The Sage Timeslips Certified Consultants of Eastern Legal Systems returned from this year’s Sage Summit, held recently at National Harbor, MD, invigorated and excited about the enhancements available in the newly-released Sage Timeslips version 2014. Headlined by a completely redesigned and much more robust TAL Pro link to QuickBooks and Sage 50 (formerly Peachtree), the visible and behind-the-scenes improvements to billing activities are designed to improve user experience, performance, and stability without requiring users to relearn procedures.
The Timeslips sessions for consultants at this year’s Summit included an overview of the improvements built into Timeslips 2014, an in-depth class on the all-new TAL Pro, and a preview of the new database format that is expected with the release next year of Timeslips version 2015.
New in Timeslips 2014
While the number of enhancements is not large, their impact on ease of use can be large indeed.
· The new TAL Pro is easier to set up and easier to use, allows more flexibility, and the link no longer has to be loaded when Timeslips opens. Matching up client names in Timeslips with customer names in QuickBooks is a breeze. These features will be detailed in a dedicated article.
· The Slip List display sports behind-the-scenes changes to improve performance and stability.
· The brand new Sage TimeCapture utility tracks time spent in other applications and creates slip entries, replacing the TSTimer function with a much more reliable and stable interface.
· Dialog boxes displaying Proof Stage bills and Reprint Bills can now be sorted by columns, and windows with a Print icon on the tool bar now allow the user to select a printer instead of automatically printing to the default printer.
· The internal Timeslips calendar now syncs with Google Calendar, providing the opportunity to create slips from calendar entries for offices that do not use Outlook, or that already sync their Outlook calendar to Google.
Keep reading for more detail on the slip list and TimeCapture features.
Slip List Improvements
Over the years, as firms’ databases have grown, the often-used Slip List window has sometimes proved to be a source of frustration as users wait for new slips to be saved and the list to be recalculated. Changes in the way the list is stored and updated should make a noticeable difference in its performance. Specifically,
· The list loads and updates faster than in previous versions
· The user can limit the number of slips to be searched, thus speeding calculations
· Descriptions and total calculations can optionally be hidden
In addition:
· Users who have had trouble with “disappearing” slip descriptions will appreciate the option to paste text as plain text, thus avoiding the formatting codes that in some environments could render the descriptions invisible.
· Changes have been made to accommodate Windows 8
· Total time can optionally be displayed in decimal format rather than HH:MM:SS
· There is a frequently-requested option to automatically set the timekeeper on a new slip to the name of the currently logged-in timekeeper
Many other new options exist to configure how the list behaves on a given workstation.
Sage TimeCapture
This utility can track which application is active at a given moment, along with the amount of time spent in that window. Each application is tracked separately as a user switches between them. Applications running for non-billable activities can be ignored, and the user can create rules to govern how time entries are named and grouped.
Billable timed entries can be converted to slips.
Preview of Sage Timeslips version 2015
For the past several years, Sage has been working on developing a version of Timeslips that will run on a new database platform. It’s not likely anyone will be disappointed to leave the outdated Borland Database Engine behind in favor of a newer format expected for Timeslips 2015. This change is expected to result in a much more stable database that is far less prone to corruption, which is welcome news for any firm whose database has had to be repaired. The partners at ELS look forward to the opportunity to be trained on this format and its related tools, and to assist law firms with the transition.
Feel free to call Eastern Legal Systems at 877-357-0555 or email us at [email protected] to learn more about these new features or any other Timeslips-related questions..
Jack Schaller has been active in the field of law office technology since 1989, and has worked with a variety of commercial accounting, legal billing, practice management, and document management software products during his twenty plus years in the software consulting field. During his tenure as a software consultant he has garnered many sales and service awards for his work with legal software products. Jack is a frequent presenter at legal conferences and seminars, and is a regular contributor to TechnoLawyer and other technology publications.