Tag Archives: email second round

Lesson #7

Calendar – Tasks (List View) function

In RB9 when you schedule a job, you include any services requested — reporting, interpreting, video, conference room, etc. — as tasks in the job, not as separate jobs. That way if the job is canceled, all of the tasks are canceled too and nothing gets overlooked. You can also cancel individual tasks from a job without it affecting the rest of the job.

Monitor tasks

You can use either Tasks (List View) or Tasks (Monthly View) to monitor tasks to see if they have been entered, assigned, and acknowledged. In List View you can see at a glance this information and other basic job information — such as if the job is a Zoom meeting or at a physical location — in the main window.

The job status for each task is listed and color coded for easy recognition. RB9 comes with default sets of tasks and job statuses which you can customize by adding, editing, and deleting entries. You can also choose which colors represent different job statuses — including different colors for light or dark mode displays — in System Preferences.

In either Tasks function you can:

• Add tasks. Tasks can have different time frames than their related jobs.
• Assign tasks to resources.
• Delete tasks (if no resource has been assigned).
• Remove assigned resources.
• Re-assign tasks.
• Cancel tasks (RB9 will prompt you to send the resource an assignment cancellation notice).

When you change a task’s start or end time — or assign or remove a resource — RB9 will record the details in the related job’s Notes Log.

In Tasks (List View) you can use shortcuts from the list of tasks to:

• Add a new task to the job.
• View the task.
• Go directly to the task’s Edit Task panel in its job.
• Record the current date and time as when the assigned resource acknowledged the job.
• Remove the date and time listed in the Acknowledged Date column.

Viewing tasks in a list

The default task list shows all of tomorrow’s tasks in a grid that includes:

• Task’s name, status, and any notes about the task
• Order date and canceled date
• Related job number, date, start & end times, notation, status, location, type
• Task start & end times if different from job’s start & end times
• Assigned resource, when they were notified, and when they acknowledged
• Ordering client
• Related case
• Assigned business unit
• Witness

Use search criteria to refine the list of tasks shown. Search criteria in List View include:

• Date type and date range
• Task type and status
• Assigned resource
• Job’s priority level
• Type of resource required
• Job number, status, and type
• Your company’s business unit
• Related case
• Include canceled tasks or not
• Only show non-assigned tasks

Customize how you view tasks lists

The grid in which you view task lists is customizable to your individual preference:

• Re-arrange the columns so the most important information is most prominent.
• Stick up to 10 columns to the left side of the grid so they do not scroll when you have a results grid wider than your screen.
• Stretch/shrink columns to fit the results.
• Hide columns you don’t need to see.
• Choose which column(s) to sort results by.
• If you select more than one column, choose in what column order to sort the list.
• Choose whether to sort info by ascending or descending order in each selected column.

You can save your custom grid as your default. Your customizations do not affect other users — and you can restore the original RB9 grid layout anytime.

From the results grid you can view and update any listed task’s details, add new tasks to listed jobs, and export the grid as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, share, print, or use in other applications.

Manage tasks

You can manage tasks in either Tasks function:

• Add an overlooked task to a job.
• Enter start and end times for a task that are different from its related job.
• Assign a resource to a task which RB9 records in the task’s Notes Log. If the scheduling client has preferred resources they appear at the top of the resource list. If the scheduling client has a list of blocked resources RB9 will alert you if you attempt to assign one and not allow the assignment. When a resource is assigned any warning about them in their RB9 listing appears beneath their name in the Task panel.
• Notify resources when they are assigned.
• Remind resources of assignments by resending notifications.
• Automatically record the current date and time when a task was acknowledged by a resource.
• Remove a task’s acknowledged date and time with one click if a mistake was made.
• Update the related job’s information including notes, contact information, location, and parties.
• Remove a resource from a task which RB9 records in the task’s Notes Log.
• Upload task-related files to a task’s repository for assigned resources to download.
• Update a task — such as setting resource acknowledgements’ date and time manually or entering page estimates. If you change a task’s start or end time RB9 will record the details in the related job’s Notes Log.
• Delete a task if no resource has been assigned.
• Cancel a task if a resource has been assigned.
• Reactive a canceled task and assign a new resource (you can cancel and reactive a task in one click if you are reassigning resources).
• Begin production turn-in.

When you cancel a task the assigned resource is automatically added back to your available resources list for new assignments and RB9 prompts you to alert the resource of the cancellation. In addition RB9 keeps track of when tasks were canceled. This will be helpful in cases where there is a cost incurred in late cancellations, such as a hotel’s conference room: You will have a paper trail to back up any cancellation fees charged to your client.

List View vs. Monthly View

Tasks (List View) shows the most information about tasks in the results, you can customize how the results are displayed, and it has more search criteria than Monthly View plus shortcuts to creating new tasks and setting/clearing task acknowledgements. List View will also display jobs that do not have tasks yet (such as “Request New” jobs from RB Connect).

Tasks (Monthly View) is similar to Jobs (Monthly View) and displays jobs by job number in a calendar page format so you can see your work schedule at a glance. Monthly View only displays jobs that have tasks and displays limited information in the calendar page. Rolling over a job number pops up basic information about the task, job, and case.

In both views clicking a displayed item opens the job detail screen with the View Task panel already open so you can see complete task details and edit if needed.

TL;DR: Use the Tasks (List View) function to monitor and manage tasks in a grid layout that shows the most task information at a glance. List View also has the most search criteria for finding tasks.

RB9 concepts in this lesson

Blocked Resource: Resource that a particular firm or contact does not want assigned to tasks on jobs they schedule or order from you.

Business Unit (BU): One of your company’s revenue centers or any entity in your business that you want to track separately — such as branch offices, other companies you own, affiliates, and profit-sharing operations.

Job: Usually the reporting of a deposition but can also be any kind of service you provide with your reporters or other resources. More >

Job Status: Stage a job is in, e.g., New or Cancelled. You can designate your own job statuses in RB9.

Job Type: Categories of jobs requested by clients — such as Deposition or Real-Time.

Notation: Short codes (up to 24 characters) you create yourself to give key information about a job (such as “V” for video, “RT” for realtime, “1 of 2,” or “Daily”) in a results grid so you don’t have to click into a job’s detail window.

Notes Logs: Un-editable internal-use only notes entered either by a user or automatically by RB9 appear in chronological logs in the database record where they occurred, such as a case, job, invoice, or entity. More >

RB Connect: Online repository, calendar, and access to your office for clients and resources. More >

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service — such as a reporter, videographer, interpreter, scopist, account executive, other agency that cover jobs for you, or a conference room.

Preferred Resource: Resource that a particular firm or contact wants you to assign to tasks on jobs they schedule or order from you.

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

Lesson #6

Calendar – Send Job Confirmations/Cancellations function

As a courtesy to your clients— but also to check that your information is correct — send your clients Acknowledgements of Scheduling, AKA job confirmations, to let them know you have added their requested jobs to your calendar. You should also send cancellation confirmations for the same reasons.

In RB9 you can email these acknowledgements as they happen or save time by sending them in batches — especially if you deal with a volume of jobs every day or if it is your practice to confirm jobs the day before they are scheduled to take place. Use the Send Job Confirmations/Cancellations function to handle this process.

In Send Job Confirmations/Cancellations you can email job confirmations by day scheduled or job date (if you confirm jobs the day before they should occur). Cancellation confirmations are selected and sent by cancelled date.

The default list shows all jobs scheduled for today. Refine your confirmation list to a date range, single job number, particular job types, or specific business units. Search for canceled jobs using the same search criteria.

Automatic attachments

Confirmation and cancellation emails automatically include the confirmation/cancellation form. RB9 comes with default confirmation and cancellation forms that you can customize. You can also create your own.

Before using this function to send confirmations or cancellations use System Preferences to create email templates for each type of notice. Customize subject lines and messages — and whether the notice is included in the body of the email, as a PDF attachment, or both. You can include any text you wish in the templates, embed contextual RB9 data fields such as the job date and case name, add images, and style the text with fonts, text treatments, sizes, and colors.

You can also automatically include an iCalendar file with the confirmation emails that clients can import into their own calendar. You can customize its subject line and description in System Preferences.

You can preview the emails before they are sent, select a different template from the default, edit the email contents, and attach other files when sending the emails. You can attach files from your desktop or from your RB9 Job-level Repository.

Managing confirmations & cancellations

When you send job confirmations or cancellations via email, RB9 makes an entry that includes the receiver’s email address in the job’s Notes Log. RB9 also records the email sent in the Email Log function in Tools (RB9 Standard only) so you can refer back to it later.

After sending out job confirmation notices either singly or in batches, track the jobs in this function to follow up with clients and record their responses in each job’s status. You can double-check that tomorrow’s jobs are confirmed by reviewing the Status column at the end of the day for any jobs still waiting for a call-back or not confirmed.

In addition to the Status column the results grid displays each job’s:

• Number
• Date
• Ordering client
• Location (of in-person locations not Zoom details)
• Business unit
• Type
• Date created
• Date confirmed
• Case
• Witness

Canceled jobs also list the date the job was canceled.

You can sort your results in the grid by one or more columns in ascending or descending order — but when you exit the function RB9 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.

TL;DR: Use the Send Job Confirmations/Cancellations function to send acknowledgement emails to clients in batches at the end of the day then monitor the jobs’ statuses and follow up with clients.

RB9 concepts in this lesson

Business Unit (BU): One of your company’s revenue centers or any entity in your business that you want to track separately — such as branch offices, other companies you own, affiliates, and profit-sharing operations.

Job: Usually the reporting of a deposition but can also be any kind of service you provide with your reporters or other resources. More >

Job Status: Stage a job is in, e.g., New or Cancelled. You can designate your own job statuses in RB9.

Job Type: Categories of jobs requested by clients — such as Deposition or Real-Time.

Notes Logs: Notes entered either by a user or automatically by RB9 appear in chronological logs in the database record where they occurred — such as a case, job, invoice, or entity. Log entries are your internal paper trail because every entry is stored and listed separately, and entries cannot be edited nor deleted.

Lesson #3

Calendar – Cases function

Case-based means information entered under a case — such as the parties involved and the services each party requests — automatically fills into the relevant fields in jobs linked to that case (usually depositions).

RB9 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.

Job: Usually the reporting of a deposition but can also be any kind of service you provide with your reporters or other resources. More >

Case Status: Stage the case is in, e.g., In Progress or Settled.

Case Type: Category by work type, e.g., Civil or Personal Injury.

RB Connect: Online repository, calendar, and access to your office for clients and resources. More >

Concept #1

Job

A job in RB9 is usually the reporting of a deposition. But it can be any kind of service you provide with your resources — such as realtime, videoconferencing, or read & sign. You might also have further distinctions — such as conference room or document production only — to categorize jobs. A default list of job types is included in RB9 that you can customize to fit your business.

You do not have to set up separate jobs if a client has requested multiple services for the same time and place — such as a court reporter and an interpreter for a single depo. You can designate the services as separate tasks in one job and bill them on a single invoice.

Jobs can be set up as:

• Single events — including Zoom meetings as stand alone events or as hybrid meetings with some attendees in person and others remote
• Linked jobs — commonly used for videotaped depositions where you want to bill the video separately
• Series of jobs at once
• Part of an ongoing case so they share case information

If you have RB Connect, your clients can send you job requests for a single event or a series of jobs that import directly into RB9. Clients can include detailed information about the job — even upload related files — and it all imports into RB9 with no re-keying on your part.

When setting up a job RB9 provides alerts and guides. For example if a client’s invoices are past due, you can have RB9 pop up an alert with the total overdue amount and days past due so you can address it immediately. Another example is when scheduling Zoom meetings if the host account has a scheduling conflict between an existing Zoom meeting and the one you are scheduling, RB9 will alert you.

Job information in RB9

When setting up a job the minimum amount of information needed is who is ordering the job, job date, and time (including time zone). However there is a great deal more information that can be included in any job.

Information about each job is organized into 10 sections.

General

Section fields include:

• Job number, date, and times — also zone and daylight savings adjustment
• Job Status
• Business Unit
• Witness — and whether subpoenaed, expert, and what kind
• Job Type
• Case and any case warning  —includes link to complete case information

Client

Section fields include:

• Scheduling Firm and Contact — includes links to complete firm and contact information
• Ordering Firm and Contact — includes links to complete firm and contact information
• Firm and Contact warnings
• Firm and Contact calendar notes

Job Location

Section fields include:

• Location Type (the ordering firm’s location, a different firm location, a location from your database, one of your company’s locations; a resource location — such as your conference room, Zoom, or a one-off address you enter manually)
• Location name, address, and phone — includes links to complete location information and map
• Directions
• URL ( (if the job is an online or hybrid meeting, your Zoom meeting preferences are automatically included — which you can override as needed)
• Notes and warnings about the location (if the job is a Zoom/hybrid meeting, the Notes field for remote locations will automatically include the meeting ID, passcode, and dial-in phone numbers)

Additional

Section fields include miscellaneous info like:

• Your own codes for jobs
• If the job was rescheduled, the date of the original job — includes link to previous job’s information
• If the job is linked, the job it is linked to — includes link to linked job’s information
• Sales Representative — includes link to sales rep’s information
• How you got the job — referral, repeat client, etc.
• Unlimited notes about the job — includingscheduling, confirmation, resource notification, production/billing that are automatically shared with the appropriate people

Parties

Section fields include each party’s:

• Company information
• Role — including which side and attendance
• Access to job information
• Billing information — including 3rd party details plus insurance information and e-billing
• Requested services

Specialties

Section lists any specific expertise required for the job.

Award Points

Section is a sub-function in jobs for allotting reward points to the job parties.

Tasks

Section lists any parts of the job that require a separate resource and includes:

• Resource assigned
• Dates task was assigned, when it’s due, when the resource was notified, when acknowledged by the resource, current status, when the resource checked in at the job location, if canceled when, and when it was completed.

Repository

Section includes any files uploaded to the job. (You can also upload files to individual tasks in the job.)

Notes Log

Section includes internal notes and reminders about the job added by you, your staff, and automatically by RB9.

Find jobs in your RB9 database

You can look up existing jobs several ways:

• Use search parameters to display a list of jobs.
• Page through a monthly calendar using optional search parameters to limit the jobs displayed.
• Page through a weekly calendar using optional search parameters to limit the jobs displayed.
• View the jobs tied to a case in a list.
• Outside of the calendar you can use search parameters that are relevant to the function you are in to look up jobs. For example in Turn In you can search for jobs by number, date(s), status(es), case, resource, and/or business unit(s).

Actions within a job

Within a job, you can:

• Update information in any section.
• Upload files to the job and its related tasks.
• Confirm the job with the client.
• Reschedule or cancel the job. RB9 will prompt you to notify the ordering party and any assigned resources. If the job is a Zoom meeting, the Zoom info (like ID and passcode) will remain the same for rescheduled jobs while the time for the Zoomcast will update. If it is canceled, the Zoom meeting is automatically deleted by RB9.
• Copy the job to create a new one with all of the same information except the date.
• When creating a new job set up multiple jobs at once for different days — or even multiple times in the same day(s).
• Add the job to a case and have it inherit case information like parties to the case.
• Create a linked job that includes all of the job information to use for a service you will bill separately (such as video of a depo). When confirming or canceling a job, it will alert you if there is a linked job so you can update that one too.
• Add tasks, set task deadlines (you can override the default due dates set from the ordering firm’s preferences or your BU’s preferences), assign resources to tasks, and manage tasks.
• Change the job’s status using shortcuts or automatic updates for some statuses.
• Manage job parties’ access to job information and files on RB Connect.
• Add third-party and insurance billing information for job parties.
• Include any party’s service requests for the job.
• Find information about the contact, firm, resource, and job location — including contact information and driving directions.
• Begin production turn-in.
• Export job data for other uses. You can export the information displayed in the Parties, Specialties, Award Points, Tasks, Repository, and Notes Log panes as Excel spreadsheets or CSV(comma-separated values) files to save, print, share, or use in other applications.

TL;DR: RB9 jobs are depos or other services you provide that require separate resources — such as court reporters. They can be attached to a case to share information or stand alone.

RB9 concepts in this lesson

Award Points: Used to encourage clients to book with your agency by rewarding them with points for different services. If you have RB Connect, you can allow contacts to request point redemptions online.

Business Unit (BU): One of your company’s revenue centers or any entity in your business that you want to track separately — such as branch offices, other companies you own, affiliates, and profit-sharing operations.

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 Status: Stage a job is in, e.g., New or Cancelled. You can designate your own job statuses in RB.

Job Type: Categories of jobs requested by clients — such as Deposition or Real-Time.

Linked Jobs: For services you will bill separately — such as video done by a third party of a depo — set up a linked job instead of a task. Linked jobs are separate jobs on the calendar, but because they are tied together you will be notified when a depo is confirmed that there is a linked video job, so you can confirm the linked job. Or if the depo is canceled you can cancel the video job too and notify the videographer.

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

Location Type: Categories of locations — such as doctor’s office or private residence.

Notes Logs: Notes entered either by a user or automatically by RB9 appear in chronological logs in the database record where they occurred — such as a case, job, invoice, or entity.

Ordering Contact: Contact at the firm that is responsible for a job with your company. Can be different from the scheduling contact (Scheduled By).

Ordering Firm: Firm that is responsible for a job with your company. Can be different from the Scheduling Firm.

RB Connect: Online repository, calendar, and access to your office for clients and resources. More >

Repository: RB9 has 9 repositories where you store files for safekeeping and quick retrieval. When you store files in a job, they are in RB9’s Job Repository. If you have RB Connect you can give clients and/or resources access to specific repository files.

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.

Scheduling Contact: Contact who initiates a jobs with your company. Can be different from the Ordering Contact.

Scheduling Firm: Firm that initiates a jobs with your company. Can be different from the Ordering Firm.

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