1. About your clients.

How many clients do you have? 35 Clients

How many do you work with at one time? 8-10 at one time

Do your clients pay on time? 60% of them do!

Do you have to send them reminders? Yes!

2.About your projects.

How many projects do you have? 5-10 at the same time

Do you need projects at all? Yes!

How many are active? 3 to 4

How many are inactive? 5

Do you have more than one project for a given client going on at the same time? Yes

3.About your billing.

How do you bill (monthly, once you've reached a certain amount of money, or when the project is finished)? Varies by contract

Do you collect deposits? Yes

Do you work from a trust account (retainer)? Yes

Do you want to bill for the same things automatically and over and over? Yes- I use job codes i.e drafting is priced differently than design

Do you use our built-in invoice templates, or did you design your own? designed our own based on template

Which one do you use?

Do you have letterhead that you put on your invoice? Yes

4.About your work.

Do you do hourly work? Daily? Other kinds of per-project? Hourly, Fixed fee, percentage of coonstruction and capped hourly. Sometimes it maybe hourly for a project phase and fixed for others

Do you sell products? No product sales

Do you track work you do for yourself or your own company? All work is tracked by the hour even if the project is fixed fee for internal purposes

Do you have a lot of expenses? Every project has reimbursible project cost

How do you keep track of them? I still use another program "Archioffice" which is able to track these expenses

5.About your business.

Do you need income reports often?Yes Do you want to forecast income?Yes

Do you use estimates? Yes What other applications do you use? Archioffice

Do you use an accounting package?Yes : Archioffice export to Quickbooks Pro

Do you track payments? Yes! in Archioffice

Do you receive payments electronically? Not yet

Do you have more than one user who wants to use Billings? Yes

Do you share work equally, or how do you divide it?

Does more than one person do billing? Yes -My self and partner

Do you need to bill while out of the office? yes

How do you keep track of time and expenses while out of the office? PDA now iphone


You should look into Archioffice software "www.archioffice.com". It really has a complete feature set and would be equal to having Billings and Daylite together. Unfortunately, it is not very easy to use and is based on Filemaker which creates lots of integration and incompatibilty problems. If it had the intuitiveness and workflow simplicity of Daylite and Billings , we would have stick with it.

Ola

1. 30-40 but with new ones being added all the time, They don't all pay on time and yes we do send reminders via email but would be fantastic if Billings did

2. A lot and the organization of them could be better in B, nearly 20-50% are active at any one time and we have normally 1-3 projects active with one client at a time. {{{ A great added feature would be an automatic prject code tool as at present we name manually SHW-BRIS-1007 (show-Bristol-datestarted)

3. Dependant on the project we bill on completion BUT have a 30% invoice of the total quote on acceptance of the t&C of the project. We have to use slips from other projects when quoting but there is no automatic way (apart from blueprints - which DON'T copy over comments which we use over and over again) of duplicating one slip to another project. We have used our own invoice template that took a lot of tweaking but was well worth it and even got it to place the quote number in the terms and conditions that makes it a lot easier.

3. We work per-project but some work per-day and if it's additional work per hour but at a flat rate. We don't sell products but are thinking about going into it. We do have expenses but don't find it very useful to add them to billing as it's double the work to then also add them into a spreadsheet as business expenses too.

5.
[[[ One of the major things that I would like to see come out of the next addition of b is accounting... It would make my day to see an all in one package the billing and quoting is so good it seems odd that there is no back end accounting yet?}}}

Yes do need income reports, Would love to have a forecasting feature. Estimates are one of the main reasons we use B because it's quick and great to keep track. I would love to see in the estimates Version numbers as sometimes clients want different packages of video productions so we tear them in accordance to different qualities of production so after changes it's good to have a way of tracking which quote they want. We do track payments, quicken doesn't work in England due to security and the banks policy's so we do it all manually with an excel spread sheet.

There are 2 major things that I could see that would improve B, although I know one is pie in the sky with small business having a big business attitude is key and also separates you from the pack [[[ multi user integration, where you and your staff could have different levels of access - say a producer could do estimates but not do reports and the accountant could see everything - and, and this is a big and client web accounting where clients could see a history of payments and their invoices in one place, possibly even make payments via Google checkout or paypal but at least see their history. This added in with the accounting tool would be brilliant in also paying freelancers - A system where they could submit a invoice online would be magic for a small business where time is money and some people have to have multiple hats.

We do work out the office, automatic billing would be brilliant but only for certain products.

Couple of extra points: ability to email a client by clicking on the name? Possibility of PC version as it seems that most accountant work on PC - I know there will be sighs over this as I myself would too but it does raise a point never the less, and also possible server integration so that I could work collaboratively over the internet?


Hope that is of any use?? Billings is a great product, and I couldn't recommend it more to anyone I know who is in the creative business

<1> At any given time, I'm usually doing work for two clients at the same time. Once invoiced, the higher the amount, the less likely they seem to pay on time. I've requested here and through other channels the capacity to include a carry charge for past due invoice. For instance, being able to resend an invoice with a 1.5% past due fee when a payment hasn't been applied to an invoice by it's due date (which I do use as a reminder).

<2> I use projects for all my work, often several projects per client. Projects are linked to same in Daylight. Integration with Daylight is tight. Especially handy is the DMI module.

<3> I bill once a project is complete; or, if the project is long, I'll bill monthly. I'll occasionally collect a retainer for expenses (software or templates required to complete a project). I designed my own estimae and invoice based on the Swiss template. My company logo is included on both. Important for me was the inclusion of contract and payment terms at end of the estimate/invoice... boy, I'd love to include so late fee language there.

<4> I work hourly

<5> I absolutely use estimates! I track payments and basically use Billings in combination Quicken as my accounting package. Gave up on Quickbooks in favor of Billings. I'm the sole proprieter of my business, so no sharing. I currently track time use Billings built in timers (awesome!) when working from home. When in the field, I use a notepad and manually enter. I will sometimes bring a laptop into the field and run Billings timers.

Dream? Daylight/Billings/iPhone syncing. I know that you've added sync services to Daylight (bravo), but how about Billings? I love to track my billable time on an iPhone and then effortlessly sync at home with my Billings projects. THAT would kick butt and make my life a dream!

I would really prefer a timesheet feature. While I do some work on my computer, I do a lot of billable work away from my computer and I need to enter the time in later. Sometimes that does not get done until the end of the day. A simple timesheet window that I could tab through instead of going through pulldown menus, multiple clicks and mouse movements would be preferable (at least as an option to the current method of time entry).

I do some work for our local government. They are the payor, but the projects are individual clients. It would be nice to attach a contact to a project as well as do mass billing in these cases (i.e., one click billing for multiple projects).

-AJT

1. Clients -- typically 10-20, but during the holidays, it jumps to 120+. I just posted a question about grouping clients, if I could have a Christmas group, and put all my Christmas clients in there, so they wouldn't be in the way during the other 11 months of the year.

2. Don't use projects. Wish we didn't have to. I just make different working slips.

3. I bill at the end of a project. I'm a freelance writer/graphic designer/photographer. Typically, my writing invoices are flat rate, graphic design is hourly, and photography is a combination of both.

I used a template and modified it for my purposes. I think it was Coast. I do wish I could control the amount of space Billings puts between each working slip, when multiple working slips are invoiced together. Sometimes my invoices run into 2 pages, with a lot of white space. If less white space, invoices would be 1 page.

4. I work hourly (design) & flat rate (writing). I work for myself, my own complany. Few expenses. Accountant keeps up with those...

5. Love the invoices sent/paid/unpaid/yearly total type of reports. Don't use rest of them. Don't use estimates.

I really like Billings. It would be great to tweak it for my photography, but I haven't figured out just how yet.

adam -

i'm a new and somewhat casual user of billings but i like the product to be able use it more efficiently, so i'm submitting answers to some your as well as some questions of my own:

1 - i work with a small group of clients but i work with several clients within one organization . i'd like to see a hierarchical arrangement of organizations and clients - i think daylite works this way but i've just toyed around with it a bit and i don't know whether you intend daylite to manage the org/client relationship. also i'm unclear what the 'link client' feature does and i can't find help on this (it seems to just point the client to a different address book record). at any rate my request would be to provide organizations and associated clients and allow me to create projects related to either.

2 - i don't have a lot of projects and i wonder whether i'm managing them in the best way. when i do a dozen jobs per year for one client it almost seems they'd be easier to find and manage under one project but i don't think you allow multiple POs under one project? please point me to some guidance on this if possible.

3 - i created my own invoice because i thought the canned invoices were a little too flashy for image i want to present.

in general the product has a good feel and i like using it, but i'd like to see marketcircle share more information on best practices for using billings.

Hi Adam,

I'm a freelance graphic designer. I have clients large and small in a variety of industries. So, to answer your questions:

1. I have a fairly long list of clients, maybe 10 of which are active at any given time. Typically I can only be working on about 5 projects at a time, depending on their turnaround time. (There are only so many hours in a day.)

2. Woops, see above for numbers. Yes, I do create projects and usually estimate and bill each one separately. Sometimes I have more than one project going on at the same time for one client--sort of more like sub-projects. For instance, when working on an identity package, it can be broken down into logo, stationery, marketing materials, and print buying and photography purchases for any of the printed pieces. Each of those has some pretty specific thought processes, as well as my wanting to keep track of the time spent on each one, and possibly invoice separately.

3. I bill when the project is completed/delivered. I do collect a non-refundable deposit, which confirms that I will be doing the work, and covers my expenses if we kill the project. (Depending on the total amount, this can be a third or half.) I also often have to generate an invoice for a deposit to be applied to a specific project. Although I don't bill for the same things exactly over and over to the same client, I do have the same type of project for different clients that having some sort of save-able template might be useful for. I (sort of) designed my own invoice(s) and estimate templates, using one of yours as a starting point.

4. I usually try to track my time, just so I can know, but as far as billing goes, sometimes it's hourly, sometimes it's a flat fee. When I work in-house for a client it's hourly. Most of my clients prefer a flat fee for design and layout services, so I like to keep track of my time for future estimating, and to see what projects were under or over budget on time. Most outside expenses I try to have the client pay for directly. Sometimes of course that's not practical, so I pay the bill and toss a copy of it in the folder to be included in the invoice for reimbursement. As far as expenses like paper, ink and Spray Mount, mileage and software and hardware, those to me are my cost of doing business (sort of overhead) and I try to make sure I'm covering them in the rates. I keep all the emails and proofs I make, so at the end, if I'm feeling particularly detail-oriented I can go back and count how many sheets of paper. And I have a little notebook I keep in the car for mileage, which comes in handy at tax time.

5. I don't print formal income reports, but I do have everything totaled up and can look at it whenever I want. I put all my incoming and outgoing invoices and expenses into a simple Excel doc. It's three sheets: Expenditures, Deposits, and Invoices.

Invoices is just a listing of invoices, how much, and whether or not they've been paid. It has totals at the top so I can see at a glance how much has come in, and how much is outstanding.

Deposits is, well, deposits, although I think this is redundant and I can add another column to the Invoices sheet for the deposit date. (I should also see about figuring for partial payments in there. This is why I'm trying out Billings!)

The Expenditures sheet is the most complex. It's divided into two, horizontally, as an accountant would do, with two columns at opposite sides of the sheet that have to add up to be the same number, so I get to see right away if I have a typo. The first half is the date, amount, what it went to, and method of payment (cash, credit, etc.). The second half has columns of expenses, and the same amounts go into the appropriate column (computer, office supplies, networking/entertainment, draw, to be reimbursed, etc.). Each column is totaled at the top, and then totaled horizontally across, so that I can see at a glance how much I've spent on office supplies (or whatever).

At this time, I do not have more than one user for Billings. Don't really expect to, but one never knows.

I don't have to bill when I'm away from the office. (And, I think if I were away for such long periods of time, I would probably have a laptop, which could either have the software on it, or be able to connect to my computer at the office and update.)

I do keep track of time away from the office if it's for a client (meetings, press checks, etc.). I have a paper time sheet with the job folder and have to remember to write things down immediately before the "go away". LOL

I think that's it. I'm pretty flexible, as well as non-finance-oriented. You know, that art-school thing.

1. About your clients.
One or two clients.
Always pay late.
Send reminders by e-mail.

2. About your projects.
At least five projects for the client at any one time.
Some projects are complete in a few hours, others continue for a few weeks.

3. About your billing.
Invoice every 28 days whether projects are active or not.
If a project is still active (not finished) then all subsequent hours move into next month's invoice.
Don't use retainers or deposits.

4. About your work.
Charge by the hour but bill for all hours across however many projects every 28 days.

5. About your business.
Payments are received by BACS but are not tracked.
I would need to use Billings on more than one Mac.
I also use Excel to create timesheets.

I provide I.T. consulting/support/products for a number of companies.

1. I have about 20 clients and visit them whenever necessary - no schedules. Most pay on time but some do need reminders.

2. I just send monthly invoices which require me to keep creating new monthly projects. I'd rather not have to keep creating them and only use a project when it's for something out of my normal monthly support.

3. I bill monthly. If it's a big job I will require a deposit. Having the option for recurring billing would be nice. I created my own invoice based on your raspberry template. I also put my own graphics on it as well.

4. My work is 99% hourly. I also sell hardware and software. I do have some expenses and keep track of them manually - then put them on the invoice at the end of the month.

5. Don't have any need for reports at this point (though that could change). I use estimates for quoting big jobs and new purchases. Not using an accounting package yet, but am investigating them. All payments are made by cheque. I am the only person using Billings, but it would be nice to have a multi-user option. I keep track of time on the calendar of my Blackberry, sync it to iCal, then input the time when I get the chance.

One major change I would love to see would be the option to rearrange slips. I like to have all my time at the beginning of an invoice, and any purchases and expenses at the end. It's a pain that I have to wait and put the purchases and expenses in at the end of the month instead of when they occur. Also if I forget to put something in and have to add it at the last minute, it ends up at the bottom of the invoice, out of sequence.

Thanks for taking the time to listen.

quote:

Originally posted by jwolford:
A network shared Billings database would be a wonderful thing.

thats an understatement! its the difference between usefull and useless.

1. A few clients. Mostly, no billing problems.
2. Seem appropriate here to mention the discussion at http://forums.marketcircle.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/57810...221013524#3221013524. I'm not using projects because they don't serve any useful function for me, but WOULD BE if invoicing could group projects.
3. Bi-monthly. Yes, the slips tend to remain similar though not the same invoice to invoice, so I'd like to be able to copy over the previous invoices slip names and rates.
4. Hourly. Only occasionally flat rate or expenses.
5. We use Billings just for tracking time. All other functions are taken care of in QuickBooks.

1. About 12 graphic design clients, about 30 students enrolled in my art classes each quarter. I also do some computer consulting work, and have about 8 clients there. I really need to be able to sort out these different client types, whether by color code, or group, or something

2. I have a variety of different projects. I do have more than one project going for the same client at the same time. There are many that are inactive -- as I hope I am getting some work done! Active ones going, too.

3. I bill when the project is finished. I often collect deposits and would like an invoice to show the deposit subtracted from the total. I also sometimes work from a retainer (although this is really more of a deposit). I do bill for the same things over and over. I modified and used the swiss template, and don't use my own letterhead.

4. I bill graphic design and consulting hourly, the art class I bill in full with a deposit to hold a child's space in class. I charge a supply fee for the art class, so that is like selling something. I don't track my own work for myself, but perhaps should. I have frequent expenses, but don't always show them as a line item on invoices. Most are "cost of doing business." I do bill some things if they are specifically purchased for a project, such as stock photography. I keep track of my monthly expenses in an Excel spreadsheet.

5. I can use the monthly invoice total as an income report, I can forecast income roughly in my head. I use estimates infrequently. I use Adobe Creative Suite and Apple iLife applications, also iWork or Microsoft Office. No accounting package, no electronic payments, only one user, have so far only billed in the office and haven't needed otherwise, I make notes while I am out.

7. Other things -- it seems to matter in what order I enter in a retainer whether or not I receive the option to apply it to an invoice. This can be frustrating. I really need to group my clients, and apply partial payments to invoices. Thanks!

I'm a graphic designer and web designer...below are some extensive 'wishes' if this were perfectly tailored for me, though I know a lot of designers who work similarly. I did a lot of research on software and billings came out on top... great job!!!!

1. I have about 10 ongoing clients and others that are one-shot deals, so the number varies. Most pay on time and others after a reminder.

2. I definitely need projects, as I do many per client and I love this feature. Sometimes I have multiple projects going on for one client.

3. As I can tell, billings isn't exactly set up to bill how I normally do, but I've made it work (I just started testing). I almost always charge flat rates for projects, as many designers do. However, it is still very important to me to keep track of detailed time, based on task, so I can analyze it later. I also normally bill 50% at start, and 50% at then end of a project, though that can vary. So in billings, I need to set up:

a. Flat rate, billable slips for actual invoices, which I DO NOT record time on, because I need more detailed time reports. So it is a slip with a cost, and "0" time, that I use just for billing.
b. Slips for specific tasks, which I set to "my eyes only" and record time.

This works fine. However, it would be better for me if in the project setup window you could first choose "hourly" vs. "flat-rate" on a project basis as opposed to a slip basis. If hourly, billings would work as-is. If flat, you would enter the rate, payment schedule, and set up your billing that way. Then, you would record hours worked through slips for your records. It would be nice if at the end you could add up hours worked and calculate the hourly rate you made after the fact... this is how I see if I quoted properly. Most designers I know work this way for big projects... I could also be missing the best way to do this in billings!

4. Most is answered above, but I do do some hourly work (updates etc) which billings is perfect for. I do A LOT of work for myself, such as marketing, working on my website, etc. It would be nice if there was a separate category tree for client work vs. my business vs. personal work. This way you could leave out personal work or my business work from your reports, etc. You'd still want the overall category tree (design, writing, etc) for each.

5. I sometimes outsource work to subcontractors... would be nice to be able to track that, as it deducts from my gross income/profits. I also have a lot of business expenses and not sure of the best way to track that in billings (I know its not really meant for that) but the addition of a few features would eliminate the need for quickbooks or similar. Expenses could have it's own categories too.

Thanks again... it really is a great, easy to use software package.

Eric
http://ericmillerdesign.com

P.S. I'd definitely like to be able to set billing increments per client, as that can vary for me per client... and would therefore mean I couldn't really use billings because amounts would always be off. I'm not sure if changing that in my settings changes amounts going back, forward, etc.

1. About your clients.
I have a large number of clients, but I am generally only working with 10 - 20 at a time.
They do not all pay on time.
My major problem with the billings program as is is presently configured is its inability to carry over unpaid balances from month to month. I am now required to create a new slip a call it unpaid balance. This is a real problem. I may have to abandon the program if this problem is not resolved.

2. About your projects.

How many projects do you have? less than 20. Do you need projects at all? not really How many are active? usually one for each client. How many are inactive? Do you have more than one project for a given client going on at the same time no?

3. About your billing.
How do you bill (monthly, once you've reached a certain amount of money, or when the project is finished)? I bill monthly. Do you collect deposits? Do you work from a trust account (retainer)? yes, I would like the program to provide information regarding the retainer balance after the monthly payment is made on the invoice. Do you want to bill for the same things automatically and over and over? No. Do you use our built-in invoice templates, or did you design your own? I designed my own based on your Swiss template. Which one do you use? Do you have letterhead that you put on your invoice?

4. About your work.
Do you do hourly work? Yes of flat fees. Daily? Other kinds of per-project? Do you sell products? Do you track work you do for yourself or your own company? Do you have a lot of expenses? no How do you keep track of them?

5. About your business.
Do you need income reports often? Do you want to forecast income? Do you use estimates? What other applications do you use? Do you use an accounting package? Do you track payments? Do you receive payments electronically? Do you have more than one user who wants to use Billings? Do you share work equally, or how do you divide it? Does more than one person do billing? Do you need to bill while out of the office? How do you keep track of time and expenses while out of the office?