Following through on last month's BillQuick Quizzer, here's the inside information on Approvals in BillQuick.

The two most common approval processes in professional firms are: (1) Time and Expense Approval (a built-in function and procedure) and (2) Invoice Approval (a procedure). You can perform both with BillQuick. Of course, time, expense and invoice approvals are optional (see below).

For NEW approval capabilities coming in BillQuick 2006, check out the end of the article!

Time and Expense Approval

BillQuick includes only approved time and expenses in billing records viewed on the Billing Review screen and report. If they are not approved, entries are not available for billing to clients. Approval of time and expenses is a built-in function. You can turn off the approval process, that is, automatically approve time and expenses, if desired.

Time and expense approval is both a function and a process in BillQuick. The typical time and expense approval process is:

1. The manager (employee) who is responsible for approving time and expenses charged to their projects is selected from the Manager drop-down list on the Project-General screen.

2. Timekeepers record their time and expenses, both billable and non-billable items. This may be done in BillQuick, or by using Web i Time & Expense, eTools (email update), BillQuick Palm, BillQuick CE, or BillQuick Assistant for Outlook.

3. Timekeepers or administrative staff highlight new time entries on the Sheet View or Calendar View screen and click the button (You can also submit all time and expense entries () from Web i Time & Expense screens.)

4. BillQuick initiates its workflow capabilities. It informs the manager (employee assigned in the project record) that time and expenses await their approval.  Notification displays on the BillQuick Reminder screen, BillQuick Navigator screen, and on the Web i Time and Expense Navigator. The assigned manager sees the notifications.

5. The manager clicks the link on the Reminder, Navigator or Web i screen to view the entries. After checking hours, project, activity code, memo and other information, you can approve each entry individually by checking its A box, or by highlighting entries to approve and clicking the button.

6. Once approved, time and expenses are available for billing to clients. 

Time and/or expense approval may be "turned off" on the System Settings screens. When you check the boxes indicated above on the System Settings-Time/Exp screen, time and expense entries are automatically marked as approved.

Invoice Approval

Approving an invoice is a procedure in BillQuick. It is a step in the billing process.

On the Billing Review screen you select filters (View By, From/To, date range) to generate billing records. After applying any billing decisions (apply retainer, exclude work in progress, apply discount, write-up/down time entries) to a billing record, you click the button. The billing records become a Draft Invoice.

On the Invoice Review screen, check the Draft Invoice box to display only draft invoices. Draft invoices have temporary invoice numbers which display inside angle brackets. Typically, administrative staff print draft invoices or let partners/principals know they are ready for review on-screen. A reviewer may view/make/specify changes to various invoices. For example, invoice memos may be added.

After implementing any fine-tuning decisions, the user clicks the button to finalize the invoice. If necessary, the draft invoice can be reversed, new decisions applied to the billing record, then processed again into a draft or final invoice.

New in BillQuick 2006

Approval of time and expenses will be greatly expanded, giving you options like:

• Submit all or selected entries for approval (to the project manager, the current option)

• Submit all or selected entries for approval to the client manager (identified on the Client-General screen)

• Submit all or selected entries for approval to the employee's manager (identified on the Employee-General screen)

• Send to/Forward to any employee (this can become a chain of reviewers)

• Un-submit entries

• Reject entries

• Approve entries

In addition, event-triggered messaging will allow firms to inform managers and partners when draft invoices are ready for review. Messages can be defined so that when a manager completes his review, the partner would be informed the draft invoices are ready for her eyes. Messaging is built into BillQuick 2006.

For a couple more peaks into BillQuick 2006 and its family of modules, see the next article.

Peaking Behind the Curtain - BillQuick 2006

Psst! Psst!

Wanna know about the future, you know, BillQuick 2006. Here's a digital snippet I snuck out:

I got a few more items. No, no, I can't give you the whole new features list. I don't have the list, just a few items.

Okay, BillQuick 2006’s got two really hot new features for billing. That's right, features to save you time and make it easier. First, there's Auto-Complete. You can setup shorthand codes to explode. You know, when you enter them into any memo pad - boom! -- sentences, paragraphs, pages. Yeah, yeah, any memo pad – invoice memos and time and expense memos. Got one related to that - Auto-Memos. Just set an auto-memo trigger to prompt you to complete a required invoice memo. Nice, huh?

Here's another winner - writing up or down WIP -- yeah, I know you said you wanted to write up or down work in progress entries by amount. BillQuick 2006's got it. Write up or down any time entries - one or any ones you select - by a dollar amount.

This last one's going make you rich! Okay, so a little hype, but man I'm telling you, the new Business Alerts in Agent 2006 are killer. You ain't seen nothing like this outside of a 25 grand, maybe a 50 grand, accounting package. You can monitor any amount, like budget usage, contract spent, change in client or project status, WIP above a threshold, anything you want. If it changes, Agent's new Business Alerts informs you - by BillQuick message, email, Instant Message, and more! No waiting until Monday or the 5th of the month to know about some situation. No surprises. Agent let's you now. That's efficient, and it makes you and your wise guys more effective managing the firm.

You want to know more about BillQuick 2006, then sign up for beta. Yeah, be a beta tester. Here's the inside connection: BillQuickBetaTest@bqe.com. They'll contact you about testing the BillQuick 2006 beta version.

20% Off Add-Ons and Training!
40% Off User Guide!

Available through February 28, 2006, when you buy any BillQuick Add-On Module, you receive 20% Off the list price. Available add-ons include:

Pro and Basic pricing listed above. Enterprise Add-ons are also on sale! Purchase one add-on or multiple products. You receive 20% Off on each one until February 28th.

Wait! There's More!

You also receive 20% Off all BillQuick Role-Based Training. Our guided learning sessions covers only the information you need to shine at your job. Are you:

A new employee and need orientation to BillQuick?

A timekeeper that needs to get up to speed ASAP, and/or manage work in progress?

The manager, partner or admin who manages billing for the firm, wants to adapt BillQuick capabilities to your firm, and/or wants to bill faster and with less effort?

The inside bookkeeper or accountant who wants to understand how to integrate BillQuick and QuickBooks (or another supported accounting package)?

A partner, manager or admin who wants to take your BillQuick experience to a new level, customizing a training session to your needs, to your issues, to your firm?

And Yes, Another Special Offer!

While supplies last, you can purchase a BillQuick 2005 User Guide at 40% Off List Price -- Only $30 plus shipping and handling. Over 500 pages of information to augment built-in BillQuick Help. Whether you need to check information when you're away from your computer, learn more effectively from a manual, or simply prefer to read a printed page, the BillQuick 2005 User Guide helps you understand the software's capabilities and how they work together to save you time and effort.

Call toll-free 888-245-5669 or 310-602-4010 to take advantage of this HUGE sale. Or contact BillQuick Sales at Sales@bqe.com. Remember, this sale ends February 28, 2006.

How Does BillQuick Support Work?

BQE Software delivers support via telephone, email and fax. Telephone support is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific Time. After 3 p.m. supports reps work on customer projects, test software in the BillQuick Family, and help define, refine and review many support documents for customers and prospects. Their depth of knowledge is critical to quality software and related information.

Email support is available 16 hours a day, 5 days a week, from two offices. Average response time is two hours.

Fax support is available from 8AM to 6PM PT, Monday through Friday.

Free Support for Evaluators and New Customers

When you download a 30-day trial copy of BillQuick, you receive 30 days of free support. Free support is also included when you download a BillQuick module, such as Assistant for Outlook and Agent. Support for add-on modules during the 30-day trial period is available to both current BillQuick customers checking out a new module and to BillQuick prospects.

When you purchase BillQuick, or any add-on module, you receive 30 days of free support too.

Options After The Free Period

When free support for a new product ends, you have several options. 

• Gold Membership in the Priority Support Club

• Standard Membership in the Priority Support Club

• Pay Per Incident Support

Gold Support is different from Standard support in that all upgrades - major and minor - are provided free of charge to Gold Members of the Priority Support Club for the duration of membership.

BQE Software annually adds value to its products by incorporating "wishes" or suggestions from customers, prospects, consultants and reviewers into its products. Often conversations with customers and prospects lead to "inspirations" for new features. In 2005 over 150 new and improved capabilities were incorporated into BillQuick and its add-on modules. BillQuick users are not required to upgrade each year, however, close to 70% upgrade each and every year!!!

In addition to unlimited telephone, email and fax support, Standard Support provides additional discounts when upgrading. If you wish to see what new features are being added or improved, BQE Software distributes documents, such as BillQuick 2005 - New Features, to inform you. (Keep an eye out for our announcement of the BillQuick 2006 - New Features report.)

Support Pricing

Research shows that as the number of users working with a software package increases, the greater the demand on support resources. BQE Software's experience is consistent with that of other software companies.

Thus, pricing for support services varies with the number of users licensed for a module. For example, Priority Support for BillQuick Basic with 2 to 4 users ranges from $220 to $270 per year. BillQuick Pro Priority Support is $295 for 5 users and $325 for 7 users. BillQuick Enterprise follows the same pattern. Gold Support is higher because it includes the next year's upgrade.

Pay Per Incident Support fees are $65 per incident (not per call). It may take one conversation to resolve an issue, or it may take a few. Your credit card is charged for each incident.

Contact your Account Manager at 888-245-5669 for more details.

Support fees increase April 1, 2006.

Ways to Contact BillQuick Support

Telephone:(310) 602-4030

Email: Support@bqe.com

Fax: (310) 784-8482

March 1^st Support Fees Increase

Effective March 1, 2006, annual membership fees for Priority Support Club and Gold Support Club will increase.

To avoid the fee increases, you can purchase a new support contract now before the deadline. Or, you can extend your current support contract now before the fee increases.

Take action today. Don't let a missed deadline cost you more in support fees.

Monthly BillQuick Quizzer
Win $50!

Want to try? Be one of the first 10 people to respond with the correct answer and win $50. You can apply it to any BillQuick product or service.

Here's this month's BillQuick Quizzer question:

Which statement about project assignments is true?

1. When you assign employees to one or more projects in BillQuick, they will be the only employees who can view the project on drop-down lists in Time Entry.

2. Only employees assigned to a project can charge time and expenses to a project.

3. Activity and expense codes assigned to a project restricts what can be charged to it.

4. Employee, activity code and expense code assignments can be cloned to a project group, thus saving time setting up assignments.

5. Once setup, only employees assigned to a project can view any information about the project. All other users are locked out.

6. A, B and C

7. B, C and D

8. A, C and E

9. A, B, C and D

10. All are true.

11. All are not true.

Hurry and send your answer to BQ-Quiz@bqe.com. You could be a winner!

Steve, Kathie and Samuel were the first three BillQuickers to win $50 when they answered the January Quizzer correctly. If you're wondering about the answer, see the first article in this month's BillQuick eLetter.

Current BillQuick Release Information

BillQuick 2005 and QuickBooks 2006

BillQuick 2005 has been tested with QuickBooks 2006. Everything is A-OK.

BillQuick 2005 does not integrate with QuickBooks Simple Start.

Macintosh Compatibility

Quick reminder: BQE Software is compatible with the Macintosh in two ways: The Web i add-on modules or by using Virtual PC.

Latest BillQuick 2005 Version

BillQuick 2005 v. 6.0.124. For details, see the BillQuick 2005 Update Log File.

Various fixes and general improvements throughout BillQuick, including Billing Review, Payment, Manual Invoice and Memo features..

Latest BillQuick 2004 Version

BillQuick 2004 v. 5.0.102. Click to view the changes.

If you have Internet access but do not allow BillQuick to automatically download updates (you turned off AutoUpdate in the Other 2 tab on the Preferences screen), go to the File menu and select Get Updates. When you exit BillQuick, the update automatically installs.

If desired, you can download the latest BillQuick 2004 update from the BillQuick web site. Click Save when prompted. Next, run the setup program from the folder in which it was saved.

Happy BillQuicking!

Thanks from the 
BQE Software Marketing Team