Jeanne, thanks for making the point about different projects being billed to different accounts/departments. That occured to me as I was reading. Perhaps nicely asking a question in order to understand our clients would be helpful. After all, they are the client and we want their referrals.
Mary
What does it mean when someone says "I bill in 15 min increments"?
Does that mean if they spend 5 minutes doing something they log it as 15min? if they spend 25 minutes they log it as 30min?
Basically, does that mean they round it to the nearest 15 min?
I am finding that when I look at my freshbooks account at the end of the day it does not reflect how many hours I actually put in during the day. Maybe I'm shortchanging myself when doing tasks like answering emails, confirming details about projects, etc.
Yes, Joy it means that even if the task took 5 minutes you can bill for 15 minutes. I even know a few Virtual Assistants that bill at a minimum of 30 minutes for each time they have to work on a client's task. It's all in what you feel comfortable with and of course the quality of your work should always reflect your rates. It is important that you don't short change yourself because doing 2 minute tasks here and there can really consume your day. And in the end you'll find yourself exhausted and under paid.
I agree anything related to the client should be billed. I worked for a company once that wanted you to round everything up and ask to help and then turned around and charged the company. 1 minute to them was 10 minutes chargeable. That did not seem right and most clients were very angry with them. Again policy upfront and agreed upon is best.
I wanted to pop this to the top. In another thread, Janine stated that her contract stipulates time spent on phone calls & responding to emails is billable time. If this is your policy, too, put it in your contract!!
I did not have this in my contract. Honestly, it never occurred to me that anyone would think this time would not be billable!!
I'm now in a situation with a client who thinks these kinds of charges are "the cost of doing business." I pointed out to her, "If I'm like the 'assistant who sits outside your door' then when you call to give me direction or check on status of a project, the clock starts ticking."
We'll see how this all shakes out.
Oh, the things you learn the first six months in business!!
I do agree with this point. It's better to mention clearly on the contract what's billable and what's not. Don't assume things in business. Have clear communication.
Re: for which tasks should you stop the clock?
I pointed out to her, "If I'm like the 'assistant who sits outside your door' then when you call to give me direction or check on status of a project, the clock starts ticking."
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