Manager Forum

Hi folks, just a quick note to let you know we now have Manager SE 8.2.0 in beta and should begin tasking some customers next week. It will be small groups starting out as usual and picking up speed as we continue distribution. We will also provide the early SE 8.2.0 update access via Help - Check For Updates once we know all is well with the release. I promise to return and let you know when it's ready to go get it. In the meantime, here's the What's New release notes:

Enhanced Support for Multiple Email Addresses for Customers
> Built in email types: Other, Personal, Unassigned, and Work - additional email types can be created
> Configure custom types via the Setup, Standard Descriptions, Email Type tab
> Customer tab shows the first email marked as included
> Mark a customer email as included to control which emails are used when emailing an RO's/INV's

• Enable Repair Order Status Descriptions to have custom Text and Background colors

• Added additional Invoice Validation option to stop posting if any validation errors are present during posting and you are also printing

• Ability to Flag/Unflag a customer with a custom message. Any flag text set will show up when creating a new RO

• WIP Status Values/Column allow custom colors (Change color in Setup, Standard Descriptions, Status tab)

Find History Record (F4) Vehicle search will now search records for a number of additional fields:
> Part Descriptions
> Work Requested
> Reference number on Invoices
> Ref/Inv on part line items
> Work Performed
> Note items
> Sublet Work Performed
> Include a date range selector

Report Changes
> Tech Worksheet includes vehicle drive type
> Vehicle History Report will show history from previous owners
> Invoice with Hours template modified to display longer shop email addresses

Additional Catalogs Included
> Transtar's Transend Catalog - Driveline and Transmission Parts
> SSF Eurolink - Imported European Auto Parts

ProSpect Enhancements
> Note items will no longer appear blank when viewing orders in ProSpect
> MPI print out have the option to include Top 10 component failures for the YMM based on mileage

Fixes
> Customer Snapshot no longer includes deleted estimates
> Added the Appt Count, Hrs, and Order Hrs back to appointment views
> Fixed performance issues with Scheduler/calendar and Appointment list refreshing
> Prevent performance problems that could occur switching tabs (Vehicle/Customer/Order/Revisions)
> Tire Promo search - using Enter key will initiate search as it did in prior releases
> Changes to MessageCenter to improve performance
> Prevented rare crash on Plate-to-VIN and VIN decoding

Kudo's to the programmers! That is a lot of great features to add. I really think a person needs to poke around the software more, I did not realize there was a word search box on the F4 history now. I have utilized the Year, Make, Model when I could remember the vehicle but not the customers name, but for some reason missed the word search box below it. This will be very helpful!!

rhillig wrote:Kudo's to the programmers! That is a lot of great features to add. I really think a person needs to poke around the software more, I did not realize there was a word search box on the F4 history now. I have utilized the Year, Make, Model when I could remember the vehicle but not the customers name, but for some reason missed the word search box below it. This will be very helpful!!

I think the search box has been there for quite awhile. I actually didn't know it was there until Tim pointed it out to us in a class in February. Glad I go to his classes for a refresher when I can. I did my best to not make my "light bulb" moment to obvious to him in the class.

Rich wrote:I think the search box has been there for quite awhile. I actually didn't know it was there until Tim pointed it out to us in a class in February. Glad I go to his classes for a refresher when I can. I did my best to not make my "light bulb" moment to obvious to him in the class.

I guess they can teach "old" dogs new tricks........Or at least we find the cool things that they already have in the software!

You're both right! The box has always been there, but was very limited in what it searched for. It has now been greatly expanded to hopefully remove some guesswork out of searching.

Thank you for the kind feedback, Becky! This was a "wishlist" release focused on enhancement requests that had several backers.

Can't wait to test all of these especially - Ability to Flag/Unflag a customer with a custom message. Any flag text set will show up when creating a new RO

Not to pick just one, but customer flag is going to be nice!!!!

Will customer comment be internal only? I can think of things I want to post but don't want customer to see. I'm really looking forward to using that.

MURRI513 wrote:Will customer comment be internal only? I can think of things I want to post but don't want customer to see. I'm really looking forward to using that.

It is strictly internal. The box will pop up as long as your message is in there; if you delete all characters, it doesn't pop up.

timbre4 wrote:

MURRI513 wrote:Will customer comment be internal only? I can think of things I want to post but don't want customer to see. I'm really looking forward to using that.

It is strictly internal. The box will pop up as long as your message is in there; if you delete all characters, it doesn't pop up.

I would still recommend continuing to use Tim's suggested workshop tip for anything really negative in the event your customer might sometimes see your screen. Put those on the 2nd line of the Remarks field. We kept it for that reason.

This function has a ton of potential uses though, from everything to discount reminders to quick conversation points to improve customer rapport.

"This function has a ton of potential uses though, from everything to discount reminders to quick conversation points to improve customer rapport"

Hmmmm, such as a warning of.... "this guy went to Hawaii 04/20, ask him how it was!" "this guy" comes in, you start new RO and BAM, you ask the dude how the grass skirt island was, and he is impressed!

I like it!

Exactly. That type of "I remember you and value you as a customer" touch. I'm sure some of you will come up with more creative uses for it.

I recently used it to remind me that a customer failed to fill up one of our loaners. It was only a few dollars and they spent over a grand, so I wasn't going to hit them up, at least not now. It will pop up next time they come in and on that order it will be taken car of.