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Newsletter – April 2006

Editorial

This is the month when autumn really happens, so get out the brooms and starting brushing all those lovely leaves onto your borders to mulch them!  Great water saver!

Talking about saving, Maximizer is on special this month so that you can upgrade to version 9.0.  There is a 20% discount on the normal pricing, so it is a good time to move in this direction.  In addition, you can purchase a Product Upgrade Agreement, which enables you to stay current at a much lower cost than previously.

Please contact Judith at (011) 802-2685 for more details on this.  Meanwhile, enjoy the holidays!               

Tired of Telkom?  Travelling frequently out of normal 3G areas?

[Updated December 2007: Due to their appalling service we no longer promote Gogga, but can still provide an affordable connection to the internet independent of Telkom, via M-Web and Vodacom.  Click for M-Web cell phone modem.]

Is your anti-virus package confusing you?

Are you at the mercy of strange happenings, where you cannot access websites or even get onto the Internet?  Do you find that you cannot load new software easily –and it's not XP stopping you?  It may be your overprotective anti-virus solution that is the culprit.

Whilst we do want the best security, having to remember which thing to stop and restart can make computing a nightmare.  With eScan, you are trusted to know that you want to load new software.  Accessing the websites you want is also simple.  In fact, I recommend the Google toolbar for Internet protection – free and in your control.

For more information about eScan – Contact info@softwareafrica.co.za

PSNext – a true Project Control solution from Management Planning Systems

Please contact Judith for more information

Is your mailshot blacklisting your domain?

Then MaxiMail may be the answer.  If you have had your marketing campaign blacklisted on web servers, then you know what a problem this can be.  If you have been running a very large mailing list through Enterprise's Campaign Manager, you may have found that your mail out takes a very long time.

MaxiMail overcomes these problems by accessing the bulk mailing facility offered by Cybertrenz, a dynamic young ISP in Rivonia.  We liked their program I-Mail and asked if we could link it to Maximizer to make a really powerful solution for Maximizer users.  We now have a tested product – MaxiMail.

This solves not only large mail outs, but handling the unsubscribes and subscribes, so that your mailing lists stay up to date.  Please contact us for more information.

Pastelizer 7.8.13 and 8.8.13 Released

Another month, another new version of Pastelizer!*  The latest (build 13, appropriately enough!) caters for the Pastel "13th month".  This is where Pastel allows you to run a month into the new financial year without closing off your previous year's accounts: Pastelizer now allows you to do recurring billing during this period too.  To view the changes, click here.

You can download Pastelizer from the internet and run it as demo for testing purposes, or just download the extensive HTML Help File. For information and prices, and to download a copy, visit www.softwareafrica.co.za/pastelizer.htm.

*Pastelizer  copies Customer data from Maximizer to Pastel and financial information from Pastel to Maximizer.  This allows you to separate the Accounting roles from Sales and Marketing, and buy fewer Pastel licenses.  You can create individual or bulk invoices in Pastel out of Maximizer, and optionally transfer customer data from Pastel to back Maximizer.

Excel Tips 29 – Basic Functions: Copy & Paste Special (Values)

This month's tip arises from a user's question.  She had an Excel spreadsheet that was to be imported into Maximizer, but the dialling code and telephone number were in separate columns: How could they be combined into one column? 

To demonstrate the solution, set up a sample spreadsheet with column headings "Code" and "Phone" in cells A1 and B1 respectively.  Put some dialling codes and phone numbers on the rows below (start the dialling codes with a single quote (') so that Excel does not treat them as numbers and lose the leading zero).

Solution: Find or insert a blank column to the right.  In this column, on row 2, enter the formula =A2&" "&B2  --we are using the ampersand (&) to concatenate two strings (the dialling code in A2 and phone number in B2) with a space in between (inside double-quotes).  The formula should show the combined code and phone number.  Now copy it down all the rows that have data.  To replace the contents of the "Phone" column with the combined number, select and copy the formulas, select cell B2, and Edit > Pastel Special > Values.  This copies the answers to the formula, over the old phone numbers.  Delete the "Code" column (A) and the formula column, and you are done!

With Excel's wide variety of formulas, there are many ways you can manipulate your data using this method.  I use it for setting up blocks of repetitive Visual Basic code!

Next month we'll talk about how you break up data that should be in different columns!

 Tips – Some Administrator set ups for Opportunities and Appointments in Enterprise Version 9.0

The simplicity of Maximizer Enterprise for the end user lies in the Administrator set up of the various modules.  Once these are correct, then you unleash the power that really does "Attract new prospects, Win new customers and Increase repeat business"!  Which is what we all wish to achieve.

Thus the set up of the system in the Administrator is key to how well utilised Maximizer will be by your users.

The areas which are key to set up are:

• Mandatory Fields

• Key Fields

• Opportunity

• Campaign

• System Fields

• Customer Service

Please bear in mind that there are other set up areas which must be completed as well, and these will be covered next month.

To set up all of the above, you open the Administrator, and then go to File > Preferences and choose the appropriate tab.

Mandatory Fields

These are the fields which are pre-set up in Maximizer.  Here you can decide which of them must be filled in when a new company and contact are captured.  For instance, is the fax number essential?  Do you require the Account Manager to be filled in?

By editing these fields, you can change their status from Optional to Mandatory with a few exceptions which are mandatory within the system.

This has the advantage of the data being captured being exactly what is required to meet the company's needs.

Key Fields

The key fields are those which appear in the company and contact record, when you double click on it.  There are various categories for these fields, and they set up to use a specific one according to their status.  The categories are as follows:

• Company Lead

• Company - Non Lead

• Individual - Lead

• Individual - Non Lead

• Contact - Lead

• Contact - Non Lead

• Opportunity

• Campaign

• Customer Service

Each one can have a particular group name assigned to it.  You do this by adding a Key Field List, giving it a name and description and then choosing one of the above groups to form your key field display, like so:

I chose mine from our User Defined Field (UDF) list.  Obviously, you would use the appropriate ones from your UDF list.

You can then go onto complete a list for each category.

Opportunity

This is more time consuming and in fact one of the most critical areas to complete - otherwise you don't receive the results that you want in your Opportunity reporting!

Notice here that there are three areas which affect the Opportunity:

• Stage and probability of close

• Confidence rating

• Completion reasons

The first is the one which affects the overall rating - just feeling confident under the Confidence Rating doesn't cut it!.  Note that the weightings here must stage up to a total of 100.  Decide on your process and then put in the figures to match it..

The Confidence Rating is your gut feel around the customer.  This will be supported by the stage at which the process is indicated to be in by the first group.

Completion reasons help you to see what your edge was in the closing of the sale or where you lost out.  You have four possibilities here - Win, Suspend, Abandon and Loss.  Choose the most likely reasons for each and then your staff can utilise them in their sales process.

Campaign

This one is very simple.  Here are some ideas:

You can have more than three and they don't need to be as simple as those illustrated above!

Customer Service

Another key area for setting up.  This one can be quite time consuming, as you will need to put in a large amount of information:

As you can see from this screen capture, you can define just about everything!  To do a correct set up, you will need to click on each of the Available Fields and see what values you need to add to them.

If reaction time is critical, then you will want to set up a Default Case Response Time.  Your Default Case Status can be Unassigned or any of a number of options.

Actions

Do not allow direct changes to Status (actions only)
When this box is checked, users can't change the value of the Status field in Customer Service cases, except through the Resolve Case, Assign Case, Escalate Case dialog boxes.

 
Do not allow direct changes to Assignments (actions only)
When this box is checked, users can't change the value of the Assigned To field in Customer Service cases, except through the Resolve Case, Assign Case, Escalate Case dialog boxes.

Case Monitoring

This determines who in your team receives notifications about the case within your company.  By clicking on this button, you can include or exclude people.

Notification

Here you can set up templates for notifying people, including the customer, of the status of the case.

Creating Customer Service Case Email Notification Templates

Maximizer can automatically email customers, partners, and users when customer service cases are created, assigned, escalated, or resolved. To set up customer service email notification, you must create email notification templates through Administrator. You can create separate templates for each action (create, assign, escalate, or resolve). Each action can also have separate templates for emailing customers/partners and users. Partners receive the same email notification as their associated customer if the “Carbon Copy the associated Partner when notifying Customers” option is selected. User notification emails are sent to the user(s) identified in the Owner and Assigned To field for the case.

When writing the email templates, remember that each template applies to all customer service cases of that notification event type. They should be specific to the action they are assigned to but generic enough to apply to all cases with that action. Use merge fields to personalize emails based on generic templates.

Merge Fields in Customer Service Case Notification Templates

Merge fields in the email template personalize the message for each recipient by replacing the merge field code with the actual field value for that Address Book entry. For example, including the {First_Name?} merge field in an email template would replace that code with each email recipient’s actual first name.

Two merge fields that you might use in a case resolution email message are Case_Solution and Case_Solution_Note:

• Case_Solution includes the related knowledge base article number.
• Case_Solution_Note includes any notes from the Solution Notes field in the Solution Information & Billing tab of the Case dialog box.

For a complete list of merge fields to include in the email templates, see the Insert Merge Field dialog box in the Maximizer Word Processor. Press F1 when a field is selected to view its description.

You can create templates in either .ETF (Maximizer Word Processor) or .HTML format. When creating templates in the Maximizer Word Processor, simply click the Merge Field button and select the merge field to insert into your email template. However, HTML templates are created in an HTML or text editor, which does not contain the Maximizer merge field selection dialog box. While you can manually type the merge field codes into your HTML document, it’s easier to first create the template in the Maximizer Word Processor and then copy the template (including the merge field codes) into an HTML template.

Creating and Assigning Customer Service Case Email Notification Templates

• To create and assign a customer service case email notification template

1. In Administrator, select File > Preferences.
2. Select the Customer Service tab.
3. Click the Notification button.  

The Customer Service Email Notification Options dialog box opens.

4. In the Email templates for notification group, select an Action Name.
5. Click Assign and select Customer Template or User Template.

The Email Notification Template Library opens.

6. To assign an existing template, select the template from the list and click OK. Then skip to step 11 of this procedure.

– or –

To create a new template, click New and select Maximizer Message Body (Maximizer Word Processor .ETF template) or HTML Message Body (HTML template).

The Message Body Name dialog box opens.

7. Type a name to identify the template and click OK.

It’s a good idea to include the action (Create, Assign, Escalate, or Resolve) and the recipient type (Customer or User) in the template name, so the template is easier to identify.

8. Create the template, including customer service case merge fields where appropriate, and then save and close the Maximizer Word Processor or HTML editor.

To insert merge fields in Maximizer Word Processor, click the Merge Field  button. Some merge fields relate specifically to customer service and automatically include information such as the case number in the email message.

To use merge fields in HTML email templates, you must type the merge field codes manually. To simplify the process, you might choose to create the template with its merge field codes in the Maximizer Word Processor, and then copy and paste the text into the HTML document.

The template name now appears in the Email Notification Template Library.

9. Select the template and click OK.

The template is now associated with the action name for customers or users.

10. To email the associate partner when notifying a customer, select the Carbon Copy the associate Partner when notifying Customers option.
11. Repeat steps 4 through 9 to create or assign customer or user templates for other actions.
12. Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.

The above is from Maximizer's Help files.

Useful Hint – This is such an important area for the success of your Maximizer installation, do some really sound pre-planning before starting your implementation!

Next month – Security Groups and Teams

Remember:  We can Help you with:―

·         Writing your custom databases on Microsoft Access, or custom programs in Visual Basic.  If you can’t find that piece of software to do things your way, ask us!

·         Solving your Maximizer, Access, Excel, Word, and Lotus 123 problems.

·         Training your company on Maximizer, Excel, Word, Access and Windows.  We do all levels from beginners to Programming.

·         Software: We re-sell and support various CRM, timesheet, scheduling and productivity programs.

All the Best from the team!
Judith and Rick

Directors, Communication in Action (Pty) Ltd t/a Software Africa
PO Box 987, Gallo Manor, 2052 South Africa.
Tel: (+27 11) (011) 802-2685.  Fax: 802-4576.  Cell: 082 389-3481/2.
E-mail: info@softwareafrica.co.za

This entire newsletter is Copyright© 2006 Communication in Action (Pty) Ltd.  Please share it with your friends or post it on your site as long as it is left intact with all links unchanged and includes this notice.  To Subscribe to this newsletter, Click here and SEND the resulting e-mail.

Back to top

Editorial

Please take a look at our web site, as we have just revamped it and would love some feedback.

Speaking to a printer supplier today, I found out that sales are good, in fact booming.  Sounds like the economy is moving forward and the big construction projects are now filtering down into b2b demand again.  This will keep us busy through the winter, providing Eskom keeps us all powered up!

We are moving into supplying a wider range of software again.  Please ask us for pricing on Microsoft solutions that you may require as well as Lotus Smart Suite (yes there are still users out there!).

New contact number - we have a Maxicall number 0861 48 23 74  that translates to 0861 IT Africa               

If you had a choice, where would you invest right now?

Would it be in the stock market, your business, your family or yourself? Or somewhere else entirely?  How about visiting a few of the websites where a contribution can be made to assist others like https://www.guidedog.org.za/ or https://www.cotlands.org/.  There are many other institutions that can give you great returns for your contributions, so do a local Yahoo search for your favourite charity and warm a few hearts!

Is something missing in your workplace?

Would it be of value to you to look at your data security?  I ask this because recently one of our suppliers had the misfortune to have all of their computer equipment stolen.  With it went all record of their invoicing, so now they are having to trust customers to pay - they can't find out who owes them what at all!

Could this happen to your company?  Would you be in a similar situation?  If the answer is "Yes", then please contact Roy Westfehling of Westech and ask about his backup solutions.  His details are: Tel (011) 807-7457 and e-mail roy@westech.co.za.  Their website is www.computersupport.co.za.   Tell him we sent you!

We have used their backup system for over a year and have seamlessly recovered data.

Problems and Solutions - the Q&A of software

We are reinstating this part of the newsletter.  It used to be a regular in our old printed version.  Let us know if it is of use.  Also, send us questions to answer!

Question: How do I convert documents into Adobe PDF format?

Answer: Download CutePDF™ Writer from https://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp.  This is very interesting link as they have put more products on the site.

Question: How do I number sections in Word?

Answer: Go to Format | Styles and Formatting.  Choose Heading 1, right click on it and select Modify.  Click on Format and choose Numbering.

Click on the Outline Numbering tab and choose the style you want.  Note that the numbering will be applied to the lower level headings as well.  Click OK, OK and you will see the difference displayed.

Question: How can I access the headings in Word quickly?

Answer: For Heading 1 use Ctrl-Alt-1; Heading 2 Ctrl-Alt-2 and Heading 3 Ctrl-Alt-3.  For lower levels, you will require a macro to be written.

Question: How are these heading levels used?

Answer: Heading 1 refers to all the major sections and will number them 1, 2, 3 etc.  Heading 2 is your first level subsection and will number the heading will the major section number followed by the subsection number - e.g. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 etc.  Heading 3 is the next level down and will show three numbers.

To give us more questions - please contact info@softwareafrica.co.za

In need of professional hardware support in the Randburg area?

If so, Supima Computers may be your solution.  They are situated in Bond Street and are another of our partners.  Contact Jessica on (011) 789-4076 or jess@supimasa.com.

Position available

We are looking for a sales person - ideally a young self starter who is computer literate and has a driver's licence plus a vehicle.  They would be employed to sell software solutions including Maximizer CRM.  Initially, they would focus on contacting prospects for appointments and Judith would assist with the presentations and do the quotes.  Longer term, we expect them to grow into successful sales professionals and do their own presentations and deals.  Part of the package would include their first year's membership of UPSA SA and support in doing the exams of this professional society.  On-the-job training is also provided.  Please contact Judith for more information on (011) 802-2685 or by e-mail.

High level training in Excel

Do you feel that you could be more productive if you had a greater understanding of Excel and using its formulas?  Then we can offer the Excel for Professional Users course.  This will cover how you can use Excel in order to maximize your reporting skills and minimize the hassles!  We will include using pivot tables, What-If scenarios and other data analysis techniques.  For a full specification of this course and costs - please contact Judith as above.

Excel Tips 31 – Formats

In passing last month we mentioned the text data format.  Let's look at formatting in more detail...

If you select a cell or range of cells and either click Format > Cells, or press Ctrl + 1, the following dialog box pops up: (yours may be on a different tab - click the "Number" Tab, the first one)

   

We'll briefly look through the categories:

• General – no options here: This is exactly as entered.
• Number – as above: You can set the number of decimal places, the 1000 separator (usually a comma, but depends on your Windows Regional Settings, as in fact does your decimal symbol), and how it treats negatives.
• Currency – Similar to Number, but you can select a currency symbol.  The way negatives are treated (minus sign or parentheses "()"), and the placement of the negative and the currency symbol, depend on your Windows Regional Settings for Currency.
• Accounting – fewer options here: You can set the number of decimal places and the symbol, but not how negative appear.  The currency symbols are lined up against the left margin:

Next month: Date and Time Formats.

 Tips – Using and setting up MaxExchange in Enterprise Version 9.0

This is the last part in the more complex features of Maximizer for awhile.  We are going to go back to simple solutions for day-to-day users from next month.

In version 9.0, MaxExchange works far more easily, as it runs as a service on the server.  This was true from version 7.0 but it was not always reliable!  Once you have installed MaxExchange, or your Maximizer support partner has done so, you will need to set up the users.

The normal way to set up the users is through Site Manager.  This is found in the Maximizer Administrator module under Utilities.  Initially, you set up the server and choose whether the synchronisation will be via FTP, e-mail or the network.  Of these options, we have found that FTP is the best one with e-mail second.

Once you have chosen the synchronisation method and set it up, you give access passwords to it.  Keep these simple!  You then choose to activate the other options on this screen.  They can be altered at any time, if you require more information or warnings.

Then you move back to adding the users.  In order for the users to be able to access their opportunities, they will have to be in a sales team.  Click on the Team option and check that you have the required teams displayed and their correct members.

Then click on Distribution Sites and add the remote users one by one.  Make sure that you fill in each screen with the required information.  Notice that you can prevent remote users from deleting records.

Once this is done, ask for the user to be sent a Refresh so that the database is sent down to the laptop, which is seen as a Distribution Site in the MaxExchange UDF.  Close Site Manager.

Now go to each user and configure their MaxExchange to receive the refresh via your chosen method.  Check that the refresh arrives and set up their local database for it to be expanded into; finally set up how often this remote synchronises with the server and whether it is automatic or user directed.

Note: For users who do presentations, it is a good idea to place the synchronising in the hands of the user!  Then they are not suddenly interrupted by being told the connection has failed - thank you Leon (from Bateleur) for bringing this irritation to my attention!
 

Next month – The Workflow cycle for beginners - a look at how Maximizer tracks your tasks

 

Remember:  We can Help you with:―

·         Writing your custom databases on Microsoft Access, or custom programs in Visual Basic.  If you can’t find that piece of software to do things your way, ask us!

·         Solving your Maximizer, Access, Excel, Word, and Lotus 123 problems.

·         Training your company on Maximizer, Excel, Word, Access and Windows.  We do all levels from beginners to Programming.

·         Software: We re-sell and support various CRM, timesheet, scheduling and productivity programs.

All the Best from the team!
Judith and Rick

Directors, Communication in Action (Pty) Ltd t/a Software Africa
PO Box 987, Gallo Manor, 2052 South Africa.
Tel: (+27 11) (011) 802-2685.  Fax: 802-4576.  Cell: 082 389-3481/2.
E-mail: info@softwareafrica.co.za

P.S.  Visit our web site at  where you can find all sorts of free stuff to download.

This entire newsletter is Copyright© 2006 Communication in Action (Pty) Ltd.  Please share it with your friends or post it on your site as long as it is left intact with all links unchanged and includes this notice.  To Subscribe to the newsletter, Click here and SEND the resulting e-mail.  To unsubscribe, Click here and SEND the resulting e-mail.