2011 Review of Broadway Billing Systems — Bill4Time

Broadway Billing Systems — Bill4Time
877-245-5484
www.Bill4Time.com

 From the Oct. 2011 Review of Time & Billing Systems.

Best Firm Fit: Small and mid-sized firms wanting to do all time and billing in the cloud.

Strengths

• Many options for capturing time, including a desktop widget & mobile apps.
• Easy integration with PayPal for collecting online payments.
• Scheduling integration with Outlook, Google Calendar & iCal.
• Billing rate flexibility for specific clients, projects, activities & time entries.

Potential Limitations

• Limited customization of invoices & reports within the program, though Bill4Time designs customized templates at no charge.

Sporting a web-based software model, a desktop widget and a mobile app, Bill4Time is a versatile time and billing solution used among a variety of legal, accounting and other professional firms. A user visiting Bill4Time’s website may think it caters primarily to the legal profession. However, during the initial setup, it can be configured with industry-specific settings for accounting firms.

With so many ways to access the product, there are also many ways to enter time. As a result, Bill4Time can satisfy a diverse user base with different habits and methods of tracking time. Bill4Time includes features for billing, scheduling, project management and document management, allowing users to upload and attach documents to projects.

Basic System Functions (4.25 Stars)

Bill4Time’s layout is clean and easy to navigate. The program opens to a customizable dashboard with widgets where most of the features can be accessed. The menu bar at the top contains links to each of the main areas of the program as well as a search box that allows users to find a client name or project at any time. System settings can be configured to turn features on and off, which allows the interface to be customized to a firm’s needs.

Time Management Capabilities (4.5 Stars)

When a new project is created, the user can choose between billing a flat fee or hourly rates. The web product’s time and expense screen shows a given day’s time in a spreadsheet format by client and project. Entering a new time or expense launches a new browser window, where users can enter detailed descriptions and have options to mark the time as billable or exclude it from the invoice.

Starting a timer in the web product is extremely easy in Bill4Time with a small clock icon at the top of the screen. When pressed, it opens a list of active timers that can be started, paused or converted to time entries, as well as a button to create a new timer. The desktop widget performs the same functions but can be used when a computer is offline, synchronizing when the computer is online again. Time and expenses can be entered and synchronized with a user’s account using Bill4Time Mobile, a free app available for mobile devices including iPhone, Android and BlackBerry.

Invoicing Functions (4.25 Stars)

Default billing rates can be set for employees, but the program provides enough flexibility to define rates for any client, project, activity or time entry. The new invoice batch screen shows a list of unbilled time entries, which can be checked off for billing. The invoice detail screen includes options for write-ups and write-downs. Invoices can be printed or e-mailed as PDF attachments. Invoices can also be sent with a “pay now” button that allows payments to be received by credit card via PayPal’s secure payment page.

Bill4Time has four standard built-in invoice templates. An invoice template editor allows firms to design their own templates and add a company logo, contact information, and standard invoice messages. The customization is limited, however, as certain things such as colors, font and text size can’t be changed within the program. However, if requested by a firm, Bill4Time will design a customized template at no additional charge.

Management Features (4.25 Stars)