Tag Archives: Job

Turning in transcripts & preparing invoices

A complex process made easier with guided turn-in and time-savers like prefiling job parties and services ordered

Lesson #20
Production – Turn In function

RB Turn In is a 2-part process. First, production staff compiles invoices for all parties ordering services on a job. Then billing staff fills in the financials and finalizes the invoices.

In Turn-in, you:

  • Enter information about witnesses (witness records), attending parties, firms to bill, and services ordered. If resources submit billing sheets through RB Connect this information is entered into RB9 automatically. You can have multiple witnesses on the same invoice.
  • Upload files, such as exhibits, to the repository. When uploading exhibits you can have RB automatically number them with stamps that include RB job information. (You create your own exhibit stamp templates.) If you have RB Connect resources can upload files to the repository (and stamp exhibits too), and clients can download them.
  • Generate RB-PDF Transcripts. (You can also generate transcripts in the PDF Transcripts function.)
  • Grant clients and resources access to transcripts, related files (like exhibits), and invoices online through RB Connect. You can control which contact can access which file. Send contacts email alerts that files are ready for download. RB9 records the emails sent in the Email Log function in Tools, so you can refer back to them later.
  • Access the Shipping function to generate FedEx & UPS labels, then track shipments.
  • Add explanations about specific services that will appear on the related invoice.
  • Correspond with witnesses. Email transcripts and related files to witnesses and attorneys. Apply Read & Sign requirements to transcripts. Attach affidavits and errata sheets. Track original transcript location.
  • Generate invoices with custom headers and messages you select from a list or create on the fly.
  • After your production staff produces all service items requested finalize invoices by applying billing rates, pay rates, and rush charges, then calculate and post invoices.

While turn in is a complex process RB makes it easy with powerful search tools, guided turn-in and other time-saving features.

Powerful search tools

There is no default search in Turn In. You choose your search criteria including:

  • Job number
  • Job date or date range
  • One or more job statuses
  • A single case
  • A single resource
  • One or more of your business units

Search results are color coded by job status and display their information that matches the search categories (except resource). They also show the job type, date and time the job status changed, and ordering client to help you identify the correct job to turn in. You can sort your 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.

Guided turn-in

After selecting a job in the results grid the turn-in process starts with the essentials, then reveals additional steps as you progress. This means:

  • Less errors: You won’t overlook important steps in turn-in due to information overload.
  • Quicker turn-in: Less second-guessing the process since you are lead through it automatically.
  • Easier training: Process is easy to understand and master.

Time-saving features

In addition to guiding you through the turn-in process RB Turn In includes other features to make it more convenient and faster.

The first step, adding witnesses, includes these time-saving features:

  • You don’t have to be in Turn In to start turn-in: If you handle both job scheduling and turn in you can turn in a job from its job window in Calendar functions.
  • You don’t have to know the job number to start turn-in: You can search Turn In by job date(s), job status, associated case, resource turning in the job, and/or the associated business unit(s).
  • Jobs are color coded by status: When searching for jobs, results are color coded so you can quickly see which jobs in the list have already been turned in, billed, shipped, canceled, etc. You can export the list if desired as an Excel or CSV file to save, share, print, or use in other applications.
  • Case & job information accessible in screen: If you want to view or edit the related case or job information it is all accessible from the Turn In window. You do not have to go into separate functions to look up or update related info. Similarly Remarks are included in the Witness grid so you do not have to go into a witness record to see notes about the witness.
  • Witness email field: You do not have to go into a separate function to send witnesses their transcripts to read and sign.
  • Create RB-PDF Transcripts: After uploading an ASCII file of a transcript to the Witness repository in Turn In you can generate a PDF transcript without having to go to the separate PDF Transcripts function.
  • Look up resources by task: One job can have multiple tasks with different resources. You can easily find assigned resources for all the parts of a job tied to a single witness (for example reporter, videographer, and scopist) within the witness.
  • Enter attorneys and services with one click: Instead of adding attorneys or services one at a time to invoices, add an entire group at once with RB’s Prefill concept. Ordering parties can be added from the case, job, or recent turn-ins. When prefilling parties you can have the services they ordered previously included too. Additionally services can be added from clients’ standing orders, case or job requests, or set menus of frequently billed together items (Billing Sets). When prefilling, you can also choose to consolidate invoices for the parties so that each firm’s orders on a job will be billed on a single invoice.
  • Remove tasks from To-Do lists: When you create an invoice, RB will prompt you to check off which tasks have been completed and it will update the Tasks in Progress list for you.
  • Uniform list of services customizable to your unique business offerings: Clients’ online requests, reporters’ job turn-ins (both through RB Connect) and in-house production and billing are all consistent because users choose items from lists, not type in information.
  • Customizable witness list: If you have multiple witnesses/tasks for a job, you can enter the information in any order that’s convenient. Then you can easily shuffle the order of the witness list to change how it will appear on the invoice. You can export the witness list if desired as an Excel or CSV file to save, share, print, or use in other applications.
  • Other invoice options: You can create multiple invoice messages in addition to a default message to select from for different occasions such as a holiday greeting. You can edit the chosen message on individual invoices and write something from scratch too. You can also have additional information appear on invoices to third party payers — such as insurance companies — that will appear along with the claim number, name of insured, and date of loss. The contents of both the invoice message and additional billing information can be as long as you want and you can style the texts’ appearance.

The next step, calculating invoices, speeds up your work process even more:

  • Set rates directly: Within an invoice you can select billing and pay rates plus select rush types in a fly-out panel — instead of opening additional windows on top of the invoice that obscure the invoice’s details. And if you already defined billing rates for your clients in their accounts RB will select those for you.
  • Customizable service list: Just like with the witness list, if you have multiple service items for a job you can enter them in any order, then shuffle their order to appear differently on the invoice. You can also provide explanations on invoices about specific service items if you think something requires more detail.
  • Locate invoices in a job easily: It is not uncommon to have multiple invoices for the same job (original and copy clients). Since each invoice listed also lists the services being billed, the background color for the invoice line is yellow while witness and service line items have white backgrounds so it is easier to scroll to each invoice. (You can also “collapse” an invoice to hide the services so the list is shorter.) Also the invoice line text color indicates invoice status: black for invoices in progress, green for posted invoices, and red for voided invoices to quickly differentiate them from each other. You can export the invoice list if desired as an Excel or CSV file to save, share, print, or use in other applications.
  • Adjust pay on invoices: You can add pay for miscellaneous charges you are not billing to the client but want tied to an invoice — such as the resource’s mileage or parking fees — and add pay for other resources for miscellaneous charges you are not billing to the client without going to the separate Override Resource Pay function.
  • Send invoices immediately: When posting invoices from Turn In, RB will ask if you want to send the invoices to the clients now. If you do, RB will open the Send Invoices function with the posted invoices already selected so you only have to choose whether to email from within RB or print them out for regular mail. If emailing you can also attach other related files from your Repository.

TL;DR:  A 2-part process where your production staff compiles invoices for all parties ordering services on a job. Then after producing service items ordered, billing staff fills in the financials and finalizes the invoices.

RB concepts in this lesson

Billing Sets: Like a fast food combo meal, RB9 Billing Sets are preset groups of service items. Selecting billable services by set, instead of individually, speeds up the billing process.

Business Unit (BU): One of your company’s revenue centers or any entity in your business that you want to track separately.

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.

Prefill: Save time when invoicing by having RB enter parties to a job and entering services billed from set menus of frequently billed together items.

RB Connect: Online repository, calendar, and access to your office for clients and resources, including interactive transcripts, downloadable invoices and e-commerce for clients, and online turn-in, one-touch job acknowledgements, and downloadable pay statements for resources. More >

RB-PDF Transcript: PDF version of a transcript with built-in transcript-specific features like hyperlinked exhibits, word lists/indexes, errata sheets, and enhanced headers/footers containing case and depo information.

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 >

Witness Record: Deponent, proceeding, conference, or video/audio recording. Each witness record is associated with a task and the resource who performed the task.

Listed under Function, Lesson, Production | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

What is a Notes Log?

Notes Logs contain notes related to the record in which they are entered by a user or the system and are unalterable

Concept #3
Notes Log

Log notes entered either by a user or automatically by RB appear in a chronological log 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 they cannot be edited nor deleted. Entries can only be canceled but remain in the log as a canceled entry.

Notes Logs are included in:

  • Entities (Firms, Contacts, Resources, and Locations)
  • Cases
  • Jobs
  • Witnesses
  • Invoices
  • Tracking
  • Collections

Notes Logs are private

Notes Logs are for internal use only, and log notes are not published on RB Connect or in any correspondence with clients or resources. Notes to be shared with clients and resources — or internal notes that require high visibility such as information the production or billing staff need to know about a particular job — should be entered in other fields in RB dedicated to those purposes. However only notes in Notes Logs are unalterable.

You can set a date and time on any note in a Notes Log to have the system send you or another staff member a reminder about the note.

TL;DR: Notes Logs contain notes related to the record in which they are entered by a user or the system and are unalterable. They are for internal use only and are not shared by the system with clients or resources.

Related RB concepts

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. Jobs can be linked to cases, linked to other jobs, or stand alone. More >

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

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What is a Task?

A task is a service requested by a client that requires a separate resource to accomplish

Concept #2
Task

Tasks in RB are services requested with a job — such as reporting, interpreting, or video — that require a separate resource (person, company, thing) to accomplish. Work performed in-house — such as creating condensed transcripts or shipping out finished products — is usually not considered a task in RB. RB includes a set of tasks which you can customize to your business by adding, editing, and deleting tasks from the set.

Task examples

  • Reporting
  • Videotaping
  • Interpreting
  • Conference Room-Inhouse
  • Conference Room-Outside
  • Catering

Non-task examples

  • Creating condensed transcripts
  • Shipping out finished product
  • Doing other production work
  • Compiling invoices
  • Billing clients
  • Following up on outstanding amounts due

All jobs include a default task which you define in Setup > Lists. You can change the task in a job if the job does not require the default task but all jobs must have at least one task included. A job can have an unlimited number of tasks. You can enter tasks in a job when scheduling the job or at any time later.

Tasks simplify & speed up job scheduling while reducing errors:

  • When assigning a resource to a task, only those resources who are available during the task’s scheduled time will be listed for you to select from so you don’t assign a task to someone who cannot appear. The scheduling client’s preferred resources will appear at the top of the list so you can easily select them. You can further refine who appears in the list by selecting their priority level (e.g., staff or overflow), specific resource types (such as reporter or scopist), or specialities needed (such as RealTime or Medical). You can also override the system selection to show resources who are listed as unavailable for that time slot. If you attempt to assign a resource that the scheduling client has on their Blocked Resources list, RB will alert you and will not allow the assignment.
  • You select tasks from a list to assign to resources so if you have multiple tasks on a job you want to assign to the same resource, you can select the tasks and assign them all at the same time to the one resource.
  • If the job is canceled, all of the tasks are canceled too. When changing a time, date, or location for a job, all related tasks are updated.
  • If a job includes multiple tasks and the client cancels one aspect — for example, they no longer need interpreting, but the rest of the job is a go — you cancel only the one task; it doesn’t affect the rest of the job.
  • Canceling a task adds the assigned resource back to your available resources list for new assignments. And automatically prompts you to send an Assignment Cancellation notice to the resource.
  • RB keeps track of when tasks were canceled. This is helpful in situations 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.
  • Designating Back Order as a task instead of a job status helps with job management because back orders will have their own order date, due date, notified date, acknowledged date, and cancelled date like other tasks.
  • As resources are assigned to or removed from tasks, the related job’s Notes Logs automatically records that information including the staff responsible so you refer back to that history.
  • Job files that resources need access to can be added to the job’s task repository so you can easily email those files to resources when sending them assignment notifications and resources can download the files from RB Connect instead of having access to all of the job’s files.

Task information includes:

  • Type of task
  • Order date and due date
  • Resource assigned
  • When resource was notified of the task and when they acknowledged the assignment
  • If task was canceled, when it was canceled
  • If the task required the resource to be somewhere, when they checked in at the location (resources can check in using RB Connect or RB Connect Mobile, or you can manually enter check-in date and time in RB)
  • Estimated page count and delivery date
  • Actual completed date and time
  • Notes about the task
  • Task-related files

Tasks or 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 canceled that there is a linked video job so you can cancel the video job too and notify the videographer.

TL;DR: A task is a service requested by a client that requires a separate resource to accomplish. A job in RB can include one or more tasks, and canceling one task does not affect the rest if the job. You define tasks based on your company’s services.

Related RB concepts

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

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

Linked Jobs: Separate jobs on the calendar, but connect to each other. When one is confirmed or canceled, RB notifies you that there is a linked job, so you can confirm/cancel the linked job too.

Notes Logs: Un-editable internal-use only notes entered either by a user or automatically by RB appear in chronological logs in the database record where they occurred.

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

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

RB Connect Mobile: Clients and resources can access your RB Connect on their smartphones and tablets in an interface optimized for mobile devices. More >

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.

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Manage job tasks in a comprehensive list view

Use the Tasks (List View) function to monitor and manage tasks in a grid layout that shows the most task information at a glance

Lesson #7
Calendar – Tasks (List View) function

In RB, 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 in the main window.

The job status for each task is listed and color coded for easy recognition. RB 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 (RB 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 — RB 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 includes:

  • 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

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 RB 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 RB 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 RB will alert you if you attempt to assign one and not allow the assignment. When a resource is assigned any warning about them 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 RB 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 RB 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 RB prompts you to alert the resource of the cancellation. In addition RB 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.

RB 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 RB.

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 RB 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 reporters, videographers, interpreters, scopists, account executives, other agencies 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 >

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Send job confirmations or cancellations

Send job confirmation and cancellation emails to clients, then track their responses

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 RB 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. RB 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 customize each type of notice’s subject line, the message, and whether the notice is included in the body of the email, as an attachment, or both. You can include any text you wish, embed contextual RB 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.

You can preview the emails before they are sent and attach other files when sending the emails. You can attach files from your desktop or from your RB Job-level Repository.

Managing confirmations & cancellations

When you send job confirmations or cancellations via email, RB makes an entry that includes the receiver’s email address in the job’s Notes Log. RB also records the email sent in the Email Log function in Tools (RB9 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 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.

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.

RB 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 RB.

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 RB 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.

Listed under Calendar, Function, Lesson | Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

RB is case-based system

RB is case based, so depositions and other services related to a case can automatically share information

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).

Case information includes:

  • Case Name, both brief (nickname or caption) and full names
  • Case Status
  • Case Number
  • Internal Case Number (automatically applied by RB helps distinguish cases in results and is searchable)
  • Case Type
  • Trial Date
  • Federal Case or Court/County of Jurisdiction
  • Sales Representative/Client Of resource assigned to the case
  • Any internal warnings or remarks about the case
  • Notes to reporters about the case
  • Notes to third-parties (such as insurance agencies) about the case
  • Parties to the case, including details about the company, their case affiliation, their RB Connect access and privileges, billing (including 3rd party details plus insurance information and LEDES e-billing), and requested services
  • Jobs associated with the case
  • Files associated with the case
  • Uneditable log notes about the case

Flexible setup, easy management

Cases can be set up prior to any related jobs being scheduled, or they can be set up on the fly when a case-related job is scheduled. The minimum amount of information needed to set up a case is the brief case name, and information can be added or updated at any time.

You can merge cases, if for example, you accidentally entered the same case in the system but with slightly different names, and the merged cases will retain the historical data of both cases. Or delete a case if you don’t need it and no jobs are attached to it.

Use the search criteria to find cases. Search for a case by name (partial) or number; by one or more case types, case statuses, and/or job statuses; by firm, contact, or sales rep;  and/or by date range for jobs associated with the case.

Search results will display case name, number, type, status, and sales rep/Client Of resource. 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. You can export the results as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, print, share, or use in other applications.

Jobs can be created at the same time a case is set up, and they can be added later. Jobs can be added one at a time or in bulk. Jobs tied to cases can also be canceled one at a time or in bulk.

When adding parties to a case, you can enter multiple contacts at the same firm at once. When a case party’s information changes or they request additional services, you can update the party in the case and have their information updated in all existing jobs on the case they are party to.

TL;DR: If your client gives you work related to a case, set up the case in RB and tie jobs to it so they automatically share case information.

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 >

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What is a Job?

A job in RB is usually the reporting of a deposition. But it can be any kind of service you provide with your resources

Concept #1
Job

A job in RB 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 RB 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, RB provides alerts and guides. For example, if a client’s invoices are past due, you can have RB 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, RB will alert you.

Job information in RB

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 (& whether subpoenaed, expert, and what kind)
  • Job Type
  • Case & any case warning (includes link to complete case information)

Client

Section fields include:

  • Scheduling Firm & Contact (includes links to complete firm and contact information)
  • Ordering Firm & Contact (includes links to complete firm and contact information)
  • Firm & contact warnings
  • Firm & 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; 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 (scheduling, 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 RB.

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. RB 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. If it is canceled, the Zoom meeting is automatically deleted by RB.
  • 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: RB 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.

Related RB concepts

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 RB 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: RB has 9 repositories where you store files for safekeeping and quick retrieval. When you store files in a job, they are in RB’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 >

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Calendar

Calendar is one of the largest functions in RB with many features to speed up scheduling while minimizing errors

Lesson #2
Most important module in RB?

Maybe the most important module in RB is the Calendar. It is where you schedule and manage jobs (e.g., depos), set up and manage cases, assign tasks to reporters and other resources, and manage assignments.

It is one of the largest modules with 16 functions, all related to your job calendar. What you can do with those functions includes:

  • Start a job with as little information as ordering client, date, and time.
  • Start a new job by copying an existing job and updating it.
  • Automatically import job information clients include in job requests made via RB Connect.
  • Include jobs in cases so they automatically share case parties and information.
  • Use the job wizard to set up multiple related jobs including their shared information at once.
  • Create linked jobs that share information but can be billed separately and canceled independently of each other.
  • Include complete information about cases and individual jobs, including parties, requirements, location, and LEDES e-billing information.
  • Grant parties access to jobs and related files online through RB Connect.
  • View jobs as a list, a monthly calendar, or week by week.
  • Search jobs by multiple criteria including job location, client, and witness.
  • Update, confirm, reschedule, and cancel jobs.
  • Notify clients when their requests for services are received.
  • Send clients their upcoming job calendars.
  • Email clients job confirmations as you set jobs or send a batch at a time.
  • View tasks as a list or a monthly calendar.
  • Assign, notify, and confirm reporters and other resources to job tasks.
  • Assign resources to job tasks before or after job confirmations.
  • Assign resources on the fly or print out your job calendar to make your list, then assign and notify resources in batches.
  • Include worksheets and other files in assignment notifications.
  • Send assignments via email, text, or printout.
  • Send email and text blasts to resources about last-minute jobs.
  • Update, confirm, and cancel job tasks.
  • Schedule conference rooms.
  • Log resources’ acknowledgements.
  • Audit new and canceled jobs for errors.
  • Analyze jobs by client to see how many jobs they are ordering.
  • Analyze jobs by resource so you can distribute work better.
  • View and update outstanding tasks as they progress.
  • Give resources To-Do lists.
  • Initiate a job’s turn-in.
  • Award redeemable points to contacts.
  • Upload case-, job-, and task-level files, such as notices, to the repository.
  • Maintain log of job milestones and client interactions.
  • Make hard copies of your future calendar.
  • Update and track resource’s time off.

Calendar functions by name

Calendar functions are where you will probably first see how RB’s automated processes save time and reduce errors:

  • Information entered anywhere in the system whether by your staff entering job information in RB, a client requesting a depo through RB Connect or RB Connect Mobile, or a reporter acknowledging a job online  automatically flows to where it’s needed. No re-keying.
  • Information and processes are easier to access than in previous versions. For example, instead of remembering shortcut keystrokes or dealing with drop-down menus, there is a New Job button in Calendar. In addition, the New Job window opens with a fly-out panel for selecting the Ordering Firm. Not a single click required to get to the first thing you will probably know when contacted about a job. Enter a few keystrokes to find the firm or add a new firm right there in the job.
  • Enter a job location’s zip code, and RB will automatically populate the city and state fields correctly.
  • RB prompts you to do certain tasks, like send notifications after scheduling a job, so nothing gets overlooked. And if you prefer, it also offers batch options for things like notifications, so you can do a day’s worth at once.
  • RB automatically enters log entries for certain activities to help you maintain a paper trail, so you know who did what when in RB9. Sometimes, it includes other information too, such as when you send a job confirmation email, RB makes an entry that includes the receiver’s email address.

TL;DR: If you schedule depos or other services, you can maintain complete details about everything in your RB calendar easily and error-free.

RB concepts in this lesson

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

Linked Jobs: Jobs, such as video done by a third party of a depo, that are listed separately on the calendar and billed separately, but because they are tied together, you will be notified when one is canceled that there is a linked job, so you can cancel that job too and notify the resource.

RB Connect: Online repository, calendar, and access to your office for clients and resources, including interactive transcripts, downloadable invoices and e-commerce for clients, and one-touch job acknowledgements, online turn-in, and downloadable pay statements for resources.

RB Connect Mobile: Clients and resources can access your RB Connect on their smart phones and tablets in an interface optimized for mobile devices.

Repository: RB has 9 repositories where you store files for safekeeping and quick retrieval. When you store files in a case, they are in R9’s Case Repository; when you store files in a job, they are in RB’s Job Repository; etc.

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.

Tasks: Service requested with a job, such as reporting, interpreting, or video.

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