http://blog.logbook.biz online time billing en-us hourly 1 Copyright 2012 - Log Book A Custom PHP Script http://blog.logbook.biz/management-vacuum--step-up-to-the-plate-and-fill-the-gap.shtml Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 +1000 Some bosses assume blissfully that because you spend more than 40 hours a week in the workplace you can therefore read their mind. Even their spouse can't do that. So why should you? Here have some good reasons why:<br /> <br /> Let's face it: If you know something is amiss and you do nothing about it because-it-is-not-your-job kind of attitude, guess what? You will be blamed for it anyway for falling asleep at the wheel. Why not be pro-active and fill-in the gap. Better to be sacked for doing something right than for doing something wrong...<br /> <br /> Some job advertisements talk about having a team player attitude, being well connected with your peers, etc... you could be forgiven for thinking they are recruiting for the national football league!<br /> <br /> For those of us who are expected to be team players and will never be seen on TV the challenge is to lead by example. Worse you may come up with a good idea and some sneaky individual will suck-up to the boss and get the credit for it.<br /> <br /> There is a sense where you cannot rise above your leadership. But in the long run those who go the extra mile will be rewarded for their efforts. There is a law at work here. "Do onto others as you would like it done to you." If you are consistently on the lookout for feasible improvements in your work environment - over time you will be noticed and rewarded for it.<br /> <br /> The major obstacle is understanding the power play at work. If people around you feel that you are seeking a promotion at their expense they will fight you instead of supporting you. Playing office politics well is having support from the shop floor.<br /> <br /> Just stand in the gap for somebody who is lagging behind. Or offer to swap your easy task with a more difficult one for someone who has to go home early to look after a sick child. There are scores of things you can to in secret and one day be rewarded openly by someone whose job is to know what's going on (the boss).<br /> <br /> What sort of timeframe do you give yourself to breakthrough? It might take as long as one or two years for your positive impact to be felt in the place. But it will be well worth it.<br /> <br /> Productivity and transparency are issues at the forefront of any management's mind. http://blog.logbook.biz/eating-and-socialising-at-work--what-was-lost-when-we-axed-the-canteen.shtml Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 +1000 What do you come to work for? Sounds like a stupid question for some; but look at it more closely: Do you come to make friends? Do you come to learn new skills? Do you come to contribute to a cause you strongly believe in? Do you come to make your mark in society? Do you come to make some money?<br /> <br /> The sad state of affairs is that a vast majority of us only care about the last question. If that's the only reason you come to work then your life will be a misery.<br /> <br /> The reason why people see work as drudgery is because of their poor connections. When you consider over the year the time you spent at work as opposed to the time you spent with your family, you would think it would result in a buoyant network of interaction with the crowd you rub shoulders with in your workplace.<br /> <br /> People open up when they share a meal together. They disengage from the current battle and move to lateral thinking. They are curious to know who is the person down the aisle. In return they crave for being known for who they really are.<br /> <br /> Today people are resigned to eating at their desk - dropping a few crumbs between the keys of the keyboard while searching strangers in social media.<br /> <br /> The rollout of the continuous workday has ushered the age of the high-tech zombie - the epitome of the 21st century worker devoid of any meaningful interaction with peers.<br /> <br /> To rub salt into the wound employers issue procedures manuals to stress the point that your opinion does not count. Your creativity and your ability to solve problems around you are dismissed.<br /> <br /> You are being reduced to being a cog in somebody else's money making machine. Profit is paramount. The social benefits of pulling together in a worthwhile enterprise are of no significance.<br /> <br /> This bias at cutting corners, not taking the effort to do things with respect and dignity is resulting in many workers falling to depression or turning to sex, drugs or alcohol to escape from their nightmare.<br /> <br /> Next time you take your lunch break, invite someone you don't know well to come with you. Make the effort to build bridges. Be a social connector. See the people around you as uniquely gifted individuals on the way to reaching their full potential. Be attentive to their aspirations. People naturally gravitate towards their areas of interest and expertise. http://blog.logbook.biz/justifying-your-hours-and-labour-rate.shtml Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 +1000 Understanding who does what and where, is the key to run any parts and labour business successfully. Here comes the internet and the incredible connectivity it brings.<br /> <br /> There is no longer any excuse for not accounting where your people are located, what they did and how long they spent to complete the task.<br /> <br /> Some companies feel they are obliged to charge the same rates in their industry no matter who executed the task. Customers also have some idea as to how long it should take to do a given job. So why bother to account for everything you may ask?<br /> <br /> The issue is that unless you have some history of where the company hours have disappeared, you will never find out what is profitable and what is not. Furthermore in a competitive world the last thing you want is to be drawn into a competition war where people undercut one another to gain a market advantage. This game of bluff will kill all participants until the biggest loser is found.<br /> <br /> You need to differentiate what your business does, how it does it and create value for the customer. Once the benefits are clearly spelled out, a fair price is your reward.<br /> <br /> Have you ever realised that your invoice might turn out to be your best piece of marketing for repeat business?<br /> <br /> What about if customers could access online and check the progress of a job in terms of billable hours? Is it better to work at the client's premises to pacify a nosy customer or in your office where you can allocate junior staff and train them at the same time?<br /> <br /> So we have 3 players here: the company manager, the employees and the customers who are no longer kept in the dark... All these people can enter the same online system with different access levels to see only what they ought to see or type the time spent as soon as a task is done - even away from the office just using a smartphone! http://blog.logbook.biz/negotiating-the-right-price-for-work-in-progress.shtml Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000 How to make sure your client does not fall off their chair when they get your invoice? If the work you do for a client is still in progress then how can you figure out a price for it?<br /> <br /> Instead of giving customers bad surprises why not be transparent with them? Online cloud computing allows clients to monitor the progress of a job while you have a command dashboard of who does what and where.<br /> <br /> The key process is to allow customers to see how much time your staff is spending on their account and keep the ability to tweak hourly rates at invoice time to match what is a fair and equitable price.<br /> <br /> Some vendors pick an hourly rate out of the air which is supposed to absorb travel costs, training on the job, suppliers' delays and so on.<br /> <br /> Customers are left on their own wondering how soon they could afford a holiday home if they could charge such rates themselves...<br /> <br /> Remote access has opened the way to doing multi-tasking. It is now a luxury having your employees tied-up onsite at a customer's premises twiddling their thumbs because some key information (network passwords ?) is not forthcoming or a supplier is late in delivering a piece of equipment.<br /> <br /> Not being in control of your project means you have relinquished the ability to turn out a decent profit or worse still, end up with a loss.<br /> <br /> The ability to juggle as many projects in-house as possible gives you the chance to match the right employee for each task, foster teamwork, enforce backup procedures and do on the job training. You send someone onsite only to deliver and commission a system or to take the brief for a new job.<br /> <br /> The clincher is that you can now call the customer on the phone and discuss the timesheets online. You can tweak various items and get the client's endorsement. When the invoice hits their inbox, they already know what's in it and have no reason to drag their feet for payment.<br /> <br /> Employees give you 40 hours of their lives each week. It is your prerogative to use that precious and expensive commodity to the best interest of your business. Where that time has gone in practice is impossible to know unless it is being recorded at the source. That's where an online system comes into its own because people can update it whenever and wherever they can access the net.<br /><br /><u>Clive Rich commented:</u><br />Making sure you dont give customers any nasty surprises in their invoices is a good way of retaining a deal with them. "Disclosing" is often a good way to build customer reassurance in a deal, so sharing on-line information about your time spent is a good idea. http://blog.logbook.biz/customer-relations--prevention-is-better-than-cure.shtml Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000 What does it take to be proactive in customer relations? Do not wait for unease to settle in. Make yourself accountable to your customers.<br /> <br /> Ever wondered why some customers go quiet when it is time to pay their bill? Does your invoice reflect a true account of services performed and goods supplied?<br /> <br /> It is better to be straightforward in documenting the work you perform for somebody. Failure to do so will not invite trust or loyalty. If you consider how much it costs to acquire a new customer as opposed to maintaining an existing one with repeat business you will be amazed at the difference.<br /> <br /> Yet it is the little details that can invite ill-feelings. Some service business feel like it is a tight rope exercise to itemize time spent on a job and then disclose an hourly rate.<br /> <br /> Customers are entitled to know who performed a task for them and how long it took that person. Why not provide that information readily on a website where they can log in and keep in touch with the progress of their project before falling off their chair when they receive the bill a month later?<br /> <br /> The old anecdote is this: A woman calls a repairman to fix her washing machine. The tradesman spends 5 minutes, taps with the hammer, gets the appliance back in working order and displays a bill for $150. The customer stunned, retorts: "All you did was tap with your hammer and you want $150 for that?" the man undeterred rewrites his bill: "tapping with the hammer $5, knowing where to tap $145."<br /> <br /> Different hourly rates are used to differentiate between work performed by a junior staff as opposed to a senior partner of the firm. Parts can be supplied at cost or with a surcharge to cover inventory and handling. When an item relates to pure expertise or industry knowledge you may charge a set fee without disclosing the time spent. For example you could have a set price for business registration, engine tune-up and so on. All routine tasks can fit into this category. Jobs where you experience delays onsite for no fault of your own could be charged on an hourly base to document the fact your staff was tied up there, unable to do anything else.<br /> <br /> At the end of the day clients what to be able to compare and to establish they were charged a fair price. If you are tied to some inflexible system software you won't have the latitude to capture the raw data (time spent) and negotiate a fair price (invoice line override). http://blog.logbook.biz/are-people-intrinsically-productive.shtml Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +1000 How many facilitators does it take to change a lightbulb? Only one - but the lightbulb has got to really want to change...<br /> <br /> It looks like a lot of folks in the corporate world have to be taught how to live again. If you treat people like people and not like computers you get to empower them to be their best. People can only perform if you trust them and believe in them. Working with people is risky. Corporations want to avoid risk at all costs... but there is no such thing as a safe investment. Investments provide a return commensurate with your ability to take risks. That is also true with people.<br /> <br /> The safest way to be in business is to be a one person band. It is also the most limiting because you cannot delegate or leverage other people's skills.<br /> <br /> As you add more people to an enterprise you discover that the productivity of the whole is not increasing as you thought. If you take on an associate you do not double your productivity - rather you just multiply it by the square root of the number of people involved.<br /> <br /> The gap is called, red tape, administration costs, bureaucracy, unproductive layers... instead of firing emails across everybody's desktop why don't you walk down the aisle and compliment somebody on their demeanour. You think that's unproductive? Maybe you've got the wrong set of metrics. Your key performance indicators are not performing and you are the last one to find out...<br /> <br /> Just like plants need light and carbon dioxide, people need rapport and empathy. Did they teach you that when you did your MBA? How much easier is it to work with friends than enemies?<br /> <br /> Some bosses wrongly assume that because their staff spend 40+ hours a week in the next cubicle they can read their mind. But why would they have the business best interest at heart if their own interests are not met first?<br /> <br /> People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. Introducing the social balance sheet. Instead of bragging to the stock exchange about your assets and liabilities tell us about how many lives in your workforce you have turned around for the better.<br /> <br /> You are not a philanthropic organisation? As an employer you have a social responsibility towards the welfare of all those who offer you their time and expertise. It is in fact your best self-interest. Nothing has changed since the days of Dale Carnegie's book "How to win friends and influence people." Or you could quote the words of Christ: "Love your neighbour as yourself." http://blog.logbook.biz/what-to-consider-when-starting-your-own-business.shtml Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +1100 Being your own boss! What a grand idea! The moment you step out in faith into your future, opposition is sure to arise. If you don't believe in yourself no one else will. Here are some practical issues you must address before you run out of puff.<br /> <br /> Adversity can be the best motivator but going off at a tangent is a real danger too. In order not to be out of kilter you will have to juggle 3 roles: the marketer, the engineer and the accountant. Most people who venture out on their own have either the first or second bias. Rarely would a beancounter start out into business except to setup a public accounting practice of course.<br /> <br /> The questions you have to ask yourself are: Where would my customers come from? What unique product or service can I offer that would make me stand out from the crowd? How long can I last before my first sale? Do I need a second job to keep my cash flow until the business takes off?<br /> <br /> Being your own boss requires the ability to critique yourself, question the obvious and investigate alternative routes. Let us review the 3 segments you have to balance:<br /> <br /> The world is replete with great dreamers who are starving to death because nobody else caught on to the value of their dream. Unless you find customers - people who are eager to trade cash for what you offer - commercially, you do not exist. Women tend to have an advantage here because they are usually well connected through children at school, etc...Who will spread a good word for you? Will your Facebook friends turn out to be real friends or silly bystanders? Will you erect a sign by the main highway to drive a path to your door?<br /> <br /> What is unique about my product or service? If you do not have a bullet proof answer to that question you are just a me-too, competing solely on price. Do what hasn't been done before. Do something people will remember and talk about. In the fast paced western world it's all about convenience and time-savers. People don't have servants (maybe they should) but they are happy to pay for someone to mow their lawn, walk their dog, do minor repairs in the house, wash their laundry, etc... is your business proposition bound to your geographical location or can you generate business from elsewhere?<br /> <br /> Finally you are in business to make a profit. Your profit is the difference between what people pay you and what you have to spend to meet their expectations. Unless you keep a keen eye on the figures you have no way of knowing whether you are moving ahead or falling behind. Can you charge more for what you do? Can you spend less on what you have to buy? A sense of accounting will keep the dreamer's feet securely on the ground!<br /> <br /> To find an online coach to set your business goals <a target="_new" href="http://goalsetter.info/?menu=workshop">click here</a><br /> To find an online cashflow forecast and bookkeeping service <a target="_new" href="http://wiseaccounts.biz/?menu=obh">click here</a> http://blog.logbook.biz/consolidation-of-labour-items.shtml Mon, 03 May 2010 00:00:00 +1000 What causes individual timeslots to show up on their own in the client invoice?<br /><br /><u>Log Book commented:</u><br />If the comment field in the timeslot record is left blank all similar labour items will be consolidated into one line on the invoice. Otherwise that single timeslot will show up on the invoice on its own with the comment. http://blog.logbook.biz/page-break-in-pdf-invoice.shtml Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +1000 How do I force a page break in a multi-page PDF invoice?<br /><br /><u>Log Book commented:</u><br />Simple - Prefix the memo field in the task record with an @ character.