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.
