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| RTG Bills | |
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Choosing a new program is often determined by the user’s approach to software: Are you a tinkerer who wants to explore the nooks and crannies and get absolutely the most out of your software? Or do you take a quick and dirty approach and just want something that meets your basic needs? RTG Bills has attracted quite a following as a bare bones “quick and dirty” billing program for solo practitioners and small firms. For only $75, you get the entire program (one to 99 timekeepers) and one copy of RTG Timer, a companion product for users who don’t enter their time directly into RTG Bills. Additional licenses of the RTG Timer are $15 per timekeeper, and a module that lets you enter time on a Personal Digital Assistant, RTG Timer HE, is $50 for the first user (including RTG Timer) and $25 for each additional user. When you are starting out, additional downloadable modules enable you to import client information from Microsoft Outlook or from comma-delimited files. The link to Outlook also lets you keep information up to date, so if you change an address in Outlook, it’s changed in RTG Bills. The program enforces a client-matter structure (e.g., 12345-01) and you can’t bill to a client without creating a matter for it. You also can create a “standard” series of settings for all new matters, which is particularly useful for a solo or small firm that might have limited practice areas. You have to create various tables: rates for timekeepers, activity codes, a list of data entry abbreviations (for example, “tcw” for “telephone call with”) and practice areas. This must be done as a separate step; you can’t add to the lists on the fly when in the middle of data entry. You can select what elements appear on a bill (including a graphical logo) and how they are positioned, but there is no graphical bill designer, which many of the higher-end programs frequently include in their software. Once you are set up, there is a two-step link to Intuit’s QuickBooks: If you write the RTG matter number in the memo field of a QuickBooks check and export that expense information, you then can import it into RTG. Although there is no report writer, there are more than 35 standard reports that should meet the needs of most small firms. This approach is apparent throughout the program. It’s commonly said good software gives you 90 percent of what you want, but the other 10 percent will be very difficult and expensive. RTG might give you 70 or 80 percent of what you want, but if you are willing to adjust your needs in the name of simplicity, it does the simple things well. The program comes with a separate timer that lets you switch from timing event A to event B and back. It prevents you from running concurrent timers (an invitation to unethical double billing) and when you click “Switch,” it will give you a view of the past nine transactions. When you are finished with the timer, you must manually transfer the information to the billing portion of the program. But the real beauty of the timer is it fits on a floppy disc and can be run as a standalone application. You can enter your time at home, on the train or wherever, and then transfer the time to the main program when you are back in the office. Closed matters can be archived by deleting them, although the company discourages users from deleting matters. This creates an archive file, and matters can be unarchived if you need to add more information. Would you be better off taking the time and effort to purchase a larger time and billing program such as Alumni Computer Group’s PCLaw, Software Technology Inc.’s Tabs3, DataTxt’s Billing Matters or Best Software’s Timeslips? There is no doubt these programs are more feature-rich and offer more options. They almost will certainly pay back the time and expense of implementing them. However, if you just want a simple time and billing program and feel you will never use or need the more advanced features, RTG Bills is definitely worth a look. |
RTG Data Systems Price: $75 for one to 99 timekeepers Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP Reviewed by John Heckman, principal of Heckman Consulting located in Old Saybrook, Conn. The firm specializes in software integration and technology issues for small- to medium-size law firms. PROS CONS VERDICT |
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