To maintain profitability in today’s fast-paced business environment, professional service firms need to recover all phone related billable costs accurately and on a timely basis. Unfortunately for many firms -- including law, architecture, advertising, public relations, accounting and engineering -- thousands of dollars are lost each year on un-billable phone expenses because calls are not accurately billed back to clients.

The solution? SDT’s latest cost recovery tool: Apogee Professional Services Package (PSP). PSP is an Apogee call accounting module, which runs on Windows NT/2000/XP platforms, and is designed especially for professional service firms.PSP distributes personalized phone call data to individual client desktops over the network.The information is retrieved from Apogee’s robust MS SQL Server database engine and provides up-to-the minute call history information.Users throughout the company can take advantage of the easy-to-use call log screen to see a history of inbound and outbound call activity from their desktops. With just a few mouse clicks or keystrokes, users can also assign/edit account codes for timely and accurate client bill-back.

PSP Log:
Phone call records are displayed in a grid and appear chronologically, but can be sorted in ascending or descending order by simply clicking on the heading above the appropriate column.

Spreadsheet Editing:
A key feature to the application is its spreadsheet editing methodology. Some key spreadsheet editing features are listed below.

• Locked Columns:User-definable column locking ensures that the most important data is always visible.

• Variable Sort Order: Users choose the record order. For example, by sorting the spreadsheet by digits dialed, all calls to the same number are grouped. This makes account code assignment very simple. Typing any value in the text box above a column will filter info so that only records starting with a matching value will be displayed.

• Account Code Lookup: While editing calls, users do not have to remember the correct account code numbers. With PSP, they can look up the numbers by the code or the actual name, speeding the process of finding the correct numbers to charge.
   

• Attachable Memo:
  Users can add notes to individual call records to support billing validity.
   

• Invalid Codes:
  Users can easily identify misdialed account codes and correct the entries.

Security:
PSP contains a sophisticated security methodology that is designed to restrict access to authorized personnel.  A user can be restricted to viewing and editing their own records or a designated person can be restricted to viewing and editing records for an assigned workgroup.

Support for Alphanumeric Account Codes:
Firms using alphanumeric account codes cannot enter the codes at the telephone. In the past these firms had few, if any, options for assigning codes to calls.  PSP supports the entering of alphanumeric account codes, making this an ideal solution for these firms. 

Alternative Caller ID and Dialed Digits Billing:
Other firms choose to identify and bill their clients based on caller id and dialed digits rather than using Account codes.  This method requires users to maintain a list of client names and phone numbers that can be imported into the system. 

Time and Billing Interface (optional feature):

PSP provides a two-way interface to all major time and billing systems.  PSP automatically accepts lists of valid clients and matters and posts transactions without user intervention.

Account Code Editor
The PSP Editor helps to significantly reduce the time required to update call records with accurate
account code information. Editors can be installed on a number of clerical workstations and utilized
in batch mode at the end of the month / billing period or optionally in real-time with “Call Accounting
At The Desktop”(*). Call records can be easily filtered, sorted, identified, and modified using simple
point and click operations.

The information displayed on the Account Code Editor grid is copied from the central Apogee MS SQL
Server database. Account Codes can be separated and edited by Client / Matter sub-codes, memos can
be attached to calls, and records transferred to external Time and Billing systems in any desired
export format.

Requirements
* PSP is only available on Apogee® Desktop or Enterprise versions.