Can I import Tallymail data into my practice management system?

Yes. Tallymail exports your time data as CSV files that you can import directly into Clio, LEAP, Actionstep or Xero, which means your billable hours and matter classifications flow straight into your practice management system without manual re-entry. The export includes the time value calculated for each email at your hourly rate, the matter code it has been matched to, and any AI-written narrative you have generated, so you are moving complete, ready-to-bill time entries rather than raw numbers.

How the export works

When you are ready to move data into your practice management system, Tallymail generates a CSV file containing your time entries. This file includes the email value in pounds or dollars depending on your hourly rate, the matter it has been matched to, the date and time of the email, and the narrative description if you have used the AI narrative feature. You download this file and import it into whichever supported system you use. CSV is a universal format that every major practice management platform accepts, which keeps the process predictable and repeatable regardless of which billing cycle you are working to.

The export carries the matter classifications you have already made in Tallymail. If an email has been matched to a particular client or matter, that classification travels with the data into your practice management system, so you are not starting from scratch on the import side. Reviewing your classifications before you export is a good habit and keeps your downstream data clean.

Which practice management systems does Tallymail support?

Tallymail currently exports to Clio, LEAP, Actionstep and Xero. These are the four systems where the import process is most straightforward because the CSV structure aligns with how each platform expects to receive time data. If you use one of these four, you will find the import process is designed to fit your existing workflow without significant configuration.

If you use a different practice management system, it is worth checking whether that system accepts CSV uploads and how flexible its field-mapping tool is. Many platforms allow you to map incoming columns to their own fields during the import step, which can make it possible to bring in data from a CSV that was not built specifically for that system. The best starting point is your system’s own import documentation or support team, who will be able to tell you exactly what format they expect.

What happens to your email data during export?

Tallymail does not store your full email bodies permanently. When you export time entries, you are exporting the calculated values, matter codes and narratives, not the raw email content. Email metadata such as sender, recipient, date and subject is used to identify and value the email, but the full message body is only processed when you explicitly trigger the AI narrative feature, and even then it is processed transiently without being stored in Tallymail’s systems. Tallymail’s data is hosted in EU and UK regions.

This matters for compliance. Your practice management system receives clean time entries without the risk of accidentally importing confidential client communications into a system where they do not need to be. You control what narrative gets attached to each time entry, so sensitive information stays where it belongs.

When should you export your data?

The right export cadence depends on your billing cycle and how your practice management system is used day to day. Because Tallymail values every email you send or receive at your hourly rate as it arrives, the data is ready whenever you need it. Some practices prefer to export frequently to keep their practice management system current; others batch exports to align with monthly billing runs. Neither approach is wrong, and the best rhythm is the one that fits how your team already works.

A useful general principle is to export before you close off a billing period rather than after. Importing time entries into a period that has already been invoiced creates reconciliation work that is easy to avoid. Building the export step into your end-of-period checklist keeps things tidy and reduces the chance of entries being missed or duplicated.

Matching emails to matters before export

Before you export, it is worth making sure Tallymail has matched each email to the correct matter. Tallymail uses AI to match emails to matters automatically, but you can also correct any mismatches manually. The better your matter classification is before export, the cleaner your practice management system data will be on the other side.

Good matter hygiene before export is a habit that pays off quickly. A few minutes spent reviewing classifications at the end of each week is far less work than untangling mismatched entries after they have been imported into your billing system. If your practice uses consistent matter naming conventions, that consistency will also help the automatic matching work more reliably over time. Think of the pre-export review as the last quality-control step before data leaves Tallymail.

Adding narratives before export

Tallymail can generate an AI-written narrative description for each email, which is included in your export. This means your practice management system receives not just a time value but a description of what the email was about, which is useful when it comes to drafting bills or responding to queries about a matter’s time record.

You are not required to use AI-generated narratives. Writing your own descriptions or leaving the narrative field for your practice management system to handle are both valid approaches. The key point is that whatever narrative has been created or approved for each entry is what travels into the export, so the time to review and finalise descriptions is before you generate the CSV rather than after. A clear, accurate narrative at the point of capture saves editing time later in the billing process.

Reconciling exported data with your billing

Once you have imported your Tallymail exports into your practice management system, reconciling them against your actual billing is good practice. Check that the matter codes match your practice management system’s records and that the time values look correct. If your import tool flags any failures, the most common cause is a matter code in the export that does not yet exist in your practice management system, which is straightforward to resolve by creating the missing matter before re-importing.

Keeping a simple log of what was exported and when makes reconciliation easier, particularly if more than one person in the practice is responsible for billing. A shared record of export dates and the periods they cover removes ambiguity and makes it easier to spot gaps or overlaps before they become billing errors.

Data security during export

Tallymail is a Microsoft-certified Outlook add-in on Microsoft AppSource, and your email access is authenticated through Microsoft’s OAuth process. Tallymail’s data is hosted in EU and UK regions, which is relevant if your practice has data residency obligations under UK GDPR or equivalent US requirements.

When you export a CSV, you control where that file goes and when it is imported into your practice management system. Treating exported CSV files with the same care as any other document containing client matter information is sensible practice. Store them securely, import them promptly and delete local copies once the import has been verified, in the same way you would handle any other file containing billable time records.

About Tallymail

Tallymail is a Microsoft-certified Outlook add-in that values every email you send or receive at your hourly rate, matches it to the right matter, and exports the time as CSV to your practice management system. It also builds court-ready chronologies of correspondence for disclosure and court bundles. It is built for solicitors, barristers and accountants in the UK and US.