Web Release: Week Commencing 22nd January 2024

Features scheduled for release on 25/01/2024. The functionality detailed will not be available in the system until this date. However, please note that this is an ETA and may be subject to change.

Release Topics

1. Phrasebooks

2. Refcom - Gas Types and Stock Integration

3. Supplier Item Rates

4. Preferred Suppliers for Stock Locations

5. Timesheets - Self View

6. Asset Panel Data

Release Details

1. Phrasebooks

• First up in this week's release, we are excited to share the introduction of a fantastic new time saving tool - Phrasebooks!

• Do you and your staff ever have any notes which are always used on a job and need typing out manually each time? Well Phrasebooks has you covered

• Say goodbye to typing out the same old notes time and time again

• Phrasebooks provides the ability to setup prewritten, commonly used text phrases to then be easily selected and populated within the notes area for you at the click of a button

• This great new function can be set up for many different note types such as jobs, customers, sites and many more. See below for the full list:

• There are some user permissions which need to be switched on for this, so check these out under settings > staff > user permissions > libraries if your interested in this handy new feature

• We have also made up a useful user guide which can be found here if you’d like to learn more

2. Refcom - Gas Types and Stock Integration

• Next up is one for our Refcom module users - the introduction of a new gas types area, integrated with our existing stock module

• We have added a new ‘Gas types’ library listing all of the gas types already available within our Refcom module

• This library will allow you to set the GWP (Global Warming Potential) for the gas type and record it’s cost per kilogram

• In addition to this, we have integrated this gas types area with our stock module meaning that Refcom users are now able to create stock purchase orders (P.O’s) for virgin gas cylinders, adding these cylinders to their stock inventories and create stock reorders for them

• This also means that Refcom users will be able to add the cost of any used gas to the costing area of a job whenever an addition is conducted against a cylinder stored within stock

• To check out this great new function, head to gas types library under settings, set your gas prices up and crack on knowing that gas costs and stock are now nicely recorded all in one place

3. Supplier Item Rates

• Another nice little feature that we have for you is Supplier Item Rates

• This brilliant new function will allow you to link suppliers to individual parts and equipment pieces and then set a price for that item based on the supplier's price

• Once supplier prices have been set for an item and a P.O is raised for it, a new ‘View Reference’ option will be present

• This new option will display alternative prices for the item from other suppliers allowing you to review and choose the best price from the best supplier when selecting

• The function is present across both job and stock P.O’s and on stock reorders so take a look at the linked supplier section against each part and equipment piece in your library go nuts 👍

• Additionally, if you are one of our Refcom users, the same functionality is also available for Gas types against stock P.O’s allowing you to make sure that you get the best gas bottles for the best price too

4. Preferred Suppliers for Stock Locations

• This is a simpler one but is just as powerful and useful if you have a favoured provider for particular stock locations

• Stock locations now come equipped with a ‘Preferred Supplier’ field allowing you to assign a usual supplier of items for that location

• When a preferred supplier is assigned and a stock P.O or reorder is raised for that location, the preferred supplier and associated details will automatically populate as the supplier for the P.O saving both time and effort for your purchasing team

• Simple yet effective just as stock management should be 😀

5. Timesheets - Self View

• While being able to view other colleague's timesheets can be a useful feature in certain circumstances, there are also times when it’s not required for certain members of the team

• We have therefore added another simple yet effective new function for timesheets - a setting named ‘Timesheet Self View’

• This setting can be found against each individual user’s engineer detail page under the staff section within settings

• If this setting is switched on for a user it means that they will then only have access to their timesheet, only being able to view and edit their own times

• If the setting is left off, then the user will retain the ability to not only view and edit their own times entries but will also be able to access the timesheets of other users too

• Now only the users who need to concern themselves with other user’s times will be able to, so long as they can find the time to 😉🕓

6. Asset Panel Data

• And finally, a good one for those of you who use asset panels

• Asset panel information including number, width and height data can now be imported straight into the system via PPM import templates

• This information is also now included in asset data exports covering all the bases for asset panel data going both in and out of the system

Upcoming Changes to be Aware of Following this Release

Enhanced Search

• We have previously mentioned how our new Enhanced search function, currently available on the all jobs page will eventually become the system's primary search tool, replacing the current method and becoming present across other areas of the system (see here for past details)

• We just thought that we’d make everyone aware that this is still the plan and that we are on track for this with the regular search being removed from the all jobs area of the system soon

• We haven’t removed it just yet and will make sure that we update everyone via our release notes when we do

• Due to how much better, effective and easier to use the new enhanced search is proving, we don’t foresee any problems when the previous search tool is removed but take a look at our user guide on this in the meantime and get familiar with the tool for the all jobs page if you haven't already just so that there aren’t any unwanted surprises when we do remove the regular job search tool from the system

Improvements

• Just one small improvement this week. We have improved the UI (User Interface) for nonproductive time entries concerning the amendment of deductible (to non-deductible) time types and recurring items. The system previously used to flag an error when this scenario occurred, but the UI has now been made clearer, requiring mandatory fields be filled in instead

Bug Fixes

• An issue with the ‘Area' showing incorrectly when adding Subcontractor addresses has been fixed

• A problem where not all assets were showing for selection within service jobs has been corrected

• There was an issue where the ‘Apply’ button on the quick filters was not displaying for some users. This will now for everyone again

• An issue concerning purchase orders and being unable to amend the supplier has now been fixed

• Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused by these bugs and thank you for your understanding and patience whilst they were being sorted out