It's not just the Hilltops IT website that has had a revamp! The ConnectIT website has had a couple of minor modifications too!
We're inviting QuoteWerks, ACT!, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Goldmine, Maximizer... in fact "any" software consultancy or reseller company which supplies relevant products or services to place adverts on the ConnectIT website.
ConnectIT: not only linking software applications to other software applications, but also prospects to resellers!!!
If you'd like more information on advertising your company's products and services, then please email info@connectit-online.co.uk
Friday, January 30, 2009
BLOG: Hilltops IT launch new website
For anyone that knows us or reads the blog regularly, you'll know this has been a while coming and now it's here! The "new and improved" Hilltops IT website. It has taken a little longer than expected, but that's only due to our commitment to putting our customers first and satisfying their requirements and timescales before our own internal projects.
Now that it is here, the new website represents our company much better. The old one was "ok", but having simply "evolved" over three years, we have to admit that it was getting a bit confusing.
Reflecting, taking a step back, and looking at our company in relation to how we present ourselves on the web and redesigning the logo has been a refreshing experience. The new website focuses much better on the products and services we focus on to give it a cleaner presentation. Having brought more experienced website design and development skills into the business and working alongside them, sharing ideas, we have produced a website which is much more visual and easier to navigate than the previous one.
See the new website for yourself here: http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/
If you'd like more information on our experiences of re-branding our company or for further information on our website design and development services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk
Now that it is here, the new website represents our company much better. The old one was "ok", but having simply "evolved" over three years, we have to admit that it was getting a bit confusing.
Reflecting, taking a step back, and looking at our company in relation to how we present ourselves on the web and redesigning the logo has been a refreshing experience. The new website focuses much better on the products and services we focus on to give it a cleaner presentation. Having brought more experienced website design and development skills into the business and working alongside them, sharing ideas, we have produced a website which is much more visual and easier to navigate than the previous one.
See the new website for yourself here: http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/
If you'd like more information on our experiences of re-branding our company or for further information on our website design and development services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk
SUPPORT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and in the world of computer software
Hilltops IT Support Team's diary
Everything outside of the standard Support Desk activity this last couple of weeks has been website, website, website. Working with the website designer to find suitable images, the development team to get the website user-friendly, the consultancy team to get suitable copy which communicates all the services we can provide as effectively as possible and taking SEO (search engine optimisation) into account.
The new Hilltops IT website is here now - the development team are just uploading it now! :-) Clearly we're very happy with the results and (from a support point of view) we think it comprehensively communicates the types and ways we can assist clients - support contracts, online support, online training, etc.
Now for some tips from what we've learnt in the last couple of weeks...
Tips for developing a website
For any budding website developers out there or for anyone considering revisiting their website, the following links might be useful. They are two articles which have recently been posted on the Smashing Magazine website:
- Web Application Interface Techniques - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/01/12/10-useful-web-application-interface-techniques/
- Techniques for Good Interface Design in Web Applications - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/01/19/12-useful-techniques-for-good-user-interface-design-in-web-applications/
They are a good summary of what needs to be considered and also ways of achieving the successful development of a good modern website
Tip for avoiding unsolicited (spam) email and viruses
We also had this tip come through on email. Unfortunately we can't credit the originator as his email address had been stripped from the original message. Read on and you'll find out why!
This excellent message ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails. Read the text below...then print it out for future use.
Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% do NOT. Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail?Do you hate it?
Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every e-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five pence for each hit.
That's right, all of that inconvenience over a couple of pence!How do you stop it? Well, there are two easy steps:
1) When you forward e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message. That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the "Forward" button first, and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message.If you don't click on "Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.
2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: columns for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC: (blind carbon copy) column for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way that people you send to only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your BCC: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say "Undisclosed Recipients" in the "TO:" field of the people who receive it.
So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses! Finally, here's an idea! Let's send this to everyone we know. (But strip my address off first). This is something that SHOULD be forwarded.
Tip on protecting your email address book
This tip came from the same person, so again unfortunately we can't credit the originator. But if you happen to be reading this - THANKS!
I learned a computer trick today that's really ingenious in its simplicity. As you may know, when or if a worm virus gets into your computer it heads straight for your email address book, and sends itself to everyone in there, thus infecting all your friends and associates.This trick won't keep the virus from getting into your computer, but it will stop it from using your address book to spread further, and it will alert you to the fact that the worm has gotten into your system.
Here's what you do:
First, open your address book and click on 'new contact,' just as you would do if you were adding a new friend to your list of email addresses In the window where you would type your friend's first name, type in ' A'.
For the screen name or email address, type 'AAAAAAA@AAA.AAA'
Now, here's what you've done and why it works: The 'name 'A' will be placed at the top of your address book as entry #1.
This will be where the worm will start in an effort to send itself to all your friends. When it tries to send itself to AAAAAAA@AAA.AAA, it will be undeliverable because of the fake email address you entered. If the first attempt fails (which it will because of the fake address), the worm goes no further and your friends will not be infected.
Here's the second great advantage of this method: If an email cannot be delivered, you will be notified of this in your In Box almost immediately. Hence, if you ever get an email telling you that an email addressed to AAAAAAA@AAA.AAA could not be delivered, you know right away that you have the worm virus in your system. You can then take steps to get rid of it!
Pretty good? If everybody you know does this then you need not ever worry about opening mail from friends.
Tip for installing Microsoft Updates
The updates have been around for a little while now, but this week Microsoft pushed out the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Service Pack 3 releases out through Microsoft Windows Automatic Updates. Particularly the .net update is quite large, so if you are managing a large network of users, why not download the updates manually to a server and then run the executable from there. This will save all users having to download the update, saving them time and avoid creating unnecessary network traffic.
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1
Brief Description: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 is a full cumulative update that contains many new features building incrementally upon .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, and includes cumulative servicing updates to the .NET Framework 2.0 and .NET Framework 3.0 subcomponents.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AB99342F-5D1A-413D-8319-81DA479AB0D7&displaylang=en
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Service Pack 3
Brief Description: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is a free, easy-to-use, lightweight version of SQL Server 2005. It is fast and easy to learn, allowing you to quickly develop and deploy dynamic data-driven applications.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=3181842A-4090-4431-ACDD-9A1C832E65A6&displaylang=en
For further information on our software support services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email support@hilltopsit.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
BLOG: Hilltops IT customer wins award for their website
Sourcing City has won BPMA Website of the Year 2008. Hilltops IT worked alongside Akiko Design to develop the site – each company focussing on their strengths in a project which involved automatic database and FTP synchronisation between remote data sources, complex search functionality, user tracking through the site, plus (of course!) a slick user interface.
Says David Long (Chairman, Sourcing City): “Thanks and congratulations to all of the team that have contributed to our Award; I really appreciate what you do to get us to the top. Many people put a lot of effort into making sure we are the best at what we do and now it has been officially recognised by our National Trade Association. I think we all have every reason to feel really proud of what we have achieved together. To put thing into perspective, we are now officially the Best Website in the £1 Billion Promotional Merchandise Industry.”
Says Stephen Siggs (CEO, Hilltops IT): “It’s fantastic to have been associated with this project and the award. It is particularly exciting in light of the imminent release of a new site, which has improvements in every area plus lots of new features. Wait until your customer-base and BPMA get a load of that!!!”
About the Site
The current site allows users to search (and find!) promotional merchandise products and suppliers thereof from a database of over 80,000 products. Over the five years since its original launched, Sourcing City has become an increasingly utilised tool for Distributors in the Promotional Merchandise industry to find products and for Suppliers to advertise their products.
The site has several product categorisations to help users find products and suppliers. It also has features which allow the user to email information on the product direct to their client.
As well as having a significant design facelift, the new site has hugely improved search functions to help users search and find different and innovative products for their clients’ promotional activities. With this alongside the reporting, ‘page turning’, ‘real-time branding’ and ‘lite’ quotation tool features, users can look forward to a significantly enhanced experience.
Technical Specifications
The current website was originally developed using SQL Server 2000 for data storage (subsequently upgraded to SQL Server 2005) with a Visual Studio 2005 .net 2.0 with AJAX developed front end and content management system (CMS).
The new website (due to be launch imminently) uses the same SQL Server 2005 database for data storage, SQL Server Reporting Services for reporting with a Visual Studio 2008 .net 3.5 with AJAX developed front end and content management system (CMS).
The data which ‘drives’ the site is automatically synchronised from Sourcing City’s [in-house system] plus statistics on “who’s clicking on what and when” are captured as part of the site for market analysis purposes.
Further Information
If you'd like more information on our experience with website design, website development or business intelligence reporting services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk
Says David Long (Chairman, Sourcing City): “Thanks and congratulations to all of the team that have contributed to our Award; I really appreciate what you do to get us to the top. Many people put a lot of effort into making sure we are the best at what we do and now it has been officially recognised by our National Trade Association. I think we all have every reason to feel really proud of what we have achieved together. To put thing into perspective, we are now officially the Best Website in the £1 Billion Promotional Merchandise Industry.”
Says Stephen Siggs (CEO, Hilltops IT): “It’s fantastic to have been associated with this project and the award. It is particularly exciting in light of the imminent release of a new site, which has improvements in every area plus lots of new features. Wait until your customer-base and BPMA get a load of that!!!”
About the Site
The current site allows users to search (and find!) promotional merchandise products and suppliers thereof from a database of over 80,000 products. Over the five years since its original launched, Sourcing City has become an increasingly utilised tool for Distributors in the Promotional Merchandise industry to find products and for Suppliers to advertise their products.
The site has several product categorisations to help users find products and suppliers. It also has features which allow the user to email information on the product direct to their client.
As well as having a significant design facelift, the new site has hugely improved search functions to help users search and find different and innovative products for their clients’ promotional activities. With this alongside the reporting, ‘page turning’, ‘real-time branding’ and ‘lite’ quotation tool features, users can look forward to a significantly enhanced experience.
Technical Specifications
The current website was originally developed using SQL Server 2000 for data storage (subsequently upgraded to SQL Server 2005) with a Visual Studio 2005 .net 2.0 with AJAX developed front end and content management system (CMS).
The new website (due to be launch imminently) uses the same SQL Server 2005 database for data storage, SQL Server Reporting Services for reporting with a Visual Studio 2008 .net 3.5 with AJAX developed front end and content management system (CMS).
The data which ‘drives’ the site is automatically synchronised from Sourcing City’s [in-house system] plus statistics on “who’s clicking on what and when” are captured as part of the site for market analysis purposes.
Further Information
If you'd like more information on our experience with website design, website development or business intelligence reporting services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk
BLOG: Hilltops IT / Vistage / QuoteWerks press release
Top performance award for technology specialist
Newcastle-Under-Lyme software solution specialist Hilltops IT has been ranked the fourth best partner in the world for its exceptional performance in satisfying and growing its customer base through its overall dedication to delivering quality software solutions.
Hilltops IT is a long-standing sales and development partner for US software author Aspire Technologies, whose products include the QuoteWerks package for sales quotations which is used by over 50,000 users worldwide.
Aspire has acknowledged Hilltops IT, which delivers solutions for customers in many diverse verticals (from IT and scientific to industrial catering and promotional gifts) as a top ten international partner for its outstanding delivery of the QuoteWerks software for the third consecutive year.
Hilltops IT’s (Owner Director) Stephen Siggs attributes the success to hard work, a talented team, and membership of Vistage International, the world’s leading chief executives’ organisation whose members are committed to outperforming.
Steve, who joined Vistage in March 2008 to help him to further develop the business, pays tribute to how Vistage has enabled him to power Hilltops IT to new heights.
He said: “I had heard about the powerful results which members derive from being involved in Vistage groups and wanted to also reap the benefits for my company. In less than a year I am already seeing key developments such as better projection and positioning of Hilltops IT in the marketplace, improved management of staff, customers and suppliers, plus a better focus on the strategic areas within my business which will achieve overall growth.
Vistage International, which has eight groups in the West Midlands, brings together business leaders for robustly challenging monthly development sessions, at which they act like each other’s non-executive directors. With more than 15,000 members globally, it develops MDs, CEOs and key reports who value having their answers and thinking questioned through confidential peer group sessions and one-to-one interaction.
Said Vistage Chair Richard Ward who facilitates the monthly group meetings and 1-2-1 development sessions: “In today’s tough climate, delighting and retaining existing customers while growing your customer base is more challenging than ever. Vistage attracts members who are seeking to outperform their personal and business expectations and who display strong leadership skills to motivate their teams through turbulent times. This award is a great testimony to Hilltops IT’s powerful success.”
For more information about Vistage International, contact David Alexander on 01962 841188 or visit www.vistage.co.uk.
ENDS
Issued on behalf of Vistage by Quest Public Relations Ltd. Media contact is Nick Pickles or Sharon Cain on 01423 564192 or nick@quest-pr.com
Notes to editor
Interview and Case Study Opportunities
Vistage spokespeople and Vistage Chairs are available for interview. With more than 650 members in the business sector a wide selection of case studies are available. For further information please contact: Sharon Cain or David Child on 01423 564192.
Interviews/case studies can cover amongst other things:
Above is a very small selection of the resource available for interview.
About Vistage
Newcastle-Under-Lyme software solution specialist Hilltops IT has been ranked the fourth best partner in the world for its exceptional performance in satisfying and growing its customer base through its overall dedication to delivering quality software solutions.
Hilltops IT is a long-standing sales and development partner for US software author Aspire Technologies, whose products include the QuoteWerks package for sales quotations which is used by over 50,000 users worldwide.
Aspire has acknowledged Hilltops IT, which delivers solutions for customers in many diverse verticals (from IT and scientific to industrial catering and promotional gifts) as a top ten international partner for its outstanding delivery of the QuoteWerks software for the third consecutive year.
Hilltops IT’s (Owner Director) Stephen Siggs attributes the success to hard work, a talented team, and membership of Vistage International, the world’s leading chief executives’ organisation whose members are committed to outperforming.
Steve, who joined Vistage in March 2008 to help him to further develop the business, pays tribute to how Vistage has enabled him to power Hilltops IT to new heights.
He said: “I had heard about the powerful results which members derive from being involved in Vistage groups and wanted to also reap the benefits for my company. In less than a year I am already seeing key developments such as better projection and positioning of Hilltops IT in the marketplace, improved management of staff, customers and suppliers, plus a better focus on the strategic areas within my business which will achieve overall growth.
Vistage International, which has eight groups in the West Midlands, brings together business leaders for robustly challenging monthly development sessions, at which they act like each other’s non-executive directors. With more than 15,000 members globally, it develops MDs, CEOs and key reports who value having their answers and thinking questioned through confidential peer group sessions and one-to-one interaction.
Said Vistage Chair Richard Ward who facilitates the monthly group meetings and 1-2-1 development sessions: “In today’s tough climate, delighting and retaining existing customers while growing your customer base is more challenging than ever. Vistage attracts members who are seeking to outperform their personal and business expectations and who display strong leadership skills to motivate their teams through turbulent times. This award is a great testimony to Hilltops IT’s powerful success.”
For more information about Vistage International, contact David Alexander on 01962 841188 or visit www.vistage.co.uk.
ENDS
Issued on behalf of Vistage by Quest Public Relations Ltd. Media contact is Nick Pickles or Sharon Cain on 01423 564192 or nick@quest-pr.com
Notes to editor
Interview and Case Study Opportunities
Vistage spokespeople and Vistage Chairs are available for interview. With more than 650 members in the business sector a wide selection of case studies are available. For further information please contact: Sharon Cain or David Child on 01423 564192.
Interviews/case studies can cover amongst other things:
- General SME issues
- Benefits of executive development for business leaders
- Setting up businesses/exit strategies/MBOs
- Staff retention and motivation
- Financing and financial performance
- Family businesses
Above is a very small selection of the resource available for interview.
About Vistage
- Global leader in development of Chief Executives since 1957 with more than 15,000 members worldwide and a combined turnover of £200bn
- The organisation is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the lives of chief executives.
- On average members who stay for three years double their growth and treble their profitability
- Operates a local, confidential peer group system of non-competing business leaders to develop business and personal skills on an ongoing monthly basis
- Vistage is committed to helping its members secure a better work-life balance
Friday, January 23, 2009
DEVELOPMENT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and the world of software development
Hilltops IT Developer's diary
Since last fortnight's post, most development activity has been on the following projects:
Since last fortnight's post, most development activity has been on the following projects:
- Website development - development work on our Hilltops IT website for re-branding. this has been the main focus for us - bringing together the design work with the "nuts and bolts" of the mechanics of the site. there are still a couple of tweaks to make, but the site is looking really good. Everyone internally is really excited about being able to announce the launch.
- Business Intelligence reporting - continued work on a bespoke project reporting on 3,000,000+ rows of data from disparate data sources using SQL Server Reporting Services.
Industry News
Development tools component makers see 2009 as a big year for MS platforms
Introduction: The gears are turning for implementations of Microsoft's next generation of platform technologies, and as a matter of course, component makers are the leading-edge innovators. In 2009, some of the latest Microsoft technologies will be gaining the most traction as Silverlight's star rises and developers rethink how they structure Web applications. Silverlight is rapidly becoming a popular platform for component developers to target. ComponentArt, ComponentOne, Developer Express and Infragistics are all making controls for creating business applications and filling in functionality that Microsoft has omitted.
See the full article here: www.sdtimes.com/link/33194
So as Microsoft Partners, leading edge software and website developers and providers of Microsoft platform-based business solutions, Hilltops IT are perfectly placed to take advantage of these new innovations.
Free e-book Introducing SQL Server 2008
Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 by Peter DeBetta, Greg Low, and Mark Whitehorn
ISBN: 9780735625587
Learn about major new features in SQL Server 2008 including security, administration, and performance.
Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008:
- Chapter 1: Security and Administration
- Chapter 2: Performance
- Chapter 3: Type System
- Chapter 4: Programmability
- Chapter 5: Storage
- Chapter 6: Enhancements for High Availability
- Chapter 7: Business Intelligence Enhancements
Download it here: http://csna01.libredigital.com/?urss1q2we6
For further information on our website and software development services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
BLOG: QuoteWerks award press release - Steve's photo shoot!
Steve (Siggs) poses with the award and certificate presented to Hilltops IT from Aspire Technologies Inc as 2008 QuoteWerks Top 10 International Sales Partner winner.
Says Steve: "This is the third consecutive year that Hilltops IT has been given the QuoteWerks Top 10 International Sales Partner award. With an increasingly large team and an increasing portfolio of QuoteWerks training courses, products which work alongside QuoteWerks, QuoteWerks report layouts, QuoteWerks development utility add-ons and the Hilltops IT team's individual QuoteWerks consultancy skills, etc, we're certainly aiming to make it for a fourth consecutive year in 2009!"
Hilltops IT has been approached by Vistage - chief executives organisation to do some joint marketing of the achievement. You can see the pictures below; the press release is expected to be issued towards the end of the month and sent to various local and national magazines and newspapers.
Says Steve: "This is the third consecutive year that Hilltops IT has been given the QuoteWerks Top 10 International Sales Partner award. With an increasingly large team and an increasing portfolio of QuoteWerks training courses, products which work alongside QuoteWerks, QuoteWerks report layouts, QuoteWerks development utility add-ons and the Hilltops IT team's individual QuoteWerks consultancy skills, etc, we're certainly aiming to make it for a fourth consecutive year in 2009!"
Hilltops IT has been approached by Vistage - chief executives organisation to do some joint marketing of the achievement. You can see the pictures below; the press release is expected to be issued towards the end of the month and sent to various local and national magazines and newspapers.
BLOG: Hilltops IT sponsor Sourcing City 2008 Awards Presentation night
Further to the previous post about Hilltops IT sponsoring the Sourcing City 2008 Awards Presentation Night: the event took place last night at the Dolce Vita, a glamorous Italian restaurant in Guildford. The turnout was excellent and from the feedback a great night was had by all.
The major award winners were Brand Addition for Distributor of the Year and Listawood for Supplier of the Year. Awards were also made for Small Distributor of the Year, which went to Face 2 Face and the Specialist supplier of the Year was presented to Bizz Badge. (Who also finished 3rd in the main supplier category.)
A £1000 special presentation was also made on behalf of Sourcing City's Distributor customers (please read story in the image below).
You can view the full results, presentation photos and photos of the event issued by Sourcing City below. (Click the image to open a larger version.)
The major award winners were Brand Addition for Distributor of the Year and Listawood for Supplier of the Year. Awards were also made for Small Distributor of the Year, which went to Face 2 Face and the Specialist supplier of the Year was presented to Bizz Badge. (Who also finished 3rd in the main supplier category.)
A £1000 special presentation was also made on behalf of Sourcing City's Distributor customers (please read story in the image below).
You can view the full results, presentation photos and photos of the event issued by Sourcing City below. (Click the image to open a larger version.)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
QUOTEWERKS: Version 4.0 Build 44 released
Aspire Technologies Inc. QuoteWerks development team have released a new version of QuoteWerks. If you have any questions on the new features and fixes, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Version 4.0 Build 44 Summary: 13 New, 11 Fixes, and 5 Miscellaneous features
New Features
1. Advanced Outlook integration! The new advanced integration includes: a) When searching for contacts, subfolders within the specified Outlook contact folder will now be included in the searching. b) QuoteWerks will create/update linked documents (as Outlook journal entries) in Outlook. c) QuoteWerks will create/update a follow up call (as an Outlook appointment) in Outlook. d) The QuoteWerks DataLink feature can be used with Outlook enabling you to retrieve information like Terms and shipping method from the Outlook contact into the quote. e) When printing, QuoteWerks can retrieve data from Outlook and include it in the printed output.See a screenshot of this feature
2. Product pictures are now displayed in the Configurator.See a screenshot of this feature
3. On the Add Item Assistant, if a picture is available for the product, it will be displayed. You can also double-click on it to open the picture using the default application associated with the picture file type.See a screenshot of this feature
4. On the Picture tab of the Edit Product window, there are now buttons to view the picture as [Auto Size] or [Original Size]. The Auto Size option resizes the image while respecting the aspect ratio.See a screenshot of this feature
5. On the Real-time Product Content window, the pictures are now resized to the size of the display area while maintaining the aspect ratio.
6. On Real-time Product Content window, if available, a "View product on Manufacturer Website" hyperlink is now displayed.
7. On the Add Item Assistant, for products with a pricing method of Volume Pricing or Customer Based Price Levels, you can now view the complete list of all the pricing levels.
8. On the Add Item Assistant, for products with a pricing method of Customer Based Price Levels, the pricing is now displayed instead of "TBD".
9. If Product Data Sources are located under the QuoteWerks installation folder, the QuoteWerks installation path will be replaced with a macro instead of the hard coded path when this path is saved in the database. This will make it easier to move the QuoteWerks installation folder without the links breaking due to invalid paths.
10. When inserting a file path and name into a custom Menu Item command, and the QuoteWerks installation path is contained within the file path, you will be asked if you want to use the &SYS_InstallPath macro. This will make it easier to move the QuoteWerks installation folder without the links breaking due to invalid paths.
11. Added new FileSave & Close menu and toolbar button to report designer.
12. Added shortcut keys of CTRL-S (to select FileSave) and CTRL-W (to select FileClose) on Report Designer window.
13. Added shortcut keys CTRL-W (to select FileClose) on Quote Workbook.
Misc Features
1. To accommodate the addition of more fields to the DocumentHeaders table, the method of saving records to this table was modified to split the update into multiple queries.
2. When using the Add Item Assistant to add a zero quantity of an item that has required items, the quantities of the required items would be their original quantities instead of 0.
3. Added HelpContents and Index and HelpAbout menus to the MDI window that is displayed when all documents are closed.
4. The tab order on the Product Content subtab of the Real-time tab under the ToolsOptions menu was corrected.
5. For CRM users, when attempting to save a quote, that is not linked to a CRM contact, and the Look for synchronized data option is set, the user can now save without having to exit their CRM software.
Fixes
1. ICEcat changed the specifications for their real-time product content which broke the integration.
2. For API Users, the method AddLineItemToDocument() was ignoring the lItemType parameter used to set the type of line item type like a comment, subtotal, etc.
3. For API Users, the methods AddLineItemToDocument() and AddLineItemToDocumentEx() were ignoring the lItemAttributes parameter used to set Line Attributes like Don't Print, Hide Price, etc.
4. On Product Lookup window, the Manufacturer and Vendor Part # field background color appeared black on Windows Vista machines.
5. For MS CRM users, if you preview or print a quote layout that contains an MS CRM field before you have retrieved a contact from MS CRM, would receive "Runtime Error 91" error.
6. When copying selected data from an Excel spreadsheet and using the Paste Special feature, extra leading spaces would appear in the data.
7. When using the Paste Special feature to paste from the clipboard, if the clipboard data was formatted as HTML and the data contained reserved HTML formatting tags, the reserved formatting tags were not replaced with their original counterparts. For example, if the HTML data that was copied into the clipboard contained a reserved character like the ">" symbol, when it was pasted in QuoteWerks it would be represented as "& g t ;" without the spaces.
8. The title of Some error message dialogs would incorrectly say "{Edition not detected yet}"
9. When converting a quote to an order or invoice and choosing to reduce inventory, if any line items had a blank manufacturer part number would receive "error 9 subscript out of range".
10. When clicking in the Purchasing Notes, or Internal Notes fields on the Notes tab of the Quote Workbook, the message "You do not have rights to modify this field. This field is read-only." would incorrectly be displayed in the status bar. In this situation, if the user did have rights to modify these fields, they could still modify the fields even though the message was displayed.
11. Pressing the F1 key (for help) while in QuoteWerks would display the error "Cannot find the qw4.hlp file. Do you want to try find this file yourself?"
Version 4.0 Build 44 Summary: 13 New, 11 Fixes, and 5 Miscellaneous features
New Features
1. Advanced Outlook integration! The new advanced integration includes: a) When searching for contacts, subfolders within the specified Outlook contact folder will now be included in the searching. b) QuoteWerks will create/update linked documents (as Outlook journal entries) in Outlook. c) QuoteWerks will create/update a follow up call (as an Outlook appointment) in Outlook. d) The QuoteWerks DataLink feature can be used with Outlook enabling you to retrieve information like Terms and shipping method from the Outlook contact into the quote. e) When printing, QuoteWerks can retrieve data from Outlook and include it in the printed output.See a screenshot of this feature
2. Product pictures are now displayed in the Configurator.See a screenshot of this feature
3. On the Add Item Assistant, if a picture is available for the product, it will be displayed. You can also double-click on it to open the picture using the default application associated with the picture file type.See a screenshot of this feature
4. On the Picture tab of the Edit Product window, there are now buttons to view the picture as [Auto Size] or [Original Size]. The Auto Size option resizes the image while respecting the aspect ratio.See a screenshot of this feature
5. On the Real-time Product Content window, the pictures are now resized to the size of the display area while maintaining the aspect ratio.
6. On Real-time Product Content window, if available, a "View product on Manufacturer Website" hyperlink is now displayed.
7. On the Add Item Assistant, for products with a pricing method of Volume Pricing or Customer Based Price Levels, you can now view the complete list of all the pricing levels.
8. On the Add Item Assistant, for products with a pricing method of Customer Based Price Levels, the pricing is now displayed instead of "TBD".
9. If Product Data Sources are located under the QuoteWerks installation folder, the QuoteWerks installation path will be replaced with a macro instead of the hard coded path when this path is saved in the database. This will make it easier to move the QuoteWerks installation folder without the links breaking due to invalid paths.
10. When inserting a file path and name into a custom Menu Item command, and the QuoteWerks installation path is contained within the file path, you will be asked if you want to use the &SYS_InstallPath macro. This will make it easier to move the QuoteWerks installation folder without the links breaking due to invalid paths.
11. Added new FileSave & Close menu and toolbar button to report designer.
12. Added shortcut keys of CTRL-S (to select FileSave) and CTRL-W (to select FileClose) on Report Designer window.
13. Added shortcut keys CTRL-W (to select FileClose) on Quote Workbook.
Misc Features
1. To accommodate the addition of more fields to the DocumentHeaders table, the method of saving records to this table was modified to split the update into multiple queries.
2. When using the Add Item Assistant to add a zero quantity of an item that has required items, the quantities of the required items would be their original quantities instead of 0.
3. Added HelpContents and Index and HelpAbout menus to the MDI window that is displayed when all documents are closed.
4. The tab order on the Product Content subtab of the Real-time tab under the ToolsOptions menu was corrected.
5. For CRM users, when attempting to save a quote, that is not linked to a CRM contact, and the Look for synchronized data option is set, the user can now save without having to exit their CRM software.
Fixes
1. ICEcat changed the specifications for their real-time product content which broke the integration.
2. For API Users, the method AddLineItemToDocument() was ignoring the lItemType parameter used to set the type of line item type like a comment, subtotal, etc.
3. For API Users, the methods AddLineItemToDocument() and AddLineItemToDocumentEx() were ignoring the lItemAttributes parameter used to set Line Attributes like Don't Print, Hide Price, etc.
4. On Product Lookup window, the Manufacturer and Vendor Part # field background color appeared black on Windows Vista machines.
5. For MS CRM users, if you preview or print a quote layout that contains an MS CRM field before you have retrieved a contact from MS CRM, would receive "Runtime Error 91" error.
6. When copying selected data from an Excel spreadsheet and using the Paste Special feature, extra leading spaces would appear in the data.
7. When using the Paste Special feature to paste from the clipboard, if the clipboard data was formatted as HTML and the data contained reserved HTML formatting tags, the reserved formatting tags were not replaced with their original counterparts. For example, if the HTML data that was copied into the clipboard contained a reserved character like the ">" symbol, when it was pasted in QuoteWerks it would be represented as "& g t ;" without the spaces.
8. The title of Some error message dialogs would incorrectly say "{Edition not detected yet}"
9. When converting a quote to an order or invoice and choosing to reduce inventory, if any line items had a blank manufacturer part number would receive "error 9 subscript out of range".
10. When clicking in the Purchasing Notes, or Internal Notes fields on the Notes tab of the Quote Workbook, the message "You do not have rights to modify this field. This field is read-only." would incorrectly be displayed in the status bar. In this situation, if the user did have rights to modify these fields, they could still modify the fields even though the message was displayed.
11. Pressing the F1 key (for help) while in QuoteWerks would display the error "Cannot find the qw4.hlp file. Do you want to try find this file yourself?"
Friday, January 16, 2009
SUPPORT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and in the world of computer software
Hilltops IT Support Team's diary
It's been an exciting but busy couple of weeks on the support desk as clients come back after Christmas with new ideas on what they'd like to do with their software systems. In particular we have had several enquiries about QuoteWerks reporting and ACT! customisation. Most companies seem to have taken a good two weeks off over Christmas and seemingly this has given users a chance to reflect on their systems, how they use them and what more they'd like to get out of them. The great thing and the products and solutions we offer for contact managment, sales quoting and sales order processing - QuoteWerks, ACT! by Sage and Microsoft Dynamics CRM in particular - is that there's plenty of depth to them for clients to be able to move the software along with their business and not be constrained.
There's also still been plenty of interest in the business perfomance report for QuoteWerks we have been sending out. This free report summarises sales by Sales Rep by Month and details the invoiced amount, profit, number of invoices and average sales value for the year January to December.
- Compare how month-on-month sales fluctuate through the year.
- Compare your individual performance to colleagues.
- Compare your individual performance to the company as a whole.
- You can also use this report to compare year-on-year performance!
To get your copy, please email support@hilltopsit.co.uk with the code "HITBLOGREP" in the title. We will get a copy straight out to you.
For further information on our software support services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email support@hilltopsit.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
QUOTEWERKS: Aspire are looking for beta testers for an enhanced Outlook integration
Aspire's QuoteWerks Development team have released an interim build for beta testing containing advanced integration features between QuoteWerks and Microsoft Outlook. Current QuoteWerks users are invited to trial the advanced integration for free. This new integration allows users to do the following:
Additionally, they are researching whether to add support for Outlook Business Contact Manager (BCM). If you are using BCM, and specifically if you are using the Opportunities features, let them know so they may gain an understanding of how it is being utilized by QuoteWerks users and how it may be advantageous to you.
This advanced preview has a couple of benefits for QuoteWerks users. First, users can try the new features and see if it works in their environment before the production version is released. Also, if one of the features needs improvement there is a greater chance those changes will be made during this phase of design.
A list of revisions in the most recent interim can be found here:
http://www.quotewerks.com/download/interim/interim.txt.
All current QuoteWerks users who are using Outlook are invited to test out the new integration.
To try this integration, either contact us at Hilltops IT or send an email direct to sales@quotewerks.com
- Search for contacts in subfolders within the specified Outlook contact folder
- Create/Update linked documents (as Outlook Journal entries) in Outlook
- Create/Update follow up calls (as an Outlook Appointment) in Outlook
- Use QuoteWerks’ DataLink feature with Outlook which enables users to retrieve information like Terms and shipping method from the Outlook contact in the quote
- Retrieve data from Outlook and include it in the printed output
Additionally, they are researching whether to add support for Outlook Business Contact Manager (BCM). If you are using BCM, and specifically if you are using the Opportunities features, let them know so they may gain an understanding of how it is being utilized by QuoteWerks users and how it may be advantageous to you.
This advanced preview has a couple of benefits for QuoteWerks users. First, users can try the new features and see if it works in their environment before the production version is released. Also, if one of the features needs improvement there is a greater chance those changes will be made during this phase of design.
A list of revisions in the most recent interim can be found here:
http://www.quotewerks.com/download/interim/interim.txt.
All current QuoteWerks users who are using Outlook are invited to test out the new integration.
To try this integration, either contact us at Hilltops IT or send an email direct to sales@quotewerks.com
Friday, January 9, 2009
DEVELOPMENT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and the world of software development
Hilltops IT Developer's diary
Since last fortnight's post, most development activity has been on the following projects:
Plus! We've been looking at the feasibility of a new product in the ConnectIT range. More on that soon.
Since last fortnight's post, most development activity has been on the following projects:
- Website development - development work on our Hilltops IT website for re-branding. This has been the main focus for us - bringing together the design work with the "nuts and bolts" of the mechanics of the site. there are still a couple of tweaks to make, but the site is looking really good. Everyone internally is really excited about being able to announce the launch.
- Business Intelligence reporting - continued work on a bespoke project reporting on 3,000,000+ rows of data from disparate data sources using SQL Server Reporting Services.
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM - minor tweaks to an existing customer's MSCRM system for additional summary information in their Accounts screen.
Plus! We've been looking at the feasibility of a new product in the ConnectIT range. More on that soon.
Industry News
Microsoft Releases Windows 7 Beta
Microsoft have released Windows 7 Beta as a free download
For more details on what to expect from Windows 7, see the home page here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/default.aspx
To download the free beta, see here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx
For further information on our website and software development services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0844 357 7360 or 01782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
CONNECTIT: CRM, QuoteWerks and Sage resellers and consultants
10 Good Reasons to Start Reselling ConnectIT
- Generous commission structure on all licenses, support & services sold.
- Free support to ConnectIT resellers.
- Free marketing resources to ConnectIT resellers.
- Comprehensive online knowledgebase & suite of video tutorials.
- Online demo environment provided free for your use.
- Online demos conducted by ConnectIT Support on your behalf.
- Lead follow up on your behalf.
- The ConnectIT Development team has a proven track record of delivering quality products.
- The ConnectIT Development team has a proven track record of listening to what the market wants and developing sought-after new enhancements and additional features.
- You can have absolute confidence in our professionalism and integrity in dealing with your clients.
Selling ConnectIT, helping your clients and getting the rewards couldn't be easier!
Please call us on +44 (0)1782 564252 or +44 (0)844 357 7360, or email sales@connectit-online.co.uk for more information and start selling now!
We look forward to hearing from you.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
QUOTEWERKS: great training offers tailor-made to your requirements
Want a quick return on investment for your new software?
Or need to get more out of your existing software?
Then pick and mix from the following training options:
- Onsite – in your offices or in ours (full or half days)
- Online – at your own PC (by the minute)
- One–to-one or group training sessions
- Own data – or generic training data
- Own Agenda – you specify what you want to cover and when!
Call us on +44 (0)1782 564252 or +44 (0)844 357 7360, or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk to book your training session(s) now!
ACT: great training offers tailor-made to your requirements
Want a quick return on investment for your new software?
Or need to get more out of your existing software?
Then pick and mix from the following training options:
- Onsite – in your offices or in ours (full or half days)
- Online – at your own PC (by the minute)
- One–to-one or group training sessions
- Own data – or generic training data
- Own Agenda – you specify what you want to cover and when!
Call us on +44 (0)1782 564252 or +44 (0)844 357 7360, or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk to book your training session(s) now!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
QUOTEWERKS:tip on using layout formulae to trim strings (a real world example)
The below formula uses a function to get a set of numbers from an 18 digit field.
So in this case documentheaders->soldtoponumber the format of the field is 0000.0000.00.00.00
What one of our clients wanted was that to filter out and generate the report based on the middle 4 digits highlight above.
What we did was to use a dialog prompt at the start of the report so that the report would generate based on the 4 digit numbers. So how to get around this was to include a filter within the report that related to the dialog prompt. Below is the formula used within the report.
Dlg->siteref=last(first(documentheaders->soldtoponumber,10),4)
So to break the formula down, the Dlg relates to the dialog prompt at the start of the report, the siteref is the name of the dialog prompt and the rest is the formula.
To break the rest of the formula down, you always start within the brackets first –
Last(first(documentheaders->soldtoponumber,9),4)
First 9
0000.0000.00.00.00
Last(first(documentheaders->soldtoponumber,9),4)
Last 4
0000.0000.00.00.00
So now you can see how the formula is working to generate the report based on the 4 digit number entered in the dialog prompt.
For further assistance with QuoteWerks document and report layout authoring, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0844 357 7360 or 01782 564252 or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk as well as having a host of report layout examples that we have developed over the years, we offer very competitive hourly rates for building layouts and reports specific to your business's requirements.
We look forward to hearing from you!
So in this case documentheaders->soldtoponumber the format of the field is 0000.0000.00.00.00
What one of our clients wanted was that to filter out and generate the report based on the middle 4 digits highlight above.
What we did was to use a dialog prompt at the start of the report so that the report would generate based on the 4 digit numbers. So how to get around this was to include a filter within the report that related to the dialog prompt. Below is the formula used within the report.
Dlg->siteref=last(first(documentheaders->soldtoponumber,10),4)
So to break the formula down, the Dlg relates to the dialog prompt at the start of the report, the siteref is the name of the dialog prompt and the rest is the formula.
To break the rest of the formula down, you always start within the brackets first –
Last(first(documentheaders->soldtoponumber,9),4)
First 9
0000.0000.00.00.00
Last(first(documentheaders->soldtoponumber,9),4)
Last 4
0000.0000.00.00.00
So now you can see how the formula is working to generate the report based on the 4 digit number entered in the dialog prompt.
For further assistance with QuoteWerks document and report layout authoring, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0844 357 7360 or 01782 564252 or email sales@hilltopsit.co.uk as well as having a host of report layout examples that we have developed over the years, we offer very competitive hourly rates for building layouts and reports specific to your business's requirements.
We look forward to hearing from you!
DEVELOPMENT: How are we so good!?
We had a bit of fun / team morale boosting in between Christmas and New Year. In amongst the increasingly negative reports on "depression", "the state of the world economy" and "global economic downturn", we wanted to feel good about ourselves! (Why not!)
Focusing on the things that we do well, why people should buy from us, and having already made a a conscious decision to "opt out" of the recession (what recession!?) we came up with the following list of "how we are so good" with our Software Development and Website Development services. Maybe considered arrogant by some, but as a relatively small but ambitious company, we need to keep our heads up, look to the future and focus on the positive!
We hope you get something out of the list and really hope that your company is "on the up". Try the exercise for yourself - the exercise itself is a great motivator and I'm sure we'll refer back to the list if someone gets a case of the Monday Blues! :-)
How Are We So Good!? Development at Hilltops IT
Focusing on the things that we do well, why people should buy from us, and having already made a a conscious decision to "opt out" of the recession (what recession!?) we came up with the following list of "how we are so good" with our Software Development and Website Development services. Maybe considered arrogant by some, but as a relatively small but ambitious company, we need to keep our heads up, look to the future and focus on the positive!
We hope you get something out of the list and really hope that your company is "on the up". Try the exercise for yourself - the exercise itself is a great motivator and I'm sure we'll refer back to the list if someone gets a case of the Monday Blues! :-)
How Are We So Good!? Development at Hilltops IT
- We understand the need for a solution from a business perspective!
- We understand requirements from the user’s perspective!
- We understand that clients need flexibility for systems to grow with business!
- We fully understand what it takes to develop a solution! (Development Lifecycle)
- We have implemented many different systems across many different verticals!
- We have a proven track record in developing bespoke solutions!
- We have a proven track record in taking software products to market! (ConnectIT)
- We have a proven track record developing and deploying solutions worldwide!
- We have a wide range of development skills and use the latest technologies!
- We deliver professional services within affordable budgets!
- We keep to timescales and always deliver to schedule!
For more information on Hilltops IT's QuoteWerks, ACT! by Sage, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS90, Sage MAS 200, Microsoft CRM, software development and website development services, please do not hesitate to contact us! you can reach us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
SUPPORT: How are we so good!?
We had a bit of fun / team morale boosting in between Christmas and New Year. In amongst the increasingly negative reports on "depression", "the state of the world economy" and "global economic downturn", we wanted to feel good about ourselves! (Why not!)
Focusing on the things that we do well, why people should buy from us, and having already made a a conscious decision to "opt out" of the recession (what recession!?) we came up with the following list of "how we are so good" with our Software Support. Maybe considered arrogant by some, but as a relatively small but ambitious company, we need to keep our heads up, look to the future and focus on the positive!
We hope you get something out of the list and really hope that your company is "on the up". Try the exercise for youself - the exercise itself is a great motivator and I'm sure we'll refer back to the list if someone gets a case of the Monday Blues! :-)
How Are We So Good!? Software Support at Hilltops IT
Focusing on the things that we do well, why people should buy from us, and having already made a a conscious decision to "opt out" of the recession (what recession!?) we came up with the following list of "how we are so good" with our Software Support. Maybe considered arrogant by some, but as a relatively small but ambitious company, we need to keep our heads up, look to the future and focus on the positive!
We hope you get something out of the list and really hope that your company is "on the up". Try the exercise for youself - the exercise itself is a great motivator and I'm sure we'll refer back to the list if someone gets a case of the Monday Blues! :-)
How Are We So Good!? Software Support at Hilltops IT
- We understand the need for fast solutions to issues with a business’ systems!
- We will understand the problem from the user’s point of view!
- We have well trained staff who understand software systems in detail!
- We understand the end-to-end of CRM, SOP, POP and accounting!
- We have tools to help us better diagnose and solve the issue!
- If we don’t know the answer straight away we have the resources to find out!
- We will take ownership of the issue and manage it through to resolution!
- We will not rest until an answer has been found to the issue a client has!
- We have a proven track record supporting reseller partners and end-users alike!
- We have a proven track record supporting reseller partners and clients worldwide!
- We deliver a warm, friendly and professional service within affordable budgets!
For further information on our software support services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
QUOTEWERKS: How are we so good!?
We had a bit of fun / team morale boosting in between Christmas and New Year. In amongst the increasingly negative reports on "depression", "the state of the world economy" and "global economic downturn", we wanted to feel good about ourselves! (Why not!)
Focusing on the things that we do well, why people should buy from us, and having already made a conscious decision to "opt out" of the recession (what recession!?) we came up with the following list of "how we are so good" at QuoteWerks. Maybe considered arrogant by some, but as a relatively small but ambitious company, we need to keep our heads up, look to the future and focus on the positive!
We hope you get something out of the list and really hope that your company is "on the up". Try the exercise for youself - the exercise itself is a great motivator and I'm sure we'll refer back to the list if someone gets a case of the Monday Blues! :-)
Focusing on the things that we do well, why people should buy from us, and having already made a conscious decision to "opt out" of the recession (what recession!?) we came up with the following list of "how we are so good" at QuoteWerks. Maybe considered arrogant by some, but as a relatively small but ambitious company, we need to keep our heads up, look to the future and focus on the positive!
We hope you get something out of the list and really hope that your company is "on the up". Try the exercise for youself - the exercise itself is a great motivator and I'm sure we'll refer back to the list if someone gets a case of the Monday Blues! :-)
How Are We So Good!? QuoteWerks at Hilltops IT
- We have been in the Top 10 International Sales Partner rankings for the last 3 years!
- We are one of the very few QuoteWerks authorised trainers in the world!
- We offer a more comprehensive list of services than any other single QuoteWerks partner! (And the portfolio is growing!)
- We truly understand the complete end-to-end business process of CRM, SOP, POP and accounting!
- We have a proven track record in developing QuoteWerks add-on products and utilities!
- We have a proven track record deploying QuoteWerks in many different and diverse verticals!
- We have deployed and helped deploy QuoteWerks systems worldwide!
- We have regular direct dialog with the key personnel at Aspire! (QuoteWerks authors.)
- We contribute to QuoteWerks support forums helping users and partners alike!
- We have been engaged to help end user and fellow partners alike when they need assistance!
For more information on Hilltops IT's QuoteWerks services - including training, consultancy, support, development and license sales - please do not hesitate to contact us! you can reach us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
Friday, January 2, 2009
SUPPORT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and in the world of computer software
Hilltops IT Support Team's diary
Industry News
Sage CRM Solutions 2010 Strategy
A very interesting insight into Sage CRM Solutions' thoughts on CRM and CRM solutions generally, plus future development roadmap plans.
INTRODUCTION
Since the inception of CRM, the balance of power has shifted dramatically between buyers and sellers, with the rate of change accelerating in the past five years. Today, companies must offer extremely cost-efficient, differentiable customer experiences to acquire and retain profitable customer relationships. In our highly globalized economy, CRM is critical to enable businesses of every shape and size to fulfill the needs and expectations of their customers.
See the full article here.
It has been a quiet couple of weeks over the Christmas period, so not much to report. The main focus has been on reviewing our internal processes and use of our software systems - it makes a change from looking at how our clients can best use the software!!! :-) We are also working on publishing some additional articles for the ConnectIT Knowledgebase which have only previously been available internally. This will help end users and partner resellers alike.
We have released an interim version of ConnectIT-Sage to work for a particular client's requirements. The feature - the ability to select which Suppliers (Vendors) a document is created for - will be rolled into a future build release for all users later in the year.
Finally, we have been involved in reviewing the final drafts of the new Hilltops IT website branding. We're really excited about this - in the coming weeks and months there are going to be some additional tools introduced so that we can help support our clients even better than we do already!
Industry News
Sage CRM Solutions 2010 Strategy
A very interesting insight into Sage CRM Solutions' thoughts on CRM and CRM solutions generally, plus future development roadmap plans.
INTRODUCTION
Since the inception of CRM, the balance of power has shifted dramatically between buyers and sellers, with the rate of change accelerating in the past five years. Today, companies must offer extremely cost-efficient, differentiable customer experiences to acquire and retain profitable customer relationships. In our highly globalized economy, CRM is critical to enable businesses of every shape and size to fulfill the needs and expectations of their customers.
See the full article here.
For further information on our software support services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email support@hilltopsit.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
BLOG: Happy New Year from Everyone at Hilltops IT!
A very Happy New Year to all our blog readers and welcome to 2009!!!
We're all very excited here for the new year - we have got several projects going on which will help serve our clients and software partner resellers even better!
Starting with the imminent update of our website which will offer a much more visual and more easily navigable menu for visitors to find what it is they are looking for. Let's be honest - the old site was looking pretty tired! We thought it was about time our site reflected the standard of site we have been producing for our clients!!! Written using the latest technologies and development techniques, the rewrite offers up some interesting opportunities for future expansion, but more on that when the time comes...
We're also significantly expanding the ConnectIT website Knowledgebase to publish a number of useful articles which have only previously been available internally or by contacting the support desk. Putting this information into the public domain should help end users and partner resellers alike in better understanding what the software can do to help their productivity and their businesses efficiency.
Also there's a whole bunch of innovations we have got in mind to expand the ConnectIT product range over and above the QuoteWerks, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM links - look out for more on these later on in the year.
With the global recession, like most businesses we're expecting 2009 to be "interesting". What we're really looking forward to is turning businesses around with better use of their software systems. Introducing software solutions that not only organise people and improve the way the business works, but saves the users so much more time. Valuable time that they can spend looking to close more deals adding value to the business' bottom line.
We have seen it over and over again with clients how better contact management, quoting, ordering and invoicing systems which truly "talk" to one another properly can save sales people loads of time. Time they can then use to make another cold call, send another quote or follow-up another order.
The business intelligence reporting solutions which really help managers analyse where the business is performing well (and not so well), creating unique insights that can help in forward planning.
Website development (which we are increasingly getting involved in following the recruitment of a designer). Your "shop window" - which is becoming an increasingly important sales tool.
What to know more about how Hilltops IT can help you and your business? Then contact us now on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
We're all very excited here for the new year - we have got several projects going on which will help serve our clients and software partner resellers even better!
Starting with the imminent update of our website which will offer a much more visual and more easily navigable menu for visitors to find what it is they are looking for. Let's be honest - the old site was looking pretty tired! We thought it was about time our site reflected the standard of site we have been producing for our clients!!! Written using the latest technologies and development techniques, the rewrite offers up some interesting opportunities for future expansion, but more on that when the time comes...
We're also significantly expanding the ConnectIT website Knowledgebase to publish a number of useful articles which have only previously been available internally or by contacting the support desk. Putting this information into the public domain should help end users and partner resellers alike in better understanding what the software can do to help their productivity and their businesses efficiency.
Also there's a whole bunch of innovations we have got in mind to expand the ConnectIT product range over and above the QuoteWerks, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM links - look out for more on these later on in the year.
With the global recession, like most businesses we're expecting 2009 to be "interesting". What we're really looking forward to is turning businesses around with better use of their software systems. Introducing software solutions that not only organise people and improve the way the business works, but saves the users so much more time. Valuable time that they can spend looking to close more deals adding value to the business' bottom line.
We have seen it over and over again with clients how better contact management, quoting, ordering and invoicing systems which truly "talk" to one another properly can save sales people loads of time. Time they can then use to make another cold call, send another quote or follow-up another order.
The business intelligence reporting solutions which really help managers analyse where the business is performing well (and not so well), creating unique insights that can help in forward planning.
Website development (which we are increasingly getting involved in following the recruitment of a designer). Your "shop window" - which is becoming an increasingly important sales tool.
What to know more about how Hilltops IT can help you and your business? Then contact us now on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
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