00:01: Hi, everyone, and welcome in this video, I'll provide an overview of Consolidated
00:07: billing in CARET legal, and show you how it can simplify the way you send invoices
00:12: to your clients.
00:14:
00:15: Instead of sending multiple invoices for different matters, Consolidated Billing
00:20: allows you to combine everything into a single, easy-to-read document.
00:25: Let's start with what Consolidated Billing does.
00:29: Carrot Legal's Consolidated Billing feature allows you to send one invoice that
00:35: includes all matters for a client, instead
00:39: of sending separate invoices for each matter.
00:44: This means fewer emails,
00:47: a cleaner presentation for your client, and
00:50: better visibility into how each matter is being built all in one place.
01:01: For this feature to work,
01:03: you'll first need to make sure the client's contact record is set up correctly.
01:08: correctly.
01:09: To do that, click on the contacts icon in the navigation bar and
01:17: find the contact you want to update.
01:25: Once you've located the contact, click the three-dot menu on the right-hand side and
01:31: select View Edit or simple click on the contact name.
01:36: This will open the contact record where you can update the information if needed.
01:42: Next click on the Billing tab within
01:46: the contact record.
01:47: Here you'll see an option labeled Consolidating
01:51: Invoices.
01:52: Go ahead and toggle this option to the right to enable it.
01:57: Once this setting is turned on, Carrot Legal will automatically consolidate invoices
02:02: for that client.
02:04: What that means is that each matter with that contact designated as primary client
02:12: will have its own individual invoice, but they will all be combined into a single
02:19: PDF document when sent to the client.
02:23: This makes it easier for the client to review their charges while still giving them
02:28: a clear breakdown by matter.
02:32: Click Update to save your changes.
02:35: Now let's talk about how to generate consolidated invoices.
02:40: There are two ways this can happen.
02:43: Let's return to the Accounting page and Invoices and Payments tab.
02:48: Click the plus sign on the right side of the green bar and select Invoice and Build
02:54: Activities.
02:56: In the Generate Invoice screen, first you can generate an invoice for a specific
03:01: client who has consolidated billing enabled.
03:10: When you do this, Carrot Legal will automatically include all matters for that
03:15: client that have new unbilled activity and combine them into one document.
03:22: The second way is through batch billing.
03:27: Also remove all the filters.
03:29: When you generate invoices in batch, Carrot Legal will automatically detect matters
03:34: with new unbilled activity.
03:37: If some of those matters belong to clients who have consolidated billing enabled,
03:42: the system will include a consolidated invoice for those clients as part of the
03:47: batch.
03:48: So the process is seamless whether you're billing individually or in bulk.
03:57: click on Back to All Invoices to return to the Accounting page and the Invoices and
04:03: Payments tab.
04:07: Once invoices are generated, you can easily identify consolidated invoices.
04:12: In the Matter column, you'll see the invoice is labeled Consolidated.
04:18: My new invoices are generated in the draft status.
04:23: Let's preview this consolidated invoice by clicking on the invoice number.
04:29: In the Invoice Preview screen, each matter is listed in the green bar and we see the
04:35: list of billable activities under the bars.
04:39: Click the Print icon to open it in PDF format.
04:44: Again, each matter is listed with their billable items and
04:50: their subtotals.
04:57: At the end,
04:59: the consolidated invoice lists the total for all these listed matters.
05:04: If you want to view all consolidated invoices for a specific client,
05:11: you can use the Advanced search filter and enter the client's name.
05:29: This will help you quickly locate and review those invoices.
05:34: And that's it! That's your review of consolidated billing in Carrot Legal.
05:40: By enabling this feature, you can streamline your billing process,
05:45: reduce the number of emails you send, and provide your clients with a more organized
05:50: and professional invoicing experience.
05:59: Thanks for watching and be sure to check out our other training videos for more tips
06:05: on getting the most out of CARET legal.