AccountantsWorld – Accountant’s Office Online

T2M does not allow terminology to
be adjusted, which may be a problem
for some users because of confusing
terms. For example, “Tasks”
refers to the codes used for the
work done for a client (Review Tax
Return, Bank Reconciliation, Phone
Conference) and to refer to time
entries recorded to a client.

When recording time, users enter
Date, Client, Task, Time Spent and
Billable Time. Time Spent is the
actual time required to complete
the task. Billable Time defaults
to Time Spent, but can be adjusted.
Unlike other packages that use a
“flag” to indicate billable
status, T2M want users to set Billable
Time to zero. This may be counter-intuitive
for some users, but the feature
also offers the option to make a
single task partially non-billable.
Billed and unbilled time records
display, and can be sorted and filtered.
However, use of a lighter color
to set off invoiced items is not
effective. Overall, data entry is
not optimized to minimize administrative
effort. Also, an external timer
program that feeds time records
to T2M would benefit multi-tasking
individuals.

Invoice formats are not as robust
as many competitor packages, but
T2M does offer good basic invoice
control features. Firms control
invoice numbering format, incrementing,
task description, staff detail (name,
billable or total hours worked with/without
a bill rate), account summary, footer,
letterhead suppression, and invoice
due date. To process an invoice,
the biller chooses to bill one or
a batch of clients, then selects
individual WIP items to bill (unless
the service code is pre-approved
for billing). Billable amounts,
hours and quantities can be edited.
Write-ups/downs are not intuitive,
especially when a biller simply
wants to change an invoice amount.
Users can filter the invoice list,
and reprint invoices as needed.
Overall, billing is workable, but
it is not optimized to minimize
administrative time.

INTEGRATION – 3 Stars

T2M integrates with the rest of
AOO from AccountantsWorld, including
shared client setup information;
practical financial calculators
for automobile buy-versus-leave,
due dates and more; an electronic
file cabinet for storing files and
for client collaboration (e.g.,
client can send and retrieve information
from their own “file cabinet”);
and more. AOO also includes a web
site for marketing, newsletters
to nurture relationships with prospects
and clients, and access to other
web-based accounting and payroll
services. T2M does not integrate
with Microsoft Outlook or other
third-party applications. Reports
can be exported to Excel and *.RTF
files.

REPORTING – 3 Stars
T2M provides 13 reports, the fewest
among the packages reviewed here,
which may not meet the needs of
some firms. Reports are grouped
by client, staff and firm. Reports
include aging of inflows, outflows
and AR outstanding, realization,
client ranking, user productivity,
firm performance, and various listings.
All reports (like invoices) display
in Acrobat Reader.

EASE OF USE & LEARNING CURVE – 4 Stars

T2M is easy to learn and use. Most
actions and processing are obvious.
Help, the only source of documentation,
needs more content.

RELATIVE VALUE – 3 Stars
T2M is included in the Accounting
Office Online suite at no extra
charge. If you are not considering
a hosted web site, at $6.95 per
month per user, T2M offers good
value for very small accounting
firms with only basic time &
billing needs or the other practice
management components offered by
AccountantsWorld. Firms should consider
the annual cost in relation to the
investment required for in-house
software.

2004 OVERALL RATING: 3 Stars

This review examined the following
key areas:

Features – Does the product offer remote processing capability? Is it

designed for online use? Does it have features that
can help your firm become more productive
and/or more profitable? Does it
give you better control over scheduling
or perhaps provide reports on profitability
in a variety of formats? Is the
calendar/scheduling functionality
flexible? Does it offer color coding
by employee or activity? Can group
calendars be displayed? Can e-mail,
notes, phone calls and time tracking
all be attached to a project? What
about document management and document
tracking? Can you use predefined
documents and attach them to each
client’s project?

Integration – If you rely on other products, can the time and billing

product provide or accept data to streamline operations, such as integration with Outlook?

If your firm relies heavily on Outlook for contact management, having the contact

information shared between Outlook and your time and billing product can be valuable. If you

use other products by the same vendor, can information be shared between them?

Reporting – Does the program offer extensive and flexible analytic

reporting that provides information about
productivity and profitability of
staff, clients and services to facilitate
management decision making. Does
it offer customized reports?

Ease of Use & Learning Curve – Does the program offer intuitive, on-screen

entry of time as well as on-screen, on-demand billing? Can the product be tailored and/or

customized to meet your firm’s needs and the way you like to manage your firm? Can the

program conform to your practice? Does it offer real-time updating of data? Does it provide

an easy-to-enter timesheet? Is information readily accessible? Does the program provide

unlimited number of clients, staff and engagements?

Relative Value – What is the cost of the program? What are the renewal

costs? This is a subjective opinion of whether the program and its range
of features, etc., is worth the
cost. It also examines the size
firm that would find the most value
from the product.