la la hmmmm – oops I meant "10 Lords a Leaping”. I love the holidays! People are singing, everyone smiles as we pass each other in the hall. Gifts are going out and coming in. We share, socialize and for the most part seem to really enjoy each day. There is, however, that group of people, trying hard not to stand up and say “bah humbug!” as people mingle near their desk, laughing and talking about the great gift they found for someone. The elite department in Accounting known as BILLING are surely the unsung heroes of December.
This special group has to do 4 weeks of work in 7 to 10 days. Early billing demands, new billing guidelines to be used only for this special month. Is the client ebilled, did they request their invoices be emailed in PDF or maybe a secure Word doc, this time only? Client demands during this time of year sometimes only get to the Billing Department hours before the invoice is due. I say stand up and applaud these valiant folks who work 24/7 during the holidays to keep the bills going out and the money coming in. Anyone that can get this done without putting on the Grinch suit and taking all the gifts from under the tree deserves a shout out!
In honor of this group and the people they rely on to give them the tools they need to keep up with ever changing technology and demands of clients I make the following predictions for 2014.
- Ebilling tools will become more efficient, user friendly and affordable.
- Paperless proformas start becoming a law firm must have.
- Communications with the client via better collaboration between Finance and Marketing aiding the attorney in negotiating a better way to present financial information.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL
Vicki