Name: Christine Siebels
Company: Hyperlucid Web Services / Executionists
Date: June 8, 2006
Web Site: http://www.hyperlucid.com / http://www.executionists.com


1. How would you describe your business?
Web site programming and database development firm. 

I have a new partner that specializes in design and marketing.  Together, we are truly, a one-stop shop.  Our new partnership is: Executionists powered by Hyperlucid.

2. How many clients do you have?
Approximately 35 clients with approximately 75 separate projects. Several “clients” are really web design firms.

3. How did you find FreshBooks?
Purchased a few packages that said they did it all…got my money back.  I then started writing my own invoice program in ColdFusion over SQL Server.  Somehow, I found 2ndSite [before it rebranded to FreshBooks], probably at Google, and I just went with it.  I have never looked back and have had ZERO regrets.  I am completely dependent on the tool at this point.

4. What needs motivated you to look for another service?
I couldn’t keep track of my invoicing with a small client base and I knew I couldn’t grow the business if critical business systems were missing. 

Also, I really didn’t feel like spending my evenings/weekends writing my own. 

5. What were you using before FreshBooks?
Memory generated invoices in MS Word, saved to PDF and emailed.

6. What were you looking for when you found FreshBooks?
When the company grows quickly, one must adapt appropriately.  I have used many accounting and project management packages, none have had the right mix for a web-based, remote, internet driven business operation.

7. Why did you switch to FreshBooks?
My business grew and suddenly required a tool to handle per project time reporting, invoicing, follow-up and reporting.  99% of my team and 95% of my clients are remote and therefore, I really required a web-based solution. 

8. What have you found since you switched? (E.g. does FreshBooks save you/your clients time?)
Still have the age-old problem of getting my subs to do time reporting, so I pay them from their time sheets now.  It helps, but they still do not report daily, which means valuable detail is lost.  The ability to provide detailed time reporting greatly reduces client disputes. 

The tool has also allowed me to start capturing “lost time”.  I was able to start billing for all those phone calls and email coordination tasks that we forget about on projects.  Another benefit of doing this was creating better clients. 

I had one project with 4 cooks in the kitchen, each calling 3-4 times a day, for weeks.  When their boss got the bill for an average of 15 calls per day @ 15min a pop, well it stopped.  The client got more organized, internal communication started and our overall relationship improved.  My verbal complaints to each individual were ignored.  The detailed invoice solved the problem.   The project was successful, because I was able to get off of the phone to code/coordinate completion, plus I got paid for the calls and wasted time too!! 

Same client, different issue.  I review my subs time reporting often.  One day, I see that my client is contacting my sub directly and ordering work, without my approval or knowledge.  HMM, I have to pay for this???  I immediately contacted the client and was able to rectify the situation, without a problem.   

9. How does FreshBooks compare to accounting software?
My first degree is in accounting, my second in IT.  FreshBooks is a good product because it focuses on one main problem, capturing time reporting data and converting it into a flexible invoice format.  Email delivery / follow-up with payment gateway integration just enhance the tool.

10. What is the biggest difference for you from what you were using before FreshBooks?

Reduced the amount of overhead time in billing and improved accuracy of invoicing.

11. How much time were you spending each month invoicing before FreshBooks?
5-6 hours, but my number of clients/invoices was a lot less back then, probably less than 10 projects compared to 75 today.

12. How much time are you spending each month invoicing after FreshBooks?
1-2 hours, if I do it on the end of the month, if I wait until after the first of the month, 2-3 hours minimum.  See #19 for enhancement requests.

13. What are the key benefits of FreshBooks?
- Time reporting interface
- Payment gateway integration
- Flexible invoice formats
- Reports
- Professional client facing tool
- Enhances integrity

14. What do your clients say?
Not much, but I do believe it displays professionalism to the client.  My time to receive payment has also decreased since a lot of clients pay via credit card or PayPal on receipt. 

15. What words would you use to describe FreshBooks?
A product that works!  Great support!  Not a single technical issue since day one!
Ok, one last one: Real People behind a Real Product!


16. If you were to recommend FreshBooks to someone else, what would you say?
I do all the time, you even have a link on my site and have for a year or two now.  I do not have a lot of time to sell, but some of my subs and people I work for have signed up based on their experience with either time reporting or receiving an invoice from me.

OK, here’s the usual referral:

ME: Hey, you seem like a busy web xxxxxxer, how do you do your billing?
THEM: uh, umm, my wife does it.
ME: check out secondsite.biz, you’ll thank me!
THEM: (next month) THANK YOU!! 

17. Any comments on the “view invoice status” feature?
Hmm?  Not sure where this is??  I feel bad, I spend so much time at the site and have no idea about a feature that made the survey questions???  Do you mean the status values and their associated coloring on the Invoice List?

18. Is having the invoice as a link better than having it as an attachment? If yes, why?
Yes, if they want to download it, they have that option.  Attachments just add weight that isn’t always welcomed or in some cases, not even delivered.

I do have a few clients that have problems with the links…mostly European customers for some reason?  I just PDF it and email it for those few.  I do recall that a client in Italy and one in France couldn’t open, but London has no problem??? 

19. What improvements would you like to see to FreshBooks?

On the projects list page, would be nice to last invoiced date and possibly and indication if a project has any time reported against it for the current month.  I have to go thru every project to find ones that have hours for the given period.  This information would be of more value to me than Description and Project Manager when generating invoices.

On the Project Summary page, it would save me hours to have a link to Last Month…then I can generate my invoices on the first without have to edit dates for every invoice…takes for ever sometimes.

20. What incentives to use FreshBooks would be of interest to other people in your industry?
Saves Time and Earns Money. Prevents invoice disputes and discrepancies.  Provides a professional billing interface.