The roadmap for Abtrac 23/24 is here. We would like to say a big thank you to all our clients who have helped us formulate our product planning, especially those who offer up their time and input. We’re always happy to receive suggestions on improvements and for new features you want to see in Abtrac.
This isn’t a definitive list, more an update on some of the key features we’re working on. We thought it was a good time to share what’s been happening behind the scenes.
Here are our plans for the short – mid term future development of the software: 2023 – 2024: more support, new innovations, increased connections.
Better support for everyone using Abtrac.
Coming soon:
New support website.
We’ve been working for a while on a new help centre and knowledgebase. This new platform includes more articles, more videos, a more intuitive layout, and a powerful search feature to help you find answers to your questions quickly.
Next:
Later on in the year we’ll rolling out additional features for the help centre, including more community focused features like voting on articles and product ideas, connecting with other Abtrac users, and chat with the support team.
Later:
AI Bots for support. Actually we’re already working on chat bots within Abtrac for simple support questions. Our intention isn’t to replace our real, local support teams. We will use AI support to supplement the real people who help answer your questions, who provide training and consulting. Stage one of the Abtrac AI journey is to provide round the clock support for everyday queries.
Innovations and initiatives: Inside Abtrac.
We’re continually scaling up tech behind the scenes to ensure Abtrac remains stable and up to date, but in 2023-2024 there are also some exciting things up front.
Coming Soon:
Detailed Proposal documents in Abtrac have been a focus for a while. We’re currently working on creating proposals that are customisable for specific jobs. Version two of this project is now live, thanks to all those Abtrac users who are helping shape this work. There’ll be more updates on this features coming soon.
Next:
A mobile app for timesheets. Abtrac works on any internet browsing device and you can currently enter timesheets in mobile view, but last year we felt that the technology was now available to develop a timesheets app for Abtrac – without loosing any of the functionality available to desktop users. Our timesheets only mobile app will be available to Android and iOS users in 2023.
Later:
A revamp for Work Scheduling and Planning. We’ll be updating the way you use and view scheduling in Abtrac, rolling out a more modern interface whilst keeping the integrity of your planning and project budeget information intact.
Innovations and initiatives: Abtrac connections.
As you all know we release regular technology updates to Abtrac, keeping it in sync with our major partners such as Microsoft, various accounting packages, CRMs, other 3rd party systems, and of course Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and other browsers.
Coming Soon:
Our current API is getting an upgrade. We’ll be rolling out a more comprehensive programming interface, including more connection options and more comprehensive documentation for public users. This means it will be easier to use your Abtrac data in Power BI and other applications.
Next:
eInvoicing is the ability to send electronic invoices directly from Abtrac to your clients via a secure network. The data requirements for eInvoicing already exist in Abtrac and are ready to go. We’re working with the ATO (Australia), IRD/MBIE (New Zealand), and the team at Tickstar from Xero for instructions on security requirements and compliance. From a legislative and compliance aspect we understand it’s likely this feature will be available in Abtrac first in New Zealand (late 2023/early 2024), and then Australia will follow. In Australia various inter-state decisions are delaying progress, whilst in New Zealand MBIE is targeting 10% of debtor invoice submitted as eInvoices to govt depts by July this year and 90% by July next year. For global Abtrac users eInvoicing will be available when required in your country. You can read more about global eInvoicing adoption here:https://peppol.org/country-profiles/
Later:
Once the new API is up and running we’ll start rolling out more one click connections to your everyday applications, a new connections to Quickbooks is first on the list.
As part of our update to Work Scheduling and Planning we’ll also be adding links from Abtrac to your calendars in Office 365 and Teams.
24 years of Abtrac and counting…
Next year will mark 25 years of Abtrac and we’re excited to see what the next evolution of Abtrac will bring.
Our plan is to continue to find a balance between what Abtrac users need today, and what they will need in the future.
Our technology team are working hard behind the scenes to make this as easy as possible for you. And our support team are always listening. Please do reach out if you need answers or want to share your feedback.
Abtrac KB # 2094