In Version 12, we have built in core elements to provide for tech advances coming in the future years, plus we’ve made enhancements, and modifications, based on your input. We’ve done all of this maintaining a model where you do not need to be concerned about extra costs for 3rd party services while maintaining full service capabilities.
Two areas that have concerned us for a long time are text messaging and email. For text messaging, we use the older technology that allows you to send a text email to the client’s service provider ( if you know it ). The cost is free, and return messages come back as emails. For email, we have established the interface so you can use your current email service ( via an SMTP connection ). Of course this doesn’t work if you use “webmail” where you sign online to send and receive emails rather than using a local program like Outlook. For many people this has become complicated and thus they don’t use the features.
We have the ability to add a different methodology now. We are looking at using Twill, a communications service, that can provide both texting and email services. We can weave it tightly into the service writer software. We can also set it so you have all correspondence saved on your system, and reviewable ( along with service histories, etc ), and even tie it to work orders, vehicles, and clients.
The company is very large with very good ratings. You can check it out on the web. They also offer other services, but these are the two we would most likely integrate at this time. A quick look at pricing suggests text messages, sent to and from your shop computers, would be less than a penny each, and a sufficient email account would be $20/month. Of course, you would have your own account with them, and can expand, discontinue, or simply not implement it as you wish.
SO HERE IS WHERE WE NEED A RESPONSE FROM YOU. Could you please email timstone@masterlinksoftware.com to express your interest, or not, to have us move forward on this addition to MLS12 ? Please do it right away.
One last note. We get a steady stream of proposals from companies who want us to offer their products. In this case, we referred to this company by other developers. Many salespeople are out there with a lot of pitches and promises. A few years from now, many of those companies will be acquired by disinterested investors, or simply disappear. We are selecting this one because of the long term prospects for it being there for you in the long term. You can visit their website to see what they offer. Because the integration with each company will differ, we cannot integrate to multiple service providers.
SO PLEASE DO THINK ON THIS AND GET BACK WITH YOUR THOUGHTS ASAP.