When you choose a legal billing system for your law office, you have high hopes about the service you will receive and the benefit it will provide to your practice. Unfortunately, many of these platforms leave much to be desired, performing at a level that falls short of your reasonable expectations. Judging from client reviews, Timeslips is a legacy billing system that consistently fails to meet the expectations of its legal clients. The following are some of the expectations a Timeslips client may have versus the reality of what the product actually offers.
Expectation #1 – Quick implementation and ease of use
Is it too much to expect that your legal billing software will actually allow you to track time and create invoices for clients? I mean, isn’t this the basic need behind the purchase of a legal billing system? When law office leaders purchase Timeslips, they do so with the expectation that it will adequately provide its advertised services and be user-friendly enough for their attorneys and administrative staff members to actually use it.
The reality
According to Timeslips client reviews, there is little friendliness involved in trying to utilize this product. To start, there is an extremely high learning curve when learning the software for initial use. While there is some limited training provided, many Timeslips clients complain that it is not adequate to truly teach all of the features offered by the software. Instead, they state that they have had to pay independent consulting firms to come in and truly get their staff up to speed on using the system. How useful is an expensive piece of billing software that neither your attorneys or administrative staff can use?
Tech support also apparently leaves much to be desired. Timeslips customers commonly complain that the company’s technical support is inadequate and unreasonably expensive. That means that should something go wrong, you could be left paying for a system that your office cannot use at all.
Expectation #2 – affordability
It does not make much sense to purchase legal billing software that you know your law office cannot afford, and most attorneys have no idea how costly Timeslips will be when choosing it for their practice. They expect to pay the initial purchase price, and maybe the occasional maintenance fee, but they have no clue that their new billing system will be the source of continuous pain to their bottom line.
The reality
In reality, the initial purchase price is only the first required expense. Timeslips requires the use of a dedicated server. In today’s office environment, most businesses don’t have an extra server just laying around. Therefore, the new Timeslips user will likely have to cover the additional expense of purchasing and installing a server within their office.
Another harsh reality about the cost of Timeslips comes when the company introduces their annual updates to the system. As noted by numerous Timeslips product reviewers, to use many of these updates, you must pay an additional fee. Disappointed with this expensive surprise, you may decide not to pay the fee, but that could leave you without any support for your previous version of Timeslips because the company reportedly stops offering technical service for older versions of its software once updates are introduced. Now, you are forced to either pay for outside technical support should something go wrong or pay for the system upgrade.
Let’s go back to that server for one more dose of cost reality. Purchase and installation are not the only expenses. What happens if it breaks down? Would you know how to fix it yourself? Probably not. Would Timeslips send a technician out to your office to repair it at no charge to you? Definitely not. Now, you are stuck with a big server repair bill on top of the significant expense you are paying to maintain Timeslips.
Expectation #3 – mobility
We live in a mobile world. The practice of law is done in all corners of the globe, from lunch-time meetings to late-night work sessions from a bed. Timeslips users expect that this expensive billing software will be able to keep up with their mobile lifestyle, allowing for accurate time tracking and efficient client invoicing where ever they choose to work.
The reality
Mobility and Timeslips do not go hand-in-hand for two simple reasons. First is the server. Are you going to carry a huge server around with you when you are out in the community practicing law? I didn’t think so. This means that you may be forced to use the main capabilities of Timeslips solely from the office where your server is located.
The second problem is the requirement for internet connectivity. Timeslips says that it offers mobile service, but in reality, that is only true if you have an internet connection available to log into your system. If you happen to be in a building with a bad connection or working outside with no internet access, you will not be able to utilize your Timeslips system for time tracking or customer billing. There is no mobile app that allows you to track time on any device and sync it with your computer when an internet connection becomes available. Instead, you will likely find yourself dependent on task notes scribbled on pieces of paper or your unreliable memory.
The harsh conclusion
When it comes to using Timeslips for law office time tracking and billing, a major gap can exist between client expectations and the reality of what they actually receive. With limited usability, a lack of mobility, and extensive costs, users quickly learn that this legacy system is not the best option for their practice.
The folks at TimeSolv legal billing system work hard to meet and exceed their clients’ expectations in the delivery of quality service. From their mobile app to extensive customer service, they are constantly looking for ways to maximize your experience with them and your clients’ experiences with your office. Click here for a free trial offer and find out how TimeSolv meets your expectations.
About Erika Winston:
Erika Winston is a freelance writer with a passion for law. Through her business, The Legal Writing Studio, she helps legal professionals deliver effective written messages. Erika is a regular contributor to TimeSolv and a variety of other publications.
