How Abtrac works
Welcome to Abtrac! Abtrac is an all-in-one management solution that helps ensure business runs smoothly.
We call Abtrac a ‘single source of truth’.
Abtrac was created to solve the problems of data inaccuracies, and the frustrations of endless spreadsheets. Abtrac ensures that everyone who needs to know what’s happening has access to real time in-depth information. There’s no surprises.
In Abtrac everything is connected. It works a bit like this:
In Abtrac, all time is assigned to a job which links to a client. The team can then use that tracked time to manage jobs and resources, track project budgets, prepare and send invoices, and report on where your business is at.
Getting started: everyday administration
This article contains a guide for administrators using Abtrac from day to day.
If you need instructions on configuring a new Abtrac account start here instead: Set up guide for administrators.
1 Managing your monthly subscription fees and payment details
Your Abtrac account is a monthly subscription, we’ll send an invoice to your nominated accounts contact on the first work day of every month.
At any time you (and anyone with access rights) can review and confirm your subscription details from the subscription details page in Abtrac here.
This is where to update the number of licensed users you pay for. This is also where you can add or update your credit card details for your monthly payment.
As per our terms of use, if you need to change your billed amount after receiving an invoice you need to first update your subscription details and then contact us within 7 days of the invoice date.
Changes you make in subscription details sync to the Abtrac licensing system, and along with your invoice this determines the amount deducted from your credit card each month.
2 Adding or removing employees, checking access rights
When you add employees to Abtrac you’ll enter their name and rates from Employee details. Then you’ll want to create a login and assign a user group which controls their permissions and access rights.
For new staff we recommend you check the set up by logging in as them and confirming what can and can’t be seen. When you’re happy set a temporary password to start with and email them the details.
You can add employees as a contact to your internal administration job if you want other staff to be able to see their contact details.
When you remove employees from Abtrac, don’t delete them just make them non-current. You can still access any data and edit current time for non-current staff. They can’t log in.
When you make an employee non-current, their license isn’t automatically removed from your subscription.
That’s because in Abtrac you pay for licensed users – not current employees. That distinction allows you to archive people who’ve left your company and add new ones without having to change your licensing every time. It also means, however, that to reduce your licensed user numbers you still need to update the subscription details page after making an employee non-current.
3 Managing timesheets, committing and editing time that has been committed
Timesheets are tricky. You’re going to have people at work who track their time fastidiously, and you’re going to have some people who don’t. From an admin perspective the best way to get people onboard is to make it as easy as possible.
This article is a good place to start for employees new to Abtrac, and this one is great for getting started with timesheets.
For admins managing time we have a few more tricks. We recommend you set a schedule in the office for when timesheets are due, and make sure you follow up on it. If timesheets are due by Friday afternoon, someone needs to check and provide a reminder when people forget.
Using the timesheet complete button, and committing timesheets weekly is also good practice. If you or your staff clone timesheets, follow these tips to keep your data tidy.
Use system settings where possible to keep things consistent, set up your rules for required fields and let the team know what’s expected.
If you need to amend or edit time entries the bulk edit timesheets report is a good place to start.
4 Managing projects, cloning projects, transferring projects, non-current
Understanding the difference between current, billable and non-billable projects will help keep your reports and time tracking in Abtrac consistent. Reviewing your settings for required fields for projects and tracking time on projects is a good idea too.
If you manage proposals in Abtrac follow these steps. You can also check your settings from here if your work often includes taking pre-payments and deposits.
If you need to reassign time or invoice lines assigned to a project you can do so with the edit invoice line screen, or from bulk edit timesheets. You can bill multiple projects to one client and invoice by following these steps.
You can transfer a job from one client to another by following the steps here. When making a billable project non-current ensure all the team know what to do with any unbilled time.
5 Managing non-billable and admin time
We recommend you set up a Client in Abtrac with your own company name, and track all administration, training and leave time as Abtrac projects.
In this same Client record you can also add staff contact details, notes and comments that all the team with appropriate permissions are able to see.
6 Managing WIP, Invoicing, Assigning time and linking to your accounts
In Abtrac any time logged for billable projects is flagged as work in progress (WIP). This time will remain as outstanding WIP until it is assigned to an invoice, regardless of whether the job is current or not. All WIP can be viewed from the Manage WIP screen.
You can assign time to an invoice automatically, or manually. There are system rules that determine reporting around time assigned. There are also rules around writing off time.
You can view time assigned from a number of performance reports. Any timesheet lines assigned to an invoice cannot be edited (unless they are unassigned), you can view locked timesheet lines and the invoice they are linked to from bulk edit timesheets.
Committed invoices in Abtrac can be shared with your accounts.
Abtrac KB# 2187