There's a line in the sitcom 'The Office' that springs to mind when writing the dev update for the month of November:
We're pleased to say there isn't any bad news but it could be seen as irrelevant news (and similarly self-gratifying as Mr Brent's) but bear with us.
You see, this month we've been onboarding one of the UK's biggest procurement organisations.
Ok, that does sound irrelevant and self-gratifying!
Honest, it really isn't. With this onboarding, our user base (especially for the customer portal) has increased significantly and we believe that's great for current UC partners too. Our software has been stress-tested and put through its paces in completely new ways.
You'll know that we make improvements to our software every single week and with even more people using our software, there's guidance from a wider pool about where the best improvements can be found. It's already started but over the coming months, you'll see more improvements around efficiency and the customer portal.
For this month, take a look at some of the bigger features we've released as well as the 'Other Bits & Bobs'. All in our November development update:
Welcome to our October development update.
Regular readers will know that over the last few months (July and August in particular), we've been focused on many improvements that enhance the user experience (UX) of our software.
We're happy to say that October has been another month where we've taken strides to make things even better.
Importing data can be a real pain in the backspace and refining it can become a time-eater. You can tie yourself in knots, attempting time and time again to upload data that's previously failed. Our latest update looks to enhance the import process to give you a clearer picture of where the bad data lies.
Next on the UX front, we focussed on the customer portal. In particular, we wanted to ensure that your customers can effortlessly interact with you (through the portal), regardless of the device they choose. Making software "responsive" is critical for reaching a broader audience and it also ensures individuals with disabilities can utilise your services effectively, contributing to a more inclusive digital environment.
Read on to hear about this as well as the usual mix of 'Other Bits & Bobs', all in our October dev update...
Improved Efficiency Of Data Exports
Within any software, exporting considerable amounts of data can take a huge resource. Within UtilityClick software we permit customers to export whatever they need, whenever they want. Because of this we previously set aside chunks of server resource in case it was needed to assist with potential large exports.
It's clear that this wasn't wholly efficient and as such we've now freed up that server resource to power you in other areas. Now when an export is requested, it will only utilise the resource it needs to complete, leaving more power for other important tasks elsewhere.
Details Of Flat File Version
Within Supplier > Products you'll find information on any particular product/supplier available to price within your system. Within this page, you'll now find a column labelled "Flat File Version". This column shows the date the flat file was updated and (when hovered) also displays additional detail on which flat file is being used.
Built for: PRO CRM
Meter Serial Number Added To Customer Portal
We've added some extra information to the customer portal. On the Meters page within the customer portal, your customers can now see details of a meter's serial number, right underneath the MPAN.
Built for: PORTAL
Other bits and bobs...
We've also added the following other bits and bobs...
Energy Bill Relief Scheme Allows Negative Value
When pricing, this optional feature allows UK customers to set a negative value for any EBRS required so that the overall unit rate p/kWh cost of the quote is reduced. You can find this section when creating a new tender (or editing an old one), under the area marked "Add Bespoke Charge for pricing results". This is an optional feature so please contact your account manager for more information.
Built for: PRO CRM
Sending Emails Via An Alias
If your organisation utilises our integration with Microsoft's single sign-on technology (i.e. you sign in to UtilityClick using your Microsoft credentials), it's now possible to have emails sent via our software to have them appear as they've come from an alternative email address than your own (known as an alias). This is an optional feature so please contact your account manager for more information.
Built for: PRO CRM
Filtering Added To Customer References
The Customer References module is a great place to add additional custom information or link a customer with another piece of stored data. However, if you require a lot of customer references then it can become difficult to navigate. To help (within Customers > Customer References) we've added a set of filters so you can easily locate the reference you need.
Built for: PRO CRM
Ability To Export Sites/Location With No Meters/Account Present
When exporting portfolio data, by default our system will omit any sites/location information if no associated meter/account exists. Some partners have found it useful if this information is included. As such, we've created an optional feature that will include all details no matter the presence of a meter/account.
Built for: PRO CRM
"Termination" Status Removed
The majority of US brokers do not require the use of a termination status, as such having it as a definable category within a user's pipeline is unhelpful. This optional feature hides all mention of the 'Termination' term and any related filters.
Built for: PRO CRM (US 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!