How can I access the new version of LSP.expert?
The new version of LSP.expert is available to everybody via the following URL: https://app.lsp.expert.
What about the data I already entered in LSP.expert? Is a migration necessary?
Don't worry, you don’t have to migrate any data. The new version has a brand new user interface and offers a lot of new features, but in the background it is still "the same" LSP.expert with all your data in it.
If I start entering data in V2, can I still go back to work in V1? Are there any limitations?
Yes, you can switch versions whenever you want. But you should know that if you start using new features in V2, you won't find them if you go back to V1. For example: if you start using language pairs (see below) in V2, you won't be able to see or use them in V1, because it's a new feature only available in V2.
When won't I be able to access LSP.expert V1 anymore?
V1 and V2 will coexist for a few months, until somewhere around the end of 2023. Of course, we will inform you of the exact date and warn you in advance to switch to V2 and be there for you if you have questions.
What are the big changes?
1. A brand new user interface
The user interface has been totally renewed. LSP.expert is still "organised" like it used to be but the menu is now on the left of the screen and the central part has been made larger to display more data. The data displayed is still the same but it is organised differently. You won't be lost, we promise :-).
2. Split your services out into services + language pairs
This one has been requested by many users.
In LSP.expert V1, the language pair and service represented one entity together, e.g. Translation EN>FR. In LSP.expert V2, the service and the language pair are 2 separate items. It means, in our example, that you can define a service called Translation and the language pair EN>FR. This will make your list of services much shorter and allow more filter options.
Find the screen to manage your services under Settings:
Find the screen to manage your language pairs under Settings:
But is it mandatory to split my services out into services + language pairs?
No, the language pair is not mandatory, which means you can continue to create services like you always did in V1.
3. Replacement of the Details field for your clients and suppliers by a full details form
In LSP.expert V1, any information relating to a client or supplier (name, address, VAT, etc.) that you wanted to display on your invoices, quotes or purchase orders had to be mentioned in the Details field.
In LSP.expert V2, this field has been replaced by a full details form (as shown below). It also has a separate field for the VAT/Tax ID, and if your country requires it, you can also enter a national registration number (such as SIRET in France).
Why did we choose to change this?
Firstly because a lot of users didn't know where to enter the address for their clients/suppliers or other information that needed to be displayed on their documents. But most importantly, we’ve made this change because we plan on integrating with more tools (including accounting tools) in the future and this is the first step in that direction.
What about all my existing clients and suppliers, do I need to migrate anything?
No, you don't. All the existing data relating to a client or a supplier created in V1 will be saved in a new Other details field, at the bottom of the new details form (see above). Everything will still be in the right place when you generate a document. LSP.expert is smart enough to understand that the details form is empty and that it has to use the information in the Other details field.
So it's not mandatory to migrate your existing clients and suppliers from the Other details field into the specific fields of the new details form, but if we develop a new integration in the future that requires this level of data granularity, you will have to fill in the details form in full if you want to use it.
4. Job price calculation
In LSP.expert V1, the price of a job was calculated based on the prices defined at the client level. Any changes to a price defined at the client level would automatically update all the open jobs linked to this client (invoiced jobs were not affected) which could cause mistakes in your numbers.
In V2, the price is "locked" at the job level. This means that if you change the price at the client level, it won't automatically update the linked jobs.
Since the way prices are calculated is different in the old and the new versions of LSP.expert, jobs created in V2 will be available in V1 but you won't be able to update their price. If you want to update the price of a job created in V2, you will have to do it in V2.
5. Price hierarchy
In LSP.expert V2, we did our best to simplify your list of services. Let's take an example...
Imagine that we provide our client ACME with two services (Translation and Revision) in different language pairs (EN>FR, EN>NL, EN>DE, EN>ES and EN>IT).
The prices we apply are always the same for a translation: 0.16€/word, with an exception for the language combination EN>FR for which we charge 0.17€/word. Furthermore, if the content is legal, we raise our price to 0.18€/word.
The price for revisions is 70€/hour.
In LSP.expert we could have this long list of services for the client:
Service | Language pair | Specialization | Price |
Translation | EN>FR | - | 0.17€/word |
Translation | EN>NL | - | 0.16€/word |
Translation | EN>DE | - | 0.16€/word |
Translation | EN>ES | - | 0.16€/word |
Translation | EN>IT | - | 0.16€/word |
Translation | EN>FR | Legal | 0.18€/word |
Translation | EN>NL | Legal | 0.18€/word |
Translation | EN>DE | Legal | 0.18€/word |
Translation | EN>ES | Legal | 0.18€/word |
Translation | EN>IT | Legal | 0.18€/word |
Revision | EN>FR | - | 70€/hour |
Revision | EN>NL | - | 70€/hour |
Revision | EN>DE | - | 70€/hour |
Revision | EN>ES | - | 70€/hour |
Revision | EN>IT | - | 70€/hour |
...But we can also simplify things, like this:
Service | Language pair | Specialization | Price |
Translation | - | - | 0.16€/word |
Translation | EN>FR | - | 0.17€/word |
Translation | - | Legal | 0.18€/word |
Revision | - | - | 70€/hour |
That's because LSP.expert V2 can classify (or "prioritise") your prices. When looking for a price for a Translation (general content) from EN to NL, for example, LSP.expert will go from the bottom to the top.
If you have a look at the table above:
The first price (Translation, Legal) will be skipped because it only applies to legal content (and our content is general).
The second price (Translation, EN>FR) will be skipped too because it only applies to the language pair EN>FR (and our language pair is EN>NL).
The third price (Translation, with no language pair and domain of expertise defined) will be selected for the job because it matches the service.
What other new features have been added to V2?
You can now disable system values (such as services, units, etc.). It means the system values in question will remain in the system if they are used in jobs, invoices, etc. but they won't be available anymore in the lists and dropdown menus in LSP.expert. This is helpful to avoid selecting "old" data and making mistakes.
You can now perform even more bulk actions on jobs (update due dates, update statuses, create groups, etc.).
You can also perform more bulk actions on groups (invoice multiple groups, partially invoice groups, etc.).
You can create a group without dragging-and-dropping jobs into each other.
There are more options when you create a job.
You now have an overview on the history of emails sent via LSP.expert (who sent them, content of the emails, etc.).
You can define the file name format of your documents globally (but also individually for each client or supplier).
You can define match prices as a percentage (in V1, you had to calculate the percentage yourself).
You can define global prices (applied to all your clients/suppliers), but also define separate prices for a particular client or supplier.
Prices can be defined for a specific domain of expertise.
For each supplier, you can define a specific price to be applied when a job comes from a particular client.
If multiple prices can be applied for a job, you can select the price you would like to use.
Marketing notes for your clients now have a due date, and you can get reminders.
Files added at the group level can now be added to all the jobs belonging to the group.
Letterhead papers can now have multiple pages (e.g. when the first page of your letterhead paper is different from the subsequent ones).
You can import your suppliers using an Excel file (like how you could already do for clients).
If you work with multiple users as a team, you can assign users as Project Managers for your clients.
If you work with multiple users as a team, you can define permissions so that a user can only access the data concerning the clients for whom they are Project Manager.
If you work with multiple users as a team, you can update your settings so that all prices are hidden on all screens in LSP.expert for your users.
A reference can be added at the group level to be applied to the linked jobs.
You can now edit options directly when outsourcing a job (service, language pair, quantity, etc.).
In the client details screen, you can now see the groups you have for this client.
For each group, you can now see the related invoices, quotes and purchase orders.
You can define default instructions for your suppliers on the supplier portal.
The localisation settings have been simplified: only one country locale (e.g. fr-be or en-uk) is needed.
...And much more to come :-)