Development Update - May 2021
This month:
The month of May has been a bitty one in the dev team.
New feature ideas come from all sources. As you might imagine, most are spawned from our customers but many are generated by staff and some are simply dictated by industry change.
The priority of each feature idea can vary for numerous reasons but two common traits considered are "How long will it take to develop?" vs. "How many customers will it help?".
As mentioned, for one reason or another, this month it's the 'bitty' features that have taken our priority. They're relatively quick to develop compared to the showstoppers but when combined, you have a set of new features that will hopefully help the many.
Read on to find out more about each of these features.
Supplier Pricing Participation
You can now mark whether a Supplier will be participating within a tender/custom pricing request. Suppliers can also update the flag within their portals. Ideal for keeping on top of who will be quoting on pricing day.
Built for: UKUSASupplierLinks
Parent/Child Pipeline UI
We've updated the system interface to make it much easier to review your Parent/Child portfolios. You can now use a collapsible grid to easily view all child contracts linked to a single parent contract.
Built for: UKUSASupplierLinks
Show rates in dollars rather than cents
We've listened based on your feedback and updated the system accordingly. Rates in the USA system can now be shown in dollars as well as cents.
Built for: USA
Other bits and bobs...
We've also added the following other bits and bobs...
System Export enhancements
Numerous columns have been added to data export across the entire system, providing a more detailed level of reporting.
Built for: UKUSA
History Logging - Leads and Contracts
History logging within Leads and Contracts have been improved to help you monitor even more changes with your data.
Built for: UKUSA
Business Type added to Contracts, Tenders & Sales Exports
Business Type has been added to Contracts, Tenders & Sales Export reports.
Built for: UKUSA
User Type access applied to Employee Payments section
Based on customer feedback, we have added User-Level access to the Employee Payment section of the system.
Built for: UKUSA
Option To Exclude Completed Activities from Activities Export
A tick box has been added to the Activities Export page to allow you to exclude completed activities from the report.
Built for: UKUSA
Suppliers with no relationships excluded from matrix pricing
We have amended the system to only show by default matrix pricing for suppliers that are marked as No Relationship within the supplier section.
Built for: UKUSA
Other field added to Supplier Contacts
A new field called Other has been added to Supplier Contacts so that you can also add contacts that don't fit into our pre-set categories.
Built for: UKUSA
Bug fix - changing meter/account usage
We have fixed a bug that was causing an error screen when changing usage figures within a tender/custom pricing request
Built for: UKUSA
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!
Development Update - April 2021
This month:
It's been another busy month for the dev team. Although (in the UK at least), we've had a lot of national and school holidays (Easter), we've by no means slowed our usually high-paced release schedule.
The phrase "Time and tide wait for no man" comes to mind... but it should really be rewritten to "Time, new features and tide wait for no man".
Here are a few of the items that have taken the bulk of the team's time this month, together with a brief description:
Employee Payment Terms
We've added a brand new feature as an enhancement to our Commissions module. You can now create your employee payment profiles. The system will then report to you the monthly payments due to your internal agents!
Monthly Usage Tool
When switched on it will allow you to store monthly usage interval data you hold for the meter in question, feeding into your commissions. Simply locate the relevant file, upload and let the UtilityClick system do the rest.
We've completed the US phase of this feature. Next month we plan to begin the implementation process on the UK system.
Other bits and bobs...
It's never just about the big projects. We've also added the following other bits and bobs...
HH MATRIX LOOKUP ADJUSTMENTS
The system has been enhanced to return the appropriate Available Capacity rate based on kVA banding levels.
CLICK-TO-DIAL TOOLTIP UPDATE
The click-to-dial tooltip has been updated to show the phone number for the appropriate contact for those TPIs not using the dialler integrator software.
LEAD EXPORT OPTIMISATION
Exporting lead data from the system for our TPIs who have lots of leads was taking a while. We've optimised the export now to reduce waiting times for accessing the report.
NEW ACTIVITY TYPE
We've added "Tender Refresh" to our list of Tender Activity Types. Ideal when your customer doesn't sign down the first time around!
ACTIVITY EXPORT IMPROVEMENT
The time that an activity is created/due/completed has now been added to the activity export report.
CUSTOMER PORTAL UPDATE
The product name for quotes/contracts has been added to the customer portal to help your end-user customers on tender day.
"NO ACCESS" USERS
These are users who can be added for internal purposes but do not increase the cost of subscription.
SPEED INCREASE FOR TENDER CREATION
We've made speed improvements to the creation of major tenders - with bigger optimisations on the way soon!
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!
A Secret Track - UtilityClick Jukebox
...
...A little while back one of our clever developers created UtilityClick Jukebox - a video boombox embedded directly within our CRM.
We encourage our dev team to experiment and innovate as much as possible so these little side projects are always a welcome surprise.
Isn't that a waste of their time?
Ok, we admit that a jukebox within a CRM might not seem like a useful addition, but we believe that in these moments of experimentation, great ideas (and subsequently, features) are born. Up until now, our jukebox has only been available to UC employees but we thought the world could do with a boost and so UC Jukebox has now been added to the system for all to enjoy.
Once switched on you can listen to some great* tunes whilst managing those important opportunities.
All that bopping got us thinking... and so, here's our perfect top 5 Energy Brokerage tracks that you just might hear on the UC Jukebox...
Marvin Gaye
I Heard It Through The Pipeline
Dolly Parton
KPI Will Always Love You
Guns N' Roses
Sweet Parent/Child Tender Of Mine
Jackie Wilson
Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Supplier And Supplier
Stevie Wonder
Signed, Sealed And Set A Renewal Notice For 24 Months
We don’t just create innovative music features, we also make great software to help procure energy. If you would like to see a demo of our system and understand more about how we can help you dance to a better beat – feel free to get in touch, we’d be happy to show you around.
*The term “great” depends on your love for MMMBop by Hanson.
Further reading...
Development Update – July 2023
In July we took another giant step forward as we transferred to a database that can…
Development Update – June 2023
June marks the halfway point of the year and it's a good opportunity to look back at…
A Gift Guide For Energy Brokers
A Gift Guide
for Energy Brokers...
(according to the movies)
Unsure what to get that special Energy Broker in your life? We’ve taken inspiration from some Christmas movie classics to bring you the definitive present list to spoil a TPI with (and you probably already have them in your home!)
A White Vest
As worn by John McClane in Die Hard
It’s Christmas so it’s time to dispense with the formal and get comfortable. Give them a sleek white vest to relax in. All the better if they accidentally spill some red cranberry sauce down the front.
They’ll be so impressed they’ll be sure to say:
"Yippee-Ki-Yay M..."
World's Best Cup of Coffee
As championed by Buddy in Elf
We know what it’s like, the kids will have you awake long before the sun comes up, eager to open those presents. So give that special broker the helpful wakeup they’ll need with the world’s best cup of coffee.
One sip and they'll be saying:
"You did it! Congratulations! Great job everybody... It's great to meet you"
A Gangster Movie on VHS
As watched by Kevin in Home Alone
Everyone loves a good gangster flick so grab them a classic oldie and cuddle up on the sofa with some popcorn.
Just make sure you choose a good one, otherwise they’ll be saying:
"I'm gonna give you to the count of 10, to get your ugly, yella, no-good keister off my property..."
Keep the change, ya filthy animal!
From all of us here at UtilityClick!
Have a great Christmas!
Further reading...
Development Update – May 2023
The month of May has been a particularly HUGE month within the dev team. It's been a…
Development Update – April 2023
Welcome to our dev update for the month of APRIL, or, if we drop the 'R' and the 'L',…
Introducing The Swiss Army CRM
UtilityClick has reached a rather considerable milestone. We’ve now developed well over 100 optional add-ons for our PRO CRM.
What's an add-on?
That's a good question! When a customer talks to us about using our services, 99 times out of 100 the response is:
"Your system is great but we have this one slightly quirky thing we absolutely need it to do - could you build it?"
If the item is integral to your workflow, then more often than not the answer is “Yes”. Even more often, that add-on becomes incredibly useful, not just for that one customer but for many of our existing customers too.
It’s a process that’s allowed us to build on an already complete product and turn it into the fully customisable behemoth that we have today.
Check out a few of the 100+ optional add-ons that you could enable in your account:
Climate Change Levy Toggle
Include CCL as default into your cost proposals.
Sales Pack Requirement
Force your agents to complete Sales Packs prior to accepting quotes.
Team Filters
With a click of a dropdown, you can filter your data by Teams as well as Agents.
Meter Status Automation
Meters are automatically marked as inactive once a site is marked as inactive.
Bulk Issue Terminations
Add a button to speed up the process for multiple contracts in Pipeline.
And that barely scratches the surface...
We understand that your business is different from any other. You shouldn’t have to adapt your systems to rigid software. You simply need software that fits your workflow.
Interested in seeing how UtilityClick can fit your workflow? Watch our latest advert for a brief summary of UtilityClick, then check out our core features to see what it can do out of the box.
If there’s anything you think you’ll need that’s missing: Get in touch for a demo. Chances are we’ve already built it and it can be enabled for your business as one of our ever-growing optional add-ons.
Could a CRM give you pleasure?
I’m going to hazard a guess – you, the reader, have once felt some kind of strong emotional response while:
- Watching a movie
- Listening to a piece of music
- Gazing at a work of art
…but probably never while online, confirming the purchase for your favourite detergent?
Let's take a step back for a moment...
Apple
Whether you love or hate their products, there's no denying their success.
Their ginormous resurgence over the last couple of decades hasn’t come from creating the best hardware but by how it makes a user feel.
Case in point – A common question hurled at Apple customers might be:
"Why would you pay $3,000 for something that would only cost $1,000 for the PC powered equivalent; you absolute buffoon!?"
It’s a fair question (minus the buffoon) and the answer was found by Steve Jobs and his team back in 2001, with the release of the original iPod.
They posed a radical question – What if Apple’s ultimate goal wasn’t (like their competitors) to increase profits. Instead, what if their primary goal was to give consumers pleasure from buying and using Apple products? Then the profits would take care of themselves.
It’s a discovery that has shaped many products since.
By replacing archaic clicking actions with more natural gestures, giving the user a feeling of goal completion through touch, or simply adding visual flourishes or animation when moving between processes.
If you can create something that feels natural and gives emotionally positive feedback when used, we as human beings will feel connected with it. If done right it will trigger chemical reactions within the brain, known as pleasure.
Which brings us nicely back to your CRM.
If you are using a CRM to manage your day-to-day business, you’re likely interacting with it more than you interact with your own family. As such, shouldn’t it be as pleasurable as possible to use?
We’re humbled to hear the positive feedback we get from our customers about how nice our system is to use but we know there is always work to be done.
Just like Steve, at UtilityClick we take user experience very seriously and continuously improving the UX is very much part of our roadmap. Over the next few months, we’ll be making even more improvements to ensure that our customers days are that little bit more pleasurable.
Get in touch below if you’d like to be the worm in our apple.
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Come with us if you want to live…
As a sequel to our previous time travelling Insights article, we look now to the present and see how code automation has helped build reliability and intelligence.
If you’ve read part one, you’ll be aware that so far this year we’ve released a whopping 680 upgrades (that’s in the first 6 months of 2020 alone). These range from all-but-invisible performance tweaks, or minor bug fixes, right up to huge modular extensions (like our recent addition of the Water module).
This number of deployments is by no means unusual for us but they do require a significant resource in man and machine power prior to release; specifically when testing.
This is why we have invested so heavily in building an automated testing machine for the future.
Ultimately, we’ve built something that
can't be reasoned with, it can't be bargained with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear and it absolutely will not stop. Ever...
Until any potential bugs have been found and tested.
Our Process
Once an upgrade has been coded and signed off by our developers, it enters the testing phase where:
As Miles Dyson or Skynet can attest, it is, of course, impossible to ensure 100% certainty for any technological release. However, with these measures in place, we’re able to mitigate against issues way above the norm and look to provide a seamless transition between versions T-800 and the T-850, and the T-1000 and the T-3000…
The future has not been written. There is no fate but what we make…
So if you’d like to experience a future where you can run multi-site tenders, monitor sales opportunities and forecast commission payments, please ask for a demo.
Latest articles...
Development Update – July 2023
In July we took another giant step forward as we transferred to a database that can…
Development Update – June 2023
June marks the halfway point of the year and it's a good opportunity to look back at…
Enter your email below and we’ll write to you about once every 2-3 weeks.
Where we're going we don't need roads
We know what you’re thinking...
..."Wait a minute, Doc. Are you telling me you built a time machine...out of a DeLorean?"
Yes, yes we have.
Back then we felt we were in a unique position, having experience of both software development and brokering energy. We knew the software we wanted to build didn’t exist and we were confident others in the industry felt the same.
We worked harder than Biff cleaning his manure filled car, to get that first version of our CRM released (and probably smelt worse too). But we were very aware that that was just the beginning.
Fast forward and...
...if my calculations are correct,
so far this year we’ve released over 1000 upgrades to the UtilityClick system (that’s in 2020 alone).
That number may seem heavy but it’s by no means unusual for us. Each broker is different and we know we must constantly adapt the system to stay current.
Take a look at the release timeline below, detailing our most important updates:
Our Timeline
Major Features Added To The UC CRM
You may think that approaching a CRM to ask for a specific feature to be built just for you would result in a…
..."Why don’t you make like a tree and get outta here?"
response.
But we are a little different – we recognise that our customers drive our platform to be better and so we review every customer suggestion seriously.
Over the past 5 years, throughout this process, we’ve onboarded a team of world-class developers that are excited to be continuously building ingenious new features for our customers – Even if…
...I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet. Your kids are gonna love it.
Don’t see a feature you require? Not all elements are listed – contact us to check.
If there’s a useful feature that doesn’t exist within UtilityClick, there’s a very good chance we’ll build it.