This guide takes a new practice from its first sign-in to its first matter. Work through the steps in order: each one covers the essentials and links to an article with the full detail for that task.
- Step 1: Get to know the Home dashboard
- Step 2: Check your profile
- Step 3: Set up your company details
- Step 4: Add your staff
- Step 5: Add your client firms
- Step 6: Create your first matter
- Step 7: Next steps - bills and invoices
Step 1: Get to know the Home dashboard
After you sign in you land on Home. The menu on the left takes you to every part of the system: Matters, Clients, Reports, Setup, Account and Help. The dashboard in the middle summarises the matters assigned to you for the date range at the top, and the buttons next to your name jump straight to your worklist, a new matter, your matters and your client firms.
The Account button next to your name shows how many days your subscription has left. For a full tour of the layout, see Navigating Cost Consulting.
Step 2: Check your profile
Click your name at the top of the menu and choose Profile. Check that your name is spelt the way you want colleagues to see it, and add a profile picture if you like. Your email address is also your username for signing in.
The Manage your user profile article explains each field and your email notification settings. The password rules and the Forgot password? link are covered in Passwords and sign-in security.
Step 3: Set up your company details
Go to Account > My Company and complete your practice's name, contact details, banking details and VAT number. These details appear on the bills, invoices and other documents you print, so it is worth getting them right before you create your first bill.
See Set up your company information for every field on this page.
Step 4: Add your staff
If other people in your practice will use the system, give each of them their own user account under Account > User Accounts (only company administrators see this menu item). Each person signs in with their own email address and password.
During your 30-day free trial, new users are active straight away until the trial ends. Once you are on a paid subscription, every user after the first is an extra user: a new user stays inactive until you activate them in the shopping cart under Account > Subscription.
For the details, see Manage staff members, Manage your subscription and Packages and prices.
Step 5: Add your client firms
Every matter belongs to a client firm, usually the attorneys who instruct you. You add a firm once and then pick it for as many matters as you need. Go to Clients > Firms and click Add Client Firm.
See Set up and manage clients for adding firms, their attorneys and firm categories.
Step 6: Create your first matter
A matter holds everything about one bill of costs: the client firm, the court, the parties, the dates and, later, the bill items, invoices and receipts. Go to Matters > New Matter, fill in the details and click Save Matter.
The court you choose decides which tariff applies to the bill. The standard South African courts and their tariffs are already set up; you only need Manage courts and Tariffs if you work in a forum that is not on the list.
Open matters appear on Matters > My Worklist, and you can find any matter later under Matters > Search Matter. For the full walkthrough, see Create a new matter, Work from your worklist and Search for a matter.
Step 7: Next steps - bills and invoices
With a matter in place you are ready for the work itself:
- Working with matters - the matter page and its tools.
- Creating and printing bills - add bill items from the tariff.
- Printing a bill of costs - produce the bill as a PDF.
- Creating invoices and receipts - bill your client for your fee and record payments.
- Client statements and reports - see what each firm owes.
- Reports - track volumes, taxations and unpaid matters.
Before your trial ends, read Manage your subscription so your account stays active. If you have a question at any point, email info@costconsulting.co.za.