Tabs3 | PracticeMaster - Product

Software Technology, Inc., the maker of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster, has released Version 12 of its integrated time, billing, accounting and practice management software. The new programs feature a visually improved interface, useful enhancements and new features.

The most noticeable visual improvements to Tabs3 and PracticeMaster are the hundreds of newly designed graphical icons that are embedded into a richer Windows XP interface. The new design significantly improves the look and feel of the product by making virtually all program functions more accessible and easier to recognize.

Another important element in the visual design of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster (a single user license of PracticeMaster Basic is included with Tabs3) is the new SnapShot feature that displays pertinent data about each individual record. This allows you to preview information contained in files related to clients, case notes, deadlines, etc., before retrieving the record itself. Using the SnapShot saves a significant amount of time by reducing repetitive mouse clicks needed to locate information. SnapShot also turns e-mail addresses, webpage addresses, and telephone numbers into links. Clicking on a link allows you to send an e-mail, access a Web page, or place a phone call from Tabs3 or PracticeMaster. The SnapShot window can be positioned and resized on the right or the bottom of the screen or turned off completely based on user preference. Virtually any list of records attached to a SnapShot can be sorted by simply clicking on a particular column — making it easer for users to locate information based on individual preferences.

The SnapShot feature could be enhanced further by allowing a user to edit the contents of the data record in the HTML window and by displaying more than one record at a time in the viewing pane. Even without this enhancement, the SnapShot is a powerful feature capable of giving users access to information on their terms.

Another powerful feature added to the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster reporting system is the ability to instantly create PDF files from any report using the system’s new DropBox feature. Users simply send their reports to the DropBox where they are temporarily held as PDF files. Any type of file on a computer such as Word documents, pictures, audio files, etc. can be temporarily stored in the DropBox until they are e-mailed or stored in another location. This also makes it easy to send multiple reports in one e-mail. Simply drag all of the reports for the partners from the DropBox into an e-mail message. With Tabs3 and PracticeMaster Version 12, a separate PDF writer is not needed to use the DropBox function. You can even bypass the DropBox and save the report directly to your computer as a PDF.

A new Collections Report has been added to Tabs3. The Collections Report provides concise and pertinent information regarding each client’s average accounts receivable age, total amount billed and paid, the percentage paid, and the amount due. It also shows the last payment date and information to contact clients quickly about their payment status.

Perhaps the most significant changes to Version 12 can be found in PracticeMaster’s e-mail management capabilities. The new e-mail interface in PracticeMaster functions more like your existing e-mail client but also allows you to seamlessly send, receive and store e-mails related to each case while still using your current e-mail program.

While working in Microsoft Outlook, you can click on the PM Journal button that is optionally added to Outlook when installing PracticeMaster, to copy the e-mail to the PracticeMaster Journal where it is associated with a client. PracticeMaster automatically associates it with a client based on the e-mail address contained in the client file. If a different client is specified, PracticeMaster will remember that client when creating future journal records. The e-mail functions in PracticeMaster Version 12 now use Extended MAPI features that allow you to view the contents of all Outlook or GroupWise e-mail folders, and even file e-mails in your Outlook or GroupWise folders from PracticeMaster.

Typical price ranges for Tabs3 begin at $295 for a solo firm and $3,995 for a 39 timekeeper firm running on a network. Tabs3 includes a single user license of PracticeMaster Basic or $150 credit towards the purchase of PracticeMaster Premier, a seamlessly integrated and highly customizable practice management system. Additional pricing structures for larger firms are available. Tabs3 is a reliable time and billing program and Version 12’s tight integration between its own billing, accounting and practice management programs and existing e-mail platforms, along with its new built-in PDF capability make this release especially significant.

Tabs3 Version 12 takes on a Windows XP visual style