Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/83718
Make More Money: Getting IT and Finance to Collaborate • What about third-party add-ons? If the program you use cannot perform the functions you need to efficiently enter time, look for a third-party alternative. For example, iTimekeep is one solution that integrates with many time/billing systems for simple time entry from smartphones or tablets. Another option for capturing as much time as possible is Chrometa or Smart WebParts, which allow you to capture time while working in applications such as Microsoft Word, Outlook or Internet Explorer and export time to popular billing applications. • Implement and Train — There is always something you can do to make implementations and training better and easier. Don't give up until you find it. Billing: After you tackle timekeeping, the next logical step is to work with the finance team to examine the software and technology used for billing. Many of the same issues from the discussion on time entries apply to the billing process. Following the repeatable steps from above, here are some suggestions on how IT can help the finance team with the billing process: • Ask — What are the biggest challenges with billing and what frustrates the users on that team? You have to know what the issues are before you can solve them. • Observe — Watch how they work. Look for ways to improve their efficiency. Make note of the things that seem harder than they should be. • Investigate — Work with the managers in your billing department to make sure that all aspects of the functionality of the billing program are being used for efficient billing. Look for these things: • What prevents the timely production of prebills? Can they be emailed? Can you provide training for the attorneys that review prebills in a PDF editor? • Is the right printer with the right features being used to print bills that are mailed? For example, can bills be printed to a printer that autostaples? • Does your firm still use a cover letter with billing? If so, ask why and determine if it is really necessary. If it is, explore using the template editor in the billing system to add the cover letter directly to the bill so it prints automatically. • Are you emailing bills? If yes, are you emailing as many of them as you can? If no, why not? • If your firm is required to bill clients electronically through a third-party system, take a look at the process your users are following to ensure they are executing this time-consuming task in the most efficient way. • Implement and Train — There is always something you can do to make implementations and training better and easier. Don't give up until you find it. Consider this: When groups of lawyers are asked how much time they give away by not adequately capturing the work they do in their time entry system, the answers are frightening. If your firm has 50 lawyers and the partnership between the IT department and the finance department is made, and you find a way for the lawyers to easily capture an additional 30 minutes of billable time each week, the financial results are amazing. The time was being spent anyway, but would likely have just gone uncaptured for myriad reasons. We hear about scenarios just like this all the time: a cell phone call that a lawyer intended to log but forgot or a series of email messages that didn't seem to add up to much at the time but in hindsight are clearly worth tracking. In the example of capturing just 30 minutes of extra time each week, both departments play a part in adding $5,000 to the firm's weekly bottom line or $250,000 on an annual basis. Although there might be some costs ILTA White Paper 33