RTG Bills Version 2.10 includes several new features and fixes minor problems with previous releases. (Released June 10, 2003.)

• Changes in this version
• How to get RTG Bills

1. Client Reminders
   When a client has one or more overdue matters, you can send a Client Reminder, which shows all of the client's matters and how much is due. You can choose the number of days the balance must be overdue in order to generate a Client Reminder.
   
   
2. Areas Of Practice
   Each matter can be assigned an area of practice. New reports include Areas of Practice, Matters by Area, and Fee Summary by Area.
   
   The Fee Summary by Area shows the hours worked, hours billed, and fees billed for each area of practice, over any specified range of dates.
   
   In addition, RTG Reports now includes a new report, Fees Billed and Collected by Area of Practice. For each area of practice, it shows the fees billed, fees collected, and fee adjustments, for any range of dates.
   
   
3. Non-Standard Rates
   When you are entering a fee transaction, click the button next to the Hourly Rate to enter a non-standard rate. A No Charge button makes it easy to change the rate to zero, so the client will see the hours you spent but not be charged for the work. Or you can choose from a list of your rates, taken from the other rate tables that you have created.
   
   This feature is available in both RTG Bills and RTG Timer.
   
   
4. Rounding Hours
   You can round hours up to the next tenth of an hour. Previously the hours were always rounded off to the nearest hundredth of an hour. You choose a standard setting for all matters and then you can override that setting for individual matters.
   
   In RTG Bills, the hours are rounded up (if you've chosen that setting for the matter) when you save a fee transaction. However, in RTG Timer, you may go back to a transaction several times, adding time with the stopwatch, and no rounding up will occur. Rounding up takes place when you release the transaction to RTG Bills.
   
   
5. Release Items By Matter
   RTG Timer can now release fees and expenses for a single matter or a range of matter numbers. As before, you can specify a cutoff date as well.
   
   
6. Unapplied Payments
   Previously, when a payment was received that paid the balance due in full, some reports continued to show unapplied payments and a balance due until a bill was printed that included the payment. This was true of Matter Aging, Matter Status, and Matter Balances.
   
   We've changed the reports to apply the payments to reduce the balance that is shown on the report. You'll only see an unapplied payment amount if the payments exceed the balance due.
   
   Internally, RTG Bills still works as it always has. A payment is not applied to the balance due for a matter until the payment appears on a bill. That's because you are free to edit the payment transaction and change the amount - until the payment is printed on a bill. (After that, you can only make a change by canceling the bill.)
   
   
7. Find Text In Viewer
   When you are viewing bills or reports, you can search for text by clicking the new Find button. If the text is found, the page is displayed with the location of the text underlined. You can go to the next occurrence of the same text with the Find Next button.
   
   
8. Matter Number On Bills
   Previously, the matter number appeared in two places on the first page of the bill: under the date at the right margin, and before the matter name at the left margin. The bill formatter allowed you to remove the matter number, but that affected both locations.
   
   Now you can remove the matter number under the date, if you wish, and still have it appear above the matter name. We expect most people to choose this option.
   
   However, if you print your bills on paper that has a perforated stub along the top, you should print the matter number below the date. When the client returns their payment with the stub, you'll see the matter number on the stub so you can enter the payment without looking it up.
   
   
9. Export To RTG Timer
   Previously, when you exported clients, matters, timekeepers, and codes from RTG Bills, several different files were created. That was not a problem if you were exporting the files to a removable disk, but if you wanted to email them to an RTG Timer user, it required attaching each of the files to an email message. Now all the information is included in a single file, totimer.xfr, so it is easier to send the data as an email attachment.
   
   
10. Import From Microsoft Outlook Or Address Book
    RTG Bills can import client information from Microsoft Outlook or the Windows Address Book. (The Address Book is used by Outlook Express for contacts). If you change an address, say, for one of your contacts, you don't have to repeat that change in RTG Bills.
    
    To relate clients to contacts, you put the client number in the Account field for Outlook or the Department field for the Address Book. Then RTG Bills can read the contacts and, for any that have a client number, it updates the client information in RTG Bills.
    
    We know that this feature will not be useful for everyone, so we have not included it in the installation file for RTG Bills and RTG Timer. However, it is available as a free upgrade on our Web site.
    
    
11. RTG Timer Shows Elapsed Time
    When the stopwatch is on, the elapsed time is shown in the title bar of RTG Timer. As a result, you will see the elapsed time on the Windows taskbar, even when RTG Timer is minimized.

• If you haven't purchased RTG Bills...
  You'll find complete ordering information on the Orders page. Just follow the link or click Orders at the bottom of any page.
  
  
• If you have RTG Bills Version 2...
  You can order RTG Bills and RTG Timer for a reduced price. Click here to order.