Development Update - March 2022
It's funny how certain themes seem to develop around a particular month. The theme for March has most certainly been one of security. It helps that one of our founding directors has been compulsively security-obsessed since day dot and it's something that is heavily ingrained into everyone within the team.
We've made great strides this month with our progress in offering 2-factor authentication on all accounts. Separate from this, we've continued our integration with Microsoft authentication services. Not only can you now force your users to ONLY use Microsoft credentials to access UtilityClick, but you'll also be able to use any associated Microsoft email account to send official system notifications.
Read on to hear more about this and the other bits and bobs as we look at the dev releases from March...
Multi-Factor Authentication
You'll soon be able to add an additional layer of security to your UtilityClick account (together with all user accounts) by switching on 2-Factor-Authentication. When applied, you will be sent a code to a preregistered mobile device that you will need to use along with your normal password. This feature will be rolled out over the coming weeks and we strongly recommend deploying it for added peace of mind.
Send System Emails With Your Microsoft Account
Email notifications sent from within the system can now be sent from a user's email address, instead of from your central company email address. When switched on, this feature will allow you to log in using your Microsoft credentials and then have notifications (such as tenders or LOAs) come directly from your email. Please contact your account manager to have this activated within your account.
Other bits and bobs...
We've also added the following other bits and bobs...
Force Microsoft Authentication On Your Account
We've been integrated with Microsoft authentication services for some time (allowing users to use their Microsoft 365 credentials as well as their UtilityClick one) but this recent update allows admin users to force ALL account users to only use their Microsoft credentials.
The Ability To Edit Or Delete Activity Notes
We've overhauled the notes section within the Activities component. You can now edit or delete notes as you see fit. Note that only Super Admin users have the ability to edit or delete notes that were not created by them.
Built for: PRO CRM
Support for Multiple Commission Rates
This is an optional feature that allows for different commission levels to be set for different meter rates. E.g. If you require a different commission set for meters with a varying day and night rate. This optional feature is only available when adding manual bespoke quotes and is available upon request.
Built for: PRO CRM
Vendor Agreements Linked to Customer References
It was already possible for vendor agreements to be linked to Sites/Locations, Meters/Accounts, Contacts, and Contracts. This latest update now makes it possible to also link vendor agreements to Customer References.
Built for: PRO CRM
Quick Access to Supplier Products When Reviewing Quotes
We've added a handy link to quickly view supplier product details when reviewing quotes within the Procurement component. From the quote results screen, simply click "Go" and "View Product".
Built for: PRO CRM
Parent Company Added To Portfolio Export
Within the Analytics component, when exporting Portfolio data, we've added a new column where you can now see 'Parent Company' information.
Built for: PRO CRM
Multi-Select for Export Data
Previously, when exporting data through the Analytics module, you've been able to select precise singular criteria of which data to include. For example, you could export Accounts that were managed by one particular account manager but you were unable to select multiple managers (without exporting all the data at once). We've added multi-select fields to many of our data export screens, so you can now quickly select multiple configurations within each export.
Built for: PRO CRM
Total Cost and Total Annual Cost Added At Meter Level For Tender Export
When exporting tender information (via the Tenders - Export Data screen), the Total Cost and Total Annual Cost is now included within the export on a per meter basis.
Built for: PRO CRM
Checkbox Added To Skip Redirect After A Data Import
When importing data into the system, you're helpfully redirected to the upload results screen after each successful import. There are instances where it's preferable to stay within the data import screen post upload. As such, we've added a checkbox so you can choose whether to remain on the data import page or move on to review the results.
Built for: PRO CRM
That’s it for this month.
Our software evolves at such an exciting rate so please feel free to get in touch to discuss any of the functionality we’ve added since you last saw it. We’ll be more than happy to arrange a demo to show you around!
Bill Val 2.0 With Advanced Validation
What does it do?
(and who are William & Valerie?)
William & Valerie (or Bill & Val for those just catching on) is the nickname for our latest fantastic product – BILL VAL. With it, you can upload batch data files directly from suppliers straight into our system.
Once uploaded our system systematically examines each entry to ensure it’s correct. Upon completion, results are broken down and summarised, enabling succinct reporting back to your customers.
Key Features
Instant Imports
Raw format imports for EDI/XLS/CSV.
Beautiful Presentation
Analyse pass/fails in a clear, understandable format.
Custom Thresholds
Set your own pass tolerances at customer or global level.
The Best Reporting
Stop sending emails to your clients. Present all types of reports within your very own white-labelled customer portals.
Instant Usage Analysis
Import day Day+1 HH / AMR data straight from the Data Collector.
Customer Portal
Present data to your clients with ease. Allow them to submit meter reads for instant validation.
Why do you need this?
As an energy broker, you know that the world is changing and you need to offer your customers more than just ‘the best price’. You’ve seen the evolution in our sector; your customers now demand more than procurement only services.
Did you know?
"...as many as 1 in 5 utility bills contain errors that cause the recipient to overpay."
* Source: www.energylivenews.com
This all sounds expensive?
For all of this functionality it’s not as much as you would think. And no other system offers more ‘value’ than our Bill Val product. Unlike other systems, we do not price per meter/invoice validation, which can become incredibly expensive. With BILL VAL by UtilityClick you pay one set monthly fee, no matter if you validate one thousand bills or one million.
Free UK support
It doesn’t matter how good our software is if you don’t know how to use it. We’ll get you started by talking to you and your team in a language they understand. What’s more we offer phone support FREE with every subscription, should you need prompting down the line.
Is there anything it doesn't do?
Possibly! But we’re confident we’ve built a bill validation product that is better than anything that’s come before it. If there is a useful feature that doesn’t exist and is integral to your workflow, there’s a very good chance we’ll build it… And the good news is we build fast, really fast (take a look at our monthly updates from the development team to see how much we add, every single month).
Development Update - February 2022
This month:
There's been an undeniable air of excitement in the dev team this month. I can't recall a time when we've had so much R&D work in progress with so much potential to make a huge impact.
One project in particular will give you the option to 'boost' your dashboards. With it, you'll be able to create your very own graphs, tables and reports. For instance: Need to create a dashboard specific to Dan in Sales so he can see what's important in his pipeline? No problem.
The boost will also provide a new dashboard that monitors matrix pricing trends over a period of time. With it, you'll be able to see which suppliers are pricing competitively on various types of meters and when. We'll be in touch again about Dashboard Boosts but if you'd like to get in front of the queue, please contact us or your account manager to signify your interest.
Read on to hear what else we've been up to in the month of February...
Bill Val Thresholds
When validating bills for customers, it's quite often the case that a few pence difference between the 'expected' and 'actual' isn't of vital importance. We've added the ability to set a tolerance threshold of just how far out you'll allow the difference to be, before receiving an alert.
This tolerance can be set individually over almost any aspect of the bill. What's more, you can alter this tolerance on a per-customer basis, should you have certain customers that require more stringent validation than others.
Built for: BILL VAL
Other bits and bobs...
We've also added the following other bits and bobs...
Improved Customer & Lead Snapshot
You can get a quick overview of all the important bits by visiting the Snapshot section within Leads or Customers. We've now added the company number (EIN for the USA) to the Leads and Customers Snapshot screens.
Built for: PRO CRM
Search and Filter Cloud Documents
Within our PRO CRM you can upload any documents that would be useful to store against a lead or customer. We've now added the ability to search through these documents either through their description or by date.
Built for: PRO CRM
New Lost Contract Reasons
When marking a contract as "Lost" you can select from a handful of useful reasons why that contract was lost. We've added more selectable options here to give you a more detailed analysis when reporting.
Built for: PRO CRM
Speedier Detailed Export
Our PRO CRM allows you to export procurement data in varying degrees of complexity. We've made speed improvements to the most "Detailed Export" so it completes much faster.
Built for: PRO CRM
Bill Val UI
As an addition to the threshold work described above, we've improved the user interface of Bill Val reporting so you can now clearly see the actual vs expected difference as a percentage.
Built for: BILL VAL
Approx Commission with Opportunity Exports
Previously when performing a tender export, an "Approx Commission" value would only appear if one had been set manually by the user. However, when viewing a new tender directly within the system, a user is helpfully shown the "Approx Commission" value, even if one has not been set (by using the partner's default broker fee). The process has now been updated so that exports now marry the information provided when viewing an opportunity within the system.
Built for: PRO CRM
That’s it for this month.
Our software evolves at such an exciting rate so please feel free to get in touch to discuss any of the functionality we’ve added since you last saw it. We’ll be more than happy to arrange a demo to show you around!
Does Good Design Matter?
Precursor: In 2020 we wrote an article titled “Could A CRM Give You Pleasure?” which proved rather popular. We’ve also spent much of last year improving the UX of our software.
But WHY?
Does any of it really matter? Thankfully there have been numerous studies to answer this very question…
For example, in 2005 a group called The Design Council studied portfolios of companies that traded on the FTSE over the past 10 years. What they discovered was that the companies that put an emphasis on design outperformed the FTSE 100 index by 200%*.
More recently, in 2015 the National Endowment for the US Arts released a study that concluded that small businesses saw a 17.5% increase in average sales on improved goods and services when they invested in design**.
https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/NEAIndustrialDesignManufacturing-4.28.2017-rev.pdf
As Homer Simpson once said:
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!"
So let’s drill down into
Five reasons why design doesn't just matter for the energy sector, it's imperative:
Good design has the power to simplify the complex processes that you find in the energy sector.
If you were to create a piece of software that fulfilled every part of your job – that system would be complex to a point of chaos but good design can simplify it all into manageable chunks. If done right, the design can act as a translator, simplifying the complex language of your processes.
Good design can affect users emotions and can actually make your team happier.
It may seem trivial to focus on emotion when talking about software but companies are realising more and more that it’s possible to evoke a positive response from simple interactions, like a hover effect or a popup animation.
Firms such as Apple have built billion-dollar products around how good it can make a user feel, where everything is carefully crafted to give the user a positive experience.
A CRM is much like your phone. You’ll likely spend more time looking at it than you will your own family, so it’s only right that it should also invoke positivity for the user.
Good design can make your team more efficient
As humans, we have an inbuilt nature to take the perceived quickest route to a solution, especially if we’re unsure of the path ahead. When performing a complicated task, good design can provide useful tools precisely where and when they’re needed along a workflow. For instance, having an important button appear more prominent than other page elements can help guide users eyes on where they should go next.
Good design can help highlight your wins and losses
Presenting your data is all well and good but if its meaning is not clear, then it’s likely to be overlooked. This is even more apparent when reporting within the energy sector. Good design can help declutter and present important, actionable information whilst giving the option to drill down to the data that matters. Users can then focus clearly on the presented facts and adapt swiftly to the cause of their wins.
Good design can provide assurances of a high level of service.
If we hold two products side-by-side, we’ll invariably focus on the better-looking of the two. This is where the good design looks to assure us that “If they’ve spent this much effort perfecting how it looks, then the way it works must also be as equally well thought out”.
Although we know that doesn’t always hold true, it’s inbuilt within us and we still can’t help but use it as a base for commercial decisions. When providing completely re-brandable software like ours, it’s even more imperative that when your customers are using it, the way it looks matches the high level of service that you provide.
Summing It All Up
Investing in good design is superficial by its nature but the results will bleed into numerous positive areas, far and beyond aesthetics. Here at UtilityClick we care enormously about the software experiences our users will have, that’s why we invest so much in a design to convey that. We don’t believe any equivalent system can attest to that.
If you’d like to see how we’ve taken these 5 points above (and a few more) to transform our software, get in touch for a demo:
An interactive side-by-side of old Vs. new for our PRO CRM product.
Development Update - January 2022
This month:
And we're off! Despite the Christmas cobwebs, January in the dev team was just as busy as the months that preceded it. I think we were all thankful for the rest but also just as happy to be back with the team, planning the next 12 months of new features.
The new system redesign that we announced last month has taken much of our focus. We had many users requesting early access and we're happy to say that feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. As such, we're pleased to mark February 18th as the official date when all of our software will switch to the new design.
Read on to discover more about the new look as well as other bits and bobs.
Custom Branding With The New UI
As previously mentioned, the new design will be going live on all accounts very shortly (February 18th). Our final push has been to adapt the new look so that it works for any system that has custom branding set. If you utilise your own logo and colours within any of UtilityClick's software, then you'll also be able to experience a better UI come February 18th.
Other bits and bobs...
We've also added the following other bits and bobs...
Improvements to The Sales (Tables) Dashboard Reporting
Within the 'Booked Breakdown', 'Won Breakdown' and 'Lost Breakdown' Sales report, you can now drill down to which deals were bespoke and which were matrix.
Built for: PRO CRM
LOA Start/End Date Validation
Customers have reported that they occasionally forget to enter a correct start/end date on a system populated LOA. If turned on, this new feature will prompt users that both a start and end dates must be present before the upload can proceed.
Built for: PRO CRM
Speed improvements for Customer Imports
As part of our ongoing mission to speed up system-wide imports/exports - we've made improvements to ensure importing customer data is now more robust and completes much faster.
Built for: PRO CRM
New bespoke charge units added to Bill Val
We've made Bill Val even more comprehensive and added support to check for additional bespoke charge unit types (including £/meter/month).
Built for: BILL VAL
Activity Sub Types Are now filterable
We've extended the search facility within the Activities component, it's now possible to filter by Task, Type AND Sub Type.
Built for: PRO CRM
Bespoke Charges Summary
Multiple bespoke charges are commonplace in water procurement, because of this we've adapted all quoting results screens (including exports) to include a summary of all bespoke charges per quote.
Built for: PRO CRM
Bespoke Charges On Excel Imports
Users have been able to add bespoke charges to quotes and contracts for some time but now you can now add them when importing in bulk via an Excel file.
Built for: PRO CRM
That’s it for this month.
Our software evolves at such an exciting rate so please feel free to get in touch to discuss any of the functionality we’ve added since you last saw it. We’ll be more than happy to arrange a demo to show you around!
Energy Reporting: 02 Financials
In this Reporting Drilldown episode, we introduce you to our Financials Dashboards and take a look at what makes them the "best of the best".
Calling all CFOs!
You already know - reporting is such a key part of any business. If it's not up to scratch then it can directly jeopardize the company's income. This couldn’t be truer than within the energy sector.
Take a look at some of the key features that our Financial Dashboards offer:
A Useful Snapshot - A quick, uncomplicated overview of your financial position for the year. Comprehensive Drilldown – Need more detail? It can all be found in our 'Financial Tables' reports. Accurate Metrics – Measure your financials against various metrics, like opportunity type and utility type. Performance Analysis – Quickly review your best-performing suppliers and agents. Complete Customization – Use interactive tools to slice and dice your data. Or use the extensive filtering interface to get the data you need. Use It Your Way – Download your financial reports to Excel, CSV or PNG for easy internal distribution. And much more...
See our Dashboards in action today with a live demo...
Further reporting reading...
Nothing found.
Development Update - December 2021
This month:
As the team return from a restful Christmas break, we look back at everything we completed in the final month of 2021. It's fitting that we start the New Year with a clean slate and a new look to our flagship products. Over the last few months, the team have been creating a completely new design for our PRO CRM, BILL VAL and PORTAL products. We're extremely excited to show you the results.
We've also received positive feedback on our integration with Tickd. Up until very recently, we've encouraged our customers to forge their own direct supplier relationships but it's been clear that having an alternative offering, straight out the box, is also proving useful.
Read on to hear how you can utilise the new design, the Tickd integration, as well as other bits & bobs.
System Redesign
You may have seen back in October that we teased a ghostly glimpse of the new design and we've already rolled it out to a few willing participants. We'll be contacting all our customers shortly to see if you'd like to trial the new look within your system.
Tickd Expansion
When managing quotes within the PRO CRM, you can now choose to employ the (green) "Get Tickd Quotes" button and utilise the connections that Tickd have assembled (currently British Gas Lite, Scottish Power and TotalEnergies). If you'd like to utilise this optional feature and would like further guidance, please contact your account manager.
Built for: PRO CRM (UK ONLY)
Other bits and bobs...
We've also added the following other bits and bobs...
NEW Reporting On Activities
We've added a brand new dashboard focussed solely on Activities. You can now drill down to Activities completed by team members and specific customers as well as gain insight in to activities completed within a certain timeframe.
Built for: PRO CRM
Alert before marking an activity as done
We've added an optional feature that when enabled will offer the user a 'Yes' or 'No' alert when marking an activity as 'Done'. This can help avoid those costly accidents where a team member clears an activity before it has been actioned.
Built for: PRO CRM
Water commission percentage
When creating a bespoke tender for water supply, we've added the ability to set a commission percentage of the contract. Previously you could only select a £/m3.
Built for: PRO CRM (UK Only)
Auto-upload Unsigned LOA to Customer Section
When generating an LOA within the system, you can now choose 'Generate & Save' to automatically add the LOA to the Customer Details section.
Built for: PRO CRM
Oh Duck Screen Improvements
Everyone hates an error screen so we've tried to soften the blow of ours by giving you the chance to play a version of the 1984 hit Duck Hunt each time it appears.
Built for: PRO CRM
Bulk Uplift for Bespoke Tenders
Previously our system has allowed for a bulk uplift to be added for matrix tenders. We've now added this feature so that it's also available on bespoke tenders too.
Built for: PRO CRM
Quicker Reporting
We've introduced further speed enhancements to make our new reporting that little bit quicker.
Built for: PRO CRM
System Export Enhancements
Over the last 12 months, we've been rewriting the way our system exports data. This month we've adapted the commission module. Now your commission exports will be generated much faster.
Built for: PRO CRM
Customer Name Added To Detailed Quote Export
We've updated our 'Detailed Quote' export (found under Partner > Procurement > Input Prices > Quotes), so that it now includes parent and child customer information.
Built for: PRO CRM (UK Only)
Supplier Insights Dashboard
We've revolutionised the dashboards of our Supplier Insights product to include the same cutting-edge technology found within our PRO CRM product.
Built for: INSIGHTS
That’s it for this month.
Our software evolves at such an exciting rate so please feel free to get in touch to discuss any of the functionality we’ve added since you last saw it. We’ll be more than happy to arrange a demo to show you around!
Twas The Week Before Christmas
Before you go, grab a...
Free Coffee
(a small gift from us to you)
In this world of climate change and endless landfills, we thought it prudent not to send a physical version of our Christmas card this year.
Instead, we’d like to invite all our friends in the energy industry to a cup of warm Christmas coffee on us.
Simply fill out the form below and we’ll email over a gift card to redeem at your local Starbucks coffee house.
Disclaimer
This offer is open to UK and USA residents only.
Your data will only be used for internal purposes and NEVER sold or supplied to a third party.
To ensure fairness we are limiting this promotion to employees of the energy management and energy procurement industries. For verification purposes, please use a company email associated with the energy industry. We may contact you directly for verification.
We reserve the right to remove this promotion at any time.
Development Update - November 2021
This month:
There's a pleasant feeling in seeing something that we've all worked so hard on finally being applied in the "real world". This month saw the cutting of ribbons on two long time projects, namely the new dashboards, and the Tickd integration.
For the dashboards in particular, it's an incredible milestone that the team can be proud of. We must also offer our thanks. Many of you depend significantly on the reporting it provides, so it's taken great understanding on your part to make the switch.
Read on to hear more about dashboards, Tickd and the "Other Bits & Bobs" that we've been working on in November.
Tickd Integration
We've now added the ability to run pricing through Tickd to all UK based CRM PRO accounts. No matter your supplier relationship coverage, you can now (optionally) utilise this new Tickd connectivity to pass on greater tariff flexibility to your customers.
In short, it can offer pricing versatility to give you an edge over competitors. We'll be working with Tickd to add even more suppliers and we'll be in touch once live.
Built for: PRO CRM (UK Only)
Dashboards Live
Our reporting had previously been powered by PowerBI and although robust, it had been clear to us for some time that it was limiting the diversity of our reporting. With the new system in place, we're completely uncapped on the variety and customisation of potential reports.
You may have seen from our recent dashboards article that we're planning on showcasing more on what the new system can do. Keep an eye on our website for a new series of video shorts that we've named: Reporting Drilldown.
Other bits and bobs...
We've also added the following other bits and bobs...
Improved Navigation For New Dashboards
We've made it quicker to jump straight into any of your dashboards from anywhere within the system. Simply select the one you need from the new dropdown on the main menu.
Built for: PRO CRM
Improved Bulk Import for MOP & DC/DA Data
When bulk uploading 'Meter Operator / Contract' information, you can now import "Deal Status" and "Accepted Date" for MOP or DCDA records. Thus saving you valuable time not having to enter information on a per meter basis.
Built for: PRO CRM (UK Only)
That’s it for this month.
Our software evolves at such an exciting rate so please feel free to get in touch to discuss any of the functionality we’ve added since you last saw it. We’ll be more than happy to arrange a demo to show you around!
Energy Reporting: 01 Introduction
Presenting a brand new UtilityClick series of video shorts that we call: Reporting Drilldown.
In this prologue to our Reporting Drilldown series, we introduce you to our Dashboards and take a look at what makes them the best of the best:
Beautiful – We’ve worked really hard to make sure that our reports look great. It’s easier not to get bored with report after report if they look fantastic! Industry Leading – No system out there comes close to how our Dashboards can present data in a clean, simple and useful way. Intuitive – Each chart is interactive, helping you to drilldown to the dataset you require. Configurable – Need your own report? Need changes made to your reports based on specific requirements? No problem. Our reports can be amended on the fly to support your business. Simple – Reports are useless if they’re overly complicated. Whilst our 10 out the box reports are comprehensive, they have been built based on customer feedback to ensure they only present the most useful information.
Keep an eye on our website and social channels over the coming weeks for new “Reporting Drilldown” video shorts, as we’ll look deeper at: Sales Opportunities, Employee Performance, Customer Rankings, Managing Your Financials, and much more...
Can't wait? See our Dashboards in action today...
Further reporting reading...
Nothing found.