Lesson #95
Tools – Bulk Update function
When something changes that affects a lot of entities — for example you have a new sales representative — save time by changing that particular setting (field) for a group of records —i.e., all of the affected contacts — at once. Use the Bulk Update function to update multiple firms, contacts, or locations at the same time.
Depending on the information you want to change, you select:
- The group of records (firms, contacts, or locations) where that information is stored.
- The specific field in those records that you want to update.
- (Depending on the field you selected) the value you want in that field.
- Which specific entries in the group of records you want to update.
Update contacts
For contacts, you can update their billing rates, their classification, whether or not to send them marketing materials, their designated gender, credit rating, client rep, sales rep, what salutation to use in addressing them, and their preferred methods for receiving invoices and statements.
You can choose to change every listing in Contacts, only those listings for contacts that are still doing business with you (active clients), or select a custom set of contacts to update — such as all the contacts at one firm. You can also search for all contacts assigned to a single client rep or sales rep if you are bulk updating those contacts to a new client rep or sales rep.
Update firms
For firms, you can update many more fields:
- Current account status
- Whether to show detailed breakdowns on their invoices
- Billing rates
- Your ranking of them (the type of firm they are or their value to you)
- Credit rating
- Whether they are Cash on Delivery (COD)
- Sales rep or client rep they belong to
- Staff responsible for collecting payments from them
- Whether monthly statements are printed for each contact at this firm separately or combined and sent to “Accounts Payable”
- Percentage you deduct if you offer a negotiated discount on all the firms’ invoices
- Whether or not to send them marketing materials
- Percentage you charge the firms monthly on past-due invoices
- Type of firm (e.g., law firm, insurance company, corporation)
- Deadline in business days past the payment terms of invoices for the firms to render payment before MR notifies you to start collection efforts
- Percentage you charge the firms as a one-time account service fee on past-due invoices
- Firm designated as the firms’ headquarters (Parent Firm)
- Terms for payment that will appear on the firms’ invoices
- Percentage for the state sales tax for the firms
- Where the firms heard of you (source of initial contact)
- Method for receiving consolidated statements
Like contacts, you can choose to change every listing in Firms, only active firms, or a custom set of specific firms. You can also search for all firms assigned to a single sales rep if you are bulk updating those firms to a new sales rep.
Update locations
For locations you can update:
- Who on your staff handles these locations
- The category of the facilities where records are stored, e.g., hospital, courthouse, or school
- A different entity that handles the release of information (ROI) for these locations
As with the other entities, you can choose to change every listing in Locations, only active locations, or a custom set of specific locations.
There is no Undo in Bulk Update
When you select Update All for firms, contacts, or locations, MR9 warns you that you are about to update all the entities in the selected table and you must affirm that you want to change the entire table. The default reply is No to help minimize errors made with this irreversible command.
NOTE: In addition to the stand-alone Bulk Update function, Billing Rates has a Mass Update feature (in the Service Item Master), which you can use to update rates in multiple billing rate tables at once. With these power-user features, you will be able to keep your MR database updated more easily.
TL;DR: If you have a number of entities that need the same information changed, save time by changing them all at once.
MR9 concepts in this lesson
Contact: Person who works for a firm you do business with — such as attorneys, paralegals, secretaries, legal assistants, claim adjusters, and court clerks.
Firm: Business you provide services to — usually law firms, but can also be other court reporting firms, vendors, insurance companies, corporate clients, and courts.
Location: Place where records are stored — such as hospitals, schools, doctors’ offices, or businesses.
Parent Firm: Headquarters of a multi-branch corporation.
