You are opening a new law practice or looking for a new billing software to incorporate into your existing practice. After reviewing your options, you decide to stick with tradition and choose a legacy billing system, like Timeslips. While you may be happy with your decision initially, Timeslips customer reviews strongly suggest that your satisfaction may be short-lived. So, let’s jump forward a bit and look at your likely impression of Timeslips after one year of usage.
I’m wasting my money
One year in, many Timeslips customers discover that the overall cost of the software is far more than the initial investment. As of September 2018, the initial cost for a small law office to purchase Timeslips starts around $275 and increases depending on the number of users. However, this is only the first expense associated with utilizing this legacy legal billing system. Timeslips also requires that you have a dedicated server, which means that you may have to bear the hefty expense of installing one within your office.
One year later, the company introduces their annual system updates. Unfortunately, you can only take advantage of them all by paying additional fees. On top of that… your server has malfunctioned, and it decided to do so on the Friday before a big trial, leaving you in a serious dilemma. Now, you are hit with the additional cost of an emergency weekend service repair.
These are just some of the potential costs associated with using Timeslips. Customer reviews show that one of the most commonly held frustrations is the exorbitant cost of purchasing and maintaining the software. Unfortunately, many new users don’t recognize this problem until a year later, after their law practice has already spent thousands of dollars.
Utter frustration
Browsing the Timeslips reviews, you see the service described in a lot of ways, but rarely do you see the term “user-friendly.” In fact, the difficulty of use in one of the most common complaints. In the beginning, there is a high learning curve that makes it extremely difficult for the members of your staff to effectively learn all of the software’s features without outside training. What good is an expensive piece of billing software that nobody can use?
While training is available, it reportedly carries an additional price tag and is often done by independent consultants who can charge a significant amount of money to get your attorneys and admin staff up to speed. So, whether you are dealing with the initial training of your staff after purchase or a convoluted upgrade that wreaks havoc on the office, you may have to seek help outside of the company for the support your law practice needs.
According to company reviews, this lack of assistance also extends to tech support. Many users complain about the lack of adequate tools and resources to help them cope when Timeslips malfunctions, leading to further frustrations with the product.
Lack of productivity
In one year, Timeslips users may notice that they have spent thousands of dollars on a tool that does not meet all of their time tracking and billing needs. One reason for this lack of productivity is the inability to use all of the product’s features. If your staff never fully learns the software, your law office is not getting a full return on your investment.
Users also recognize that they work in a mobile environment. Long gone are the days when the practice of law was solely undertaken in a single law office with the use of a single computer. Thanks to smartphones, laptops, and tablets, the law is now practiced at restaurants, at home, in the courthouse, and even on the beach.
Even though Timeslips claims to offer mobile capabilities, it requires an internet connection, which is not always available. Customers may find that the lack of mobility limits their ability to accurately time track and bill for their practice, negatively affecting their law office productivity and efficiency.
Looking for an alternative
Lastly, within a year, the Timeslips user may be looking for another legal billing alternative, one that offers the following features:
- Fits within a small practice budget
- User-friendly with real customer service
- Provides a stress-free transition
- Keeps up with the mobility of a modern law practice
In the search for a better option, the Timeslips user finds TimeSolv and discovers that it checks all of these boxes.
- The subscription price is affordable and encompasses all of TimeSolv’s features. There is no need to purchase or maintain an expensive server. The system runs on the cloud, so all of your data is securely managed by IT professionals who are consistently looking to identify and address potential issues before they cause problems for your office.
- With its user-friendly interfaces, your staff will be using TimeSolv with ease in no time. The dashboard is simple to follow, as is the mobile app. The company also offers comprehensive training, along with a detailed resource library on their website that is filled with helpful tutorials.
- TimeSolv makes transitioning from Timeslips a stress-free process, with experts who walk you through the process. A specific plan is tailored to meet the individual needs of your practice. You then have a dedicated team of advisors who help you prepare for the change, walk you through each step, and help you ensure that the transition was a success.
- With cloud-based storage and their convenient mobile app, you can access your TimeSolv billing system from virtually anywhere in the world with smartphone or tablet – even if there is no internet connection immediately available.
Whether you are considering a new purchase of Timeslips, or you are already one year in and regretting your decision, TimeSolv is the legal billing software that fits the needs of your law firm. Click here for a free trial offer, so you can explore all of its valuable features.
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.