• Changes to Add/Modify Account
• Version 4.305 removed the ability to independently set Contact. Now reinstated this feature
• Contact will default to Capitalized version of first name, but you can override this
• In setup is a new option : naming convention.  When you update c9, if more than 95% of your customer's names are in upper case, then the convention 'Upper' is initially enabled.  You can disable it and revert to original behaviour via setup
• If Upper convention is enabled, then name details are forced in upper case and contact is capitalized.
• Print Gift card : now goes to print preview screen on new gift card.  This will allow you to then email the gift card.
• Workshop tender amount.  Was not factoring in any payment method surcharges.  Now fixed.

Requires Database Changes. You will be forced to log all terminals out during upgrade.

• Messenger improvements.  On some dealers, messenger can be problematic with combination of slow network links and high traffic volumes, i.e. emailing and backing up monthly statement email send outs.  This version includes a number of changes to address this.
• Smaller PDF attachments :  pdf files are now aggressively compressed
• Logo in PDF. Previously each page would re-code the business logo. So 10 page pdf would have the same imaged coded into it 10 times. PDF allows you to code a image once and have if appear on multiple pages, resulting in much smaller pdf files. Now in place
• Network watchdog timer on client side is now sensitive to work load. previously it could cause link to restart even though it was in active use, due to buffering delays caused by existing workload. Now it does not run when network pipe is in active use
• Online backup retransmission  : was far too aggressive, retransmitting on 5 seconds by default.  Large blocks of data such as pdf attachments cannot possibly RTT in <5secs.  Added configurable threshold multiplier.  So by default first retransmit attempt will not occur for 60 seconds.
• Low level network fixes.  Threadrace conditions on outbound compress sockets; racing close and write operations.  Decoding of p2p messages not handling end of stream properly; yielding nulls instead of end of stream in some circumstances.
• Initial deployment to support unit sale paperwork.  Vic only. Just a few initial documents to get the ball rolling. (Contract of Sale)
• Customers - Ability to break down and track customer name into individual fields. i.e. [Mr] [Andrew] [Charles] [Barnham].  This allows for intuitive discrimination between incorporated bodies and individuals.
• Units - ability to track a finance deal.  Tracking finance company involved and balance owing from finance company as a debtor
• Workshop - cash sale using a payment method which is not configured as a tendered method (e.g. Eft/Card) will erroneously print 'outstanding' on the invoice.  Now fixed.
• Spares pack quantity. For suppliers that provide price files with pack pricing, or expect order qtys to reflect # of packs, not # of items c9 now has some mechanisms in place.
• Add/Edit part. Ability to set a pack value.  Ecordqty must be divisable by this figure.  They can be different. i.e. 6 in a pack, it is economical to order 3 packs at a time.  Pack value can only be set if either following two settings are configured:
• Edit franchise - ability to indicate if price file is pack pricing. If set then import price file will divide list price by pack value
• Edit franchise - ability to indicate if order must show pack quantities. if set then quantity transmitted to supplier on print order or export order is divided by pack quantity (rounded up).
• To try and keep things as simple as possible, in c9, c9 always consistently refers to things by their individual quantities and their individual prices.  It is only at the point of interface with a supplier, when sending an order and when processing a price file do these new rules and behaviours apply.  So for example on receive order, the data you input into c9 was, is, and will likely to remain, individual items and prices only.

• Added ability to query spares availability from supplier Kawasaki via F12 'Magician Lookup'
• Merge reserve/order parts onto existing invoice : added some advanced options to allow you to reprint the invoice to merge onto, and additionally print all parts or just list of newly merged parts

This version of c9 allows you to query supplier stock for Honda and Suzuki suppliers.

To do this, key in the part in point of sale and add it to the list.  Use up arrow key to highlight the part.  Press F12 to do a magician query.

The first time you do this on a Suzuki or Honda part, c9 will open up a window asking you for login details for Honda Dealer NET or SuzukiNET.  Once provided and c9 has successfully logged in it will memorize these settings and settings work globally across all terminals.

Query results are displayed in same window as Parts Magician results.

How does it work? : c9 will connect to supplier website as if you were browsing the website and make appropriate query.  Typically it takes ~ 10 seconds for first time lookup (as c9 has to login to the site), subsequent queries take about 2 to 3 seconds.

• Bug fix : prior version of c9 broke the ability to modify payment instrument used after the fact.  Functionality is now restored.

• Order book - option to access view part
• Stock Analysis - option to access view part
• Multiple payment methods. Under some circumstances c9 would appear to memorize payment values of prior txn performed (or even viewed) when user expectation in circumstances such as creating a new sale, is that these are reset. Now fixed.
• Receive order. Option to add parts to bottom of list instead of in part number order. This may be useful when receiving back order parts where parts printed in receive sheet from supplier are not in part number order and you would like to line up what is on screen with what you see on the printed sheet.
• Browse units by Query function.  Screen display would refresh in strange ways when viewing a unit and going back. Now fixed.
• View customer : new tab to show all parts they have invoiced
• Point of  sale : when you complete point of sale and set a discount. The prior window you could still see 'GT' which did not update when you tweaked values in complete screen.  Very unintuitive. To deal with this, the line of figures in bottom right is hidden when you click F10 to proceed with sale
• Point of sale : edit discount dollar value and press F10 would not apply the value entered. Now fixed.
• Import KTM catalogues.  The list of units retrieved is now sensitive to filter settings in advanced.  Means unit list loads faster and resulting list of units is only a sub set, making process of adding more units more intuitive.
• Import Generic CSV price file. Cope with '$' and ',' etc in numeric fields on CSV files.

Parts Magician is a service created 9 years ago to allow motorcycle dealers query one another for obscure parts to help reduce dead stock.

The service was moderately successful, but not nearly as successful as we originally hoped.  Though in the last 18 months two distinct things have happened that have triggered a dramatic increase in usage and in particular have delivered alot of value to c9 customers. (Parts magician is not just a c9 product BTW, it is used by many dealers that do not use c9 as their DMS).

• Improved integration into the c9 DMS means that with a single button press (F12) in point of sale you can check query a list of other dealers who stock the item being queried
• Automated integration into distributor inventory systems (only Butmac (KTM + Husaberg) and McLeods at this time).

Parts Magician was originally designed on an open architecture and openly encouraged all DMS vendors to provide automated integration because we recognized early on that this is a key ingredient for success.  No DMS vendor took up the offer.

An important recent learning which we did not realise then is that the integration needs to connect all the way into actual point of sale; a single button press provides instantaneous Australia wide query.

Other organisations, a car industry consortium, whose name I've long forgotten, offered alternative approaches though their technology was extremely cumbersome, complex and created risky network security profiles for dealers also tried and failed.  Some suppliers have tried web based upload and query solutions with very limited success.

It is heartening to see that 9 years on, parts magician over the past 18 months has finally unlocked a means to significantly increase it's value to those who use it.

Options feasibly exist for us to build further on parts magician technology to include modernised integration techniques (i.e. web services), and to build upon recent learnings.

This version includes database changes and will force you to log all terminals out first

• Spare parts types and groups now permit configuration of a discount.  When selling such parts c9 defaults line discount to this value. Means you can run a limited special discount on items such as 10% off all boots.
• Line item discount in point of sale is now memorized after pressing F6 to view/change stocked item
• Suzuki Price files :  c9 can now import the .ZIP file distributed by Suzuki directly.
• Workshop clocking report.  Multiple visual fixes. Mainly displaying incorrect unit for techs who are idle or on break.
• Leasing - c9 now contains an ability to run c9 in 'readonly' mode.  For dealerships that have closed business but need to retain ability to run reports for accounting purposes etc.  Read only mode does not require ongoing licencing but you do not have the ability to raise new invoices in this mode.
• Point of Sale. Display Grand total (GT) as well as stock and order total.  Option, configured via setup to display profit margin (M:).  If margin of invoice (not factoring in invoice discount) is <cost+17%, (17% is configurable via setup), display text in red.
• Docket invoice : print customer code
• Cancel active order item.  Flag item as cancelled for customer/workshop order items as opposed to physically deleting the item from the database, so that there is a record of the fact that a part was originally ordered. (Is okay to physically delete when it is for stocking, because a record of cancellation serves no purpose in this instance).
• Order book : add ability to generate stock order from the book.  Other minor visual tweaks
• Bug Fixes
• If you go through a POS sale, select a payment instrument, then back out at the last minute in order to redo the sale to indicate to use customer deposit to pay for invoice, payment method previously selected is recorded on the invoice throwing out cash till. Now fixed.
• Sell unit. It was possible to flag a sale as an account sale and change to cash customer.  Now modified so transaction type automatically flips over to cash transaction.

C9's import of KTM catalogs imports information from KTM's dealernet website.  The website although contains all KTM's manufactured world wide, not just Australian models.  So c9 tries to be 'smart' and only import Australian models.  The logic though does not correctly import all models although.

For example, SX-F models and EXC.  In Australia, I believe that SX-F used in Australia are the US models and EXC are European.  C9 by default skips these thinking they are overseas models.

Following describes how to do work around this.

Read more...

We recently implemented a new advertising campaign after having no success with facebook advertising and results are very promising.

The campaign was implemented on the 15th and since then we have seen a meaningful increase in traffic.

Web traffic is now capturing alot of web users browsing for second hand motorcycles and spare parts and many of those users are further clicking to go visit dealer websites.

It is still early days though we are quite excited by this result, especially considering how poorly facebook experiment went.  And we hope that this additional web traffic translates into additional business for our c9 customers.

Aussie bike finder listing is a free website. It is serviced and maintained by us at c9 for dealers that use c9.  Bike listing is part of c9 online backup package; all your second hand bikes will be automatically listed.  Spare parts are provided by c9 powered websites.  We allocate a small monthly advertising budget for promotion of the site.  For best possible results we recommend dealers also promote their website, via online advertising themselves and other means.

• Order book : display a date
• Receive Order : option to automatically invoice fully paid cash orders
• Configured via setup
• Invoice only generated if deposit matches value of parts exactly
• Invoice only generated when all parts on original invoice have been received
• Payment Method : allow certain payment methods to have a surcharge. i.e. credit card surcharge. Currently only works on spares and workshop invoices.  To enable must be configured via payments and deposits in setup
• Spares point of sale. Setup option to print two copies of invoice for any sale involving ordered parts
• Image resizer : a hidden hotkey will allow you to set a custom size so you can upload larger images, i.e. for bulk mailer. A limit is still imposed. Images can be no larger than 1024x1024. Accessed via F8 key.
• Ad hoc adjustment report : print line total
• Spares Point of Sale.  ST and OT values displayed now take any line item discounts into account
• Print spares Barcode. Modify item : OK button was hidden underneath cancel button. Moved things around to fix.