Includes database changes. You need to log all terminals out during upgrade

Tweaks and Fixes

• View and modify workshop job. Do not show labour costs if logged in user does not have both profit & payroll permission
• Changes to new version alert, previously could incorrectly assume c9 was up2date in some circumstances; relevant for recent account bizrule changes around keeping c9 up2date
• Import part images
  • for WP Suspension,  allow xref with other KTM umbrella imported diagrams to permit cross brand fitment on websites
  • Ongoing silliness with KTM factory websites : this time with naming convention of files breaking long established conventions about image file name extensions
• Cash till  : option to pop a generic cash counter after saving off a cash till.
• Chat : new chat search screen didn't have scrollbars on list. Now fixed.
• Key job screens that show job lines :  e.g. view/modify/complete/pickup : visually show whether or not jobline is an other line or a sublet so you can quickly pickup any incorrectly tagged sublets.
• Motonational magician check : up and running
• Couple of typo fixes on a couple of screens (add purchase unit screen and creditor trial printout)
• Contacts: new switch in notifications tab allows you to fine tune notify parts off order: any parts or all parts, on a per contact basis (to provide finer grained control compared to global only setting for this behaviour)

C9 Chat

This version of c9 includes a powerful new module called chat. It allows you to send messages between different terminals in the shop and to other shops running c9. Chat to individuals or departments internally or from other dealerships.

In top menus of c9 is a new icon,

It will flash whenever there is a new message.

Click and open to manage your messages. User interface should be fairly easy to figure out. A couple of tips:

1.  Modify button to tweak your name, your groups you are in and level of visibility to other dealerships. C9 will preload groups for you based on your last 100 txns done
2.  New chat to start a chat with a different group, a specific person or a different dealership
   • a: groups you belong to
   • b: a group you belong to where someone outside group has messaged
   • c: example of an external dealership you are messaged, in this case #service department at Boltons
   • <not shown> : shop direct messages will show in another group here
3. current chat, shows firstly your connection to the chat then the other party. In this case it is Fishy at Boltons talking to spares group, being part of spares group you will see these conversations

Other notes:

• Some settings in main setup screen that influence chat (Networking #2 tab)
  • By default the feature is disabled for remote access but there is a setting you can flick to enable it via remote access. For casual remote access chat doesn't make alot of sense but if remote access is needed for typical day to day : e.g. a service department which is in a different building, there is a setting in setup to grant you ability to connect in
• Requires always on internet to work : even when viewing older messages
• Messages are persistently stored so if you are not online, messages sent while offline will be received once you are online.
• Requires online backup to be installed. So during install of c9 for first time, will not be available until about day 2 or 3 of an install (to be fixed at a later date)

Note this feature is fairly experimental and difficult to get right especially testing of pathological cases of network failures etc or anticipating all the possible ways it can and will be used, so might be a couple of rough edges with it which we will iron out with some feedback.

Other tweaks and fixes

• Magician and Part image importing for GasGas and WP Suspension
• Old school menu has finally being removed in this version of c9
• Workshop invoices : print notes after invoice total. Current design means some totals might be pushed onto page two etc, and customers may only part sub totals which generally always print on page one
• Rework account suspended : previously account suspend meant suspended from performing accounts receivable txns, but intuitively most people expect this to mean suspended from doing any sort of txns. So modified because to align with common expectation. To this:
  • When selecting a suspended contact, pop a warning screen similar to notes screen
  • New clerk key permission in place separate from override limits : can ignore account suspension. Applies / is tested for  most txn entry points.
  • remove prior suspended tests connected to ar balance test only

 

Bugfix with latest version: in browse workshop jobs, promise date would show random results for any job that didn't have a promise date. Now fixed

Will include databases changes. You'll need to log all terminals out during upgrade.

SMS Followups

This version of c9 includes some refinements to followup SMS messages including ability to send follows on unit sales.

Firstly while in middle of a sale or workshop job you can flag whether or not to send a followup message

Next there is now an option to drop in a link for reviews. e.g. for google reviews if you google your shop and click on reviews, there is a button : get more reviews.

Here you'll see a link you can copy into a new slot in c9.

Feed this link into c9, make sure you 'reset' the templates for workshop and sales sms.

Start collecting up those sweet sweet reviews. Sample SMS outputs:

Tweaks and fixes

• Automated SMS followups
  • Add a new option into workshop so on complete/invoice you can disable followups, for the more 'difficult' jobs
  • Add followups for unit sales, also with an option to disable followups
  • Include an option to drop in a link to google review as part of followup to encourage people to leave reviews.
• Suzuki EPC : previously importing EPC required verification of access to suzuki by successful magician login, because of how sketchy this now is with MFA login required for Suzuki DealerNET , instead validate access is permitted but checking c9 Repo
• Deleted bank accounts : deleted bank accounts can be accessed via a 'deleted' tab and from here can be restored
• Add unit. IF you key in a duplicate reference, e.g. 27 once it runs out of letters upto 'Z' strange things happen. Improve things here to expand out into double and triple digit letter allocation
• WPS integration: remove old SOAP based API's. Now using REST API's only.
• Subtle defect with create a BAS defaulted to cash basis. The generated BAS figures actually start on accruals basis. You need to toggle basis from cash to accruals back to cash to get correct figures. Now fixed
• Bulk Payment : Enter key switches focus to list of can quickly select a heap of txns to settle without having to touch the mouse
• End of Day auto adjust posting : make sure it's posting date is before midnight, not after
• AusPOST shipping integration: default shipments without labels to not export as part of a order confirmation / manifest generation
• Remove pay salary option in generic txn.  This function is often misused when should be posting a more complex payrun gl entry. If any dealers have a genuine need to for txn type (highly unlikely), will need to now post as a manual journal entry from now on.
• Switches to configure PureMoto integration (more details to come)
• Workshop Promise : also track a promise time
• WA paperwork : better Form 4,  added Form 6
• Sale On road costs preloaded on a purchase are not being saved. Caused by recent changes/bug fixes here. Now working again.
• [X] add unit : plate only pops existing units screen if plate matches and other key fields are not yet filled in (e.g. VIN and reference)

 

 

Tweaks and fixes

• PPSR - C9 now emits original PPSR report by default. The c9 based report can also be accessed still. e.g.
  
• Payroll changes
  • Single Touch Payroll repairs requested by ATO.  Dates/timestamps recorded on a pay run are not 100% in spec. Specific changes:
    • PaymentRecordTransactionD is strictly payday
    • Use date+time when payrun was locked, not current date/time for submits/replaces
    • date+time clamping refinements. Only clamp if usedate is strictly after payday. Clamp to 11pm + a few milliseconds for each pay variation so that pay variations can be 'ordered' based on revision # at ATO end
  • New setting on casual employment types to permit preloading a payrun with a 0 hour wages line (previously would filter out anything zero)
    • In employment type you can flick this setting:
      
    • And result on payrun will be a default wages line with zero hours (where previously zero hours would suppress adding a payroll line)
      
• Website structure : under some exotic circumstances the represented structure would be incorrect and it would show results in wrong sections. Now fixed. Possibly could be an issue for workshop estimates too (Root cause, faulty assumptions about uniqueness of sibling order field could cause the resulting path to get messed up  )

This version includes a fix for a serious issue with unit sales. Finance based sales with attached on road costs will fail to save with a journal error. If you retry the sale will save but without correctly journalling the on road costs.

Root cause is a very low level programming error introduced in v5.2.53 two weeks ago related to fix for ability to edit ORC on resale unit costs

 

C9 can periodically sync data to Nidasu platform as part of reporting/analytics programs setup by OEMs. Currently integrated with Honda and Yamaha OEMs. It is expected to expand for other major OEM providers in the future.

Integration from c9 is fully automated. Once setup c9 will transmit data in background of you each night.

To setup:

Spares -> Utilities -> add edit franchise.

Modify the franchise in question (i.e. Yamaha or Honda)

Goto Magician / Network tab. Make sure following 3 things are set

1. Magician is mapped to correct OEM (i.e Spares -> Motorcycles -> Yamaha or Spares -> Motorcycles -> Honda)
2. Nidasu Username is set - to be supplied by Nidasu/your OEM
3. Nidasu Password is set - to be supplied by Nidasu/your OEM

 

Briggs have a programme in place where they will reimburse 50% of fees for any unit sold using Humm Finance. To avail to this reimburse you need to issue a tax invoice which Briggs will then credit parts account.

This can be modelled in c9 but it is a bit clumsy because of need to manage flows across creditor/debtor barriers. Some recent changes will make it easier in that they allow looser operations with things traditionally debtor/creditor.

To illustrate. Example sale, for $2000.  Humm charge $100, so Briggs will rebate $50.

Read more...

Includes Database changes. You need to log all terminals out during upgrade

This version includes some tweaks to loosen up the pairing of Tax invoice = Accounts Receivable credit note = Accounts payable. Suppliers keep introducing increasingly complicated things such as requiring the dealer to raise tax invoices but then they drop them as credits on their parts statement. Since suppliers play loose with these terminologies c9 will need to play loose as well to keep things easy to use.  Specific concerns here:

• For unit costs + rebates you can now fine tune txn type. Screen grab of relevant section:
  
  • Tax invoice : for rebates, tag as a tax invoice but still track on supplier on Accounts payable
  • Purchase (Track on AR) : for costs, you can track a cost but instead of posting as purchase on AP it will post as a purchase on AR. This can be useful for modelling merchant fees for things like Humm
• For contact add transaction - there is a new suppler txn type. Tax Invoice. It generates a tax invoice but it tracks on AP/Supplier
  

Other changes

• Revised/Updated Paperwork for QLD TMR
  • Inspection  (F3529)
  • Registration  (F3518)
• View Bulk Txn screen : drop a print receipt button here to allow printing of individual remit advise
• Dead stock report : include retail price on report. Potentially useful info as aq nudge on what stock to focus on trying to move as a priority
• Old biz rule in c9 around part numbers not working correctly. If a part starts with 'P' look for matching parts without  'P'. Was supposed to only apply this rule where franchise name is 'POLARIS' but seems to sometimes trigger in other situations too. Tweaks to more thoroughly enforce the franchise test.
• Bugfix with claimnumber not printing on workshop invoices in some exotic instances ( where claim number is a pure number and > 2 billion will trigger this )
• Bugfix with recent unit changes : on purchase unit could no longer feed in default onroadcosts for subsequent sale. Now sorted.
• Some tweaks to help with Harley spares reporting requirements
  • price file : Import part class as an attribute
  • Spares sales report : allow filtering based on manually keyed in attribute (TODO: example below)

Support / Subscription policy changes with c9 from Feb 1 2023.

Starting Feb, your c9 must be kept up to date.  Once a new version of c9 becomes available you'll have two weeks upgrade your c9.

Upgrading c9 is easy, click on Main in top left then click on Check for updates. Only needs to be done on one computer.

If you allow your c9 to get older than 2 weeks then txn processing in c9 will progressively slow down with alerts until you install the latest version.

Tweaks and fixes

• More tweaks to Stihl warranty export. Modify date format to conform to strict iso-8601 requirements of zero padding date.
• Honda Magician check is a bit fragile for some users. Changes made which I hope will make it more robust (specifically flush all cookies on re-login attempts. I suspect stale cookies are causing problems sometimes)
• Payroll monies report. Rerunning the report would not reset allowances tally so allowances total line would keep increasing. Now fixed
• Some unit sale bugs and tweaks
  • System would let you add liability encumbrance to a resale unit. Removed as doesn't make sense here
  • Bugfix with a tradein where 'reconciliation warning' pops and user selects cancel.  If you retry save the resulting journal postings are a mess, doubling up on recipient invoice. Now fixed
  • Edit unit deal, resale unit, if resale contains onroad costs you could not do any further modification to these costs. Now fixed
• C9 Version policy changes. Changes coming to force dealers to keep their c9 relatively up2date. Once a new version comes up you'll have 2 weeks to install it before subscription becomes adversely affected
  • C9 now logs when you were alerted to a version change to help implement new policies coming
  • C9 license / subscription warnings will advise subscription is being affected by running an old version of c9
• Unit deals : add sell unit to order. Default unit type to 'New'
• Nidasu Integration: added a couple of slots in edit franchise to drop an ID + password for nisdasu data transport
• Piaggio group EPC importer : now working again