Globally update settings for jobs & entities

Quickly update different clients, jobs, resources, and locations at the same time

Lesson #95
Tools – Bulk Update function

When something changes that affects a lot of jobs or entities — for example you have a new sales representative — save time by changing that particular setting (field) for a group of records —i.e., all of the affected contacts — at once. Use the Bulk Update function to update multiple jobs, firms, contact, resources, or locations at the same time.

Depending on the information you want to change, you first select the group of records (jobs, firms, contact, resources, or locations) where that information is stored. Then you can select the specific field in those records that you want to update. Depending on the field, you choose the value you want in that field. Finally you choose which specific entries in the group of records you want to update.

Update contacts

For contacts, you can update their billing rates, their classification, whether or not to send them marketing materials, their designated gender, credit rating, the sales rep or resource they belong to (Client Of), what salutation to use in addressing them, and their preferred methods for receiving invoices and statements.

You can choose to change every listing in Contacts, only those listings for contacts that are still doing business with you (active clients), or select a custom set of contacts to update, such as all the contacts at one firm. You can also search for all contacts assigned to a single sales rep if you are bulk updating those contacts to a new sales rep.

Update firms

For firms, you can update many more fields:

  • Current account status
  • Whether to show detailed breakdowns on their invoices
  • Billing rates
  • Your ranking of them (the type of firm they are or their value to you)
  • Credit rating
  • Whether they are Cash on Delivery (COD)
  • Sales rep or resource they belong to (Client Of)
  • Resource responsible for collecting payments from them
  • Whether monthly statements are printed for each contact at this firm separately or combined and sent to “Accounts Payable”
  • Percentage you deduct if you offer a negotiated discount on all the firms’ invoices
  • Whether or not to send them marketing materials
  • Percentage you charge the firms monthly on past-due invoices
  • Type of firm (e.g., law firm, insurance company, corporation)
  • Deadline in business days past the payment terms of invoices for the firms to render payment before RB notifies you to start collection efforts
  • Percentage you charge the firms as a one-time account service fee on past-due invoices
  • Firm designated as the firms’ headquarters (Parent Firm)
  • Terms for payment that will appear on the firms’ invoices
  • Percentage for the state sales tax for the firms
  • Where the firms heard of you (source of initial contact)
  • Method for receiving consolidated statements

Like contacts, you can choose to change every listing in Firms, only active firms, or a custom set of specific firms. You can also search for all firms assigned to a single sales rep if you are bulk updating those firms to a new sales rep.

Update resources

For resources, you can update:

  • Percentages for extra commission pay Client Of resources receive for their clients’/cases’ jobs  when they cover the job or when someone else covers the job (can be 2 different percentages)
  • Percentage for sales reps’ commissions
  • Number of days from the invoice date before resources are paid on originals or copies (can be 2 different amounts)
  • If they are excluded from the pay process (for example,  an owner or conference room would not earn pay on tasks assigned to them)
  • Their Pay Group (e.g., Monthly, Weekly, On Demand)
  • Whether you provide them with 1099 forms
  • Order of preference for assigning tasks or their availability
  • Profession or other resource type
  • What salutation to use in addressing them
  • If they do their own scoping

As with contacts and firms, you can choose to change every listing in Resources, only active resources, or a custom set of specific resources.

Update locations

For locations, there is only one field you can update: Location Type, i.e., the category of the facilities where jobs take place, e.g., hospital, courthouse, or school.

As with the other entities, you can choose to change every listing in Locations, only active locations, or a custom set of specific locations.

There is no Undo in Bulk Update

When you select Update All for firms, contacts, resources, or locations, RB9 warns you that you are about to update all the entities in the selected table and you must affirm that you want to change the entire table. The default reply is No to help minimize errors made with this irreversible command.

Update jobs

For jobs, you can update how you classify a group of jobs (such as depo, trial, or video conference) and which sales rep is responsible for the jobs.

You can choose to update every job within a specified date range; narrow which ones to update in that date range to those ordered by a specific firm, contact, or case; or select a custom set of jobs. You can also search for all jobs assigned to a single sales rep if you are bulk updating those jobs to a new sales rep.

Whether you are updating entities or jobs, you can sort your search results in the grid by one or more columns in ascending or descending order (but when you exit the function, RB will revert back to the default order). Export the list as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, print, share, or use in other applications.

NOTE: In addition to the stand-alone Bulk Update function, Billing Rates and Pay Rates have a Mass Update feature (in the Service Item Master), which you can use to update rates in multiple billing or pay rate tables at once. With these power-user features, you will be able to keep your RB database updated more easily.

TL;DR: If you have a number of entities or jobs that need the same information changed, save time by changing them all at once.

RB concepts in this lesson

Client Of: Resource that receives a commission for jobs their clients scheduled or that are part of a case the resource was designated as the Client Of resource. You can also give reporters right of first refusal on their clients/cases’ jobs by displaying unassigned jobs from their clients/cases in Resource-side online calendars in RB Connect.

Contact: Person who works for a firm you do business with, such as attorneys, paralegals, secretaries, legal assistants, claim adjusters, and court clerks.

Firm: Business you provide services to, usually law firms, but can also be other court reporting firms, vendors, insurance companies, corporate clients, and courts.

Job: Usually the reporting of a deposition, but can also be any kind of service you provide with your reporters or other resources, such as realtime, videoconferencing, or read & sign. More >

Location: Place where jobs occur, such as court rooms, hospitals, schools, doctors’ offices, or private residences.

Parent Firm: Headquarters of a multi-branch corporation.

Pay Groups: Categories of time periods your company uses to pay resources, e.g., Monthly, Weekly, On Demand. Group resources according to their pay period (frequency) to reduce errors when running payroll.

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service, such as reporters, videographers, interpreters, scopists, account executives, other agencies that cover jobs for you, or a conference room.

Task: Service requested with a job, such as reporting, interpreting, or video, that require a separate resource (person, company, thing) to accomplish. More >

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