Streamline Your Operations: 5 Overlooked OpenAir Features That Can Transform Your Workflow

OpenAir stands tall as a leading cloud-based Professional Service Automation (PSA) solution, known for its innovative features and unparalleled customizability. This powerful tool offers immense flexibility in time management, resource allocation, and billing capabilities, making it an indispensable asset for businesses seeking efficient project management. However, amidst its array of functionalities, there are hidden gems that often go unnoticed, leaving users unaware of the full extent of OpenAir’s capabilities. In this article, we’ll delve into five rarely used features that have the potential to elevate your OpenAir experience to new heights.

1. Supercharge Your Forms with Conditional Dropdown Custom Fields

Conditional Dropdown Custom Fields allow you to set up dynamic, relationship-driven dropdown fields. For instance, you can create a dropdown field and a dependent dropdown field that displays options based on the selection made in the parent field. While some users opt for form permissions to achieve similar results, leveraging Advanced Custom Fields for conditional dropdowns offers significant advantages. It saves time and eliminates the complexity associated with maintaining intricate form permission rules. To enable this feature, simply access the Advanced Custom Field Value editor and configure Conditional Associations between custom fields.

2. Optimize Data Representation with Allocation Grid Custom Field

The Allocation Grid Custom Field is a hidden treasure for those seeking to express data in percentage formats. This feature is particularly handy when calculating the weighted probability of projects in your pipeline. Instead of laboriously creating custom calculations, the Allocation Grid lets you auto-calculate reporting values based on percentage data stored within it. While this feature comes standard in newer versions of OpenAir, it can be activated in older versions via the Custom Field Allocation Grid switch.

3. Streamline Timesheet Management with Self-Approval and Line Item Rejection Options

Timesheets are pivotal for tracking productivity, facilitating invoicing, and ensuring accurate payroll processing. Yet, managing timesheets can be a complex endeavor fraught with errors. Enter the Timesheet Approval/Rejection options in OpenAir. This feature empowers users to reject their timesheets (provided no approvals have occurred) and make necessary corrections before submission. The Self-rejecting Option, when enabled by support, simplifies the process. Furthermore, the Line Item rejection feature lets you evaluate and approve/reject individual time entries, avoiding bottlenecks in timesheet approval. Even when a timesheet comprises multiple projects, this feature ensures you can bill approved time entries separately, expediting billing and invoicing.

4. Enhance Record-keeping with ‘Mark Time Entries as Paid

One lesser-known yet highly valuable feature allows you to mark individual time entries as ‘Paid’ or ‘Invoiced’ within the timesheet module. This functionality is particularly useful when dealing with hourly contractors or employees and helps track hours included in payroll runs or vendor invoices. Moreover, it enables you to add notes for future reference. Activating this feature is a breeze – simply enable the Time Entry switch and create two custom fields: ‘time entry reconciled’ and ‘time entry reconciled notes.

5. Achieve Precise Cost Management with Cost Adjustment Based on Utilization

The standardized utilization of salary-based employees can sometimes lead to unexpected project cost escalations when employees exceed allocated hours. To tackle this issue, OpenAir offers an advanced feature – Cost Adjustment Based on Utilization. This powerful tool allows you to adjust costs based on actual utilization. When employees or contractors work beyond their allocated time, this feature, combined with Advanced Historical Utilization reporting, normalizes costs accordingly. Notably, this feature requires no additional configuration – it’s ready for use, provided the Report Management Interface is not enabled.

Conclusion

OpenAir offers a world of possibilities beyond its core functionalities. By harnessing these rarely used features, you can streamline your operations, minimize errors, and achieve more accurate cost accounting. At Top Step, we’re committed to helping you maximize the potential of OpenAir. To delve deeper into these hidden gems, explore our webinar, “5 Rarely Used OpenAir Features You Will Benefit From,” or reach out to us for a free consultation on configuring and customizing your OpenAir platform. Unleash the full potential of OpenAir, and watch your productivity soar.