Time Billing & Project Management

Support FAQ

Q. Which operating system does BillQuick run on?
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A. BillQuick family products are compatible with Windows 98SE, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Palm OS 3.0 or better, Pocket PC, Windows CE 3.0, Windows Pocket PC, Windows Mobile 5.0,  Mac OS browsers, Netscape browser running on Windows, Mac or Unix OS. Not all products run on above listed system. Please refer to product pages for product-specific list.

Q. When I start BillQuick, I am asked for a User ID and Password. What should I enter?
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A. If you did not turn the security on and yet you are being prompted to log in, use the default User ID, SUPERVISOR, and default Password, SUPERVISOR, and then click OK. For more information on security and passwords, please see the Security section of the Help File.

Q. What is the first thing I should do when I start BillQuick for the first time?
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A. You can open the sample data file and work with that to get yourself familiar with the product. You can also create a new data file for your company and follow the instruction in our free online tutorial, located in our Support Section.

Q. I own two companies. Can I use BillQuick to maintain both companies?
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A. Yes, and the simplest way of doing that is by creating a separate file for each company. You will need to purchase a separate license for the second company.

Q. I want to install BillQuick on my D drive, but it still copies files to my C drive.
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>A. BillQuick copies some driver and library files to your Windows directory. If your Windows directory is on C drive, some files will be copied to your C drive. The program files will be copied to the directory that you specified during installation.

Q. Can I exchange my BillQuick data with other programs?
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A. Yes, the BillQuick Import/Export module can integrate your BillQuick data with most other software. Please refer to the BillQuick Import/Export Utility section for more information. Additionally, BillQuick will allow you to export data to most popular spreadsheets, database programs and word processors as well. BillQuick will also send data to your email software or your fax program. Please refer to the BillQuick Help File for more information about the Import/Export Utility and using BillQuick with your Fax machine or email. BillQuick has higher level integration with QuickBooks, Microsoft Office Accounting and Intuit Complete Payroll.

Q. I use QuickBooks for Accounting and would like to use BillQuick for Time Billing. Do I have to reenter all of my customers and jobs in BillQuick?
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A. BillQuick integrates with QuickBooks automatically. This powerful feature allows you to use two different software and yet enter your data only once. The data Sync feature in BillQuick works with Employees, Customers, Jobs, Invoices, Payments, Service Items and Expenses. If you are using 2004 or better version, you can integrate in real-time. In addition to QuickBooks, BillQuick also integrates with Microsoft Office Accounting, Peachtree and MYOB (Australia).

Q. How about Outlook. Can it read my appointments in Outlook and convert them to time entries?
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A. Yes. BillQuick Assistant for Outlook does exactly that.

Q. Is BillQuick designed to work on a Network?
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A. Yes, BillQuick is designed to work with most of the popular networks, including wide area networks, terminal services and Remote Desktop Sharing.

Q. Is there a way to specify an invoice number that I would like to start with.
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A. Yes, in System Settings, enter the last invoice number printed, and BillQuick will increment that number one unit when the next invoice is processed. Invoice numbers can also be changed directly in the Invoice Review screen.

Q. Can I prevent users of Microsoft® Access® from reading my data file?
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A. Microsoft Access has a good security system. Please refer to the Access user manual and activate security within Access to prevent users from reading your data file. The BillQuick data file is password protected, it cannot be opened with Microsoft® Access® without the password. The default password is admin; and it can be modified in the Global Setting screen.

Q. How do I modify Grids?
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  • Sorting: Clicking on the heading of a column toggles the order between ascending and descending. (Applies to almost all grids with a few exceptions). Shift-Click allows for sorting by multiple columns.
  • Customize Font and Colors: The font and colors of even and odd rows can be changed in Preferences.
  • Rearrange Columns and Rows: Shift + Mouse Click on column headings reveals a drop box that allows the user to swap columns. Columns can also be moved by dragging and dropping with the mouse.
  • Collapse Columns: Columns can be collapsed and expanded by right clicking the column heading.
  • Select Multiple Rows: To select multiple random rows, CTRL + Mouse click on extreme left cell of the desired rows.
  • Select a Range of Rows: To select successive rows, SHIFT + Mouse click on extreme left cell of top and bottom rows.
  • Change size of Rows and Columns: By placing the cursor between rows and/or columns they can be drag sized.

Q. How do I turn filters on/off?
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A. Filters can be turned on and off with check boxes. Filters are used throughout BillQuick, and in many instances the filters are located on a separate tab. To turn the filters on, simply check the Filter box. To turn off the filter, be sure the check box is not marked. It is not necessary to erase all filters each time you want to turn them on and off. It is easier to use the Master Filter Check Box, which is usually located at the lower left corner of the screen or in the upper right part of your toolbar.

Q. How do I join multiple projects on a single invoice?
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A. Project phases and separate projects with the same client can be processed together on a single invoice. In the Billing Review screen, the left most column has the heading 'J'. This is where you set projects and/or phases to be processed on a group invoice. Prior to processing, indicate which rows you want processed together. Do this by entering a like letter or number in the J column. For example, enter the letter 'a' in the J column next to three different projects of the same client. Next, mark each of these projects to be processed by checking the B column. Finally, process the invoice by clicking either Print/Proc or Process.

Q. How do I add a memo to an invoice?
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A. An unlimited length memo can be added to any invoice at any time. It can be added in the Billing Review screen prior to processing. With the desired project selected, click the Memo button to insert the memo. An existing memo can be edited or a new memo added in the Invoice Review screen. With the desired invoice selected, click the Edit Memo button to edit an existing or add a new memo to an invoice.

Q. How do I bill a client if I had NO activity on the account?
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  • The Billing Review screen analyzes all recurring projects on their scheduled billing frequency. For project with contract types other than recurring the Billing Review screen analyzes only those Projects that had some time or expense entries logged within the chosen billing period. If you would like to bill a client even though you had no activity on the account, you can do so by using the Add button in the Billing Review screen or using the manual invoice screen.
  • In BillQuick 2007 we introduced a new rule "Always show in Billing Review". If this rule is turned on, the Project will appear in the Billing Review screen even though you may not have worked on the project for the specified billing period.

Q. How do I search for data?
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  • To search for data click on the Binocular icon or choose Find from the Edit menu. The BillQuick Find/Search is a powerful tool that can be used to quickly locate a specific set of records. The information found is presented in a "raw" database structure. The data displayed depends upon which screen was searched (i.e., Employee Table, Project Table, Invoices, etc.). The data will be laid out in column format. Each column represents a field contained in the original screen. For example if the Expense Log is to be searched, the raw data will be presented in columns representing each of the fields used in the Expense Log.
  • Type keywords for the item that you are trying to find. A keyword can be anything that is unique to one, or will link a series of records. For example, if you need to find an invoice but you only know the Project Manager and the Project ID, you should search the Transaction Table using the Project ID as a Keyword and select the Project ID field at the lower right. If you only set the Keyword to the Employee ID, BillQuick will display all invoice records matching the employee. This could be matched by thousands of records or by none at all.

Q. How do I merge two different BillQuick data files?
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A. Data files can be merged using the eTools. This is a separate add-on module that works with the BillQuick program. It will accommodate transferring data to or from other BillQuick data files. If you have off-site employees entering time and expense that you want merged with your company data file you need the eTools for BillQuick. For a complete features list of this product, please contact the BQE Software sales department at 310-602-4020.

Q. How do I use alphanumeric invoice numbers?
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A. BillQuick makes it easy to specify your pattern of alpha-numeric invoice sequence. Simply enclose the numeric part in curly brackets. e.g. XYZ-{5000}-2005 would generate invoice numbers XYZ-5000-2005, XYZ-5001-2005, XYZ-5002-2005 etc.

Q. How do I change Project ID, Client ID, and Employee ID?
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  • There are times where it may be necessary to change an ID number for a specific Client, Employee or Project. To accommodate this need, BillQuick has included Change feature. This Change feature searches throughout the entire database for all records (i.e., Project Table, Time Card Entries, Billing Review, etc.), with the old ID entry and then changes them to the new selected ID.
  • Select the type of ID to be modified from the Change pull-down menu.
    Simply enter the Old ID and the New ID and click OK.

Q. How do I install BillQuick on a network?
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  • BillQuick must be installed on each workstation individually. You can place your company data file on a network folder. Please make sure that all users have Read & Write access to that folder. Installing the BillQuick program to a network drive is not recommended. Only the data file should be on the network drive.
  • BillQuick can also be installed on Terminal Server. This allows users to access the application via Terminal services. In addition BillQuick Web i can b installed on a Web server giving access to users via Internet and/or Intranet.

Q. How do I backup BillQuick data files?
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  • In order to backup BillQuick data files choose Backup from the Utilities menu. You will then be prompted to confirm that you would like to backup files. Choose Yes, to continue with back up, otherwise choose No.
  • The System Settings provides the option of a Backup Files Reminder. In the System Settings, choose the frequency at which you would like the reminder displayed. It will then be displayed when you exit BillQuick at the specified time interval.
  • If your data file is stored on a SQL server, please refer to SQL documentation for backup.

Q. Which files do I need to copy to my Laptop for remote use?
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BillQuick stores all the company data in a single data file. The file has an extension of MDB. The file name is always displayed at the bottom status bar of the BillQuick screen. If you have archived your data, then you must backup the archive file too. The name of the archive file is same as your data file with a different (.ar*) extension. BillQuick Enterprise edition allows you to create data files on SQL server. Such files should be backed up using the SQL server backup utility.

Q. Can anyone see my password?
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BillQuick stores user passwords in the data file in an encrypted format. It is practically impossible to decode the encrypted password. There are over 18 billion combinations to be matched.

Q. How do I change labels on the custom fields?
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BillQuick gives the user the option to customize forms to meet the specific needs of their company. Custom labels will change default labels of certain fields. This is accomplished from the Custom Labels menu located under the Settings menu.

Q. How do I contact BQE Software, Inc.?
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  • You may reach BQE Technical support at 02-8323-4791. You may also email your questions to Support or visit the BQE World Wide Web site. The web site has links to the latest BillQuick information and upgrades.
  • Faxes may be sent to 02-8339-0029.
  • Mail all correspondence to:
    BQE Software, Inc.
    BC 1.1B 65 Doody Street,
    Alexandria, N.S.W 2015
  • Before you call BQE Software, Inc:
    1. Open BillQuick
    2. Find out which version of BillQuick you are using. From the Help menu select About BillQuick.
    3. Know which operating system you are using.
    4. Know the name of your Network software.
    5. Ask other users to exit BillQuick. You should have a computer with BillQuick available during the technical support call.
  • We highly recommend that you visit our web site prior to calling. The information you are looking for may already be available on our Knowledge Base. We also recommend that you download and install the latest upgrade versions when available.