Key Features

• Multi Currency Sales and Purchase Ledger
  

  Fully multi-currency Draft / pro-forma debit and credit notes Automated recurring fees for fixed and responsibility fees Draft invoice approval and posting options Automated and pre-defined invoice generation options Unlimited number of revenue / invoicing entities Multiple matters (mandates / projects) per record

  Unlimited number of chargeable / non chargeable services Multiple fee levels per service Multiple price lists Multiple VAT / GST rates including exempt Invoice templates in Microsoft Word format, easily customised Unlimited debit / credit note templates Invoices in client preferred language

  

  • ViewPoint Practice Manager is an advanced yet easy to use multi currency sales and purchase ledger.
  • The draft (pro-forma) invoices feature can assist in internal approval procedures, provide an easy method to edit invoices without needing credit notes and be used to manage income and expense recognition.
  • To improve efficiency, consistency and accuracy there are a number of automated debit and credit note options and also the ability to create pre-defined invoice templates e.g. pre-define the detail lines of an incorporation invoice.
  • An unlimited number of Revenue Entities (invoicing entities) can be created, each of which can have its own price list and can issue invoices in its own distinct format in any currency.
  • By using different matters a record can be billed by one or multiple Revenue Entities.
  • Debit and credit note formats are highly customisable – both in layout and also in content. Invoice content can be fully consolidated by service type, partially consolidated or broken down to each individual time entry if required.
  • To ensure accuracy, the system includes an invoice cancellation feature which can automatically issue an offsetting credit note if required.
• Time / Disbursement and Productivity Management
  

  Variety of time recording units Unlimited number of chargeable / non chargeable services Stopwatch option for exact time keeping Charge time either by user rate or by service / job rate Per user targets for time recorded and chargeable time recorded Approval before invoicing option Record disbursements made on behalf of a client e.g. courier charges, travel costs, etc.

  Automated disbursement mark-up option Transfer time and disbursements Adjust / write off multiple time and disbursement entries Free text or pre defined time entry narrative Integrated with sales and purchase ledger Time entry posting window

  

  • Viewpoint time and disbursements offers a flexible time recording solution with time units per 1, 5, 6, 10 and 15 minutes or hours.
  • The stopwatch feature enables ‘to the second’ time spent to be recorded with a round-up option to the nearest time unit.
  • Up to 5 stopwatches can be open at one time
  • User daily productivity targets can be set for amount of time to be recorded, the amount if time that should be chargeable and the minimum chargeable value to be achieved per day. The users can view their productivity on screen.
  • The time approval feature requires that any time entry must be approved ensures prior to being invoiced.
  • To ensure that clients are billed correctly time and disbursements entries can be individually or batch adjusted and / or transferred between records.
  • Disbursements can be recharged at cost or automatically marked up with a preset percentage.
  • To ensure consistency and to avoid errors for each service to be recorded the user can optionally select a description narrative from a list of client defined standard narratives.
  • The time and disbursement posting controls ensure that users maintain up to date time records by preventing backdated time entries.
• Work In Progress (“WIP”) Management
  

  WIP time billing WIP disbursement recovery WIP recurring fees billing WIP consolidated billing option Global WIP bill generation Minimum WIP value before invoicing option Detailed enquiry and edit features

  

  • WIP is segregated into three categories – Time, Disbursements and Recurring Fees. For a given period each category can be reviewed and invoiced individually or in any combination.
  • In addition to the categories WIP can be reviewed and invoiced in a variety of methods e.g. per client, per user, per matter, per team etc.
  • As WIP invoices can be raised globally or in batches so period end billing runs only take seconds not hours.
  • To avoid raising invoices of small monetary value a WIP minimum value can be set – when this minimum amount has been exceeded will the record appear in WIP review for billing.
• Recurring Fees (Fixed / Responsibility Fees)
  

  Charge an unlimited number of services Includes government fee / third party fees Multiple renewal periods including per annum, per quarter, per month Bill in advance or arrears Automated pro-rated billing

  Multiple matters / revenue companies Multiple renewal dates Individual or batch generated Automatic update of next due date Automatic assignment and copy features

  

  • An unlimited number of recurring fees such as fixed fees, responsibility fees, registered office fees, etc. can be defined per record.
  • Fees payable to third parties such as government duites and annual filing fees can be invoiced as recurring fees and the subsequent disbursement managed using the Fees Payable feature.
  • Recurring services for the same record can have different billing frequencies e.g. annual or quarterly and different due dates.
  • Using matters each record can be charged recurring services by one or multiple revenue (invoicing) entities.
  • Using the WIP posting, recurring fees can be instantly invoiced in batches or selectively with automated pro-rating for partial periods.
  • The fees can be billed in advance or in arrears and the income can be deferred / apportioned over the billing period of the service invoiced.
  • After invoicing the renewal details can be automatically updated to reflect the next billing period.
  • For standardised billing the Recurring Fees can be automatically assigned to a billing record or copied from another billing record
• Settlements / Payables
  

  Multiple search and select options Multi currency Batch settlement of sales and purchase invoices Settlement per one or multiple invoice detail line(s) Settlements to or from matter accounts Drill down on transaction history per record and per invoice

  

  • The parameterised search options include invoice number, client, invoicee and revenue entity to ensure that the correct sales / purchase invoice(s) can be quickly identified.
  • Invoices can be settled, using any currency, either individually or in batch, by invoice detail line and for a single client with multiple records.
  • Supports non-invoice currency settlements and partial payments.
  • Ability to settle invoices to / from a matter e.g. if a advanced retainer is used to settle the invoice – includes an on-screen matter balance to ensure funds are available.
  • Full transaction history with including a transaction reverse feature.
  • Automated credit note generation and offset for cancellation of posted sales invoices.
  • Includes per invoice provisioning for anticipated bad debt management and reporting.
• Debtor / Creditor Management
  

  On-screen aged analysis screen with various selection criteria Multiple standard, Microsoft Word and Excel reports Advanced custom reporting Easy report customisation Multiple statement formats Segregation of draft invoices debtors from posted invoice debtors Record bad debt provision notes

  

  • Multiple parameters and multiple viewing options for online reporting of aged debtor analysis.
  • Dedicated receivables and dedicated payables screen with multiple filter options including a date range, with the option to print statements, invoices and enter settlements and payables.
  • Multi standard and highly customisable reports available.
• Government / Third Party Fees
  

  Invoicing government fees Auto calculation of penalty fees Instant penalty fee invoicing Strike off date notification Management of payment to third party

  

  • Management and tracking of invoicing, settlement and disbursement of government fees such as annual duty, annual return filing fees, etc.
  • By automatically analysing statutory details of a record the date and amount due of government fees and arising penalties can be automatically calculated and prompted.
  • Avoids user error by automatically calculating the penalty fee due dates and penalty amount.
  • Option to instantly produce penalty fee invoices.
  • Details which invoices have been settled so that duty can be subsequently disbursed to the appropriate authority or third party.
  • Parameterised batch management feature for pooling ‘ready to disburse’ funds to the appropriate authority or third party.
  • Detailed batch reporting for audit trail and disbursement verification and / or payment information for appropriate authority or third party.
• Matters/ Mandate / Projects
  

  Multiple matters, mandates and projects per file Enables multiple revenue (invoicing) entities Fully multi currency Retainer / advanced fee / fixed fee tracking Non-recoverable chargeable time options Settlement to and from matters Optional internal file owners per matter, mandate and project

  

  • Matters sub-profiles within a record. Each matter can have a different default billing currency, revenue (invoicing) entity, VAT status, cost centre, billing status, etc.
  • Matters allow for different invoicing scenarios to be applied to a single record, e.g. a prepaid USD retainer matter, a GBP time matter, EUR recurring fee matter.
  • If not required matters can be disabled.
  • Debit and credit matter balances can be maintained, with the ability to make payments from one matter to another.
  • In addition to general record user ownership, each matter can be assigned to an Administrator and Manager for ease of administration and reporting.
  • A billing file can have an unlimited number of matters, with the ability to set a default matter per record to assist with accurate data entry.
• Other Special Features
  

  Automated billing configuration review File cloning Multi fee levels and price lists Multiple posting control options Straight thru processing to Client Accountant

  

  • Parameterised cross module review to detect non-standard billing set-up. Includes user prompt for automatic correction of anomalies.
  • Ability to copy the billing configuration from an existing record to ensure accuracy and consistency.
  • Unlimited number of parameterised services (job codes) with multiple fee levels per service. Multiple price lists in single or multiple currencies.
  • To minimise duplicate entry and ensure accuracy the transactions undertaken in Practice Manager are posted straight through to either or both the in-house revenue (invoicing) entity accounts and the client entities accounts.
  • For management accounting purposes each service is linked to a client defined income or expenses account on which posting rules can be used to automatically defer the income or expense over the service period or other period if required.