New in version 5.0
New! Activity Templates:
Save time by creating “Activity Templates” – which are groups of predefined activities (Tasks, Tickets, Appointments)-and then applying them to Accounts, Contracts, Assets, or service Tickets of projects that your company often performs.
IT companies often provide services, such as network installation or server setup, that involve a standard set of steps. Rather than manually enter the same steps over and over again in for every new project, you can use the new Activity Template feature.
The Activity Template feature in our PSA allows you to define a group of activities-such as Tasks, Appointments, or Tickets-and then apply the “Activity Template” to different parts of the PSA system, including Accounts, Assets, Contracts, and Sales Opportunities.
By applying an Activity Template to a specific project, all of the activities programmed into the template are automatically created for that project and placed into the Pending tab, saving the user valuable time.
The Activity Templates feature provides the following benefits:
- Quickly set up new jobs and projects: By using Activity Template, you can easily define and create activities for common projects that require a similar set of steps, and start working on them by applying Activity Templates to service tickets, assets and contracts
- Better planning: When using Activity Templates, you can apply a template that will create all required activities for a certain job in advance, automatically assigning them to the relevant people for the relevant date
- Well-planned projects mean better customer service: When creating activities from a predefined template you won’t forget to create any tasks or tickets that are needed to complete a project
- Improve your internal workflow: By using Activity Templates, you can standardize the way technicians create new jobs, and you can make sure everyone uses the same tickets and tasks for the same job. This will make your system more standardized and organized
- Ensure that you provide the recurring services you are committed to: By automating the creation of recurring activities when renewing contracts, you can ensure that you provide the services which were agreed upon. An Activity Template can be linked to a contract and then automatically applied with each contract renewal
This new module is free for all users upgrading to version 5.0!
You can read more about using Activity Templates in the Activity Templates User Guide.
New! Contract-Price Charges:
Bill for your contracts using Contract-Price Charges. The new Contract-Price Charges feature helps you easily charge for an amount agreed upon in a contract. This type of charge provides an easy-to-use and innovative way to ensure that clients are billed for the contracts you have signed with them, whether they are recurring contracts or ad-hoc contracts/projects.
Contract-Price charges are great for billing customers for recurring services, hosting services, MSP services, and one-off projects.
Contract-Price Charges provides you with the following benefits:
- Easily bill customers for contracts (including generating QuickBooks® invoices): By using Contract-Price Charges you can easily define, track, and bill for the price of a contract itself. Contract-price Charges can easily be applied in QuickBooks invoices, just like any other charge in the app.
- Billing for recurring services is simple: When you renew a contract for the next period, Contract-price Charges are automatically transferred as well. You only need to add a Contract-Price Charge once and the customer will be billed for it on every renewal-automatically
- Create standard service-plan contracts: Because Contract-price Charges are so flexible and easily copied, you can build predefined service-contract agreements and use them for contracts with new customers. For example, you can offer different plans, such as a block of 10 hours of on-site support for $250 a month, or only 5 hours of remote support for $99 a month. When signing such an agreement with a customer, all you need to do is copy the ‘template’ contract, and all the details and Contract-price Charges linked to this contract can be copied to the new customer as well
- Flexibility in Billing for MSP Services: You can create several Contract-price Charges for each contract. This allows great flexibility, particularly in monitoring managed services, where devices might be added or removed on a regular basis.
- Effectively Bill for Recurring Hosted Services: Contract-price Charges are great for billing for any hosted services you provide your customers. Once a service is defined in the form of a Contract-price Charge, you can easily bill for it at the beginning of a new contract period.
Contract-price Charges work much like other charges in the PSA: They are included in reports; they can be defined as Billable; and they are included in invoices. However, since Contract-price Charges do not represent specific work, they do not affect the balance of a block contract
This new module is free for all users upgrading to version 5.0!
You can read more about using the Contract-price Charges in the Introduction to Billing User Guide, under the Contract-Price Charges section.
New! Online Services for additional entities:
Online Services are now available for various entities in the system – Accounts, Tickets, Assets, Items, Opportunities, Contracts, and Knowledge Base articles.
It is now easier than ever to integrate with other systems and Internet Web sites.
The Online Services feature has been improved to meet your needs in a more flexible way and to provide you with many new options. This feature has become even more powerful as it allows access to URL addresses and combines information from many entities in the system.
Some examples for using the Online Services with the new entities:
- Online Services and Assets – Access your MSP product online and pass the Asset ID to display its details from your external system
- Online Services and Items – Search for better prices on items by passing specific item information directly from within the CRM module itself.
- Online Services for Assets – Search for a specific product review by its hardware serial number
- Online Services for Tickets – Search in online knowledge bases for solutions based on the ticket description
- Much more!
You can read more about Online Services and see usage examples Contract-Price Charges.
New! Print Reports to PDF:
Reports can now be printed to PDF directly from the Windows client, and you can now easily print a report to PDF and/or e-mail reports with a simple click.
This powerful feature is also available from the Web Interface, providing you much more flexibility when printing technician service forms or other reports from the Web Interface!
Note: The Print-to-PDF feature works only with English-based fonts (non-English fonts are not currently supported for PDF printing).
This new feature is available from the following places:
- From the Reports Generation window: You can now print a report to a PDF file directly from the Report Generation Window. Clicking on the “Print to PDF” button in this window will print the report directly to a PDF file, which can then be saved as a Document or e-mailed directly from this window.
- From many windows within the application: Various windows in the application now include a new ‘Print to PDF’ option. This option is available as a new icon on the window’s tool bar, and behaves in a similar way to the Print and Print Preview buttons, only the result is printed directly to a PDF file. This file can then be saved as a Document in the system.
- From the Web Interface: The Web Interface now allows for users to print to PDF directly from their Web browser. This powerful feature allows you to access several reports, includingcustomized ones, directly from the Web Interface. Now you can print the same technician service forms you print when using the installed client, including your customized forms, when you are away from your office!
New! Send Reports by E-mail:
Reports can now be easily printed to PDF and sent by e-mail directly from the application window.
- E-mail reports as PDF files directly from many windows within the application: Many windows in the software now include a new “E-mail PDF” option. This option appears as a new icon on the window’s toolbar, next to the E-mail icon. The button behaves in a similar way to the Print and Print Preview buttons, allowing you to select the report you wish to use, only the result is exported to PDF and automatically linked to an e-mail that is linked to the relevant entity. This e-mail is then saved as an app Document, like any other e-mail.
New! “Home Screen”:
A new “Home Screen” has been added to the Windows client of this PSA, providing easy access to common actions within the application as well as to Help resources. This new screen includes a workflow diagram with links, providing easy access to basic actions such as creating a new ticket, dispatching tickets, entering new charges, and more. It also contains links to online Support resources, discussion forums, and more.
Enhanced! Outlook® Sync: Auto-sync for other users
The Auto-Sync option, which allows setting the system to automatically synchronize with Outlook® at a selected interval, has been enhanced to support synchronizing other users’ data as well. This option is available from the Tools menu > Synchronize Outlook > Auto Sync option
Enhanced! Outlook® Sync: Save the auto-sync settings between sessions
You can now save the auto-sync settings between sessions. This means that next time you sing into the CRM, the auto-sync settings will be automatically loaded and the synchronization will occur automatically, as defined in the auto-sync settings. This option is available from the Tools menu > Synchronize Outlook > Auto Sync > Save Auto Sync Settings.
Enhanced! Highlight appointments and tasks which have been charged in the Calendar and Dispatcher windows
A convenient way to charge for an Appointment is by right-clicking the appointment in the Calendar and selecting the Charge Appointment option. Tasks can also be charged this way.
Starting with version 5.0, you can highlight Tasks and Appointments in the Calendar according to whether or not they have been charged. Charged Appointments and Tasks appear in green, and non-charged Appointments and Tasks appear in red. You’ll be able tosee what’s been charged for and what hasn’t been with just a glance. This feature is a very helpful tool for capturing more billable time!
To use this feature, click the “Highlight Charged” button in the Calendar window. This will highlight both the Calendar view and the Appointments and Tasks list view.
Enhanced! Show charges created from an Appointment or Task
A convenient way to charge for an appointments is by right-clicking the Appointment in the Calendar and selecting the Charge Appointment option. Tasks can also be charged this way
Starting with version 5.0, you can easily see which charges were created from a specific Task or Appointment. Just right click on the Task or Appointment in the Calendar and select the “Show charges which were created from the Appointment/Task” option.
Enhanced! Display Appointments marked as Done
You can now see which appointments have been marked as “Done” when viewing the Calendar window. This can help you to easily identify which Appointments (on-site visits) have been carried out and which are still outstanding. This may also help you track Appointments/visit should still be charged for. Use this feature in combination with the new “Highlight Charged Appointments” feature, which allows you to easily see which Appointments have been charged for and which have not.
Enhanced! Sort tasks and appointments in the list view
When viewing the Tasks or the Appointments list in the Calendar, you can now sort this list by clicking the column headers, just like anywhere else in the system. This feature can help you to sort and group appointments and tasks according to the date, time, employee, and other fields. To use this feature simply click the relevant column header in the list view.
Enhanced! New auto-formatting option for Appointment descriptions (optimized for Outlook®)
Appointments that are created from the Dispatcher window can contain the account and ticket information in the Appointment description. Starting with version 5.0, the format in which this information is displayed is now designed for better usability and is optimized to be displayed in Outlook calendars when synchronizing your calendar with Outlook.
The new format includes:
1) Account name, Contact, and ticket number in the first line of the Appointment (goes to the appointment’s Subject in Outlook)
2) Address in the second line (goes to the appointment’s Location in Outlook)
3) Ticket number and description on third line (goes to the Appointment description)
Enhanced! City, State, and Zip Code within the Appointment description
Appointments that are created from the Dispatcher window can contain the Account and Ticket information in the Appointment description. Starting with version 5.0, the account details also include the city, state, and zip code for this account. This can be handy when synchronizing the appointment with Outlook and then searching for the address with your navigation tool.
Enhanced! Secondary Contact details within the Appointment description
Appointments can contain the Account and Ticket information in the Appointment description. Starting with version 5.0, the account information includes the main account address details as well as any secondary contact information with a different address. The secondary contact address details appear within the Appointment description as well (great when working with accounts that have several offices/branches).
Enhanced! Validate that a ticket has charges linked to it before closing
This new validation test is designed to help you capture more billable time and make sure all tickets are being charged for. This feature can help remind technicians to log all the work performed prior to completing the ticket.
When completing a ticket and changing its status to Completed (Closed), the system performs some validation tests to make sure you don’t forget any actions that need to be performed prior to closing the ticket. Starting with version 5.0, the system will check and alert the user when closing a ticket that has no charges linked to it. The technician can then decide whether to quit closing the ticket and add the missing charges first, or to continue closing the ticket. Administrators can program the system not to allow technicians to close Tickets that have no linked charges, or to completely suppress this option (see Tools > Options > ‘Tickets (Admin)’ tab).
Enhanced! Validate that a Ticket has no pending Tasks or Appointments before closing
This feature is designed to make sure all activities linked to a Ticket have been completed before a Ticket is closed, ensuring that all tasks needed to complete a job properly have been performed.
When completing a ticket and changing its status to Completed (Closed), the system performs some validation tests to make sure that you don’t forget any actions that need to be performed prior to closing the Ticket. Starting with version 5.0, the system checks whether there are any remaining Tasks or Appointments in the Pending tab, and alerts the user if there is. Technicians can decide whether to quit closing the ticket and take care of the pending tasks and appointments first, or they can continue closing the ticket. Administrators may also program the system not to allow technicians to close tickets with pending activities, to prevent mistakes, or to completely suppress this option (see Tools > Options > ‘Tickets (Admin)’ tab).
New! New Charge from Asset
This new feature allows you to easily bill your customer for hardware products sold to them by creating charges directly from the Asset window. Creating the Product/Part Charge this way will copy the relevant data from the asset into the charge details, such as the linked account details, asset name, asset code, serial number, price, etc.
To add a new charge based on an Asset record, open the Asset window, go to the More Actions menu on the toolbar, and select the “New Charge from Asset” option.
New! New Charge from Document
This new feature allows you to easily bill your customer for any documents worked on. For example, you can charge for the time spent during the documentation process of the customer’s network configuration. You can now enter charges directly from the document window. This will copy relevant data from the document properties into the charge details, such as the linked account and ticket details and the document title.
To add a new charge from the document, open the Documents list, select the relevant document, open the More Actions menu on the toolbar and select “Create a charge from the document”.
New! Assign default appointment colors for employees
Each employee can now be assigned with a default color for new appointments. The color is assigned to the appointment when dispatching an appointment for this employee or when creating an appointment from anywhere in the application. The default color will be assigned for the appointment when the appointment is being created, and you can change this color if required directly from the Appointment details window.
By using this feature, you can easily see who is assigned with the appointments, not only when viewing the dispatcher, but also when viewing the calendar in a weekly view.
Assigning a default color can be done from the Employees window, under the Employee tab. The change takes effect only for new appointments created after the default color has been assigned and does not affect any appointments or tasks created before the color was assigned.
New! QuickBooks: Include Not-Billable charges in Invoices
The billing module of the software helps you track work performed and other expenses by entering charges into the system (labor, product/part and expenses). Each charge can be set as “Billable” or “Not Billable,” with only “Billable” charges being billed to the customer. When using the QuickBooks Link, you can create QuickBooks Invoices based on the app Charges in order to bill the customer for billable charges.
Charges that are “Not Billable” usually represent work that is covered by a service contract, and is therefore not billed to the customer as a separate item. Still, in many cases, companies like to itemize their bills to show their customers all the work that has been performed, including the work that has been performed under a contract.
Starting with version 5.0, you can include Not-billable charges in the invoice. Not-Billable charges are displayed in the invoice, however, they do not affect the invoice total. Not-Billable charges show a zero billable total amount.
To include Not-Billable charges in a QuickBooks invoice generated from the app, click the “Include Not Billable Charges” button when selecting which charges to include in the invoice. Clicking this button again will hide Not-Billable charges. Administrators can set the system to always include the Not-Billable charges from Tools > Options > QuickBooks.
Enhanced! QuickBooks: Generate more readable QuickBooks Invoices by adding blank lines
Starting with version 5.0, when creating an invoice using the Invoice Creation Wizard, you can design the invoice to include new blank lines in order to space the invoice up and make it more readable. Adding blank lines to the invoice can be done from the Invoice Creation Wizard window, by clicking the Add New Line button during the Invoice Lines phase.
New! Print various reports to PDF directly from the Web Interface
The Web Interface now allows for printing to PDF directly from your browser. This powerful ability provides access to several reports which were not accessible via the Web Interface previously. It allows you to access several reports including customized ones, directly from the Web Interface browser.
For example, you can now print the same technician service forms you print when using the Windows client application, including your customized layouts.
When printing using this option, the PDF files will be downloaded to your local computer.
Note: The Print to PDF feature works only with English based fonts (other languages fonts are not currently supported for PDF printing).
Printing to PDF is easy and is available from any Web Interface screen, by using the “Print to PDF.” option.
New! Document Uploads via the Web
Employees can now upload document files via the Web Interface and update existing documents. This feature allows employees to download a document, update it, and then upload the updated file back to the PSA system, all via the Web Interface.
You can use this feature to work on a proposal document at home and then upload it. Technicians can download the customer network configuration document, update it according to the changes they perform, and upload the document once the changes are complete.
To upload a document, open the document window in the Web Interface for ‘View” and click the “Upload” link. You can also edit an existing document or create a new document, and use the “Save and Upload” button to upload the file.
Using the Upload feature requires some special setup-see more details on in the Setup Guide, under Document Download and Upload Settings section.
Enhanced! Document download for customers
Customers can now download documents that are linked to their account and are marked as “public.” This new feature allows you to provide better service for your customers by allowing them to download documents, such as network settings or instructions designed specifically for their needs.
To allow customers to download their files, a system administrator should set the customer’s download settings. Document(s) to be made available to customers need to be defined as “public” in the system. See more details in the Setup Guide, under Document Download and Upload Settings section.
Enhanced! Allow setting tasks and appointments as “done” via the Web Interface
Employees can now mark Tasks and Appointments as “done” when working over the Web Interface.
Technicians can now perform all parts of the workflow-complete Appointments and Tasks, enter charges, and close tickets, all from the Web Interface. An Appointment or Task marked as Done over the Web Interface behaves exactly as Appointments or Tasks marked as Done in the client application.
To set an Appointment or Task as Done via the Web Interface, go to the Appointment/Task window and click the Done link to change the status.
Enhanced! All Online Services are now available via the Web Interface, including those for Accounts, Tickets, Assets, Items, Opportunities, Contracts, and Knowledge- base articles.
Online Services have been expanded in this release to support all types of entities, such as Tickets, Assets, Items, and more. Using the Online Services with data from these entities can be very helpful and provide great flexibility and an option to open external web-base programs and send them data from the system as parameters.
All Online Services are available via the Web Interface, allowing you to access the information from any Web Interface screen by clicking the “Online Services” link.
There’s More!
In addition to all the features listed above, there have also been general bug fixes; and other performance enhancements.