Tabs3 Features

All STI products are integrated. They are user-friendly.

Report Writer: Unless you have a computer programmer on staff or know someone who is intimately familiar with Report Writer, Report Writer is not worth the trouble because you'll never figure it out. Quirky things that cause problems: A. You can't give discounts on bills unless your current fees billed supports that amount of discount. Discounts are given on an overall basis, not just on the current fees billed. B. AP module leaves you hanging in TABS3 cost entry; it doesn't cycle back to AP so you can write more checks. C. Refunds where no money is involved can go over to GL as if money was involved - need to be on your toes to delete that immediately.

Martha, Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review! We appreciate your input very much! We have made some changes to credits in version 19 that may help with your discounts and streamlining entry in AP--please reach out to Technical Support if you're interested in more information! - Emily L., Software Trainer

We use Tabs 3 billing, Accounts Payable, Trust Accounting and General Ledger programs. The ease of integration is such a time saver. The credit card payment option is so seamless and user friendly.

The cost. We have been using this software since 1992. I don't like the fact that when a new enhancement comes out, i.e. when PracticeMaster was introduced, and now Platinum, you basically have to buy whole new software rather than a nominal upgrade fee--especially when we have been paying the annual maintenance fee on all separate programs. We have no use for PracticeMaster, yet it is necessary to integrate with our Worldox file management software.

Luann, Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review! We appreciate it very much! - Emily L., Software Trainer

I love how easy Tabs is to use and just like the name, all you have to do is TAB through the entire invoice. It's very easy to navigate and when you need to make changes it's super easy. The new design layout that was just unveiled is great! There are some new much-needed features that were updated and that makes it even better.

I don't like the fact that once you create an invoice and save it if you realize you messed up and put it under the wrong account number, you can't just fix it and delete it yourself. You need to contact an administrator with permissions to have it deleted, but I understand that's just a safety precaution and nothing really negative about the software itself. Otherwise, I haven't found any additional negative things about Tabs.

Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review! We appreciate your comments very much. If there's anything we can do to help you, please let us know! - Emily L., Software Trainer

Its robust billing system. Technical support is always great (+10 points for them).

There are a lot of annoying features that make it not very user friendly at times such as: Reminder for Backups and especially the Tabs3 verification Lists. those are the two main things I dislike about the software. But PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE prioritize removing the verification lists popup from Tabs3. I provided some further feedback about other requested features in a prior survey, and i have emailed them to the wishlist email. A follow up would be nice, or something just letting the client know hey we're actually taking a look at this, although we don't know if and when it is getting rolled out, or a hey this a great idea! our engineers are taking a look at it to try to implement soon.... Rather than an automated message.

Peter, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! There are some notifications for verification lists that can be turned off in the software--please reach out to Support for help on getting those removed! I will make sure your request for the others is forwarded. Thanks again! - Emily L., Software Trainer

The best part of this software is how in depth you can go to customize it, particularly PracticeMaster (the law practice management piece of software). However, what is really the icing on the cake is that you can keep it as simple as you want, making it easy to begin using on Day 1.

The deeper you go into customization, the more difficult it gets to 'program' it, so to speak. That said, they have knowledge base articles for nearly everything it seems, all of which do a good job walking you through what you want to do. And when that doesn't work, customer support has always been extremely helpful, prompt, and easy to work with.

Dan, Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review! We appreciate your input very much! - Emily L., Software Trainer

The software is rock-solid. It is comprehensive and integrates all areas of the law practice. The company (STI) is meticulous in producing bug-free software, and they are immediately responsive to all support questions. The user interface is intuitive and the work-flow is easy. The process to email bills has reduced my billing time from 2 days to 1 hour. Too many great features to list them all. I give this software my highest recommendation.

One minor option I'd like to see is the ability to change WIP transactions for costs as well as for fees.

Nancy, Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! We appreciate it, and your years of experience! As always, let us know if there's anything we can do to help! - Emily L., Software Trainer

Module integration, ease of use, customer support, and company response to user feedback

The cost of cloud-based (platinum) service. It would be wonderful if I could work on TABS remotely without having to pay an arm and a leg to do so.

I have used the Tabs3 software for many years, and as I tell the assistants in the office, there isn't anything you can do in Tabs that I cannot fix! It is very user friendly. The report capabilities are awesome. The data is able to exported from the database and used to run special reports that my firm uses for month end.

The only issue that I currently have, is that you cannot look up statement numbers, unless you run a full Client Ledger report.

Gwana, Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review! It is possible to look up statement numbers in the payment entry screen depending on how your statements are numbered between clients, please contact Technical Support for more info. We appreciate your input very much! - Emily L., Software Trainer

Tabs3 Billing is easy to learn and use. The creation of macros significantly reduces time spent typing and is a useful feature. The capability to review the days, weeks, or months of billing is great for staying on task with billing goals. Tabs3 Billing is a straight forward software for any legal office.

The visual graphics of Tabs3 Billing are not the greatest unless you appreciate neutral colors. One feature I wish this product had is an auto-save or backup feature. There have been numerous times when my computer has shut down or power has gone out and I've lost any billing I didn't immediately save. This causes frustration and lost time trying to recreate billing.

The flexibility in billing. Each of our attorneys like their statements a little different, and TABS is able to accommodate everyone.

I do not like the way Contacts integrates with the Client input. We have multiple matters under the same client each with a different billing person/address and sometimes this poses a problem.

This program keeps all client information controlled. Anything needed for any certain client is a quick report. Address, expenses paid out, payments incoming. balances on accounts, any extra notes that will be needed is also been a key part of this program. It is one of the best quality programs that i have worked with. Support team has always been very helpful and quick with any problem solving or questions.

Price, but to get a good program like this, it will cost.

Thank you, Judy! It looks like you are finding the software and Support staff beneficial for the firm’s use, which is great to hear. We appreciate you taking the time to submit a review. Thanks again! Jay C., Sr. Training Specialist

I have been working with Tabs3 for about 7 years, the software has more features than we even use, but are there for larger firms with more complex billing systems. In the instances when we run into a tricky situation, the phone support is fast and knowledgeable. You get a real person who does in fact know how to solve whatever issue you are having. The system is stable and we very rarely run into any software issues.

The one situation that is a little inconvenient is that not all of the screens that are available in the Tabs3 client exist in PM. Consequently, users who are primarily using PM, have to specifically log into Tabs3 to make billing-related edits to the client profile that are not accessible in PM.

Jennifer, thank you for your submission. It’s great that you find the software feature-rich and Support helpful when you contact them. We also appreciate that you continue to recommend our software to others. If you would like assistance in investigating the differences the employees are seeing between the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster fields, please let Support know. Thanks again for your kind words! Jay C., Sr. Training Specialist

It has been relatively easy to deploy and use. Most functions are intuitive and the help function is very good.

Learning how to code documents for the Document Generator was a significant time investment. This is one area were better Help materials might be warranted.

Alex, thank you for your comments. As a loyal and long-term user, it is great to see that the software has had such a positive impact on your firm’s growth over the years. We are happy to continue supporting you, and we’ll pass along your feedback. Thanks again! Jay C., Sr. Training Specialist

We have added fields in PracticeMaster to track information that we want available, and those fields are then available in the Report Writer. For example, we added a tab for our Estate Planning matters to track which documents were created for them and whether we are storing the originals or if the client has the originals. Report Writer allows you to create custom reports pulling information from PracticeMaster. I wish you could pull more information from other parts of the Tabs3 Suite in the reports. While we are slow to incorporate new features into our daily use, I find many of them valuable. We have just started to use the email statement feature which isn't very new.

There is so much to the software that it can take a new user a little while to get up to speed on it. It takes some training to know where to enter information so that it syncs correctly between the different parts of the software. We need to be more proactive about learning about the features and functionality. We don't have a reseller that helps us implement them.

Katherine, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! We appreciate your feedback. There are some tools available to pull data from other areas of the software for reports--if you're interested, reach out to Support and we can talk to you about them! Thanks again! - Emily L., Software Trainer

Once it's figured out how to use it, it's basically pretty simple. It does have some confusing areas however. Trying to find the solution in the Help area is difficult at times as well. Tech Support is very helpful when needed, and patient if it takes awhile to explain exactly what your problem is.

We've only been using it a little over 1 year. It was a switch from Timeslips, which is very user friendly. There have been too many updates this year though. We have to use our IT company to install the updates, which gets expensive. The main 2020 update was installed, but then there have been I believe 3 since then. It shouldn't be necessary to have so many updates, unless they can be auto installed, like Microsoft does, etc. not involving IT assistance. Tech support can do it as well, but access to the company server is required to install them.

Becky, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! You're right that we release updates throughout the year--we're making changes and adding new features that we hope our users are excited about! We've changed the process so that not all updates have to be done on the server for our Platinum version, any updates that need to be run at the server will tell you when you go to Help | Check for Updates or when the installer is run. We hope this change will make it easier for you to keep up to date! Thanks again! - Emily L., Software Trainer

The software has a wide array of features and billing is nicely prints out in a very organized and concise format, it really does have a lot of detail and nice features.

It seems to always have some problem or error message on the rare instances when I actually needed it to do a billing for a client, nothing is worse than paying for a product and then having to waste time because it will not work and then get stuck paying extra by having to call and pay the tech department $200 per hour to help you figure out why their product does not work as it is promised and as it should from the start. How is it possible that the product regularly has error messages that are not resolvable without a call to the tech department. Very frustrating.

I am sorry that Mr. Gunthert has not had a good experience. We have reached out to him to discuss the specific issues that he is having.   I did want to mention a few things related to the points that he brought up. To make sure clients get off to a good start, every purchase of Tabs3 includes a free year of maintenance, which includes both technical support and any product updates that come out during the year. After a year, the maintenance is optional. Many clients prefer that to being required to pay an annual fee.   Also, our technical support team gets very high marks. In our last client survey 96% of our clients said they were satisfied with the support that they received from our team. In that same survey, 9 out of 10 Tabs3 clients say they would recommend Tabs3 to other firms. Kim Hanzl, Support Manager

It does what it is supposed to do. I use Tabs3 for billing and for keeping track of my client trust account. It has many useful features and reports.

They had very bad service when it comes to maintenance. The software is not very user-friendly, first of all, so you're likely going to need technical and/or customer support. I've been using it for nearly 10 years, and this is how they treated me: I paid the same price for maintenance for the first three years, and everything was fine. Then they decided it was time to start gouging me. Every year, the price went up. The service I received was exactly the same, but they decided to charge me more and more for it with each passing year. I asked them to please lock me in at a rate, and that I was willing to sign up for a long-term commitment, but they refused, insisting that I pay more with each passing year. Over a 3-year period, the price went up by nearly 100%. Eventually, I terminated my maintenance plan to keep my office costs down. After a year off, I decided to pay for another year of maintenance, hoping to start at a fresh, low rate. But the opposite happened-- they not only quoted me an even higher rate than before, but THEY TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR (the year in which I received no maintenance services) in order to get them to agree to provide me with maintenance again. WOW. Money for nothing. That's not just sleazy, it's unethical.

The robust billing features in Tabs3 are second to none. Tabs3 allows you to pro-actively set up every client matter in accord with its unique requirements. The feature offering is so rich that it starts you thinking of scenarios you had not considered. A little difficult to penetrate at the start but the customer services by phone is exceptional and a refreshing retro to the plethora of chat models that do not hold a candle to phone support that picks up quickly and solves every issue you throw at them. But soon you know the program so well, you're calling support only infrequently..

Some features can feel a little clunky. But not a big issue.

George, Thank you for taking the time out of your day to leave us such a kind review! We appreciate your questions when you do give us a call. Thanks again! - Emily L., Software Trainer

We love it's ease of use and ability to customize the PracticeMaster module. It's intuitive and the billing side is very robust.

Because of it's versatility and customization features, you can easily get carried away with data collection.

Sharon, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! We appreciate it very much. - Emily L., Software Trainer

User friendliness of the application and scope of the different modules available. Module interface is also a key pro to this product; that you can access information about different aspects of client interaction from many "angles" or perspectives.

Limit to number of users that can be on the platform.

Megan, thank you for taking the time to submit a comment. Providing different ways for users to access information is part of what makes our software user-friendly, and we are glad you appreciate it. If your firm would like to increase the number of users that can be in PracticeMaster at the same time, higher limits are available. Contact Sales @ 402.419.2200 and discuss your needs with one of the staff! Thanks again for your kind words! Jay C., Sr. Training Specialist

I use TABS3 Matter Manager to answer the lawyers questions regarding work in progress, has the client paid and if so when. I have automated so many reports, now all the staff have access to information they did not before.

I would like the ability to run a 1099 S as well as the 1099 MISC and NEC

Amy, thank you for your comments. Tabs3's Matter Manager providing a "one-stop shop" of information and using report definitions to quickly generate accurate reports are both powerful tools the software provides. We're glad that you are enjoying them! I have made note of your request to generate 1099-S forms through the financials modules and have submitted it to our Development Team for consideration. If you have any additional suggestions, please submit them directly to our staff through wishlist@tabs3.com. Thanks again for your review! Jay C. Sr. Training Specialist

I have used Tabs3 billing software for years and absolutely love it! It is easy to learn and makes billing almost effortless. It offers so many features that allow you to customize statements according to client needs. We also use PracticeMaster and it is remarkable software as well. It makes it easy to consolidate all client information in one place that is accessible to everyone in the firm.

What I like least about Tabs3 is the initial statement design is somewhat cumbersome. I also do not care for the flat fee billing options; there is not enough flexibility. I cannot think of anything I do not like about PracticeMaster.

Tanya, Thank you for taking the time out of your day to leave a review! We appreciate your feedback. We're working on a lot of new features for Version 2020 and beyond that we think you'll like. Thank you again! - Emily L., Software Trainer

It captures cost and fees in one easy to use program

The software does not allow the AP system to populate name and address from Tabs3 to issue client settlement checks. Class action firms represent many clients in the same case. When a case settles I have to print client name and address then type the same information into the AP program to issue checks. Being a class action firm we do not bill clients for fees and cost. I need the capability to bill and track cost to individual partners in the firm who then pays for the cost. This billing needs to be on a percentage basis.

Patty, thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review, and for recommending us! We appreciate your input, and I'll forward your request for populating client information into APS to our product development team! - Emily L., Software Trainer

It does seem to have lots of features and capabilities. However, many of them are not easily found, or require too many steps to be efficient.

It is not at all intuitive. Instead of one platform/dashboard (as in a program like CosmoLex), there are multiple programs for different functions. Sometimes, to complete a single transaction you have to use two or even three of the programs. It's nearly impossible to find a comprehensive client report with a top-down view of the client's status. There seem to be lots of unnecessary steps added to very basic requests. The whole program has an outdated, unaesthetic appearance.

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! We've been working hard on adding features and streamlining the workflow between different programs over the last year or so. I'd definitely suggest taking a look at the new Tabs3 Matter Manager in Version 2020 for a comprehensive look at what's happened recently on a matter! Version 2020 has also added dashboards to all the modules for keeping up to date with what you need to do at a glance. Thank you again for taking the time to leave a review--we hear you, and we hope that we can make Tabs3 a product you'd be happy to recommend. - Emily L., Software Trainer