What's New: Neos March 2023

The days are longer and we can practically taste spring in the air. But your clients still need you, so before you break away from your desk early to enjoy the fruits of the season, take a quick peek at our March Neos release and see what awesome features will help you and your firm reach new heights of success!

Watch the on-demand version of the March “New in Neos in 19 Minutes” webinar with Bryan Billig (which was a bit longer than 20 minutes because of all the great features!).

Features

• Neos Premium Texting (customer request)
• SharePoint Document Sync
• Document Record Linking (Medical Records)
• Email Address & Configurable Date Range Added to Advanced Search
• Case Budget
• Case Phases

Enhancements

• Email Moved from Online Accounts to Newly Created Email Section on Party Tab/Contacts
• Clickable Contact List
• Standard "Accident Information" Tab for All Case Types
• Add Checklist Task from Quick Add Menu
• Add Value and Time Totals to Customizable Case Header
• Notes Tab View - Expandable
• Checklist - Ability to Add a Note on the Side Pane
• QuickBooks SDK Update

New Integrations

• Kenect
• Milestones

Improvements & Updates

• Create Button Added to Top Navigation Bar
• New Case/Intake Header and Navigation tabs
• New Documents Side Pane
• Select Row in Grid when User Single Clicks

New Features

Neos Premium Texting (Customer Request)

Simplify communication and track all messages in one place in grouped conversation threads originating from a unique business line for your firm with this customer-favorite request. Texts are automatically saved to relevant cases, saving you time, and giving anyone assigned to the case the ability to respond (no more dropped communication threads!). With Neos Premium Texting, your firm will be able deliver a better client experience and enjoy:

Improved Productivity

• Search any thread content for streamlined communications
• Access full threads from any device
• Respond and receive texts anywhere, from any device
• Automated SMS sends and tracks replies with Neos Pro

Increased Collaboration

• Multiple staff can collaborate on conversation threads
• Multiple staff can receive notifications on new texts
• View and track threads from a global conversation hub or via an individual case

Comprehensive Security

• Access controls to limit permissions to case
• Secure transmission of data over HTTPS/TLS
• Data encryption to protect sensitive information
• Conversations are stored securely and compliantly on a certified platform meeting HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001, and SOC 2 requirements

How to use it

Click on the phone number of a Party to send a text message. Text messages will automatically be sent using your firm’s selected phone number

• Replies will automatically be assigned to the most recent conversation with the contact's phone number
• Staff assigned to the conversation and staff assigned to the case will receive a notification for new replies
• View unsolicited messages in the Communications Center
• If the phone number is assigned to a single Contact in Neos, the conversation will be assigned to that Contact
• If the Contact is a Party in a single Case in Neos, the conversation will be assigned to that

Contact sales@assemblysoftware.com to sign up for Neos Premium Texting.

SharePoint Document Sync

Now documents displayed in the Documents tab of a case will remain in sync with SharePoint. Everything you see in Neos is an accurate representation of all documents in storage!

How to use it

Upload documents to SharePoint directly for easy access to them. You can also use the “Sync with SharePoint” option on the Case Documents Tab in the three-dot menu.

Document Record Linking (Medical Records)

Add new documents or link existing documents from an existing Case record (insurance, party, negotiation, time, etc.) for an easy way to organize and access all related documents for a specific record in one location.

How to use it

• Upload multiple documents at once and link them to a specific record automatically. (Documents uploaded through the Record/Requests tab (User Tab List/Entry 2) will also be found under Case Documents with the rest of the documents for the case)
• Add and edit metadata for each related document from the related record screen
• There's now a new "Linked Records" section in the Record/Requests Tab detail view where documents can be added that will be linked with a record and those uploaded files will also be saved to the Documents Tab for that case. 

Email Address and Configurable Date Range Added to Advanced Search

Users can now see the Party's default email address and apply a configurable date range in Advanced Search for enhanced reporting.

How to use it

Email

When using Advanced Search, you’ll have the option to add a column in the report for Default Email Address. You can also filter by Default Email Address (e.g., filtering for a specific email domain). When the Default Email Address column is added to an advanced search query, the row will be populated with the data from the default email address in the linked Party. You can then export as an Excel file or CSV for use in email marketing or other purposes. (If you have Mailchimp, you can upload them there and segment as necessary inside Mailchimp.)

Configurable Date Range

Create an aging report that shows activity over the last X days (e.g., yesterday, past seven days, past month, etc.). Saved Advanced Search reports and dashboard widgets are automatically updated and reflected from today's date.

Case Budget

Case budgets (visible in the case header and Funds section) allow users to create a budget for a case and a warning threshold for when a case reaches a configurable percentage of an assigned dollar amount or number of hours of that budget. This feature will help firms to monitor spending/hours worked related to a case and track it against budgets/expectations.

How to use it

The case budget is configurable at the Case Type level and can be edited on an individual case level as well. Include exclusively fees or costs and fees in the calculation of the case budget

Fees includes only the following Value item code types:

• Attorney Fees
• Fixed Fees
• Time

Fees and Costs include:

• (Attorney Fees, Fixed Fees, Time) +
• Case Expenses
• Due to Firm
• Travel
• Debt Pay

Amount spent = Sum of Value items total amount (debit only) -/+ reduction amounts +/- adjustments (e.g., debit = subtraction or credit = addition)

1. Select to show the case budget in case header at the Case Type level.
2. Edit the budget for a case within the case header or the funds section.
3. Permission users to see the case budget and/or modify the case budget in staff profiles under "Case." Note that Case budget permission is defaulted to “On” if the user has access to the Value tab.

Case Phases

Add up to 10 Case Phases (up from five) and select a Practice Area for improved reporting. This change enables firms to better understand the high-level progress of a case without having to open it. Note that the existing Case Phase field will be now titled “Case Phase Display Name” and will remain an editable text field. Existing user-defined content in those fields will not be affected.

Additionally, the columns Case Phase, Case Phase Display Name, and Practice Area will be added in the Browse Cases section. The Advanced Search will also include Case Phase/Case Phase Display Name/Practice Area as selections.

How to use it

On the General Tab, use the new Practice Area field to choose the type of law that is closely related to a Case Type. This selection will influence the options available in the Labels tab for each Case Phase.

The previous Case Phase name is now captured in the “Case Phase Display Name” and will still show in the header of the activity feed and as dropdown options when assigning Checklist items to phases. The Case Phase" dropdown field is used within Advanced Search reporting.

• In the Case Phase dropdown, select the most applicable option that best pairs with Display Name. We have highlighted the gold standard of phases for that practice area at the top of the options in a sequentially numbered list.
• Empty Case Phase Display Name fields will now display as "Case Phase #" if associated with Checklist items in the Activity Feed
• Add or remove up to 5 more Case Phases (max of 10 / min of 5).
• A new "Add a Case Phase" link displays beneath the last phase
• Deleting a Phase (6-10) associated with Checklist items will move all items to "unphased"

Enhancements

Email Moved from Online Accounts to Newly Created Email Section on Party Tab/Contacts

Email addresses have been given their own section in the contact/party tabs. Previously the emails were contained within the online accounts section of the contact.



Clickable Contact List

Call and text phone numbers from the list of Parties, Providers, and related contacts without having to leave the Case Contact detail side pane.

Standard "Accident Information" Tab for All Case Types

Adds a new standard tab for all Case Types called Accident Information where you can input and store all relevant information related to an accident. Note: this must be enabled in Settings before it will appear in a case.

Add Checklist Task from Quick Add Menu

Easily add and track new to-do items using the case header Quick Add menu. The Checklist side pane automatically opens for newly added items.

Add Value and Time Totals to Customizable Case Header

See Value and Time totals in the case header so that that information is always visible from any screen in the case.

Notes Tab View - Expandable

Expand a Note to view multiple Notes at the same time

Checklist - Ability to Add a Note on the Side Pane

The Notes item is specific to the Checklist on the Case. When working on a task, you can add a Note to the Checklist item.

Neos QuickBooks SDK Integration (update)

Request checks, enter deposits, and enter time entries in Neos that will link to your QuickBooks data. Reinstall the updated QuickBooks SDK to resolve existing issues (e.g., moving checks, exporting checks). Download the SDK.

New Integrations

Milestones

Milestones is a client communication system that can automatically update your clients when tasks have been completed in Neos. (You determine the actions in Neos that can trigger an update or message.) Clients will receive a text message with a link to a customized Milestones portal on Milestones to which firms can add embedded videos, FAQs, firm logo/colors, and even the team members assigned to each case. Milestones even allows law firm clients to follow a visual timeline of their case.

Contact Sales@getmilestones.com for a demo or to sign up.

Kenect

Leverage Kenect's SMS marketing abilities to capture new leads, mass message clients with updates, and more!

Sign up for Kenect 

Improvements and Updates

Create Button Added to Top Navigation Bar

This replaces the global “+” button on the left menu and moves it to a more intuitive location.

New Case/Intake Header and Navigation tabs

Updated design for the Case and Intake headers and secondary tabs including the new Create and Quick Add buttons.

• The “Add Note” button in the header (that exists only when the case has not been assigned a special note at the top) has been replaced with a “Special Note” button.
• The "Related Contacts," "List of Parties," and "List of Providers" options are now in a 3-dot menu with other case actions.

New Documents Side Pane

New tabbed document side pane includes:

• New document type specific fields
• Delivery Info section
• Enhanced file preview and History part of Neos Premium tier (contact sales@assemblysoftware.com to upgrade your tier)
• DocuSign tab that only shows for documents sent to DocuSign
• Related and Delivery Info tabs that only show when they have data

Select Row in Grid when a User Single Clicks

Various data grids have been updated to show the clicked row as selected when opening the side pane:

• Notes
• Value > Invoices
• Address Book
• Communications Center
• Accounting
• Documents

Questions?

Contact your customer success manager if you have questions about this release, or sign up for one of our monthly Neos demos for a full product refresh!

For detailed instructions on any of these updates and new features, click the Help icon (question mark) in Neos to access the Self-Serve Portal and Knowledge Base.