Billing workflow

In Legalsense, you can have invoices reviewed through a workflow to ensure they are accurate before being sent to your client. Often, invoices need to go through multiple responsible users in the process. The billing workflow helps automate this process, significantly reducing the time spent on billing. Additionally, the workflow allows you to track steps and changes at any time, making the process more transparent.

The billing workflow can be fully customized per installation. This means that the number of steps, the responsible users for each step, and the corresponding actions can be adjusted flexibly to meet your firm's specific needs.

The billing workflow is not enabled by default. If you would like to use this feature, please contact Legalsense Support. They can activate your workflow and configure the steps according to your preferences.

Configuration of the billing workflow

When setting up the billing workflow, multiple choices can be made regarding the steps and their order, which are explained below.

Responsible users

Each step within the billing workflow must be assigned to a responsible user. The responsible users that can be assigned to a step can be chosen based on different criteria:

• Role: The responsible user can be one of the following users:

  • The matter supervisor.
  • The billing supervisor in a matter
  • The account manager of the client.
  • The billing assistant of the matter supervisor, the billing supervisor, or the client's account manager. The billing assistant can be assigned to the responsible user's account.
  • The practice group supervisor.

• Permission or permission group: Responsible users who have been granted a specific permission or belong to a specific permission group. An overview of all permissions and default permission groups can be found here: Default permission groups in Legalsense.

• Specific user: A responsible user can be selected from a list of users and assigned to a specific step.

Required comments

When configuring the steps and assigning responsible users, it is possible to require a comment upon task approval. This is a free-text field where a user can provide an explanation or ask a question. This note is visible to all subsequent responsible users in the workflow and is stored under the 'History' button in the invoice.

Threshold

A threshold can be set for the entire workflow or per step. The threshold value can be defined as a specific amount and/or percentage. If both are configured, the invoice will only proceed if both threshold values are exceeded. The threshold value only applies to write-offs and adjustments to the time entries that reduce the value of the draft invoice. Suppose the responsible user changes the draft invoice to one that exceeds the threshold value. In that case, an additional step is triggered, sending the draft invoice to a designated responsible user for extra review or approval.

For example, if the threshold value is set at €200,- and the responsible user modifies the invoice by €100 in step two,- no extra step for approval is required, and the invoice proceeds directly to the next step in the workflow. However, if the change exceeds €200,- an extra step is added to the workflow for additional approval by the designated responsible user. The designated responsible user can be selected based on the abovementioned options under 'Responsible users'.

Important! The threshold value is always calculated based on the amount at the end of a step compared to the initial value of the draft invoice and is not compared to the value at the previous step.

This means that the threshold value refers to the original amount of the draft invoice, regardless of changes made in intermediate steps. No matter how much has been modified in previous steps, the threshold value is always compared to the initial value of the draft invoice.

Overviews and actions

Once the billing workflow is activated, the tabs 'Tasks' and 'Task Overview' appear under the 'Billing' tab.

Tasks

The overview Tasks display all tasks assigned to the logged-in user. From this overview, the user can review each task by clicking on it, which opens the draft invoice. Once opened, the user has the following buttons available:

Task done: The invoice has been checked and will be forwarded to the next responsible user within the workflow. This opens a pop-up where you can see who will be responsible for the next step and the comment field.

Pass responsibility: The invoice is then passed on to another user who is not part of the workflow as a responsible user but has, for example, also worked on the matter. When this option is chosen, the ‘Back to me’ checkbox can also be enabled. This ensures that after completion by the forwarded responsible user, the invoice is returned to the responsible person from the previous step.

Bill later: The invoice is immediately forwarded to the Financial Admin, who can delete the draft invoice. This will return all billable items from the draft invoice to the relevant matter.

Task overview

The task overview contains all tasks within the workflow, regardless of which user they are assigned to. Users with the permission group 'Financial Admin' have access to this tab and full visibility and control over all tasks and draft invoices within the workflow. They can perform actions via the task overview to influence the workflow, for example, if an employee is sick and you need to reassign their tasks to another user.

If you want to make the task overview visible to other users, this can be done using the 'view_taskoverview' permission. This permission only grants visibility into the tasks but does not allow users to make changes or influence the workflow.

Note: To fully open an invoice, the user must have at least the appropriate rights to view others' invoices. Without this permission, access to the invoice overview remains limited.

Permissions

In addition to the previously mentioned permissions, there are two other permissions specifically available for the billing workflow:

• can_change_invoice_in_workflow: With this permission, a user can edit an invoice within the workflow if the task is assigned to them. This is particularly relevant for users who usually cannot edit invoices.
• alter_workflow_loglines: With this permission, a user can modify time entries in the billing workflow. The ability to adjust time entries must always be combined with a permission that allows editing invoices, such as can_change_invoice_in_workflow.

Overview status and history

When opening an invoice, users can see which step it is currently in.

The ' History ' button allows users to view previous tasks, responsible users, and comments. Additionally, they can see the invoice as it was before a change was made.

Notifications

Legalsense offers the option to send notification e-mails to ensure a smooth workflow process. Multiple e-mails can be configured, with flexibility in both the content of the message and the timing of its delivery. For each workflow step, it can be specified whether the responsible person will receive these notifications.