Collaborati Questions from Law firms/Vendor Users

Q1) How many of the fields in the timekeeper details are mandated?  There are some that are confidential and limited to HR, unless the timekeeper is asked to release the info.
By default, none of the additional Timekeeper fields added in the Collaborati 4.4 release are required (Practice Area; JD / Bar Year; Gender; Race; LGBTQ; Veteran; Disability). 

Q2) Just to confirm, if we populate a Timekeeper’s diversity information, will it be visible to all Clients that the Timekeeper is Authorized to bill in Collaborati?
Yes, the data populated on the Timekeeper Profile record is shared with all associated Clients, and this includes the new Timekeeper diversity fields.

Q3) Will using the new Timekeeper with Rate Bulk Upload process create multiple rate requests if there are new timekeepers submitted as well as existing timekeepers submitted with a rate for approval?
Each new Timekeeper submitted for authorization with a Rate will have an associated rate request created per Client and Firm Office. For multiple existing timekeepers in Collaborati that have already been authorized to bill a Client from a Firm Office(s), a single rate request is created similar to the existing bulk file upload process: “Upload Timekeeper Rate Requests”. 

Q4) How long does the rate approval time take between time & date of submission and the client's approval?
Many factors contribute to how quickly or slowly the process may take from initial submission to final authorization. The overall goal of the Collaborati 4.4 release was to decrease the time this process takes. Mitratech is currently working on additional eBilling features for both Collaborati Firms and Clients that focus on the same goal of reducing the time it takes from submission to approval for Timekeepers and Timekeeper rates. 

Q5) Can a US Firm Office submit an invoice on behalf of a non-US Office manually, leveraging VAT tax code to enter the related tax amount, or does the US firm have to add the foreign office in its profile?
Collaborati supports multi-office Firm accounts that allow Timekeepers to bill a Client on behalf of one or more Firm Offices the Timekeeper has been authorized. A manual invoice can be created with Non-US taxes, like VAT, for Clients that have enabled VAT. 

Q6) Do we have to re-submit Timekeepers or will the existing Timekeepers and their current Authorized statuses for Clients remain?
No, you will not need to resubmit timekeepers. The Collaborait 4.4 release will not impact the status of existing timekeepers in Collaborati.  

Q7) Has the Timekeeper file changed at all please?
Yes, the Timekeeper file now has additional columns for the new fields added in this release (Practice Area; JD / Bar Year; Gender; Race; LGBTQ; Veteran; Disability). 

Q8)  I need to upload a large subset of timekeepers, which include new timekeepers as well existing timekeepers in Collaborait. If I want to upload all the timekeepers in a single file even though some already exist in Collaborati, will it be rejected?
No, there is an option to select “Overwrite existing timekeeper profiles” on the first step of the bulk file upload process. You can even review the list of timekeepers on the last step of the process, and it will identify the new timekeeper records that will be created or if it is an existing timekeeper record.

Q9) Is Collaborati working on a process where multiple individual Ledes can be uploaded at once (not a single Ledes with multiple invoices in it)?
No, this is not a feature on the current eBilling roadmap for 2022. One of the ways we gather feedback for feature and enhancement requests in Collaborati, is through the eBilling Idea Portal. Clients and Firms can submit feature requests as well as review feature requests from other users. Users can add comments and vote on features they feel should be prioritized. 

Q10) I may have missed this and I apologize, I am on the client side where a firm sends us timekeepers for our approval and then their rates for approval.  Is this going to change to be all one process?
Yes, Changes to simplify the Timekeeper with Rates approval process on the client side are currently in progress to be part of a future release for TeamConnect with CSM. This Webinar provided an overview of features in Collaborati 4.4 (Release Feb. 27th 2022), which provides Collaborati Firms the ability to submit both Timekeepers and Timekeeper Rates in a single process. 

Q11) You submitted rates in different currencies for different offices in one submission. Can we submit rates in multiple currencies in the same batch/submission for the same office? For example, for timekeepers authorized to bill for the London Firm Office, can there be rates in GBP, EUR, and USD?
A Collaborait timekeeper can have a different rate currency per Client, per Office. A single rate request with Timekeeper authorized by Client Acme Inc. for the London Office Firm could have three different currencies for three different timekeepers. For example Jane Smith in EUR, Albert Jones in GBP, and Mary Stewart in USD. 

Q12) We use a “Time and Billing” product at our firm to generate our billing. How would I import the billing entries from our “Time and Billing” product to Collaborati? 
Users can upload a LEDES file to Collaborati, which is compatible with the following formats: LEDES 1998B, LEDES98BIv2, LEDES 2000, LEDES XML 2.0, and LEDES XML 2.1. 

Q13) For clarification on the new timekeeper and rate entry,  would we have to get approval from our client before entering the information in Collaborati for approval there? or does everything take place in Collaborati?
Collaborati has the features and functionality for everything to take place in the systems. A Firm can create and submit Timekeepers with Timekeeper Rates and the Client can review those submissions and either Approve or Reject them. If rejected, the Firm can resubmit if necessary. Some clients may have specific requirements that need an initial approval outside the system before the Client will approve a Timekeeper with Timekeeper Rates. 

Q14) How do we know if the client has the Rate Collaboration feature enabled?
Firms Admins can go to the Client profile in Collaborati and navigate to the “Settings” page. The Client Settings page will show the setting “Rate Collaboration” with a value next to it that shows with “On” or “Off.”

Q15) Did the process for submitting rate increases for existing timekeepers change? 
No, the process for ongoing rate requests submissions for existing timekeepers did not change in the Collaborati 4.4 release. 

Q16) Where do we locate the file templates for uploading timekeepers and rates?
The Timekeeper template is a link on the first page for the process “Upload Timekeepers” and “Upload TImekeeper with Rates.” The Rate template did not change and can be found on the first page of the “Upload Timekeeper Rate Request” process.