Tag Archives: RB9

Lesson #142

Connect – Transcript Packages function

Bundle transcripts with hyperlinked exhibits, video, PDF transcripts, and other related files, so your clients can view, highlight, and comment on transcripts and bundled files in browsers and on mobile devices. Your clients can also export different versions of the transcript and download the associated files.

RB9’s Transcript Packages are interactive transcripts clients can view in RB Connect in web browsers and RB Connect Mobile (RBCM) on mobile devices. Users can:

• Download/view attached files
• View streaming video
• Comment on transcripts and exhibits
• Highlight text
• Export transcripts in a variety of formats — including their highlights and comments

The Transcript Packages function is included free in RB9, but requires RB Connect for your clients to use it. Transcript Packages are readable in RB Connect on desktop computers and laptops. If you add RBCM to your system, your clients can easily work with their Transcript Packages in an environment designed for the smaller screens of iPhones or other mobile devices — no pinching and zooming to read and interact with their transcripts.

Producing interactive transcripts vs. PDF transcripts

If you already provide RB-PDF Transcripts to your clients, your production staff will find the process of creating Transcript Packages familiar yet faster. For example Transcript Packages — like RB-PDF Transcripts — are created using the original ASCII file. And the linking process is exactly the same as exhibit linking in RB9’s PDF Transcript Creator.

Where it saves staff time is that they do not have to customize the appearance of transcripts. If your clients want their transcripts to look a certain way, they choose customization options when exporting files from Transcript Packages in a browser or on their mobile devices.

Like RB-PDF Transcripts your production staff can preview Transcript Packages before releasing them. Then they notify clients automatically via email when their packages are available.

Unlike PDF transcripts, there is no physical file to deliver and your clients do not need a third-party application like Adobe Acrobat to read and work with their transcripts. Your staff cannot apply digital signatures or transcript stamps to Transcript Packages — but they do offer end users export options for:

• PDF
• Condensed PDF
• Amicus-formatted ASCII
• Word lists
• Word indexes
• Highlights
• Notes

Assembling transcript packages

You can assemble a Transcript Package after uploading an ASCII transcript to a witness repository in RB9 and publishing it to RB Connect. (If you don’t want to make the ASCII file available to your client before you create the Transcript Package, you can wait to publish the ASCII until you have created the package and are ready to notify the client.)

To create a Transcript Package use the search criteria in the Transcript Package function to find the right ASCII file. You can search by one or more of the following criteria:

• Job number
• Job date or date range
• Witness name
• One/some/all of your business units

In the returned results, files are listed by job number, job date, witness name, file name, case, and date the ASCII file was uploaded. 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.

Any Transcript Packages that were already created and fit your search criteria are also listed along with who created them and when. You can easily tell which is which because ASCII files are indicated by a radio button. Finished Transcript Packages do not have a button — instead the file name is hyperlinked to the package so you can manage the attached files, preview the package, and send the client a notice that the package is ready and waiting on their RB Connect.

When you create a Transcript Package any exhibits, video, and other files that were uploaded to the related job’s witness repository are available to bundle with the interactive transcript. You choose which ones to include — and like the returned results list — you can export any of these sub-lists as Excel spreadsheets or CSV (comma-separated values) files to save, print, share, or use in other applications.

When you create a package that includes exhibits you can have RB9 automatically add hyperlinks to the exhibits in the transcript the same way you link exhibits in RB-PDF Transcripts.

After generating the package you can preview it to check for errors and missing attachments and that any attached video streams correctly before sending an email notification to alert the client. The Transcript Package preview screen is the same as the Transcript Packages screen in RB Connect/RBCM (minus the ability to make or export highlights and comments), so you can be confident about sharing the final product.

Sharing transcript packages

Before sharing Transcript Packages with clients, customize your Connect preferences:

• Turn on Transcript Packages accessibility so your clients can see uploaded Transcript Packages.
• Select one of your RB-PDF Transcript templates as the default for your clients’ export specifications. Your clients cannot select a different template but they can change some of the specs — including margins, borders, font, Q&A styling, timestamp location, and PDF format (regular PDF or one of the more restrictive PDF/A formats for archiving purposes), when exporting a transcript.
• Customize the contents and appearance of the email notifying clients that a package is available. You can edit the default contents and style the appearance of the body of the email with text formatting, images, color, hyperlinks, and tables.
• Insert contextual data fields into the email subject and body so RB9 will automatically insert relevant data into Transcript Package notification emails. You can have RB9 include the file name, case name and number, job date and number, and witness in the subject and body of emails — plus you can have the direct URL for the Transcript Package inserted into the email body so your clients only have to click the link to go directly to their package instead of having to search for it in their RB Connect.

If you set the ASCII file to publish before creating the Transcript Package the package will be automatically available on RB Connect for the client to work with as soon as you create it. If you didn’t set the ASCII to publish beforehand RB9 will remind you when you attempt to send the notification email alerting the client to its availability on their RB Connect. Once you publish the ASCII file RB9 will publish the Transcript Package as well and you can alert the client.

When you send the notification email RB9 records the email sent in the Email Log function in Tools so you can refer back to it later.

Managing transcript packages

Other things you can do in the Transcript Packages function:

• Download the original ASCII file of any package.
• Search for text in a transcript.
• Skip directly to any page of a transcript.
• Export an AMICUS version of a transcript.
• Export PDF versions of the full-size transcript, condensed transcript, word index, or word list.
• Delete any Transcript Package you no longer need.

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Create interactive transcripts clients can work with in RB Connect in web browsers and RB Connect Mobile on mobile devices. Bundle related exhibits, videos, and other files with the transcripts, then automatically upload the packages and notify clients. 

RB concepts in this lesson

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. RB Connect is an optional plug-in to RB9. More >

RB Connect Mobile: Clients and resources can access your RB Connect on their smartphones and tablets in an interface optimized for mobile devices. RB Connect Mobile is an optional plug-in to RB Connect. 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 from your RB9 database. It can be branded and customized extensively to match client requirements — and can include digital signatures, condensed transcripts, security restrictions, stamps, and archival formats for the courts. More >

Transcript Package: Bundle containing interactive transcripts with all of their related files (exhibits, videos, RB-PDF transcripts, etc.) to be viewed in a browser through RB Connect and RB Connect Mobile. More >

Lesson #141

Connect – Fulfill Points Redemption Orders function

If you reward clients with points for booking depos with you and you have RB Connect, you can let them access their points online and send you requests to redeem points.

In RB9, award points are used to encourage clients to book with your agency by rewarding them with points for different services. Similar to frequent flyer programs, the RB9 reward points system is an optional service you can enable.

Before setting up reward points in RB9, check what your local laws and regulations allow and what you must provide participants with, such as terms and conditions and any legal agreements you must obtain before you enroll a client in your reward program. Some states do not allow these programs for court reporting firms, and OMTI makes no guarantees or assurances about these programs.

When setting up your reward points program, you choose:

• Which services earn points.
• What points can be redeemed for (such as cash or gift cards).
• Who on your staff manages the program (and gets alerted when a request is made).
• Which clients receive points.
• Which clients can access their points through RB Connect and RB Connect Mobile (RBCM).

View requests & redeem points

Use the Fulfill Points Redemption Orders function to grant requests clients make through RB Connect/RBCM for award point redemptions, plus look up previously redeemed point requests.

Fulfill Points Redemption Orders lists all outstanding redemption requests by default. Each request displays:

• Date and time a redemption was requested.
• Firm and contact making the request.
• Type of redemption requested.
• Number of points to redeem.
• Where the prize should be sent (office, home, or an address entered manually).
• Any additional instructions or remarks the client included.

You can sort the list 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.

You can also view a single contact or a single firm’s outstanding requests.

When you fulfill a request, you can add your own notes about the redemption. When you complete the fulfillment acknowledgement, the request disappears from the list, and your client’s RB Connect/RBCM display their request as completed so they know they can expect a delivery. RB9 also updates the current points available and the spent points balances in the contact’s listing.

View the point redemption histories

You can view previous point redemption activity for a range of dates for all clients or a single firm or contact. The default lists all redemption requests fulfilled today and includes the same information as the outstanding requests list, plus any notes you made about the redemption, the date and time the request was fulfilled, and who on your staff handled the request. Like the outstanding requests list, you can export the list to save, share, print, or use in other applications.

You can also view the list for a different date range, by the date requests were submitted instead of when they were fulfilled, and narrow the results listed to a single firm or contact.

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Grant requests clients make through RB Connect/RB Connect Mobile for award point redemptions, plus look up previously redeemed point requests.

RB concepts in this lesson

Award Points: Used to encourage clients to book with your agency by rewarding them with points for different services.

Contact: Person who works for a firm you do business with.

Firm: Company you do business with.

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 >

Lesson #140

Connect – Publish COD Invoices function

If you allow clients to make payments via RB Connect and RB Connect Mobile (RBCM), your COD clients can also use them to pay invoices before downloading transcripts online and on smartphones and other mobile devices.

CODs are handled differently

COD (Cash on Delivery) clients are handled differently from other clients. Traditionally COD invoices require the client to pay the invoice when presented — typically along with the items listed on the invoice. Often agencies have difficulty getting paid by COD clients because they are not regular clients. By offering COD clients the option to pay online or via mobile you guarantee you get paid before they can access the transcript — and they can get their transcripts as soon as the transcripts are ready.

Because RB does not regard COD invoices as sales they are not posted. (CODs are handled differently than sales to avoid overstating revenue and to minimize the number of voids that would occur to clear uncollectible CODs from your accounts receivable.) Since COD invoices are not posted, as a default they do not appear in RB Connect/RBCM. Use the Publish COD Invoices function to allow clients to pay for and download transcripts that were billed COD.

Manually publish CODs online

To give clients the ability to pay for COD invoices online you manually publish them to RB Connect in the Publish COD Invoices function. (When you publish an invoice to RB Connect it will also appear in the client’s RBCM if you offer that service.) The default view in Publish COD Invoices shows all outstanding COD invoices. (Invoices are designated as COD in Turn In.) For any invoice listed you can see at a glance:

• Invoice date and amount
• If it has already been published to RB Connect
• When the invoice was sent to the client
• Bill To and Sold To clients
• Job number and date
• Case name
• Assigned business unit

You can narrow the list to invoices generated within a range of dates, a single invoice number, job number, case, Bill To firm, and/or one or more of your business units. You can sort the list 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.

From the list you can choose which invoices to publish to RB Connect. You can also select invoices that have already been published and unpublish them so that they no longer appear in clients’ RB Connect/RBCM.

Set up for online payment first

Before your clients can pay invoices online in RB9 you must set up a business/merchant account with PayPal or one of the other accepted online payment processing services, then enter your credentials in Connect Preferences.

The default setting for RB Connect is no online payments. If you want to offer online payment of invoices including COD invoices through RB Connect, you must first set up an account with one of these services:

• PayPal
• Authorize.net
• First Data (Payeezy)
• Square
• Stripe

PayPal is easy to set up and integrate with RB9 and is a good choice if your clients have their own PayPal accounts. The other options are payment gateways — their benefit is that your clients do not have to have accounts with them to make payments through them.

In addition to setting up a merchant account and entering your credentials into RB9 you must choose which users are alerted in RB9 when a contact makes a payment online. You can also customize the email subject and message for payment receipt notices to clients.

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Because CODs are handled differently from sales, you must manually publish COD invoices to RB Connect so COD clients can pay online, then immediately download their transcripts.

RB concepts in this lesson

Bill To Contact: The contact responsible for paying the invoice for a job.

Bill To Firm: The firm responsible for paying the invoice for a job.

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 >

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 >

Sold To Contact: Contact that ordered the services on the invoice.

Sold To Firm: Firm that ordered the services on the invoice.

Users: You and your staff who directly access RB.

Lesson #139

Connect – Transcript Ordered function

If you allow your clients to order transcripts through RB Connect and RB Connect Mobile (RBCM), the Transcript Ordered function is where you confirm, process, and monitor the progress of those back orders.

Clients can request transcripts on previously billed jobs in RB Connect/RBCM’s Order Transcript function. You confirm the back orders and process them through RB9. Clients can track confirmed requests in RB Connect/RBCM. And you can monitor the current status and view order details in the Transcript Ordered function.

Customize the function

Before using the Transcript Ordered function designate which staff members will be alerted when a back order request is received.

You can customize the transcript order request form with your own fields for clients to use to provide instructions — such as turnaround time, delivery options, and other directions that will minimize the need for any client back-and-forth while fulfilling back orders.

You can update your choices and customizations at any time.

View new back order requests

When someone back orders a transcript through RB Connect/RBCM, RB9 sends a pop-up message to the screen of all RB9 users you designated during setup. Alerted users can click through the message directly to the order in the Transcript Ordered function to confirm the order and start the production process.

If you prefer to batch process orders — or just want to check that you haven’t overlooked anything — you can use the Transcript Ordered function’s default view to see all unconfirmed transcript requests sent by clients through RB Connect/RBCM.

The default lists shows each request’s:

• Order date and time
• Contact ordering the transcript and their firm
• Witness
• Case
• Job number
• Job date

You can sort the list 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.

You can view details about any requested transcript’s associated job and previous invoice, along with client instructions for the back order. You confirm the back order job in this function by changing the job’s status to back order and generating a report that provides your staff with the information they need to process the order. You can export the report in a variety of formats, such as PDF or Excel, or print it to distribute to your staff.

Process & monitor back orders

Processing the order involves creating a task in the job for the transcript and assigning it to a resource, then notifying them about the assignment. The task window lists previous resources associated with the case to help you select the appropriate resource. As the order is produced and shipped you update its status in the job.

On the client side in RB Connect after they submitted a request, the job’s Request Order option disappears so they cannot accidentally back order more than one transcript for the job. They can review the details of their transcript order and monitor its progress.

You can also monitor a back order’s current status and view details using the Transcript Ordered function. You can search active back orders using any combination of:

• A particular date range
• A single order
• A single job
• A firm
• One or more of your business units

In addition to the information listed above for unconfirmed requests, the results include who on your staff confirmed each request and when. From the results returned you can view any transcript’s current status and order details.

NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Confirm, process, and monitor transcript back orders clients make through RB Connect and RB Connect Mobile.

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.

Contact: Person who works for a firm you do business with, such as attorneys.

Firm: Company you do business with.

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

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.

Task: Service 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. More >

Lesson #138

Manage your RB Connect online offices

If you have the RB Connect plug-in and maybe the RB Connect Mobile plug-in, this is the module you use to manage your RB Connect online & mobile offices. In this module, you can:

• Invite contacts and resources to use your RB Connect.
• Process and monitor the progress of transcript back orders received through RB Connect.
• Allow COD clients to pay for and download transcripts online.
• Fulfill online reward point requests.
• Create transcripts to be viewed in browsers and on mobile devices with hyperlinked exhibits and related files bundled together.
• Create indexed files contacts can search for specific words in their RB Connect repositories.
• Manage resources’ time-off requests made through RB Connect.
• Manage billing sheets turned in through RB Connect.
• See who is using your RB Connect and how often they access it.
• Manage users’ questions and problems and maintain a paper trail of their resolution.
• Customize the experience for contacts and resources by setting function preferences.

Connect functions by name

• Send Invitations – RB9-only function
• Transcript Ordered – RB9-only function
• Publish COD Invoice – RB9-only function
• Fulfill Points Redemption Orders – RB9-only function
• Transcript Packages – RB9-only function
• Create Full-Text Search – RB9-only function
• Approve Time-Off – RB9-only function
• Billing Sheets – RB9-only function
• Activity Log – RB9-only function
• Support Tickets – RB9-only function
• Connect Preferences – RB9-only function

TL;DR: Used for providing services through the RB Connect and RB Connect Mobile plug-ins.

RB concepts in this lesson

Award Points: Used to encourage clients to book with your agency by rewarding them with points for different services.

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

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

Lesson #137

Setup – System Preferences function

Tools System Preferences

Choose which types of RB9 emails to log into the system and for how long. Set up your QuickBooks Integrator so you can import RB9 data directly into QuickBooks. Enter your company contact information so other RB users can share jobs with you.

Email Log

Emails sent from RB9 are automatically logged in the system by default. Because all attachment files are stored as well when RB9 saves emails in the Email Log, this adds to your repository size and could result in additional repository storage charges.

Reduce the load on your repository by designating which types of RB9 emails you want to keep track of and how long you want to store them.

NOTE: Email Log is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

QuickBooks

Enter the information needed for integrating RB9 data into your QuickBooks program.

If you are using the QuickBooks Desktop edition, enter:

• User ID and password
• IP or URL of workstation/server where your QuickBooks is installed
• Open port in your firewall for forwarding traffic to your QuickBooks computer

Once you have your settings input, you can check that the port is open so you can use QuickBooks with RB9. You have another set-up step that involves downloading a free remote connector application from QuickBooks and setting it up to enable secure remote access to your QuickBooks. 

If you subscribe to QuickBooks online, you set up an Intuit developer account then enter your credentials here.

After entering your QuickBooks information for either edition, you check that RB9 can communicate with your QuickBooks. Complete setup instructions for both editions — including downloading and installing the remote connector, setting up a developer account, and checking your connection — are in the RB9 user guide.

NOTE: QuickBooks Integrator is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

RB Network

Enter complete contact information for your company so other RB users can find you in the network to share jobs with you.

You can set up one or more contact listings for your company. For example, if you have multiple offices you can set up a listings for each office that includes its coverage area so other users can choose the right office to contact for a job in a specific area.

Listings can include:

• Name of the office
• Street address or P.O. Box
• City, state, and zip code
• Office type: headquarters or branch office
• Main phone and fax numbers
• Contact’s name and email address
• Company website URL
• Coverage area

System Preferences lists all of your offices and you can export the list as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, share, use in other applications, or print as a report.

From the list you can update any office’s entry including deactivating an office so it does not appear in the RB Network or deleting it if you no longer use that office.

TL;DR: Set parameters for your Email Log and enter required information for importing RB9 data directly into QuickBooks. Check that RB9 and QuickBooks can communicate.

Lesson #136

Setup – System Preferences function

Entities System Preferences

Save time when entering new contacts, firms, and resources by specifying some defaults.

Autofill contact & resource names

If you enable Autofill for Contact and/or Resource names, RB will autofill the Full Name field when individual name fields (First Name, Mi., Last Name, Salutation) are entered in individual contact/resource listings. You choose which name fields automatically fill in and in which order.

Invoice options for firms

Default settings for new firms cover invoice options.

If you add late charges (one-time fee added to invoice balance after a certain number of days) and/or finance charges (monthly % of outstanding balance) to your invoices, you can set default percentages including up to 3 decimal placements. Similarly if you need to bill for state sales tax, you can include your sales tax rate as a percentage including up to 3 decimal placements.

You can specify how many days old an invoice has to be when you haven’t received payment yet before RB counts it as being past due and notifies you to start collection efforts.

You can also have RB detail services on invoices as the default for new firm entries.

You can change defaults for individual firms in their Firm listing.

Payment terms for resources

Default settings for new resources cover payment terms for originals and copies. RB will wait the number of days set here to release outstanding payables to resources. The number of days can range from 0 (zero) to 9999.

A term of 0 (zero) means you pay on bill-out: There is no waiting to pay resources. As long the invoice is within the cutoff date for the next payroll, it will be included in the payroll to pay to the resource. Cutoff dates are set up in combination with pay dates.

A term of 9999 means the resources won’t get paid for an invoice until the invoice balance reaches $0.

If you have specific wait periods — for example resources wait 2 weeks (14 days) to get paid for copies — you set the copy term to 14. RB will wait until invoices for copies reach 14 days old to be released for payment to the resource.

You can change defaults for individual resources in their Resource listing.

TL;DR: Set default invoice options for new clients and default payment terms for new resources.

RB concepts in this lesson

Firm: Company you do business with.

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service — such as reporters.

Lesson #135

Setup – System Preferences function

Payables System Preferences

In addition to options for fixing printing problems on checks and 1099 forms, you can also set up direct deposit for payroll and other pay options.

1099 Form

In RB9 you have the ability to print each resource’s 1099 directly from the system. RB9 is designed to print in the correct fields on the 1099-NEC forms, but you can adjust the placement if needed to align the RB9 output with the 1099 form’s fields on your printer. Adjustments are in inches. You can increase (or decrease with a negative number) the top and left margins, using up to 2 decimal placements.

NOTE: Print 1099 Forms is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

Check

If you want to print checks directly from RB9, RB9 will create a PDF of the check information according to your settings to print on your own standard or voucher (2-part check) business checks. You can use Quickbooks-compatible laser checks (standard or voucher). Adjust where RB9 information is printing on your checks by increasing (or decreasing with a negative number) the top and left margins, using up to 2 decimal placements.

NOTE: Print Checks is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

NACHA (National Automated Clearing House Association)

Instead of printing checks or using a third-party payroll service, use RB9’s direct deposit feature to deposit pay into your resources’ accounts instead. After signing up for direct deposit with your bank use information provided by your bank to set up your system preferences for direct deposit payables. Some of the information you must get from your bank includes a unique 9-digit number assigned by the bank and a company ID number. (You will need to enter your resources’ banking information in their profiles.) Then all you have to do is send a NACHA-formatted file (exported from RB9) to your bank and your bank will transfer the funds for you.

NOTE: Direct deposit is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

Draft Pay Statement

Before closing, you can print out or email your resources a draft of their pay statements, so they can review which invoices they will be paid for and how much will be included in their next paycheck.

If you email draft pay statements, you can customize the email that accompanies them. Similarly to invoice emails set up in Billing preferences, you can change the default text in the Subject and Message fields and insert contextual data fields so that real data from RB related to the resource and payroll merge into the email automatically. You can also customize the appearance of the body of the emails with text formatting, colors, images, hyperlinks, and tables.

The draft pay statement itself will attach to the email as a PDF. And you can override the defaults set here in any pay statement emails sent from RB.

Pay Statement

After you run payroll in RB and close it, you can print out or email your resources their pay statements – which is the report that shows them exactly which invoices they were paid for on a closed payroll. You have the same settings options for pay statements as for draft pay statements.

Payroll

You have 2 options for when you pay resources:

1. “Hard Wait” is the default and refers to waiting a set number of days before releasing an invoice for payroll — regardless of whether you received payment from clients. (The default number of days to wait for originals and copies are set in Entities preferences, and can be overridden in individual resources’ settings.)
2. “Soft Wait” is similar in having your resources wait to get paid after a certain number of days — but there is an exception. If you receive payment for an invoice within the wait period, then RB will release the invoice to the resource in the next payroll you run.

TL;DR: Customize pay statement emails. Specify when resources get paid in relation to invoices. Adjust printing layouts for 1099s and checks. Set up your direct deposit account for paying resources.

RB concepts in this lesson

Resource: Person or thing that provides your business with a service — such as reporters.

Lesson #134

Setup – System Preferences function

Receivables System Preferences

Set the subject line for payment receipts. Choose a statement template based on your company’s payment options, and set other statement options.

Payment Receipt

Enter default text and RB data fields into the subject line for receipts you send clients for payments received. (Set up receipt forms in Form Templates.)

Statement

Before sending statements to clients, choose your default statement template plus other invoice options, and customize the email that accompanies statements. You can also customize which colors are used to color code open-invoice listings on statements by invoice age. These choices are system-wide.

You have 4 statement templates to select from:

• Standard RB statement with a remittance section at the bottom of the statement
• Statement without a remittance section
• Statement with a credit card payment section that accepts American Express, MasterCard, and Visa
• Statement that accepts only MasterCard and Visa

You can also have RB automatically include both the client firm’s main phone number & fax number (if they have one) below the address on printed statements.

If you email clients their statements, you can customize the email that accompanies statements. Similarly to invoice emails set up in Billing preferences, you can change the default text in the Subject and Message fields and insert contextual data fields, so that real data from RB related to the billed contact and firm merge into the email automatically. You can also customize the appearance of the body of the emails with text formatting, colors, images, hyperlinks, and tables.

The statement itself will attach to the email as a PDF. And you can override the defaults set here in any statement emails sent from RB.

Color code the age of invoices listed on statements to help older invoices stand out. You select which colors to use for different time periods (over 30–over 180). You can 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: Customize the subject line of payment receipts, and set up templates for your company’s statements and the accompanying emails.

RB concepts in this lesson

Bill To Contact: The contact responsible for paying the invoice for a job.

Bill To Firm: The firm responsible for paying the invoice for a job.

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

Firm: Company you do business with.

Lesson #133

Setup – System Preferences function

Billing System Preferences

Choose an invoice template based on your company’s payment options, and set other billing options.

Invoice

Before invoicing clients set a start number and an invoice-posting alert, choose your default invoice template plus other invoice options, and customize the email that accompanies invoices. These choices are system-wide.

If starting RB or when you want to reset your invoice numbering system from now on, you can designate the next invoice number RB will use when it creates a new invoice.

You can also choose to have RB pop up an alert when posting an invoice if no Pay Rate is selected or the Pay Amount is 0. With this turned on you get a reminder to ensure that resources get paid for invoiced work if you overlooked it when creating the invoice.

Invoice templates to select from:

• Standard RB invoice with a remittance section at the bottom of the invoice
• Invoice without a remittance section
• Invoice with a credit card payment section that accepts American Express, MasterCard, and Visa
• Invoice that accepts only MasterCard and Visa

Other options you can set include:

• Have the word “Certified” appear before copy in invoice headers if you certify transcript copies.
• Give your clients job location information on invoices when the job location is included in your RB database.
• Have a red “PAST DUE” stamp printed on unpaid invoices that are older than your payment terms. (Set up payment terms in Lists.)
• Have RB automatically include both the client firm’s main phone number & fax number (if they have one) below the address on printed invoices.

Customize invoice email template

If you email clients their invoices, you can customize the email that accompanies invoices. Similarly to job calendar cancellations and notifications, you can change the default text in the Subject and Message fields and insert contextual data fields so that real data from RB related to the job, case, and invoice merge into the email automatically.

If you have RB Connect, you can insert a pay invoice data field into the Email Message that converts into a hyperlink in the email, which when clicked, automatically sends the user to RB Connect. After the user logs in, the related invoice screen appears for a convenient payment process.

You can also customize the appearance of the body of the emails with text formatting, colors, images, hyperlinks, and tables. You can edit your email contents in the default WYSIWYG word processor environment or as HTML markup.

The invoice itself will attach to the email as a PDF. And you can override the defaults set here in any invoice emails sent from RB.

LEDES 1998B

If you have clients that request electronic billing in LEDES 1998B format, RB9 exports invoices as text files. But if your clients require a different file type from TXT, you can change the default file extension to meet their specifications.

You can also set an option to exclude billed $0 amount service items in exported files, so electronic bills only include services that had billable charges.

NOTE: Export Invoices is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

Reward Points

If you want to offer clients an incentive program that awards points for services they order from your company (and your state allows it), turn on RB9’s Reward Points System. Then set the options for how your system generates and redeems points.

• Choose whether clients accumulate points for original invoices only or all orders.
• Set the default dollar amount billed on invoices that earns a point, e.g., every $100 billed earns 1 point.
• Select whether invoiced amounts will be rounded up, down, or split (amounts ending in 1–4 are rounded down, amounts ending in 5–9 are rounded up).
• Specify the multiplier RB9 will use to convert points to dollars when clients redeem points. You don’t have to use whole numbers, — you can use up to 2 decimal places — and the amount can be less than one.

After setting up your reward point options in System Preferences, you then designate which services earn points and set up individual contacts to earn points for bookings with your company. You can designate different and/or multiple contacts at the same firm to earn points for a contact’s bookings, and boost a contact’s points-earning ability by automatically doubling or otherwise multiplying their points. If you have RB Connect, you can allow contacts to request point redemptions online.

NOTE: Reward Points is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.

TL;DR: Customize your invoices. Optionally, set up electronic billing and a booking reward system like a frequent flyer program.

RB concepts in this lesson

Reward Points: Used to encourage clients to book with your agency by rewarding them with points for different services. (Also referred to as award points.)

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

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