RB9 & RB Connect 2021 updates

Top features

• Better Zoom meetings 

  Several improvements were made to RB9 Zoom meetings:

  • RB9 will display a warning message when scheduling a new Zoom meeting if it overlaps with existing scheduled meetings for the selected Zoom Account.
  • The “Automatically record meeting on the local computer” slider has been changed to an “Automatically record meeting (if selected option is unavailable, this option will be ignored)” drop-down. In addition to the existing options of no/manual recording and recording on the host’s local computer, users can now choose to record the meeting to their Zoom account in the Cloud.
  • The Zoom Passcode option has been removed. Instead, RB9 will use an automatically generated passcode by Zoom.
• Latest DYMO capabilities added 

  DYMO has discontinued the DYMO Label Web Service application and replaced it with DYMO Connect. We have updated RB9’s Labels to include both the discontinued DYMO software format (*.label), and the new DYMO label software format (*.dymo) as options when creating and applying label templates.

• New Help function 

  We added a new function under the Help menu called Update History, where you can read and print out/make PDFs of lists of what was included in every RB9 update released.

Also

• Search performance has been improved throughout the system.
• Bug in the Schedule with Zoom Account drop-down has been fixed.
• Juneteenth has been added to the calendar holidays.
• Updated Payables to work with 2021’s 1099-NEC form.
• Bug in RB Connect’s top menu-bar display has been fixed.

NOTE:

RB 9.24 does not work with Internet Explorer 11. It works best with the latest versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.

Top features

• Group results by column in Jobs (List View) 

  Group jobs by multiple columns in List View. Just like Tasks in Progress, you will be able to organize the results in List View by one or more parameters to more easily see the job information you want to know. For example, you could group jobs by Job Status, then job date to find your calendar priorities quicker.

• New weekly calendar view 

  Similar to the Monthly View calendar, the new Weekly View is a visual calendar format displaying a week at a time. It defaults to the current week, showing jobs scheduled for each day in chronological order by start time, job number, and a third option of your choice, such as ordering firm or witness. Rolling over any entry lists details about the job and clicking any entry opens the job’s detail window.

• Import RB9 data into QuickBooks online edition  

  The new update adds the ability to import RB9 data into QuickBooks online edition, so you will be able to use the QuickBooks Integrator tool if you subscribe to QuickBooks online.

• Online meetings work with Zoom  

  In this release, you can set up RB9 to work with Zoom in jobs scheduled for online meetings. You will be able to schedule a Zoom meeting and store all pertinent information to join the meeting in fields for URL, Directions, Confirmation Notes, and Resource Notification Notes.

• Easier Job Status updates  

  This update includes 3 improvements to Job Status updates:

  1. Shortcuts for Confirmed and Canceled added to Job Status drop-down on the Edit Job screen.
  2. When Job Status is changed to Confirmed and there is a linked job, a popup will appear alerting you to the linked job to be confirmed.
  3. You will be able to set up automatic Job Status updates that specify what the new status is when:
     • Job confirmations are sent.
     • Resources are assigned to tasks.
     • Assignment notifications are sent.
     • New shipments are added.
• Easier for clients to pay emailed invoices  

  If you send invoices from RB9 via email and you have RB Connect, you will be able to automatically include a Pay Invoice link in the invoice emails so when your clients click the link they will go directly to the invoice in their RB Connect office to pay the invoice.

• New job warning when client is excessively overdue  

  Optional warning pops up in the New Job window when you designate an ordering client whose past due invoices’ amount exceeds an amount you set. The popup will display the overdue amount, so you can address it immediately. You set the parameters: whether you will receive a popup, what amount will trigger the popup, and how many days overdue payment has to be.

• Interface improvements include Dark Mode  
  • You can select either the current color scheme or a reverse/dark color scheme (Dark Mode) for your personal RB9 viewing. 
  • You can designate different Job Status colors for Dark Mode screens in System Preferences.
  • Throughout the system, checkboxes and Yes/No drop-downs have been changed to simple switch controls, so you can easily select Yes or No with a click.
  • Time Zone options now display the time zone name only, not its GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) designation.

More features

• Calendar view improvements  

  In addition to the new grouping capability in List View and the new Weekly View, the 2021 Q4 update includes:

  • Jobs in List View and Monthly View’s individual day views can be sorted by the Task(Resource) column.
  • Monthly View’s top navigation bar is locked, and the rest of the calendar page can scroll so current month and navigation controls are always accessible.
  • Monthly View’s month & year are now bold and in a larger font size for better legibility.
• Job scheduling improvements  

  In addition to the easier Zoom meeting scheduling, Job Status improvements, and overdue account warning, the 2021 Q4 update includes:

  • When scheduling multiple job dates at once, day selections have also been changed to switch controls and the Type dropdown has been changed to option buttons.
  • You can now set task-due-in-#-days in individual firms’ RB9 listing, so when entering tasks in jobs, RB9 will calculate due dates by the ordering firm’s preferences first. If a firm doesn’t have task due date preferences in their profile, RB9 will apply BU-level task due days.
• Task management improvements  

  You can:

  • Set or clear tasks’ Acknowledged Date without leaving the main Task window.
  • Assign resources to tasks on jobs that have already occurred in Quick Assignments.
  • Search Send Overdue Tasks Report by Task Due Date From/To.
• Turn In improvements  

  During Turn In:

  • If you designated a rush type for an invoice that should not include a rush charge, you can now clear the selection in Set Rush Types.
  • You can provide explanations on invoices about specific service items by entering text in the “More detail on the invoice” field in the New Service/Edit Service panel. Information in this field will print on the invoice following the service item name.
• Marketing Inquiry improvements  

  • “Top N Calendar” option in the Type search category changed to “Top N Calendar by Ordering” for both firms and contacts; and a “Top N Calendar by Scheduled” option for contacts was added so you can search for your top clients by who is scheduling the most: typically secretaries and paralegals instead of attorneys, who are your ordering contacts.
  • You can filter Contact and Resource searches by Notification Type. Search results include the entities’ email addresses designated for the selected notification type(s).
• Receivables improvements  

  • In Receive Payments, you can look up invoices by job number in One Check One Invoice window and One Check Multiple Invoices > Apply Invoices panel.
  • In Aged A/R, you can search by Firm or Parent Firm; and choose to have all firms listed separately or combine all outstanding invoice amounts of firms under a parent firm together into one row.
• Firms improvements  

  • When you change a firm’s Late Charge Rate or Finance Charge Rate, RB9 automatically records the change in the firm’s Notes Log.
  • As noted above in Job scheduling improvements, you can set Task Due Days at the Firm-level for clients who have their own turnaround deadlines.
• Tools improvements  

  In addition to the ability to import RB9 data into QuickBooks online edition, the 2021 Q4 update includes:

  • In Bulk Update, when changing the sales rep for firms, contacts, or jobs, you can search by the currently assigned sales rep in the Update To panel to find the relevant entities.
  • In Query Maker, you can use parentheses with multiple queries to prioritize queries when AND and OR operators are used. For example, to find law firms in TX or LA, you can query: (State is equal to TX OR State is equal to LA) AND FirmType is equal to Law Firm.
• Setup improvements  

  In addition to the new features above that require setup/are customizable, the 2021 Q4 update includes:

  • In the Service Item Master, you can search for all service items or only active items.
  • In the Rush Type Master, you can search for all rush types or only active ones.
  • In System Preferences > General > Email, you can add Bcc email addresses to email profiles. If users choose to use their own email method instead of using the system settings, they can add Bcc emails to their email profile in their personal user preferences.
  • In System Preferences > Billing > Invoice > Email Settings, you can insert:
    • Amount, Balance, and ClaimNo data fields into the Email Subject and Email Message.
    • PayInvoiceLink data field into the Email Message. This data field converts into a hyperlink in the email, which when clicked, automatically sends the user to RB Connect. After the user logs in, the related invoice screen appears for a convenient payment process.

New RB Connect features for clients

• Clients can select either the current color scheme or a reverse/dark color scheme (Dark Mode) for their RB Connect viewing. 
• Checkboxes and Yes/No drop-downs have been changed to simple switch controls, so clients can easily select Yes or No with a click.
• In Request New Job, day selections have also been changed to switch controls and the Type dropdown has been changed to option buttons for easier scheduling when requesting multiple job dates at once.
• Confirmation emails to contacts scheduling multiple jobs show all related job numbers and dates.

New RB Connect features for resources

• Resources can select either the current color scheme or a reverse/dark color scheme (Dark Mode) for their RB Connect viewing. 
• Checkboxes and Yes/No drop-downs have been changed to simple switch controls, so resources can easily select Yes or No with a click.
• The Turn In screen’s title bar displays the entire turn-in process graphically with the current step highlighted to help resources better understand the progress.
• When uploading exhibits, resources can select which exhibit stamp to use for automatically numbering PDF exhibits from a set of stamps that you designate in System > Exhibit Stamps if you allow resources to stamp exhibits.

Can cancel jobs & tasks when canceling cases

When you cancel a case, you can now choose the beginning date for related future jobs to be canceled and whether to cancel the jobs’ assigned tasks at the same time.

Form Templates

• Upgraded Form Editor control to the latest version.
• Improved form loading performance.
• Fixed the problem of a field moving to the top of a form after using Data Fields > Insert List Data.
• Data fields cannot be deleted with the Delete or Backspace key. To delete a data field:
  • Right-click the data field and use the popup menu.
  • Select the data field and use the menu bar’s Data Fields > Delete Field option.

  You can only delete one data field at a time.

Top features

• New function logs your RB9 emails 

  Going forward the following types of emails sent from RB9 will be automatically logged in the new Email Log function under Tools:

  • Assignment Cancellation
  • Assignment Notification
  • Collection Letter
  • Future Calendar
  • Invoice
  • Job Cancellation
  • Job Confirmation
  • Letter to Contact
  • Letter to Other
  • Letter to Witness
  • Overdue Tasks Report
  • Repository Notification
  • Resource Pay Statement
  • Statement
  • Transcript Package Notification

  You can search Email Log by recipient email address, sent dates, job number, and/or invoice number.

• Resend job cancellations from within jobs 

  If you need to resend a Job Cancellation notice, you can choose the option More > Send Job Cancellation in the Edit Job window.

• RB9 records overdue task info in resources’ notes logs 

  When you send a resource an Overdue Task Report, RB9 automatically logs the date, time, and number of tasks in the resource’s Notes Log.

• More merge fields in form & email templates 

  Added more merge fields to Job Confirmation/Job Cancellation form templates and email templates:

  Job Confirmations

  • Job > ScheduledByFirstName
  • Job > ScheduledByLastName
  • Job > DirectAccessURL: When contacts click the URL, they will log in normally but then go directly to the Job Detail screen.

  In email templates (System Preferences > Calendar > Job Confirmation), these fields can be inserted in Email Subject, Email Message, iCalendar Subject, and iCalendar Description.

  Job Cancellations

  • Job > ScheduledByFirstName
  • Job > ScheduledByLastName

  In email templates (System Preferences > Calendar > Job Cancellation), these fields can be inserted in Email Subject and Email Message.

• Interface improvements 
  • Use Shift+Click to select a group of items at once in any grid with a checkbox column.
  • Any panes that allow you to style text (such as emails from within RB9) can be stretched or shrunk vertically while you are working in them.
  • Monthly Job Calendar View now displays all listings in their Job Status colors.
  • Daily jobs popup window in Monthly View dynamically sizes itself to the underlying window, and is maximized in size so you can see more with less scrolling.
  • Last digit of Job No. or Invoice No. no longer drops to a second line if the number is 8 or more digits long.
• RB Connect improvements for contacts 
  • In Job detail window, “Ordering Client” title has been renamed “Ordering Firm” to avoid confusion.
  • Job Status color coding has been added to both Calendar view styles.
  • When requesting new services on a new job request, contacts can leave Delivery Method and Turnaround Type blank if they have no preferences in those categories.
• RB Connect improvements for resources 
  • Job Status color coding has been added to both Calendar view styles.
  • When uploading files in Turn In or Repository, resources can designate the same file type for multiple files at once.
  • Steps 3 & 4 (Invoices & Services) in Turn In have been combined into one step to simplify the turn-in process.
  • New Service and Copy Services To have been moved from Witness level options on an invoice in Turn In to Invoice level options, so all service item selections (New Service, Copy Services To, and Prefill Services) are in one drop-down menu.
• Improved shipping experience 
  • You can have multiple FedEx/UPS accounts that share the same certifications but have different label templates and shipping instructions.
  • When creating FedEx/UPS labels with Other as the Send To type, you can look up recipients in the Contacts database.
• Save & New speeds up invoice creation in Turn In 

  When setting:

  • Billing rates
  • Pay rates
  • Rush types

  in Turn In, you can use Save & New to continuously add rates without leaving the Set Rates/Types panel.

• Update payment types on unposted invoices 

  You can now change the payment type (except for retainers) on unposted payments.

• QuickBooks Integrator improvements 
  • The date range for searches of invoices, checks, payments, and credit/journal entries in QuickBooks Integrator has been expanded from 1 day at a time to up to 1 week at a time.
  • The suffix “CM” has been added to invoice numbers in QuickBooks Integrator to make it easy to see which credit memo is for which invoice when importing credit memos.
• Monitor your repository usage 

  You can now look up your current Repository usage in gigabytes and number of files under General > License Info in System Preferences.

Plus

• When sending a Resource Blast, you can leave the Miles within Job Location field blank when the job location is Online Meeting.
• Resource Type filter added to Send Assignment Notifications/Cancellations search criteria.
• You can now search for resources by zip code.
• You have the option in System Preferences to include both the client’s phone number & fax number on printed invoices and statements.
• Insurance Billing Reports now include a Grand Total page at the end of the report.

Top features

• Customize results grids to work better for you   

  Easier-to-read darker text

  Changed font color for data displayed in RB9 to true black for improved visibility.

  New user-level grid customization

  • Removed Rearrange Grid Columns option, the system-wide fixed columns feature in results grids. Changed to user-set sticky columns for improved performance.

  • Users can customize grids in some functions. If a grid’s layout is customizable, it has a button in the bottom right corner. (The button also has the same export options as other grids where the button is displayed). In customizable grids, you can:

    • Set sticky columns on the left of the grid that do not disappear when scrolling a long grid.
    • Rearrange columns.
    • Choose which column is the default to sort results by.
    • Show/hide columns.
    • Resize column widths.
    • Save your customized grid layout.
    • Restore default layout.

    Results grids you can customize:

    • Jobs (List View)
    • Tasks
    • Quick Assignments
    • Daily Calendar Audit
    • Tasks in Progress
    • Tracking
    • Repository
    • Invoice Inquiry
    • Firms
    • Contacts
    • Resources

  Group Tasks in Progress by more parameters

  By default, Tasks in Progress results are grouped by resource. Now you can add additional grouping categories to the results, remove any grouping category, and re-arrange grouping order. For example, if you add grouping by case to grouping by resource, tasks will be grouped by resource and subdivided under each resource into tasks related to cases they are assigned to. If you switch the order, tasks will be grouped by case and subdivided by each resource working on the case. You can save your personal grouping parameters to use again.

  Not in IE11

  Grid customizations are on the personal level and will not affect other users of your RB9 system. (Note you cannot save customized grids in IE11.)

• Better reports   

  In all report functions that produce static reports:

  • You can search for a specific word within a report.

  • The report’s footer shows which search criteria were used to generate the particular report.

    For example, if you have entered dates in search criteria, the date type and date range will appear.

    Search criteria that are not displayed:

    • Blank search fields
    • ALL selection in a dropdown
    • Grouping and sorting
    • Selected resource or contact in a report generated for that resource/contact
    • Selected BU, if the report is for giving to a resource or contact

    If you select two or more items in a dropdown, the report will display that as "(multiple values selected)." Search criteria information appears on reports only, not invoices and statements.

• Update a party’s info to all case-related jobs at once   

  Added Update to all linked jobs feature to Party panel in Cases. When a party’s information changes or they request additional services, corresponding information will be updated to any existing jobs on the case they are party to.

• Improvements in handling jobs   

  • Resources can check in at job locations

    New feature in RB Connect and RB Connect Mobile give resources the option to check in at job locations. When a resource clicks Check In, the date and time are recorded in the Task pane of the job in the resource’s RB Connect and RB Connect Mobile, and the Task panel of the job in your RB9. The Check In button only works the day of the job.

    If you don’t have RB Connect or RB Connect Mobile, you can manually enter the check in date and time in RB9.

  • Add multiple tasks to a job at once

    When entering new job tasks, you select tasks from a list to add to the job. You can also assign a reporter to those tasks at the same time.

  • New job location type: Online Meeting

    Added “Online Meeting” to Location Type in jobs. When you select “Online Meeting” as the Location Type, the Location field recognizes a URL address.

  • Enter Send To email addresses on the fly

    Changed to be able to directly enter Send To email address when Send To email field is blank.

  • Delete automatically attached files before sending emails

    Added ability to delete system created attachments from email composer. For example, iCalendar file attached to Send Job Confirmation can be deleted from the email composer.

  • Resend Assignment Notifications

    You can send Assignment Notifications to the same resource for the same task multiple times under the Task panel’s More options.

• Tasks that don’t require turn-in can be hidden from task reports   

  Some parts to a job that require separate resources, such as a conference room or catering, don’t need a turn-in deadline. You can designate these kinds of tasks as “No Turn-in.” “No Turn-in” tasks will not appear in your Tasks in Progress or Send Overdue Tasks Report results, nor will they appear in assigned resources’ RB Connect and RB Connect Mobile Tasks in Progress or Turn In (RB Connect only) lists.

• Send contacts their statements by their preferred method   

  You can now include contacts’ preferred method of receiving statements (email, print, or don’t send) in their listings, and RB9 will follow that preference when sending statements to individual contacts using the Send Statements function. (Consolidated statements sent to firms will still use the firms’ preferred method.)

• New function in RB Connect for clients and resources   

  Contact side changes

  Resource side changes

  When users log into RB Connect, they are greeted by the new Dashboard. In addition to announcements from your company, the Dashboard displays and gives users access to these top functions:

  • Contact side: Top 10 Upcoming Scheduled Jobs, Top 10 Jobs with Recently Uploaded Files, and Total Accounts Payable.
  • Resource side: Top 10 Upcoming Jobs, Top 10 Overdue Tasks, and Total Receivables.

  Users can resize and rearrange the layout of the different panes in the Dashboard window, then save their personalized layout.

  RB Connect in IE11 and RB Connect Mobile do not have Dashboards; users will see Announcements only. RB Connect Mobile screens are too small for viewing multiple panes; and the IE11 browser does not support the Dashboard feature.

• RB Connect Turn In wizard includes onscreen instructions 

  Resources no longer have to look up information in their user guides (or ask you) when turning in jobs online. The Turn In wizard now includes simple onscreen instructions for the most common questions that arise when turning in jobs through RB Connect.

• Less confusing calendars in RB Connect & RB Connect Mobile 
  • On the Contact side, Jobs has been renamed Calendar to avoid confusion.
  • On the Resource side, the Task Cancelled field label is hidden unless the task is actually canceled, so resources don’t see the words “task cancelled” when the task is not canceled.
• New Connect options for resources   

  You can set RB Connect preferences to:

  • Allow resources to see the COD status of firms in RB Connect.
  • Alert designated staff when resources enter new firms or contacts during Turn In.
• Continuously add new headers and messages to invoices 

  Added Save and New feature to be able to apply different invoice headers and messages without leaving the Set Invoice Headers or Set Invoice Messages panel in Turn In.

More update features

• Support for IE11 ending December 31, 2021 

  Due to lack of support in IE11 for some features in RB9/RB Connect and its planned obsolescence by Microsoft in 2021, we will no longer develop for IE11 and will not guarantee RB9/RB Connect will work in IE11 after December 31, 2021. Updates in 2021 will likely continue to include features not supported by IE11, so we recommend switching browsers as soon as possible.

• Longer file names allowed in repositories 

  The maximum file name length when uploading to RB9 repositories has been extended from 128 to 256.

• More information in results grids 
  • In Jobs (List View), added Status Changed column to the main grid. It displays the last changed date of the Job Status.
  • In Tasks, added Witness column to the grid.
  • In Send Assignment Notifications/Cancellations, added Start Time column to the grid.
  • In Receivable Transaction Inquiry, added Created By, Created columns to the grid.
• More search filters 
  • Added Contact No. filter to Search By in Lookup Firm and Lookup Contact.
  • Added Job Date From ~ To and Job Status filters to Search By in Cases.
  • Added Mobile Phone filter to Search By in Resources.
• Search calendars by job party, instead of ordering party 

  Added job party as a search option in both List View and Monthly Calendars. You can now find jobs by ordering party or another job party.

• Send cancellation notices when jobs are rescheduled 

  When rescheduling a job, RB9 will automatically ask if you want to send a Job Cancellation notice to the job’s ordering party.

  If a resource is assigned to the job, RB9 will also ask if you want to send an Assignment Cancellation notification.

• View Service Group & Service Subgroup subtotals in interactive reports 

  Expanded views of interactive Client Analysis, Resource Analysis, and Business Analysis reports display subtotals for Service Groups and Service Subgroups. Subtotal rows have bold headers and gray backgrounds to make them easier to differentiate from service item rows.

• More data fields in Resource Blast 

  In addition to essential job information like Job Date, you can now include the case name (caption or full), case number, and witness name in emergency texts sent to alert resources to a posssible new assignment.

• Bulk update invoice & statement sending methods 

  With the new option for sending statements to contacts, you can bulk update all or some contacts’ preferred methods to receive invoices and statements. Plus you can bulk update firm preferences for receiving consolidated statements.

• Prefill services from recent turn-ins expanded 

  Now you can choose from the 50 most recent turn-ins on Prefill Orders & Services screen in Turn In.

Plus

• Job date appears in Subject line of turn-in notification messages in Notifications & Messages.
• Billing sheets from online turn-in by resources include a COD field that is automatically marked for clients who are COD in your RB9 database.
• Notation column appears on Job Printouts.
• Print or email an invoice from the View Invoice screen in Invoice Inquiry.
• Fixed browser timeout problem when exporting a large amount of data using Export with Invoices from Aged A/R function.
• View Case Warning directly from Turn In screen.

Compliance

Print 1099-NEC forms from RB9

We don’t normally post sub-updates here, but due to the deadline for filing the new IRS 1099-NEC form, we are announcing this update which makes RB9 compatible with these forms.

The 1099-NEC form replaces the 1099-MISC form for payments to independent contractors starting with 2020 returns. The deadline for submitting these forms to the IRS and to your independent contractors is February 1, 2021.