an adaptable environment for task management. Features users can access on Bill4Time’s desktop software can also be accessed on the mobile app. This allows your firm to create time entries, manage your workflow, and even send invoices while away from the office – adding productivity from the mobile-friendly environment.

Integrate with All Your Systems

One of the best ways to increase firm efficiency is making sure all of your tools can sync with the task management software you use. With the Bill4Time Partner Program, users can further excel by better managing different aspects of their business. With integrations like QuickBooks, Google Calendar for mobile calendaring, and Box and NetDocuments for document management, your business is set for success.

Use the Search Function to Manage Work

There’s no easy way to manually search through the tasks on your firm’s to-do list. That’s why having a search function to easily filter by priority, due date, client, matter, status, and even assignee allows users to make the most of their task list without having to comb through every one.

Bill4Time has a search function for both task management and workflows, getting you to the task you’re looking for as fast as possible. Being able to find information quickly makes business easier, freeing up time to complete tasks instead of constantly searching for them.

Get a Demo

Want to take a deep dive into all the features Bill4Time can bring to the table? Schedule a demo today to speak with a Bill4Time expert and learn how Bill4Time can increase your small business’s productivity and help with task management.

As a business owner, you have a variety of skills that make your business successful. The knowledge of your services, your expansive prior experience, and passion for your business. Out of the many business operations, one that some may shy away from is accounting, but it doesn’t have to be scary or seem impossible. If accounting is taking up a majority of your time, the simplest answer could be accounting software. Bill4Time simplifies your accounting to free up time that you can dedicate to other areas of your business requiring your attention.

Let’s dive into our payment allocations feature and discuss how Bill4Time has made it easy for your business to get paid in full and faster.

What is payment allocation?

Payment allocation is when a payment has been applied to an invoice line’s balance on a certain account. As a business, keeping up with your accounting is important to maintain the reins of your income and spending.

In layman’s terms, when you apply a payment from a client to an account or invoice, you essentially tie both the payment and the account together. Keeping track of the spending and payments with specific accounts is crucial to staying on top of your accounting. If you discover a client is behind on a payment, you can catch it quickly rather than months down the road.

Importance of Payment Allocation

Payment allocation is important for a variety of reasons. If you properly allocate payments to your business’s invoices, your reports will be much more accurate. This allows you to make well-informed decisions when it comes to the future of your business.

Having an updated and clear report of your business income allows you to easily run reports, get information on your business, and even make filing taxes easier.

As a business owner, you should be focused on the big picture decisions. Payment allocation frees up your time from chasing payments and instead allows you to focus on the important tasks for your business. Most businesses find that clients pay quickly if given an online payment option.

How to Automatically Allocate Payments in Bill4Time

Allocating payments in Bill4Time is easy because we understand how important this step in your billing process is. Getting paid in full and on time is key to keeping your business running efficiently. Here’s what it looks like to allocate payments within Bill4Time. 

In order to allocate payments, you first must send an invoice to a client. As soon as an invoice is sent to your client, any payment made towards that balance will automatically be allocated to the account tied to the invoice, no further action needed on your end.

Your client will receive an invoice that looks similar to the picture below. All they have to do to start the payment process is select the “Pay Now” button.

After they initiate payment, they’ll see a payment screen to enter their payment amount and first and last name. Once they do, they will be taken to a screen (like the one below) to enter their payment details and submit payment.

Once an online payment has been processed, all payment information will be automatically displayed in your Bill4Time account and the allocation will be complete. 

In the event that you receive a paper check, or one off payment not directly attached to an invoice, you can manually allocate payments on the accounting tab in Bill4Time.

You can receive and apply payments faster and easier in multiple places with Bill4Time. You can learn more about receiving and applying payments in your account by reading our help article, Receiving and Applying Payments to Client Accounting.

This process is quick and easy, allowing you and your clients to enjoy the added benefit of streamlined online payments. Whether they use eCheck or a credit card, clients can pay in just a few clicks and you get access to your funds.

For law firms, maintaining compliance is vital to keeping your business credible and reputable. Bill4Time Payments is 100% compliant with the American Bar Association (ABA), IOLTA, PCI, and all 50 state bar associations. Payment allocation in Bill4Time has a butterfly effect. It makes accounting and billing easier, syncs data easily, and matches payments to client accounts so you can focus on other business operations that need your attention.

You can find more information on payment allocation and learn about other features Bill4Time has to offer by getting a custom demo today.

In today’s fast-paced and dynamic legal industry, time is more valuable than ever before. As a law firm’s book of business grows, it becomes increasingly important for lawyers to track their time accurately and efficiently. This is why firms should incorporate systematic time tracking for lawyers.

Systematic time tracking is any time tracking system accessible in one place, whether digital, a software, or on a network. Ensuring all time tracking is done in the same software increases the clarity of the records. Using the same time tracking system across your firm allows you to see the work being done in real time, not divorced from other platforms, and in a format any staff member can understand.

Law firms can benefit from systematic time tracking because of the increased efficiency, productivity, transparency, and client trust and satisfaction it provides when done successfully. On the other side of the coin, law firms without a reliable and consistent time tracking process leave themselves at risk for billing disputes, and missing out on billable hours due to simple mistakes.

Systematic time tracking allows anyone at your firm to track time quickly, from anywhere, and in the same structured format. Below, we outline some of the benefits and ways to start systematic time tracking for lawyers.

Benefits of Systematic Time Tracking

While time tracking for lawyers may seem like it is purely administrative, there are also quantifiable reasons to incorporate this process into daily tasks for your law firm. With lawyers working long hours to keep up with client demand, it’s essential to track time spent on each task accurately. Let’s explore these benefits in depth.

Boost your Firm’s Efficiency

There are quite a few ways that law firms can boost their efficiency, systematic time tracking may be the simplest way to do so. As managers, understanding what takes the most time and what’s most profitable for your firm can help you delegate tasks in the future — allowing you to focus on what’s most important to your firm.

Increase Staff Productivity

Additionally, for those that manage law firms, systematic time tracking can help you get the most out of your staff and increase the firm’s overall productivity. As managers review work reports from time sheets, there’s an opportunity to evaluate productivity levels.

Are staff able to complete tasks within a scheduled timeframe? What changes could be implemented to increase productivity? These questions can help managers assess staff performance as business increases, reducing bottlenecks and increasing productivity.

Provide Transparent Billing to Clients

When firms can accurately bill and back up their work with detailed reports, they have an easier time billing. Having the ability to provide records of time spent and details on those tasks on an invoice, helps foster trust between firms and their clients. When clients trust firms, they are more likely to pay their invoices in full, and in a timely manner.

Firms that keep a clear and organized record of work completed and by who that work was done can bill clients with transparency and confidence in their billing process.

Maintain Cost-Effective Practices

Instead of having a million different ways of time tracking across your firm, uniting staff to use one helpful time tracking software like Bill4Time can save time and money. Bill4Time reduces the risk of billing disputes, lost billable hours, and administrative costs.

Risks of Manual Time Tracking

While there are many benefits of time tracking for lawyers, there are also risks associated with not keeping a solid record of your firm’s billable hours. Manual time tracking can be extremely unorganized, leaving your firm at risk of losing potential billable time, high administrative costs, and more. Manual time tracking can be anything from scribbling on a piece of paper, trying to master Microsoft Excel, or even keeping track of your time mentally.

Without keeping an organized and clear record of billable hours, you can leave your firm vulnerable to billing disputes, high administrative costs, and other risks that cost your firm money.

Losing Billable Time (and Revenue)

Law firm profitability is top-of-mind for many partners and managers. One of the easiest ways to lose revenue is to not bill for hours worked. Seems simple, right? However, it’s estimated firms may lose up to 10% of their billable time if they wait until the end of the day to record it, according to the American Bar Association. If they wait days — that number could jump up to 25%. A quarter of your revenue could be lost due to a lack of organization.

Vulnerability to Billing Disputes

What happens when a client disputes an invoice? If firms don’t keep a coordinated record of what’s been worked on and done, how can they ethically bill a client? If firms get billing disputes and can’t find accurate records of work done, client trust is lost and word can spread quickly — ultimately costing your firm money either in litigation or time.

High Administrative Costs

The billing process can take up a large portion of time that could be spent doing more productive (or lucrative) tasks. With each record needing to be sorted through and billed directly to the client, this process can take weeks if it’s done manually. Without using an effective time tracking software, you may have to pay high administrative costs to keep up-to-date on client billing and getting your firm paid on time.

Decreased Client Experience

Losing a client’s trust often means the end of a working professional relationship. With inaccurate or unreliable time tracking for lawyers, clients may not be billed properly, work can get lost, or tasks may not be finished in time, leading to late work and potentially lost cases. Time is of the essence for you and your clients. The best way to respect a client’s time spent working with you is to accurately track yours so they feel as comfortable as possible using your services now and in the future.

How to Start Systematic Time Tracking

Luckily, implementing processes that keep time can be as easy as incorporating software into your firm’s operations. You can start by getting organized and take into account the benefits and risks mentioned earlier. Whether you’re new to time tracking completely or just now implementing it into your firm, it’s never too late to start.

What to Look for in Digital Time Tracking Software

There’s a lot to look for in your digital time tracking software to make sure it’s the best fit for your law firm. Some key features may include reporting, task management, customer support, billing and invoicing, expense tracking, online payments and more. The more your digital time tracking software can do, the better your law firm can focus on your clients, taking advantage of the time you get back.

Track Time Across Devices

With today’s fast-paced work environment, having access to your time tracking software from anywhere can be crucial to maintaining accurate records. Bill4Time’s mobile app keeps you connected on the go. You can access data in Bill4Time from any device, giving you access to client and matter details from anywhere. With the one-tap timer you can track time and expenses easily, granting your firm the advantage of being mobile.

Online Payments

The more ways you offer your clients to pay your firm, the more likely you are to get paid. With credit card or ACH payment options, you and your clients will enjoy the added benefit of quick and easy online payments with Bill4Time Payments.

Don’t forget about Bill4Time’s billing and invoicing features. You can create, print, or email professional, detailed, and branded invoices in minutes. Bill4Time Payments makes it easy to set payment terms, currency, and late fees and know the status of any invoice with a single click. 

Maintaining firm compliance is as important as your reputation. Being a reputable firm means complying with all local, state, and federal regulations. To ease your mind and keep your firm in compliance, Bill4Time Payments is 100% compliant with the American Bar Association (ABA), IOLTA, PCI, and all 50 state bar associations.

Ease of Use

Law firms commonly don’t have the luxury of time with pressing deadlines and client matters. Time wasted trying to learn software that should be intuitive isn’t worth the effort. Bill4Time’s easy-to-use interface and integrations allow your firm to quickly make the most of digital time tracking software.

Customer/Software Support

If any issues arise with your time tracking software, you want to have a team that has your firm’s back. Bill4Time’s incredible customer support team is here to help. With phone, email, and live chat options, a 24/7 knowledge base, and training videos, Bill4Time wants you and your firm to be successful.

Use Bill4Time For All Your Time Tracking Needs

Adding time tracking software to your firm is as simple as signing up for Bill4Time.

Bill4Time offers plenty of tools for time tracking, project management, and document management to ensure you can organize files, plan your calendar and tasks, communicate with clients, and track time to improve your productivity from anywhere.

If you want to learn more about Bill4Time and how it can help your firm implement time tracking to reach your firm’s goals, schedule a demo today.