Robert Ambrogi Blog
A gamification feature allows users to earn coins as they learn the system.
The cloud practice management platform Rocket Matter today is rolling out a series of updates designed to address requests from existing customers and to help new customers get up to speed on the system.
The new features being added today are:
- A game for new users to incent them to learn the system’s basics.
- The ability to set any number of custom tax rates and calculate taxes owed.
- Multiple timers for tracking time on different work.
- New dashboard and calendar customizations.
The gamification feature, as Rocket Matter is calling it, is designed to encourage new customers to learn the basics of using the system. Larry Port, Rocket Matter’s CEO, told me that the more quickly new customers learn how to use the system, the more likely they are to be successful in using it over the longer term to manage their practices.
The new feature prompts users to complete certain tasks, such as add their first matter or add billable time. Each prompt provides a brief tutorial that walks the user through the task. When the task is completed, the user earns a coin. The more tasks the user completes, the more coins the user earns.
So far, earning the coins is the only reward. They cannot be redeemed for anything. However, Port said that he plans eventually to add the ability to redeem the coins for account credits.
Users can now set tax rates for multiple jurisdictions and apply them to invoices.
The new tax-rate feature allows law firms to define as many tax rates as they have jurisdictions. Rates can be applied to both fees and expenses or just one or the other. Once a user adds a tax rate to a matter, the tax is automatically calculated when an invoice is prepared. Reports can be created to show how much tax is owed across all pending invoices and how much tax has been generated across all invoices. Customers who sync with QuickBooks Online will have the tax information included.
Users can now have multiple timers open simultaneously.
Also new today, Rocket Matter users will now be able to open multiple timers for tracking time. This is useful when you have to stop work on one project to take a call or respond to an email. Users can have as many timers open as they like.
Dashboard with task-centric view and new Matter Quick Add feature.
The final changes introduced today are a response to Rocket Matter’s recent roll-out of an all-new user interface. In that roll-out, according to Port, Rocket Matter changed its dashboard from one that was calendar-centric to one that was task-centric. Turned out, some users strongly preferred the calendar-centric view. Now, users can select the view they prefer. One puts more emphasis on tasks, the other on the calendar.
Dashboard with calendar-centric view and multiple timers.
Also, users now have the option of expanding the calendar when it is in month view. In standard month view, some daily items are not shown. Users can now select to show all events in month view, which expands the calendar to show all daily events.
One last change enables users to enable a new Matter Quick Add widget for quickly adding a new matter when the user plans to go back later and add all the details.