The Quicklist feature is dynamic. If you create a quick list of all clients in the 33027 ZIP code, for instance, and the Lane family moves out of it, they would automatically be removed from the list when you update their address. In essence, quick lists are automatic searches you can run over and over again without having to create another search.

The whole dashboard area of the application is much more powerful than the previous version. If you don't like the position of the lists and widgets on the right, you can move them by simply dragging and dropping them. If you want your reminder box to appear in the top right, you drag it there and the program remembers to keep it there. Each box has a "minimize/maximize" button so you can display more or less information, as required.

In the previous edition, every time you made a change, the application required a total refresh of the whole page. This took its toll on performance. In the new version, with its Web 2.0 tools, much of the information you update is in its own dialog box or container. Only the container gets updated, not the whole page. The result is a noticeable improvement in performance.

In another nod to efficiency and speed, many fields now automatically include drop-down lists. So where you previously needed to type something into a field or search box, you now see a drop-down list that you can pick the appropriate information from. In other cases, you might have to type a few letters. The application will then recognize what you are typing and offer to auto-complete it for you.

Lists have responsive filtering mechanisms. For example, in the calendar list, today's entries are displayed by default, but you can also click on the word "today" in the upper right of the list, and see a list of alternative filters (for last week, yesterday, tomorrow, next week, next month and for items past due). You can also filter the calendar list, and all the lists, by user. That means with the proper credentials you can look at your own calendar, see another employee's calendar or see everyone's calendar. If you select a calendar item, the "selected" button allows you to mark an item as completed, roll it over or reassign it to someone else.

The recently added notes list works in a similar fashion. You can add notes here or filter the display to show you the last 25 or 100 you've done or to show you what's been done in the last 24 hours. In addition, you can choose to filter by an individual user name or by all user names.

The market news page has a customizable watch list, market headlines, a market chart, market winners and market losers. It is not a full-blown market data center, but it does give enough data to monitor the market from within Redtail. Should an advisor require further information on a headline, he or she can click through for the full story. Clicking on a stock symbol in the watch list brings up the Google Finance listing for the stock.

The task lists have also been improved. If I have assigned a task to a subordinate and then I update that task, the person assigned to it automatically receives the update. When the task is completed, the system will automatically dispatch an e-mail letting me know.
In the current version of the software, if you want to change multiple tasks or assign them to someone else, you have to edit each one individually. The new version, however, lets you select all tasks, or a subset of the tasks, and reassign them in a batch.

There's now a daily calendar where there wasn't before. And the old weekly calendar, which was vertical and difficult to navigate, is being replaced by a left-to-right one that mimics the Microsoft Outlook week familiar to many users.

The calendar now offers a great deal of drag and drop functionality. You can drag an appointment from one time/date to another. If you want to increase an appointment from one hour to two, you can drag it to resize it. As you make these changes, anyone who needs to know of the change is automatically notified. For example, if you change a scheduled meeting with a client and your assistant from one hour to two, the system will automatically notify the client and assistant.