Auto Shop Writer Bulletins

Yes, this is a very important bulletin. Of course that could be said for every bulletin we send because we share information that helps you get the most from your Auto Shop Writer installation. PLEASE take some time to read these notes.

Current version: 9.43.21

The current version on your machines should be 9.43.21. Don’t worry about the data version. You only want the one found in the Help – About menu item. There will be no more updates posted until August 18th at the earliest.

Did you know ?

We’ve had some really great ideas suggested, and they get implemented fast. We usually put descriptions in the notes and bulletins. Sadly, because many people don’t read these bulletins, I often hear “Oh, we can do that ? Wow! I never knew that. I can really use that feature.” PLEASE read the bulletins. The new features described come from the suggestions of your peers – other successful shop owners. Don’t miss out on what you can do to improve your profitability.

Have you looked at Demand Force ?

Auto Shop Writer works well with Demand Force. In the coming weeks you may get a call from your local rep and they will say “We got your name from MasterLink”. That is true. Why did we give them your name? So many people have asked about an interface with this product that we figured you might want to talk with them. They will be polite when they call, but if you are not interested in a customer follow up service, there is no requirement to continue the call. Are you a CustomerLink client ? Demand Force purchased that company and will be transitioning all of the clients to their system by April of 2015. It appears to be a much better system. Let us know what you think.

Credit Card Processing

Every week credit card processing companies call to see if they can be integrated into our program. Most are here today, and likely gone tomorrow, or are filled with hidden fees. ASW has two companies with interfaces so you can actually process the cards right in a workorder. It is so much easier, and those who use it find they save money, time, and get a much better result. We’ve included info on Charge It Pro several times. This is a company you would truly like to do business with. Let us know, and we will have them give you a call to discuss possibilities.

Carfax continues to add FREE services

Carfax is rolling out a new service called MyCarFax.com Check out the website. Essentially, your clients can sign up for the site, and track their own vehicles. It shows them (reported ) service histories, factory recommendations, and actually reminds them when services are due. YOU can sign up as a preferred provider, and the customers who setup an account on Carfax will get reminders that their car is due for specific services at YOUR shop. People looking for a local shop to perform services can also see you on the list. What is the cost to you ? Like all other Carfax services, it is FREE. And to your customer ? FREE. All of this is incorporated with your existing services from the company which includes VIN decoding data, License to VIN lookup, and vehicle service histories. If you would like Carfax to contact you so you can get started on this program, email support@masterlinksoftware.com and we’ll ask them to call you.

Thanks for reading this bulletin. We hope your summer is wonderful.

A new update posted to your machines on 6/15/2014. Here is what you will find:

Calculators:

Previously the calculator we tried to add to a few fields was problematic for many computers. We immediately removed it. Now we have added two new ones that, in testing, had no negative effects.

In-line calculator: This one appears in the parts price field, and labor total field, or workorders. You trigger it by using the F2 key when the cursor is in one of those fields. ( We will be happy to add it to others if requested and if they don’t conflict with self calculating processes ). With this calculator, you type in the values and symbols for the process, and when you press Enter the result will transfer to the field. For example, to markup a part to 212 Z% of its cost of $5, you would type 5*2.12 and then press the Enter key.

General Calculator: A regular calculator will popup if you press the F10 key. It does NOT transfer the result into a field, and it can be used anywhere in the program. Use cut and paste to transfer the result into one, or more, fields. Also, the keypad on your keyboard will work the same as if you used the mouse on the numbers on the keypad.

Email:

When in a workorder, and you go to Print – View, to send a PDF by email, the cleint’s email address will automatically be entered into the field if it is in their record.

Service Intervals:

You will notice two new fields on the Vehicle screen. It allows you to enter the desired maintenance interval for that individual car or truck. We are finding that suggested intervals now may vary from 3,000 to 10,000 or more. More features are coming that will benefit from this addition. For now, the new test feature to help you not enter an erroneous odometer reading ( ie. 63,000 instead of 36,000 ) will use the miles value and alert you if the new odometer entry exceeds the old one by the interval plus 500 miles. If you do not put a value in this field, it will alert you if the odometer exceeds 5500 miles past the last service. A few people commented this alert was one more keystroke. Howevr, the 1 second you take for this protection will save you a lot of grief down the road if you make a mistake.

PDF Creation:

We have added a new PDF creation method. It is completely internal. However, the resulting file may be a bit larger and cranky on old XP systems. If you go to Tools – Setup – PDF Creation you will be asked if you want to use the Hybrid. Answer Yes.

We are receiving some reports of problems that, to our knowledge, only occur on specific computers, Usually we cannot replicate them on our own computers which makes trouble shooting difficult. However, we want to know of any problems you are experiencing. When you are told “yours is the only system having that problem” what we are really intending is “we are going to track down the problem but it may be difficult because we are not seeing it anywhere else. We likely will have to do some testing on your computers to find a solution that works for you.” We never ditch problems or ignore them.

CustomerLink / Demand Force:

We have been advised that Demand Force has purchased CustomerLink. Many of you use the CustomerLink service. The recommendation will be for you to move over to the Demand Force platform. Be assured that Auto Shop Writer will interface with Demand Force. In fact, we would like to have some shops available to start testing live with the Demand Force interface. If you would like to do this, please email support@masterlinksoftware.com so we can have them get your account ready.

Windows XP and Upgrading

Many people still have Windows XP computers and are wondering if they need to upgrade now that Microsoft has stopped supporting that environment. We are asked if they really should upgrade to new computers. The answer, from our viewpoint, is absolutely yes. There are many valid reasons, but ultimately the most important is your sanity. The experts predict, even with good malware protection, that XP systems are ripe for attacks by those who find joy in making your life miserable.

So, if you upgrade your computer, what version do we recommend ? The latest Windows release, Version 8.1 Update 1. I hear a lot of complaints from IT guys, but when probing, I also find they never spent much time, if any, working with it. Why not Windows 7 ? Because it is older technology by a couple of years, so why pay new prices for old software ? Microsoft development is moving ahead full steam and the effort is all in 8.1u1 or above. Maybe you experienced the old Windows 8 Start screen. The improvements you wanted are in 8.1 u1, including the ability to boot directly into the desktop mode with which you are familiar. You never have to see the “Start” screen if you don’t want, though you will likely find it’s advantages if you work with it. MasterLink Software has been developing in Windows 8 since a year before it’s initial release. Auto Shop Writer is fully compatible with it, including full touch screen capability.

In evaluating these comments, please consider the fact that we do NOT sell hardware. Our recommendations come strictly from a technical, and experience, perspective, knowing what you do to run your business, and where you will be wanting to go in the future. If you have any questions, please email us and you will receive a personal reply.