💬 Communications New Beta
Communications is a new place on every file and contact where phone messages and quick notes between staff live together, in order, like a chat. Reception can log a phone message for a lawyer, the lawyer is told straight away, and everyone who opens the file can see what was said and who has dealt with it. It replaces paper message slips and the notes you used to leave in File Notes just to get someone’s attention.
Where to find it
- On a file, open File Notes and choose Communications from its menu.
- On a contact, the Communications tab sits after Linked Files.
- Messages in the sidebar is your firm-wide inbox for phone messages not yet linked to a file, and the call-backs you owe. The number on it shows how many are waiting for you.
- A Phone Messages widget is also available for your dashboard.
Logging a phone message
- Press Log phone message on a file, a contact or the Messages page. Record who called, their number, who the message is for, what they said, and whether it’s urgent or needs a call back.
- The person it’s for gets a notice on their bell straight away, and urgent messages also pop up on their screen.
- If you don’t know the file yet, log it without one. It waits on the Messages page under Unassigned until someone links it to a file or contact, or starts a new file for it.
- Phone numbers in a message are tap-to-dial on a phone and have a copy button on a computer.
Call-backs
- A message that needs a call back shows a Call back tag and a Mark called back button. Anyone can mark it done, and the message then shows who called back and when.
- Each file shows how many call-backs are still open, and My call-backs on the Messages page lists every one that’s yours.
Notes between staff
- Type a note in the box at the bottom of the timeline. Enter sends, and Ctrl+Enter adds a new line.
- Type @ and pick a colleague to mention them. Use @file to send the note to everyone staffed on the file, or @responsible for the responsible employee.
- Reply on any message drops the sender’s name into the box so you can answer in one click.
Keeping track
- A blue New line shows where your unread messages begin, and the list opens there so you can pick up where you left off.
- New messages appear on screen as they’re logged, with no need to refresh.
- On a message you sent, a small eye shows once the person it was for has seen it. Only the sender sees this.
- Filter the list by phone messages, notes, open call-backs or things for you, and search for a word, a caller’s name or a phone number.
- You can edit a message at any time, but only delete it until someone has seen it, so the record of what was said stays accurate.
Your bell
The bell in the top bar now shows notices for phone messages and mentions, as well as document reviews. Under Settings > Notifications, your firm can choose whether each kind of notice is off, bell only, or bell and pop-up, and each person can set their own preference.
Communications is for messages between staff. Client correspondence, emails and documents stay where they are. It’s open to everyone at your firm, so if you’d like logging limited to certain roles, let us know.
💰 Trust balances and overdraws Improved
- Clearer trust balances. Trust screens now show the difference between the trust ledger balance and the funds that are actually available to use, so you can see at a glance what’s cleared, what’s uncleared and what’s reserved.
- Mark as cleared. If a receipt hasn’t been linked to a bank deposit, you can now mark it as cleared manually. Enter the date and a reason, and a bank reference if you have one.
- Recording an overdraw. There’s a new step-by-step process for recording an overdraw that has already happened at the bank, such as a dishonoured cheque or a bank fee. It guides you through what happened, when and who started it.
🧾 Invoices Improved
- Firm default invoice layout. A new Default invoice layout setting under Settings > Accounts Setup > Billing settings lets your firm choose which invoice style opens by default. It’s listed first and preselected when you raise an invoice. If someone has saved their own default with Set as default for me, theirs still takes priority. This replaces the “Open bills on our own invoice layouts” setting.
- Reversed bills are locked. A reversed bill and its reversal can no longer be edited, deleted or re-approved. To bill the work again, create a new bill. Reversing a bill puts its time, costs and disbursements back to unbilled, ready to add.
- Save and open. File invoices now have a Save and open button.
⏱️ Time entries Improved
- Typed amounts stay put. Once you type an amount on a time entry, the clock no longer overwrites it.
- Remembers where you were. Time Entries remembers the last file you made an entry for, and your Today or All dates choice.
- Paused clocks save as Draft. Saving a paused clock in Quick Time records the entry as Draft. Save & Finalise works as before.
- Turn Auto Time off. Auto Time can now be switched off for the whole firm in Settings > Options > Firm-Wide, or individuals can switch it off for themselves by clicking their name in the top right and choosing Settings. In both places, the setting is under Timesheet. When it’s off, the timer disappears from the top bar and Word no longer records time.
🖥️ Everyday usability
- Lists remember your settings. Lists now remember your sort order and page size after you reload the page.
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