Advisors wish list for SAM

[desmorse]

When taking final balance on SAM, it would be nice if the value and order number dropped in automatically. The data must be there, it's generated when the order is taken. I can't think of a reason why the order no. would ever change, but I guess the value may. Personally, the only reason I've ever discounted an invoice is when our helpful friends in Nottingham tell customers a 10% voucher can be applied retrospectively.

How about an optional card reader? Are there low cost ones about? OK, so I'm lazy, anything for an easy life.

[desmorse]

How about an ON SCREEN customer signature?
We wouldn't have to print or send a paper copy in to H/O then

[glen]

Yep totally agree, I think amount of deposit should be shown when viewing order detail as well, careful about card-reader Sillarys will charge £400 for that

Glen

[mendipmagpie]

GVM
I know that you can use SAM with the transcriber option but not sure if this intergrates with the order process.Maybe Bez would know
mm

[saxman]

In the 'outcome for sales' box, can we have a


'Please dont rebook this obnoxious thingy again'


Please..

[desmorse]

I'd like to see the 3 week diary showing weeks 2/3/4 rather than 1/2/3. I only use this report for booking fits, so week 1 is of no interest, but week 4 is. As a SAM user, I can see current weeks bookings quite easily.

What do others think, including any not yet on SAM?

[BlindWizard]

Would want to keep week just to check sam is showing all appointments correctly. Have had appointments not showing in sam, speak to IT dept they did something and then it showed.

Also it's easy to see the week overview. Can't see why week 4 couldn't be added as well.

[desmorse]

I'd like to see a QUICK QUOTE facility, along the lines of being able to quote

5 vertical blinds in acacia cream £xxx
or
5 roller blinds in acacia cream £yyy
or
5 venetians in natural £zzz

[desmorse]

The big push seems to be awnings and pleated. Wouldn't it be nice if they were on SAM, even if only roof rectangles?
Wouldn't have thought awnings would be too difficult, even the survey is only a set of check boxes. With a bit of clever programming, we could even include a phone camera photo with each order

[BlindWizard]

Don't think will see awnings on SAM. All info has to be passed to manufactures who I bet not interested how receive therefore so not big benefit to Hillarys to automatically update our sales order processing system.

Agree about pleats, would have thought rectangles easy but shapes would be great for it to check old pythagoras out for us. Not sure about putting measurements straight in up the top of a ladder in a conservatory.

[mendipmagpie]

The big push seems to be awnings and pleated. Wouldn't it be nice if they were on SAM, even if only roof rectangles?

Hi Blindwizard
I think that rectangular are next on SAM . Then will be shaped. I am lead to believe by Kevin B that you can input the sizes and if correct SAM will accept them ,if not you will have to do Pythag to check them.
This is due later in the year he says

MM

[BlindWizard]

That's good news, thanks mendipmagpie for the info

BW

[desmorse]

I've heard similar, but that's not the point.
If the big push at the start of the season is awnings and pleated, they should have been on SAM at the beginning of the season, not half way through. Would Alan Sugar allow The Apprentice to launch his product without the web site order system working properly?

It's another example of different departments having different priorities rather than working together. Can you image Sony launching a new playstation 3 with playstation 2 brochures? That's what we're doing with awnings.

[desmorse]

GP,
agree with you fully, which is why I started this thread some months ago.

I know Kevin Beardsley has viewed this in the past, don't know if he still does as it's not been used for some time.
I've emailed Kevin direct in the past with some of my suggestions, my latest request being a summary list of blinds, similar to the roller config check screen. Reason is I've found my "mismeasures" are now more to do with drop down selections than measuring or specs. I've done a conservatory with 3 capri white & 1 capri yellow (white & yellow adjacent on drop down) and another with 4 brown and 1 beige headrail.
OOOoooops


BVM

[hereticus]

GP...good thinking. The IT Team and SAM Development is the one area of Hillarys that has really kept faith with the input to the seminars, and has already introduced many of the changes that we requested, with others under development. However, as SAM gets more sophisticated, so we will become more frustrated at the little things that it won't do - so we need to keep discussing and submitting our ideas for further improvements, in the full knowledge that they will be taken seriously and followed up.

Like Des, I have discussed various things with Kevin Beardsley from time to time, and have always felt that the input is appreciated. There are two ideas recently that Kevin has already agreed to add to the development list, but no harm in sharing them with everybody.

1) At the seminars we asked for a means of amending our availability / removing diary slots without having to phone Diary Maintenance and explain ourselves. In a 'eureka moment' Kevin suggested that this could be done through the self generated lead option by booking slots as 'personal time', and I believe that this is now being followed through.

2) I find the diary screen itself becomes confusing if you have completed fits early, or moved appointments to another date - you have to look for (N) or (F) to determine status, or look to see if the slots reserved have reduced to (0) - so I suggested that live appointments should appear differently to finished appointments i.e bold -vs- feint type, or standard type -vs- italics. Again, I believe that Kevin has taken this on board.

Lets have loads more ideas that we can discuss between us and then submit to Kevin - SAM is here to stay so lets help make it as user friendly as possible.