Smokeball Time Recording: Tips & How to Import Time Entries

Smokeball has carved out a strong position in the Australian legal market, particularly among suburban and boutique firms, thanks to its automatic time tracking feature. Unlike practice management systems that rely entirely on manual time entry, Smokeball's AutoTime runs in the background and captures activity as you work.

But even with automatic tracking, there are situations where you need to bring time entries into Smokeball from external sources — meeting recordings, emails processed outside the system, or work done on a matter before Smokeball was set up. This guide covers how time recording works in Smokeball, how to get external entries in, and how to generate Smokeball-ready entries from recordings and documents.

How Smokeball's AutoTime Works

Smokeball's standout feature is AutoTime — automatic time capture that records activity while you work within the Smokeball ecosystem. When you open a document in a matter, send an email linked to a matter, or work on any file associated with a client, Smokeball logs the time in the background.

At the end of the day (or whenever you choose), you review these auto-captured entries, adjust descriptions and durations as needed, and approve them for billing. This eliminates the "end of day reconstruction" problem that plagues most law firms.

However, AutoTime only captures activity that happens inside Smokeball. Phone calls made outside the system, client meetings, court attendances, and work done on non-Smokeball devices aren't automatically tracked. These still require manual entry or an external solution.

Manual Time Entry in Smokeball

For work not captured by AutoTime, you'll need to create time entries manually. In Smokeball:

1. Open the relevant matter.
2. Navigate to the Fees section.
3. Click "Add Fee" or the equivalent button to create a new time entry.
4. Enter the date, description, duration (in 6-minute units), and staff member.
5. Save the entry.

The description should follow Australian billing conventions — "Attendance at conference with..." rather than "Meeting about...". If you're unsure about the right format, see our guide on how to write better billing descriptions.

Importing Data into Smokeball

Smokeball's Data Import Tool supports bringing in contacts, matters, and other data via CSV files. The import process is managed through the Smokeball application and typically handled during onboarding.

For time entries specifically, Smokeball's recommended approach is slightly different from Actionstep or Clio. Rather than a bulk CSV import of individual time entries, Smokeball suggests two options for existing WIP (work in progress):

Option 1: Summarised balances. Enter the total outstanding fees and disbursements as a single entry per matter. For example, "Legal fees to March 2026: $2,400." This is the fastest approach.

Option 2: Individual line items. Enter each time entry separately through the Fees section of the relevant matter. This preserves full detail but requires more manual effort.

If you're coming from another system like LEAP, Actionstep, or Clio, Smokeball's onboarding team can assist with the migration. Contact support@smokeball.com.au for assistance with data transfer.

Generating Smokeball-Ready Entries from External Sources

The gap in Smokeball's workflow is the same gap every practice management system has: work that happens outside the software. Client phone calls, face-to-face meetings, external document review, and court attendances all need to be manually entered — and that's where most billing leakage occurs.

LexUnits bridges this gap. Upload a meeting recording, paste a transcript, or forward an email, and LexUnits generates structured billing entries in Smokeball-compatible format — with professional descriptions in Australian billing conventions, accurate time in 6-minute units, and GST handling.

The workflow is straightforward:

1. Record your client meeting or phone call (with consent).
2. Upload the audio to LexUnits, or paste the transcript.
3. LexUnits generates time entries with proper descriptions, durations, and matter references.
4. Export in Smokeball format (CSV).
5. Enter the entries into Smokeball's Fees section, or use the exported data as your reference for manual entry.

This approach captures the detail you'd otherwise forget — the specific issues discussed, the follow-up tasks identified, the time actually spent — and formats it for Smokeball's conventions.

Smokeball Export Format

When exporting from LexUnits for Smokeball, the generated CSV includes the following fields:

• Date — in DD/MM/YYYY format (Australian convention)
• Timekeeper — the staff member who performed the work
• Description — professional billing description
• Duration — in 6-minute units (0.1 hour increments)
• Matter Reference — the matter number or name
• Billing Behaviour — Billed or Non-billable
• Rate — hourly rate (ex-GST)

This format aligns with Smokeball's fee entry fields, making it easy to transfer entries whether you're copy-pasting or entering them manually.

Tips for Better Time Recording in Smokeball

1. Review AutoTime entries daily. Don't let them pile up. The descriptions are generic by default — improve them while the work is fresh in your mind.
2. Record external activities immediately. Phone calls, meetings, and court appearances should be entered into Smokeball the same day they happen.
3. Use matter-linked emails. Smokeball tracks time on emails linked to matters. Make sure your email integration is properly configured so this time isn't lost.
4. Set up staff rates correctly. Ensure each staff member's hourly rate is configured in Smokeball's settings so time entries automatically calculate the correct fee.
5. Use AI for meeting notes. Record your meetings and let AI generate both the attendance entry and the follow-up tasks. This captures details AutoTime can't see.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Smokeball track time automatically?

Yes. Smokeball's AutoTime feature automatically records time spent working on documents, emails, and other activities linked to a matter. It captures activity in the background and presents it as suggested time entries that you can review, adjust, and approve before billing.

Can I import time entries into Smokeball from a CSV file?

Smokeball's Data Import Tool supports importing contacts, matters, and other data via CSV. For time entries specifically, Smokeball recommends entering WIP as summarised balances or individual line items through the application rather than bulk CSV import. You can use the Smokeball export format from LexUnits to prepare entries for manual entry.

How does Smokeball bill time — in 6-minute units?

Yes. Like most Australian practice management software, Smokeball bills in 6-minute increments (0.1 of an hour). You can set default rates per staff member and matter type, and Smokeball will calculate fees based on the time recorded multiplied by the applicable rate.