blindmansam
Full Member
P/T advisor (over 5 years)
Posts: 225
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Post by blindmansam on Jan 10, 2006 0:44:04 GMT 1
Have recieved this memo from FSM today , addressed 'dear all'
and i quote......
As you are all aware, in the near future there will be only one way to order a blind, "SAM". Some advisors have found the transition easier than others, therefore there are advisors that are not using the device to it's full potential. With this in mind we are looking at running a one day "SAM Utilisation" Course. This will take you through all the benefits of the device and how to use them best. This is not the basic course you have already attended, but a more in-depth training course, that will cover all aspects of using the device.
If there is enough interest, we should be able to hold a local course, we would need at least 10 advisors or there about to make it cost effective. If you are interested, please let me know ASAP.
Regards
From FSM !
How quaint , apparantly we are not using the little SAM enough!
Exactly when will they Cease the paper order forms?
AND, of more importance exactly how will they despence with the non-SAM advisors , love to see the termination letter posted here !
Its all getting mighty interesting !
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Post by RED on Jan 11, 2006 10:08:39 GMT 1
It looks like not many more e-mails are going to come in for the Sam poll now so I would like to thank everyone for sending the comments in. but please ask others to keep sending.
Bellow is a list of items raised and under each heading is the number of times this occurred, in no particular order.
Feel strongly about the costs incurred whilst Hillary’s appear to be reducing there’s.
11
Ability to have bogus leads and service calls removed so they do not reflect in performance
2
Additional input box for discount reasons
1
Better communication over which updates and when to download them.
1
Capability to increase the price on Sam
4
Ability to alter an order via Sam within 24 hours
2
Limited screen size not allowing more visual details or a better more understandable print out with all details on. Customers also have problems reading it for price.
5
Too many breakdowns in communication
3
Ability to batch change from say 3 inch to 5 inch louvers without having to resubmit all other details for example control side, bunching etc Or some sort of auto fill. Or a change items without actually changing to get price comparison. Some kind of Global input.
24
Only a basic printout in quote form to customers to prevent the misuse of our time.
6
Better and accurate information on product customer is interested in with more visibility on first page. Or a direct link to it, flagged if any info left blank if not. Also time limitations set by customer in same notes.
9
Ability to input new customers not on database without having to phone Diary booking.
10
Ability to order spares, samples and DORs at time of fit or anytime via Sam
8
Ability to recall customers past orders for arising problems e.g. DORs,
2
Ability to remove slots via Sam without having to phone diary maintenance and explaining why
5
Ability to see customers address details as soon as it is on Sam to help with forward diary planning
17
I will of course update this list as more come in.
Red
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Post by terryboothe67 on Jan 11, 2006 23:37:07 GMT 1
can anyone advise me on how to change the fabric on sam to price multiple blind orders of the same fabric when the customer has 2 or 3 selections without having to edit each blind seperately.
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Post by RED on Jan 11, 2006 23:57:36 GMT 1
can anyone advise me on how to change the fabric on sam to price multiple blind orders of the same fabric when the customer has 2 or 3 selections without having to edit each blind seperately. This is the most voted for item on my Sam survey in some form or other. It will take some doing to set it up as it would be quite complicated but hopefully those IT lads at H/O will do there best, but it wont happen overnight. Red |
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Post by RED on Jan 15, 2006 11:58:47 GMT 1
This is the final update on the Sam poll. A copy has been sent to Mike (Heriticus)
Thanks once again to all that sent ideas.
I have tried to group all ideas in to a main topic as some suggestions were a little ambiguous so every vote has been put on in some form or another.
This was from around 60 replies.
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Feel strongly about the costs incurred whilst Hillary’s appear to be cutting there’s.
11
Ability to have bogus leads and service calls removed so they do not reflect in performance
2
Additional input box for discount reasons
1
Better communication over which updates and when to download them
1
Capability to increase the price on Sam
4
Ability to alter an order via Sam within 24 hours
2
Limited screen size not allowing more visual details or a better more understandable print out with all details on. Customers also have problems reading it for price.
4
Too many breakdowns in communication
3
Ability to batch change from say 3 inch to 5 inch louvers without having to resubmit all other details for example control side, bunching etc Or some sort of auto fill. Or a change items without actually changing to get price comparison. Some kind of Global input.My suggestion on this would be to take the size of the most likely type of blind then have a radio button that takes you to a price comparison screen without touching the original screen. Then go back when final choice is made.
25
Only a basic printout in quote form to customers to prevent the misuse of our time.
8
Better and accurate information on product customer is interested in with more visibility on first page. Or a direct link to it, flagged if any info left blank if not. Also time limitations set by customer in same notes.
10
Ability to input new customers not on database without having to phone Diary booking.
12
Ability to order spares, samples and DORs at time of fit or anytime via Sam
11
Ability to recall customers past orders for arising problems e.g. DORs,
2
Ability to remove slots via Sam without having to phone diary maintenance and explaining why
6
Ability to see customers address details as soon as it is on Sam to help with forward diary planning
20
Ability to input own personal appointments including personal items that can not be seen by anybody else but would help in the running of diary by being able to see clearly what time is available
7
A comments box to add notes as to why the order is not placed.No product of interest is used where a better explanation of why a sale was not made could be input.For example, lead was really a service call.
6
Ability to hold on to a quote for more than 24 hours to allow adviser to convert at a greater price than quotes department
4
A more detailed and user-friendly SAM manual for easy reference.
1
Update customer database more frequently
1
Same room option on all blinds
1
Cheap offer on Sat nav
1
A cross reference data check, e.g. 7 blinds in 3 inch but one input as 5 inch would be picked up and highlighted
1
Regular IT newsletter
1
Just one item I would like to add to this.I personally would like to open my entire diary to sales and fits but at present can not do this as, for instance we have 3 sells and take one up for a fit then they still book three sells over it before we get chance to ring diary booking. We would need to see the whole picture in advance so access to change our diary via Sam would free up more time and help with planning.So, if Monday was available for 12 selling appointments, I could put 3 fits in via Sam and they would no longer be available for selling appointments. This would use our diaries to the full extent. As it is now our diaries are limited and not using it to the full.
Red
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filo
Junior Member
Posts: 51
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Post by filo on Jan 15, 2006 12:53:00 GMT 1
Hi Red
Job well done, if all these upgrade could be done, Sam would be a great
Tool, but I’m worried that the pda unit it’s self is good enough, could you
Include this question to find out if it will have to be replaced in the near future.
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Post by RED on Jan 15, 2006 13:22:22 GMT 1
Hi Red Job well done, if all these upgrade could be done, Sam would be a great Tool, but I’m worried that the pda unit it’s self is good enough, could you Include this question to find out if it will have to be replaced in the near future. I have spoken to Kevin Beardsley about the poll and the impression I got was that some of the ideas would be fairly easy to implement and others near impossible. I am sure Heriticus (Mike) will pick up on your posting and include it somewhere. Red |
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Post by keenasmustard on Jan 15, 2006 15:59:57 GMT 1
if it does need changing in the near future I think we would all like to know who pays for this sales aid to be changed?
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Post by desmorse on Jan 15, 2006 17:52:15 GMT 1
red,
good to see all the comments on SAM, but your last personal one confuses me.
I've used SAM since last April, all of my availability is on it. When I take an order, the fit goes in to my diary and reduces availability to diary booking.
e.g. yesterday I took an order for 15 rollers and booked it as 12 slots for the evening of 6/2. No more leads can be booked in that evening. If I'd booked 8 slots, leads could have booked 1 more appointment only. Isn't that what you're asking for?
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Post by hereticus on Jan 15, 2006 18:00:03 GMT 1
Had a long chat with Red on the phone today and think what he is really trying to say is that we need to be able to fill vacant slots in our immediate (today / tomorrow) diary by bringing forward fitting appointments - but doing it through SAM so that the system immediately recognises what we are doing, moves the fit to reserve the slots, and simultaneously re-opens the availability for the slots that we've moved it from.
Sounds good to me so we've added this into the SAM Development ideas.
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Post by samsnake on Jan 15, 2006 18:00:09 GMT 1
Red,
Great job on Sam, I am sure we all agree.
One other thing which would be good would be the ability to integrate our own diary with our Hillary's diary. This is a similar problem to yours of not opening up your whole diary. At present, if a customer rings me for an appointment or fit date I have to jiggle back between the 2 diaries, then hope, as you say, that diary maintenance have not filled the slot in the meantime.
They seem to be paranoid about us having access to "their" computer, but other companies get around this by letting you in with an access code which lets you see anything relevant to you but not other agents customers-fair enough. If we had an on-line access we could be up to time on diary bookings also so we stopped double booking.
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Post by RED on Jan 15, 2006 18:25:55 GMT 1
Had a long chat with Red on the phone today and think what he is really trying to say is that we need to be able to fill vacant slots in our immediate (today / tomorrow) diary by bringing forward fitting appointments - but doing it through SAM so that the system immediately recognises what we are doing, moves the fit to reserve the slots, and simultaneously re-opens the availability for the slots that we've moved it from. Sounds good to me so we've added this into the SAM Development ideas. Yes Hereticus, that is what I wanted to say but the words were lost, It was 9.30 on Sunday morning after the night before, but you put it more eloquently than I. Red |
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Post by desmorse on Jan 15, 2006 21:42:46 GMT 1
Perhaps I'm missing something here. Leads can't add appointments after 7pm for the next day. If I've got an hour unallocated, I ring a customer and do the fit. Unlike leads, fit details and can viewed and used at any time, so you just open up the fit, however far in the future it may be, and sign the job off in the normal way. Although it stays in the diary as a heading, it has 0 hours allocation, and the time is freed up allowing leads to use it. I did this yesterday for a fit due next Thursday, on SAM it now shows as (0) FIT (F) as opposed to (4) FIT (N). So leads can now book in to this hour. This only works if the availability was there to begin with. If you've booked a fit in to time you don't normally work, fitting it doesn't suddenly create availability. Does this help, or am I totally missing the point here? Had a long chat with Red on the phone today and think what he is really trying to say is that we need to be able to fill vacant slots in our immediate (today / tomorrow) diary by bringing forward fitting appointments - but doing it through SAM so that the system immediately recognises what we are doing, moves the fit to reserve the slots, and simultaneously re-opens the availability for the slots that we've moved it from. Sounds good to me so we've added this into the SAM Development ideas. Yes Hereticus, that is what I wanted to say but the words were lost, It was 9.30 on Sunday morning after the night before, but you put it more eloquently than I. Red |
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Post by RED on Jan 15, 2006 23:34:08 GMT 1
Perhaps I'm missing something here. Leads can't add appointments after 7pm for the next day. If I've got an hour unallocated, I ring a customer and do the fit. Unlike leads, fit details and can viewed and used at any time, so you just open up the fit, however far in the future it may be, and sign the job off in the normal way. Although it stays in the diary as a heading, it has 0 hours allocation, and the time is freed up allowing leads to use it. I did this yesterday for a fit due next Thursday, on SAM it now shows as (0) FIT (F) as opposed to (4) FIT (N). So leads can now book in to this hour. This only works if the availability was there to begin with. If you've booked a fit in to time you don't normally work, fitting it doesn't suddenly create availability. Does this help, or am I totally missing the point here? Yes Hereticus, that is what I wanted to say but the words were lost, It was 9.30 on Sunday morning after the night before, but you put it more eloquently than I. Red Hi GVM I did not know you could do this. If it is as you say it is then we should have been told. But that said I have other considerations to take in to account. I have a fitter that works Tuesdays and Thursdays so if I put his fits in it will overwrite my own diary. Any ideas how to get round this. Red |
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Post by desmorse on Jan 16, 2006 11:43:31 GMT 1
red, I've never employed a fitter but have a vague memory of a presentation showing the sales guy booking the fit in to his fitters diary, so presumably he had two separate diarys, his and his fitters.
What I described previously was taught when I did the SAM course, both fits and service calls can be viewed and used at any time. I've generally got an extra fit or 2 in the van. If I'm 20-30 miles from home and get a cancellation, I'd rather work than sit in the van for an hour, and it frees time up for a another lead in the future.
Never understood the logic of not letting us view leads though.
[\quote]
Hi GVM
I did not know you could do this. If it is as you say it is then we should have been told.
But that said I have other considerations to take in to account. I have a fitter that works Tuesdays and Thursdays so if I put his fits in it will overwrite my own diary. Any ideas how to get round this.
Red[/quote]
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