Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/432767
20 December 2014 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com TIME & BILLING Reviews BEST FIT Designed for accounting and law frms, ImagineTime is a desktop or ser ver-based, full-featured time management and billing system for firms seeking multiple timesheet data entry options, strong reporting and calendar functions, due date management, retainer-based billing and integration with Outlook and many accounting and tax programs. ImagineTime is also now available as a web-based system hosted by the vendor. STRENGTHS • Ofers integration w ith Quick- Books and several professional t a x p r e p a r a t i o n s y s t e m s , i n c l u d i n g L a c e r t e , D r a k e , UltraTax, ATX and ProSeries. • User-f r iend ly i nter face uses a menu str uct u re si m i la r to t he design of Microsof Ofce. • Good scheduling and calendar f u nc t ions, i nclud i ng opt iona l tool to s y nc h c a lend a r item s from Outlook. • Suppor ts up to 50 concur rent staf users. POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS • Previously did not ofer mobile apps for Apple and A ndroid, but will be coming out with an app supporting both in early 2015. SUMMARY & PRICING ImagineTime ofers a comprehen- sive time tracking and invoicing m a n a g e m e n t s o l u t i o n f o r accounting and law practices, with exceptional reporting and calen - daring functions, and integration w i t h m a n y p r o g r a m s t h a t accounting professionals use. Pricing for ImagineTime starts at $295 for a single user, plus $49 per year for support. Te optional due date, workfow, document manage- ment and calendaring modules can be added for an additional fee. Te cloud-based version of the program starts at $25 per month, w ith a three month initial commitment. Complete pricing information for the desktop version is available at www.imaginetime.com/pricing.asp. www.ImagineTime.com ImagineTime Time and Billing Read the full review and see expanded ratings for this product online at: www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/12022240 5 2014 OVERALL RATING BEST FIT The Chrometa time and billing system prov ides good tools for managing staff and team tasking, including projects. Te system ofers users the ability to log the applica- tions and documents they have accessed during a given time period, which can then assist in creating a detailed time log from their com- puter usage histor y. Chrometa integrates with several other cloud- based business management and accounting systems, and offers mobile apps for Apple and Android. New for 2014, the company has added keyword-based rules that help automate timesheet creation. STRENGTHS • Te web-based Chrometa system has multiple integration options for other project management, billing and accounting systems. • Mobi le apps a nd sof t wa re for both PC and Apple systems let sta f f t rack a nd log t hei r da i ly work automatically. • Te company ofers live support chat on their website and within the program. POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS • Chrometa is geared primarily for t i me t r ac k i ng a nd t i me s he et g e n e r a t i o n . C l i e n t b i l l i n g o p t io n s a r e l i m i t e d , b u t t he program ofers integration with invoicing systems. • Reporting is limited to functions m o r e s u i t e d t o s m a l l e r accounting and legal practices. SUMMARY& PRICING C h r o m e t a i s u n s u r p a s s e d a t tracking staf time and activity, and automatically creating timesheets. However, it is somewhat limited in terms of invoicing functions. Cho- meta is available in three versions, S t a r t u p, B a s i c a n d P l u s , w i t h monthly pricing for each starting at $12, $19 and $29, respectively. Tech support is available online through a helpdesk application with forums, knowledgebase articles and video tutorials. www.Chrometa.com Chrometa Time Tracking Read the full review and see expanded ratings for this product online at: www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/12022237 4.5 2014 OVERALL RATING BEST FIT BQE Sofware ofers time manage- ment, billing and client communi- cation solutions tailored to the specifc needs of a variety of profes- sional services frms, including tax and accounting practices. The company 's BillQuick system is geared for smal l- to mid- sized practices of fve or more staf who w a n t o p t i o n s f o r b u d g e t i n g , tracking and billing clients or other third parties, and includes project management features. STRENGTHS • Tight integration with the most w i d e l y - u s e d s m a l l b u s i n e s s management sofware, including Q u i c k B o o k s , S a g e 5 0 a n d AccountEdge, as well as custom integration and export functions for many additional systems. • In addition to accounting prac- tices, the system can be custom- ized to meet the needs of other spec i f ic i ndu st r ies, i nclud i ng A I A (architecture), engineering, IT consulting and legal practices. • Strong reporting functions and project management tools. • Te company ofers a mobile app for time and data entr y on iOS and A ndroid devices. POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS • Because of the extensive f unc- tionalit y of the program, some user training may be necessar y to optimize the system during setup and to gain the most ben- eft from its features. • The system does not include a built-in calendaring module, but a n o p t i o n a l O u t l o o k a d d - i n e n a b l e s i n t e g r a t i o n a n d t h e ability to create time slips from calendar items. SUMMARY & PRICING BillQuick is a comprehensive and powerful time and billing solution that has matured over more than a decade to meet the very specific needs of accounting frms and other professional ser vices firms. The underlying databases can support virtually any number of users, cli- ents and projects, especially those needing job tracking and reporting features. Pr i c i n g f o r B i l l Q u i c k 2 0 1 4 d e p e n d s o n t h e v e r s i o n a n d number of users. Specifc pricing can be found on the company 's website. www.BillQuick.com BillQuick Read the full review and see expanded ratings for this product online at: www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/12022234 4.75 2014 OVERALL RATING