Synergist v16 | April 26

Synergist v16 is packed with features that save you time and give you better visibility over your numbers. From favouriting records for instant access, to multi-currency views across jobs and invoices, to smarter batch actions in resource bookings, this release is all about removing friction from your daily workflow.

What's new in v16...

Jobs

Favourite records for instant access

Mark the Organisations, Jobs, Phases and Stages you use most with a new star icon. Favourited records display a yellow star on their pill, making them visible throughout the system. Manage favourites in bulk by selecting multiple records from any main list, or right-click a pill to add or remove.

Filter any list to show only your favourites with the new 'My favourites' system view, filter by favourited records in the filter modal, or sort by favourite status using the new column picker option.

Multi-currency columns on Job and Phase lists

Two new columns show your Currency invoiced total and Currency recognised total. When a job has been invoiced in a single currency, Synergist shows the value with its symbol. When multiple currencies are involved, hover over 'Multiple currencies' for a full breakdown.

Currency switch on Invoice tabs and Billing Plans

Toggle between base currency and invoice currency on the Invoices tab of Job and Phase records. Values update across Amount, Recognised, Deferred, totals and Remaining to invoice. The same switch is now available on Billing Plan lists, making it easy to review financials in whichever currency you need.

Six new profit columns

Estimated GP%, Actual GP, Actual GP%, Estimated NP%, Actual NP and Actual NP% are now available in the Job and Phase list column picker. Spot margin issues at a glance without opening individual records.

Revenue recognition filters

If Revenue Recognition is enabled, four new filters are available in the Jobs and Phases lists: Recognised to invoiced, Recognised to quoted, Recognised to rec. chg, and Recognised to estimated chg. Find them in the Percent filter dropdown under By Job / Phase.

Sticky tabs between Job and Phase levels

Switch between Job and Phase levels and Synergist remembers which tab you were on. No more jumping back to Details every time.

Task dependencies preserved when copying

Task dependencies are now retained when you copy a job or create one from a template. No more re-linking tasks manually.

Copy estimate charge rates when duplicating a phase

The Phase duplication wizard now includes an Estimated charge rates option. Manual charge rates carry across to the new phase automatically.

Add stages from the Gantt chart

On non two-tier jobs, stages can now be added directly from the Gantt chart at both job and phase levels.

Add milestones from the Gantt chart

Add milestones directly from the Gantt chart using the + button and selecting 'Add milestone'. Synergist creates them as task records with the task type set to milestone. A new Upcoming milestones system view and milestone filter are available on task lists. Milestone tasks display a distinct milestone icon on their pill.

Hide rows from Gantt chart exports

Rows in the Gantt chart can now be excluded from downloaded documents. Click the eye icon on any phase, stage or task row to hide it, or select 'Hide on Gantt export' on the detail page. When you download, select 'Exclude hidden rows' from the Download dropdown.

Hiding a parent item automatically excludes its children from the export. For example, if a phase has five stages and one stage is hidden, the download shows everything except that stage. If the phase itself is hidden, the phase and all its stages are excluded.

The 'Exclude hidden rows' switch resets each time the download dropdown is closed, so rows are never accidentally hidden from future exports.

Material cost rate as percentage of charge rate

Material cost rates can now be automatically calculated as a percentage of the charge rate. Set the override percentage on material records in File Maintenance, or override per estimate line. A new Use job estimated cost rates option on job recost and batch update ensures current estimated rates are used.

Lost opportunities locked

After an opportunity is marked as Lost, its status fields can no longer be changed.

Right-click pill navigation

Right-click any pill to jump between Phases, Tasks, Stages and the client.

Organisation pills

Organisations now display as pills: solid grey for clients, striped for prospects, light grey for leads. Available across main lists and in the column picker on Jobs, Opportunities, Phases and Stages.

Zero-quantity material estimates now copy from templates

When creating a job from a template with Copy materials selected, zero-quantity material estimate lines are now included.

Quote approval emails now show the requester's name

Quote approval email alerts now include the name of the person who requested the approval.

Tasks

Duplicate tasks with a single click

A new duplicate icon is available on all task sub-lists. The Duplicate task modal lets you adjust key details, with dates auto-filled and editable.

Reactions on task comments

React to comments on tasks. The comment creator receives an email and in-app notification when someone reacts.

Comment box always expanded

Based on user feedback, the comment box is now always visible. No more clicking 'Add comment' first.

Date change notifications

Task owners and watchers now receive a notification and email when a task's start or due date/time is changed. Enable in Company settings > Alerts tab.

Completed tasks in My Calendar

Completed tasks now appear in My Calendar by default, shown with a strikethrough. Use the new 'Hide completed tasks' option if you prefer a cleaner view.

Improved due date readability

Larger font size, bold red for overdue dates, and blue for non-overdue dates make task deadlines easier to scan.

Custom fields on task Detail report

Custom fields are now supported on the task Detail report.

Resourcing

Default charge code on resource bookings

When creating a booking, Synergist now applies the staff member's default charge code automatically. One less thing to look up.

Improved batch actions for resource bookings

A new Batch actions menu at the top of the screen lets you filter bookings by Organisation, Job, Phase or Stage, then move, hide unused, delete future bookings, revert to draft or confirm in a single action.

Charge code type and department filters on resource bookings

New filters on the Estimates panel let you filter by charge code type and department. The department filter appears when Departmental revenue analysis is enabled.

Purchasing

Purchase invoice inbox

Purchase invoices can now be emailed directly into Synergist. Forward an invoice to your Synergist inbox address with the PDF attached and it's processed automatically. The sender receives an in-app notification confirming success or failure. Contact our support team to get set up.

Bulk upload purchase invoices

A new Upload files button on the Accounts link > Purchases > Import purchases/expenses table lets you upload up to 20 purchase invoice PDFs at once.

Timesheet users can now manage suppliers

Users with the Timesheet licence can now add, edit and delete suppliers, supplier prospects and supplier contacts, provided they have the relevant permissions.

Import and export supplier prices

Import and export options are now available on the supplier Prices tab, matching the existing functionality on client price lists.

Country column on Supplier list

Country is now available in the column picker on the Supplier list.

Edit PO date after approval

The purchase order date can now be changed even after approval.

New PO list columns

Markup method, Markup %, Discount %, Estimated markup % and Estimated discount % are now available in the column picker.

Better date tracking on purchase orders

See when the original estimate was created with the new Estimate created date field. Plus eight new date columns in the PO list column picker: Cancel date, Date created, Date ordered, Date sent, Estimated date, Final delivery date, First delivery date and Real date.

Smarter PO approval settings

The Max. PO approval cost field is now hidden when approval is set to 'No approval'. It only appears when relevant.

Purchase and expense department mandatory setting

A new PO department mandatory field in Company settings > Forced/blocked tab makes the department field mandatory for purchase estimates, tenders, purchase orders, expense estimates, direct expenses and expense entry.

Note: Only available when Departmental revenue analysis is switched on.

Invoicing

Automatic numbering and prefix for manual invoices

Auto-generate manual invoice numbers with a single tick. Optionally add a prefix. Enable in Company settings > Codes. When enabled, auto-numbering is on by default, but you can always untick to enter your own number.

AI autofill now captures due dates

The purchase invoice AI autofill feature now extracts the due date from uploaded files. When no due date is found, it's calculated from the supplier's payment terms.

Invoices sorted newest-first

The Invoices tab on Organisation records now defaults to newest at the top.

Invoice type shown on batch draft invoice modal

When creating batch draft invoices from the Jobs or Phases lists with Revenue Recognition and Use billing plans enabled, the invoice type now displays as Invoice/Revenue. An information icon explains how this relates to billing plans and revenue recognition.

Reporting

Share group views across multiple groups

Group views can now be shared with more than one group using the new Additional groups field in File Maintenance > Table of views.

Past and future periods in Data Analytics

A new 'Or up to range' dropdown in Data Analytics lets you view past and future periods in the same report. Combine actuals with forward-looking data to get a projected position for the full financial year.

For example, see invoiced figures for completed months and billing plan projections for future months in the same financial year, giving you a projected position for the full year.

Department revenue analysis export

The Department analysis export now includes all columns from the screen, plus invoiced/recognised values and net profit.

Price export enhancements

Organisation code and Charge/Material code columns have been added to the organisation prices export.

Automatic financial period creation

Set Financial period type to 'Monthly' in Company settings and Synergist manages your periods automatically. Particularly useful for dashboards.

Integrations

Sage Intacct enhancements

Several improvements for Sage Intacct via API customers:

• Tax code mapping. A new Setup VAT codes button on the Accounts link page lets you map sales and purchase tax codes directly from within Synergist.
• Posting date mapping. Synergist's purchase invoice posting date is now placed into the GL posting date field in Intacct.
• Project date synchronisation. Two new dropdown fields in Accounts Details let you choose which Synergist dates populate the project begin and end dates in Intacct. Options include the job start/due date or any date-type job custom field.
• Relaxed invoice-to rules. A new 'Use blank customer when creating projects' option gives more flexibility by allowing transactions for any customer to be posted to a project.
• Swap PI reference. A new checkbox lets you swap the PIR reference with the 2nd Ref when posting purchase invoices.

Miscellaneous

Naming changes

Several labels have been updated for clarity and consistency across the system:

• 'Dead' system view is now 'Lost'
• 'Planned' column in billing plans is now 'Planned inv' (and 'Planned invoicing' in column preferences)
• 'Departmental costing' export is now 'Departmental time'
• 'New organisation' button is now 'New client'
• 'Amount' column on the Job/Phase Invoice tab is now 'Invoiced'

Search on weekly timesheets

A search box on Weekly Timesheets lets you find entries by organisation, job or phase.

Attachment quick-view

Click the view icon to open attachments in a modal without downloading or opening the full record.

Scroll to top

A 'Back to top' button appears on lists when you scroll more than halfway down.

MFA and SSO on mobile app

The mobile app now uses the standard Synergist login screen, so MFA and SSO are fully enforced.

API updates

• Expense sheet paid status. A new action on the Expense Sheet API lets you obtain the paid status for related purchase invoices.
• Set payment terms. Supplier and client payment terms can now be set via the API. The Internal column in File Maintenance > Payment terms displays the values used for mapping.
• Nominal analysis check before posting. When PI analysis tied to allocations is enabled, Synergist now verifies whether the nominal analysis has changed since it was last built before allowing a purchase invoice to be posted. If a change is detected, you'll be prompted to rebuild first.
• Transfer costs: nominal journal and rule tightening. When transferring purchase or expense costs between jobs or phases, Synergist now checks that related purchase invoices have been posted and transferred to the accounting system before allowing the transfer. Once criteria are met, a nominal journal is created automatically. For Sage Intacct with Create projects enabled, the journal is broken down by job. A new field in Company settings > Accounts details lets Sage Intacct customers specify the journal type for transfer-cost journals.

Explore Synergist API

Coming soon

The following integrations are in final development and will be added to v16 in the coming weeks:

DocuSign integration

Send quotes for electronic signature directly from Synergist and track signing status without leaving the system. 

[Detail to follow]

Pleo integration

Pleo expenses can now be imported directly into Synergist with the correct amount, currency, tax code and receipts attached automatically. No more manual re-entry.

[Detail to follow]

What's next?

v16 represents another step in our commitment to regular, meaningful updates. Want to see what's on the horizon? Check out our product roadmap.

Got questions? Our support team is here to help.

Built from your feedback

We're committed to regular product updates every four months. This gives us time to listen to your feedback and make meaningful developments. Every feature in v16 came from conversations with people who use Synergist every day. We listen, we build, we deliver.

Have feedback or a feature request? Drop us a line at comms@synergist.co.uk. We'd love to hear what would make the biggest difference to your agency.