BigTime - Detailed Review
Travel Tools
BigTime - Product Overview
Primary Function
BigTime is a time and expense tracking, project management, and client invoicing platform. It helps professional service firms manage their operations efficiently by tracking time spent on projects, managing expenses, and generating client invoices.Target Audience
The target audience for BigTime includes small and medium-sized professional service firms such as consulting firms, law offices, accounting firms, marketing agencies, and other service-based organizations. These firms benefit from accurate time tracking, project management, and invoicing to ensure they bill clients correctly and manage their resources effectively.Key Features
Time Tracking
BigTime allows users to track time spent on project tasks easily, both from desktop and mobile devices. It features ease of completing timesheets, tracking time to specific projects or tasks, and managing billable time rates based on user roles and project assignments.Expense Reports
The platform simplifies the creation of expense reports with features like smart categorization, digital receipt management, and integration with credit cards. It also supports employee reimbursement directly to their bank accounts or through payroll systems.Client Invoicing
BigTime enables the creation and delivery of invoices, both printable and electronic. It includes project accounting and revenue recognition, as well as the ability to accept electronic payments from clients.Mobile Capabilities
The software offers mobile time tracking and expense reporting, allowing users to capture receipts, track mileage, and enter time spent on projects from their mobile devices.Administration
BigTime includes features for business tool integration with popular finance, payroll, HRMS, and CRM systems. It also offers workflow management, automated reminders, and user, role, and access management to ensure compliance with corporate policies.Reporting and Integration
The platform provides access to pre-built and custom reports, APIs for integration with other software applications, and support for multiple languages and currencies. It ensures high performance and reliability, with the ability to work offline when necessary.AI Assistant
BigTime has introduced an AI Assistant that offers 24/7 chat support, providing instant answers to user questions and helping with troubleshooting and foundational queries. This feature leverages large language models trained on BigTime’s knowledge base and documentation. In summary, BigTime is a versatile tool that helps professional service firms streamline their operations through efficient time tracking, expense management, and client invoicing, all while offering strong integration and reporting capabilities. BigTime - User Interface and Experience
User Interface of BigTime
The user interface of BigTime, particularly in its mobile and web applications, is designed with a focus on simplicity, ease of use, and intuitive functionality.
Intuitive Design
The BigTime mobile app boasts an intuitive design that makes it easy for users to track time and expenses on the go. The interface is clean and simple, allowing users to quickly access their projects with one-tap access. This simplicity ensures that users can start, pause, and finish timers, create and submit timesheets, and upload receipts with minimal effort.
Ease of Use
Users have praised the BigTime mobile app for its user-friendly nature. The app allows for hassle-free time entry with one-tap timers, and it enables users to capture every billable minute and tie it directly to billing. The process of creating, saving, and submitting timesheets is also streamlined, making it easy to manage time entries from anywhere.
Automatic Syncing
The app ensures seamless project management by automatically syncing data between the mobile device and the desktop application. This feature eliminates the need for manual data entry and reduces the risk of errors, making the overall experience more efficient.
Expense Tracking
The expense tracking feature is equally user-friendly, allowing users to upload receipt photos and PDFs easily. Users can create, save, submit, and assign expenses directly from their mobile devices, and they can quickly view and resubmit rejected expenses.
Feedback and Support
BigTime also offers strong support features, including a new AI-powered chat assistant that provides 24/7 in-product help and expert tips. This AI Assistant is fluent in all languages and offers instant chat support, in-line feedback, and links to relevant Knowledge Base articles, further enhancing the user experience.
Overall User Experience
Overall, the user experience with BigTime is highly positive. Users appreciate the app’s ability to unify several processes into a single platform, making project management, time tracking, and invoicing more efficient. While there may be a slight learning curve initially, especially with the coding and setup, the benefits of using BigTime far outweigh these minor inconveniences. The app has been praised for its ability to streamline workflows, reduce manual efforts, and minimize errors, leading to increased productivity and client satisfaction.
Conclusion
In summary, BigTime’s user interface is designed to be easy to use, intuitive, and efficient, making it a valuable tool for professionals looking to manage their time and expenses effectively.
BigTime - Key Features and Functionality
Overview of BigTime’s AI Features
Based on the information available, BigTime does not have a specific product or feature that falls directly into the “Travel Tools AI-driven” category. BigTime is primarily a time tracking, billing, and project management software, and its AI integration is focused on general user support and workflow automation rather than travel planning.
Main AI-Related Features
Here are the main AI-related features of BigTime, although they are not specific to travel tools:
BigTime AI Assistant
- This feature provides a conversational chat experience that offers 24/7 in-product help and expert tips on using BigTime. It is powered by large language models (LLM) trained on BigTime’s extensive Knowledge Base, Invoice XML, API documentation, and data dictionaries.
- Key Features:
- Instant 24/7 chat support: Users can get immediate help with their questions.
- In-line feedback: Users can provide feedback using thumbs up or down.
- Multilingual support: The AI Assistant can respond in various languages.
- Links to relevant Knowledge Base articles: It directs users to helpful resources for further information.
Other Features
- While not AI-driven specifically for travel, BigTime’s other features include project oversight, resource management, invoicing, and payments. For example, the AutoPay feature in BigTime Wallet allows clients to save payment information and streamline payment processes, reducing administrative tasks.
Conclusion
Since BigTime does not have specific AI-driven travel tools, it is important to clarify that the AI features are generally aimed at enhancing the overall user experience and efficiency within the context of project management and billing. If you are looking for AI-driven travel tools, you might want to consider other products like Google’s new travel AI tools, which include itinerary creation, destination recommendations, and translation features.
BigTime - Performance and Accuracy
Introduction
To evaluate the performance and accuracy of BigTime in the context of AI-driven travel tools, it’s important to clarify that BigTime is not a travel planning or AI travel tool. Instead, BigTime is a Professional Services Automation (PSA) software designed for managing time, billing, and project resources in professional services firms.BigTime’s Focus
BigTime is focused on helping firms manage their projects, track time, oversee budgets, and improve cash flow. It does not have features or functionalities related to travel planning or AI-driven travel recommendations.Limitations in Travel Context
Since BigTime is not intended for travel planning, it does not offer any capabilities in this area. Therefore, it cannot be evaluated for its performance or accuracy in the travel tools AI-driven product category.Engagement and Factual Accuracy
For travel planning, users would need to look at specific AI travel tools like GuideGeek, Google’s Gemini bot, or other AI travel planners that are designed to research destinations, make reservations, and generate itineraries. These tools have shown varying degrees of success in saving time and money, but they also require human surveillance to ensure their recommendations are accurate and up-to-date.Conclusion
In summary, BigTime does not fit into the category of AI-driven travel tools and thus cannot be evaluated for performance or accuracy in this specific context. If you are looking for AI travel planners, you would need to consider other specialized tools. BigTime - Pricing and Plans
The Pricing Structure of BigTime
The pricing structure of BigTime, a product categorized under AI-driven business management tools, is structured to accommodate a wide range of business sizes and needs. Here’s a breakdown of the different tiers and the features they offer:
Basic Plan
- Price: $25/month
- Includes: 5 users
- Features:
- Unlimited clients
- QuickBooks integration
- Mobile access
- Desktop widget
Standard Plan
- Price: $125/month
- Includes: 10 users
- Features:
- All features from the Basic Plan
- Invoicing
- Expense tracking
- Enhanced reporting
- RESTful API access
Additional Users
- For plans needing more than the included users:
- $10 for 1 additional user
- $75 for a 10-user pack
- $150 for a 20-user pack
Enterprise Solution
- Pricing: Custom, requires a call for pricing
- Features:
- Enterprise workflow
- Multi-tier budgeting
- Other advanced features
- Available as an on-premises solution
- Pricing starts at $15/user and can drop as low as $2/user for larger firms
Onboarding and Discounts
- BigTime offers a comprehensive onboarding process, including a dedicated account rep, three hours of personalized demos and support, and additional support as needed, for $395.
- There is a 15% discount for paying the annual commitment upfront, which equates to nearly two months free.
Customization and Scalability
- BigTime’s plans are designed to scale with your business, allowing easy upgrades or downgrades as your user base or feature needs change.
There are no free options for the BigTime business management software, but there is a 30-day trial available to test the features before committing to a plan.
BigTime - Integration and Compatibility
Integration and Compatibility of BigTime
When considering the integration and compatibility of BigTime, especially in a context that might involve travel or AI-driven tools (though BigTime is not specifically a travel tool), it’s clear that BigTime is highly versatile and integrates well with a variety of other software and platforms.Integrations
BigTime integrates with a wide range of productivity and business tools. Some notable integrations include:Accounting Software
BigTime integrates with QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, and other accounting systems to streamline financial management and billing processes.Project Management
It works seamlessly with tools like Jira, helping to manage project tasks and workflows efficiently.Communication
Integrations with Slack and other communication tools ensure that teams can stay connected and coordinated.CRM
BigTime also integrates with Salesforce and HubSpot, enabling better customer relationship management.Time and Expense Tracking
The platform supports time and expense tracking, which can be integrated with various HR systems like Bamboo for employee time off data.Compatibility Across Platforms and Devices
BigTime is highly compatible across different platforms and devices:Cloud Deployment
BigTime is 100% cloud deployable over both public and private clouds, making it accessible from anywhere.Mobile Devices
BigTime offers mobile apps for both Android and iOS users, allowing easy data entry and access on the go. Users can download the app from the Google Play Store or the App Store and log in to use its features.Single Sign On (SSO)
BigTime supports SSO and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for secure and streamlined access, compatible with systems like Intuit SSO, Google, Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, and OneLogin.Data Migration and API
For users transitioning to BigTime, the platform offers data import capabilities to migrate current and historical data from existing systems. Additionally, BigTime provides a robust API, though the access and features may vary by subscription level.Conclusion
In summary, BigTime is highly integrated with various business tools and is compatible across multiple platforms and devices, making it a versatile solution for managing projects, time, and expenses efficiently. BigTime - Customer Support and Resources
Customer Support Options
BigTime provides several customer support options to ensure users get the help they need:BigTime AI Assistant
This is a 24/7 chat experience that offers instant in-product help and expert tips. The AI Assistant is powered by OpenAI’s GPT large language models and can answer complex technical questions, help with troubleshooting, and provide foundational information about using BigTime.
Live Customer Support
In addition to the AI Assistant, BigTime offers live customer support during normal business hours (8:30 AM-6:00 PM CT, Monday through Friday). Users can transition from the AI chat to live support by clicking an icon at the top of the chat window, which sends the chat transcript to the live support team for ongoing assistance.
Additional Resources
Knowledge Base
The BigTime AI Assistant links to relevant Knowledge Base articles, which provide detailed information on various aspects of using the BigTime product. This resource is invaluable for users learning how to use the platform or troubleshooting common issues.
Feedback Mechanism
Users can provide feedback on the AI Assistant’s responses through in-line feedback (thumbs up or down). This feedback is monitored by the product and support teams to improve the AI Assistant’s performance.
User Interface Customization
While not directly related to customer support, the upcoming enhancements to the BigTime AI Assistant will allow users to position the chat button in any of the four corners of their screen, improving usability.
In summary, BigTime’s customer support is centered around providing immediate and effective assistance through its AI-powered chat feature and live support, backed by a comprehensive Knowledge Base and a feedback mechanism to continuously improve the support experience.
BigTime - Pros and Cons
Overview
Based on the information available, BigTime is not a product within the travel tools or AI-driven travel planning category. Instead, it is a Professional Services Automation (PSA) software designed for managing various aspects of professional services organizations.
Advantages
- Efficient Time Tracking and Project Management: BigTime offers features for time tracking, project management, and expense tracking, which help in operating more efficiently and maximizing profits.
- Accurate Client Tracking: The software has improved the accuracy of client tracking records and saved a significant amount of time for users.
- Accessible Customer Support: BigTime provides easily accessible and very helpful customer support, which is particularly useful for custom reports and other specific needs.
- Reminders and Notifications: The ability to send reminders for specific jobs helps keep everyone on the same page and ensures tasks are completed on time.
Disadvantages
- Learning Curve: There is a learning curve, especially for billing clients in complicated ways, although it gets easier over time.
- Lack of ‘Clock-in, Clock-out’ Function: The software does not have a “clock-in, clock-out” function, which can be inconvenient for some users.
- Performance Issues with Weak Internet: The application does not function well with weak internet, such as on an airplane.
- Data Import Issues: Some users have experienced problems with the data import process, including discrepancies in numbers and lack of reports to verify the import.
Conclusion
Since BigTime is not related to travel tools or AI-driven travel planning, it does not have any specific pros or cons in that category.
BigTime - Comparison with Competitors
When Comparing BigTime to AI-Driven Travel Tools
It’s important to note that BigTime is not a travel tool itself, but rather a professional services automation (PSA) software. However, we can still discuss some of the key differences and alternatives in the context of travel planning and management.BigTime’s Focus
BigTime is primarily focused on helping professional services businesses manage projects, time tracking, expense reports, and client invoicing. It does not have features specifically designed for travel planning or itinerary creation.Travel-Specific AI Tools
For travel planning, there are several AI-driven tools that offer unique features:Google’s Travel AI Tools
Google has introduced AI-powered tools that create itineraries, suggest flights, hotels, and attractions, and provide destination recommendations. These tools integrate with Google Search and Maps, allowing users to generate trip plans and export them to various platforms.Layla
Layla is an AI-powered travel planning service that helps users discover new destinations, plan itineraries, and book flights and hotels. It is specifically designed for the travel industry and offers personalized travel guides.Copilot2trip
Copilot2trip is another AI-powered travel assistant that creates customized travel plans with interactive maps. It caters to both single-day business trips and multi-day family vacations.Mighty Travels
Mighty Travels Premium offers an AI-powered tool that provides discounts on airfare and hotels, real-time email alerts for deals, and personalized travel assistants along with detailed itineraries and destination guides.Travelities
Travelities generates personalized travel plans including travel deals, accommodations, and activities based on user preferences. It is an AI trip planner that simplifies travel planning.Unique Features of Travel AI Tools
- Itinerary Creation: Tools like Google’s AI, Layla, and Copilot2trip can generate detailed itineraries based on user preferences and web data.
- Real-Time Alerts: Mighty Travels offers real-time email alerts for great travel deals.
- Destination Guides: Many of these tools, such as Google’s AI and Travelities, provide detailed destination guides and recommendations.
- Integration with Maps: Google’s AI tools integrate seamlessly with Google Maps, offering additional features like customizable lists and local recommendations.
Why BigTime is Not a Competitor
BigTime does not compete in the travel planning and itinerary creation space. Instead, it is a comprehensive PSA software for managing professional services, including time tracking, expense reports, and client invoicing. If you are looking for AI-driven travel tools, the alternatives mentioned above are more suitable.Conclusion
In summary, if you need AI-driven travel planning tools, you should consider options like Google’s travel AI, Layla, Copilot2trip, Mighty Travels, or Travelities, each offering unique features tailored to travel planning and management. BigTime - Frequently Asked Questions
What is BigTime Software?
BigTime is a cloud-based project management platform designed for the professional services industry. It helps streamline operations by automating tasks, managing time and expenses, and optimizing financial processes.What are the key features of BigTime?
BigTime offers a range of features including time and expense tracking, project management, resource management, billing and invoicing, payment processing, reporting and analytics, and compliance management. It also includes tools for tracking time to specific projects or tasks, managing billable time rates, and creating detailed expense reports.How does BigTime help with time tracking?
BigTime simplifies time tracking by providing intuitive timesheets that auto-fill repetitive entries, auto-save, and auto-complete. Users can track time based on tasks or activities and assign it to specific projects. The software also supports mobile time tracking, allowing users to enter time spent on project tasks from their mobile devices.Can BigTime integrate with other business tools?
Yes, BigTime integrates with various business tools such as finance, payroll, HRMS, and CRM systems. It provides standard connectors for popular systems, making it easy to maintain and administer workflows.How does BigTime handle expense reports?
BigTime makes creating expense reports easy and intuitive. It includes features like digital receipt management, smart categorization, and bank/credit card integration. The software also allows for employee reimbursement directly to their bank accounts or through payroll systems.Does BigTime support mobile devices?
Yes, BigTime is accessible across various platforms, including dedicated mobile applications for both iOS and Android. This allows users to track time, capture receipts, and manage expenses on the go.How does BigTime ensure compliance and policy management?
BigTime enables administrators to create rules that enforce compliance with corporate time and expense policies. It also supports DCAA compliance and provides features for policy and compliance management, ensuring that all processes are aligned with external regulatory standards.What kind of support does BigTime offer?
BigTime provides extensive onboarding services and a dedicated customer support team to assist users with any questions or concerns. Users can also take a quick assessment or schedule a free consultation to determine the most suitable plan for their business.How can I determine which BigTime plan is suitable for my business?
You can determine the right plan by taking BigTime’s quick assessment or scheduling a free consultation with their team. This helps in identifying the most appropriate plan based on your business needs.Is BigTime user-friendly?
Yes, BigTime has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. The software is designed to simplify tasks such as time tracking, expense reporting, and project management, making it accessible for new users.