The BalaBoss Client Navigator from BalaBoss Software Corporation (888-635-1111) is a workflow front-end that works in conjunction with the programs already installed on your computer. More than a simple shell program, the BalaBoss Client Navigator is a command center that unites contact management (including ownership structures), flexible reporting, a tickler, staff scheduling, and file room and archiving management within a simple push-button interface. I've waited years for a practice management program this simple to use, and I'm glad I did because this product heads into new territory with its superb document-management utilities.

BalaBoss is unlike any of the other products in this review. For starters, it doesn't include a time and billing system but it does produce activity reports that provide a record of which employees accessed which clients and for how long. (The company responded that a time and billing module is currently under development with a scheduled release date of May 1, 1999.) In addition, this software directly accesses client data files created by other applications. What makes this product so revolutionary is its simple interface. The product opens to an unassuming window. In the upper-left hand corner is a client selection area. Directly to the left of the pull-down combo box used to select an active client is a contact management area with individual tabs for address, contacts, staff, execs, bankers and lawyers.

Beneath the client selection area is BalaBoss' "practice management" quadrant. Nine buttons are present for these categories: Associated Companies; Ownership; Key Dates; Client Note Pad; Permanent Notes; Reminder Notes; Key ID Reference; File Room; and Staff Scheduling. The File Room button is particularly noteworthy. Pressing this button opens a new window where users can record the physical location of client files in the accounting office, even including a bin number, if applicable. If used properly, the features will eliminate the frantic searching for documentation prior to a meeting or other engagement.

The Staff Scheduling button is a powerful tool for managing staff allocation for clients and recording non-billable time, like vacations and development days. This button produces a daily schedule (similar to a Day Planner) that can be viewed on-screen or printed in the reports subsystem. It isn't the most detailed of planners; it limits the user to "morning" and "afternoon" assignments.

The Reminder Notes button is great for tracking due-dates. Users can also enter a reminder date to precede the actual due date. If the Reminder Notes button is red, it means that there are past-due reminder notes for the client. A Reminder Review button at the bottom of the main program screen lists reminders for all clients in the system, so there is little chance of entering a tickler and forgetting about it.

Next to the "practice management" quadrant is the "launch pad" quadrant. This quadrant has push-buttons for these options: Financial Statements; Working Papers; Corporate Tax; General Ledger; Client Invoices; Scanned Documents; Transmittal Letters; General Correspondence; Trust Returns; and Miscellaneous Spreadsheets. Using these buttons, you won't have to open different software applications used by your firm. Via the program's System Administration button, users can create relationships between these buttons and specific client files. What this means is that with the BalaBoss Client Navigator, you only have to press a single button to open a client's 1040 return in, let's say, your Lacerte tax package. (BalaBoss commented that both the names and the program associations of Launch Pad buttons are user-defined. The default button names and associations can be changed by users to suit the requirements of their practices.)

At the bottom of the screen, beneath the Practice Management quadrant, are three administration buttons: System Administration, Reminder Review and Reports. System Administration is used to set security clearance, program relationships and firm information. With the Reminder Review button, users can view or print tickler reports for all clients or selected ones. The most useful of the three buttons - Reports - is your one-stop shop for hundreds of pre-formatted report options. Reports are grouped into many categories, including activity reports, contact information reports, file room reports, staff scheduling reports and year-end reports.

The BalaBoss Client Navigator fills a niche that has been largely forgotten by most practice management vendors. Perhaps its best asset is its ability to manage and, in many cases, reduce the amount of paper a firm generates. I recommend that everyone without a practice management program consider this program first, especially those without the need for a time and billing system. Should BalaBoss incorporate time and billing functionality, this product will seriously challenge every participant in this review. Until then, it still competes ferociously with its push-button interface and document management functionality.