SMS Central is perfect for quick communication with your customers over SMS texts. Unlike email, SMS messages have an extremely high open rate (usually greater than 99%) and 90% are read within 3 minutes of delivery. This makes SMS ideal for delivering important information from business applications to your customers. Your customers can also text information back which can then be recorded in your business systems.
SMS Central can send notifications to your customer
Notify customers of pending field service visit or changes in date/time
Notify customers of product shipment
Notify customers of tracking information or delivery
Schedule automatic follow up messages to customers after a service call or support incident is closed
Send images to field staff so they can see what the customer has reported needs work
Send images to customers showing damages found, repairs needed, proposed work site
Get customer approval on completed work displayed in images sent to their phones
Appointment Reminders and Confirmations
Send customers messages when a service call is scheduled
Send an automatic service call appointment reminders prior to scheduled visit
Have customers confirm they can be available for a service call (if required)
Have customers confirm site will be ready for the service call
Send customers notices when service calls need to be delayed or changed
Have customers confirm service call date/time changes
Photos
Get photos from customers of damages, repair sites, or other useful images
Get GPS coordinates of mobile images for proof of location, tracking movement
Get before/after service photos as proof of work
Read barcodes using only a mobile phone camera and record results in business application (GPS coordinates are also available on barcode images)
Send images to customers showing damages found, repairs needed, proposed work site
Get customer approval on completed work displayed in images sent to their phones
You can allow your field service and sales people send pictures, updates, and even location to Dynamics SL service module with SMS text messaging. No app needed and any phone will work (even a flip phone)!
Some of SMS Central’s features:
Catalina’s SMS Central allows a field person to update status of a field service call by just sending an SMS text message (no app needed) on any phone.
Take pictures from your phone and auto-attach to a service call in Dynamics SL and just text it to SMS Central without any app.
Catalina’s SMS Central can capture the GPS coordinates of the picture and plot it on a map.
SMS Central can save pictures as attachments in Dynamics SL or other Field Service, Helpdesk, CRM, Document Storage, or Document Imaging system.
SMS Central can forward pictures to your customer for them to reply to, for proof of work.
Catalina’s portal allows easy viewing of history using any web browser.
Catalina Portal for Viewing Messaging History
Images are not only stored as attachments in Dynamics SL, but also captured in a web based portal accessible by any modern browser. The Catalina portal can also pin the locations of the photos on a map as well as display Dynamics SL data for quick access of the Service Call information.
Earlier today, I was asked if I could come up with a query that would allow you to bring back line items for a sales order. But create a numbering scheme for the line items that re-start for each new order number. So, example:
You can see below, that ORD1234 has 3 items, indexed 1,2,3. and ORD5555 has 2 line items indexed 1,2
OrdNbr
InvtID
LineIndex
ORD1234
IN82344
1
ORD1234
IN82341
2
ORD1234
IN82344
3
ORD5555
IN089723
1
ORD5555
IN0123998
2
I accomplished this by using the DENSE_RANK().
Here is sample code:
[code language=”sql”]
SELECT DENSE_RANK() OVER (PARTITION BY OrdNbr ORDER BY OrdNbr, LineRef) * 10 AS LineIndex
, OrdNbr
, LineRef
, InvtID
, QtyOrd
FROM SOLine
ORDER BY OrdNbr, LineIndex
[/code]
What I wanted to do in this was to show the order number, lineRef, invtID, and qtyOrd. But I wanted to show the LineIndex in increments of 10 that restarted for every time the OrdNbr changed. I have one of the orders that have multiple line items circled below.
Catalina’s SMS Central allows you to easily dispatch your field techs, salespeople, and others straight from your Dynamics SL without any special mobile apps. All using SMS messaging. Nothing to deploy, works on any phone, and easy to maintain.
Your people in the field can send updates as replies that will get automatically updated in your back office. They can even send pictures, GPS coordinates, and other attachments which will automatically be attached to the service call, quote, invoice, timecard, or any other screen in Dynamics SL.
1. Create a service call, quote, invoice, or any other type of record in Dynamics SL. SMS Central will send an SMS message to the appropriate person in the field.
2. Your person in the field receives the message and can respond. Those responses will automatically update Dynamics SL.
3. The field person can also take pictures, GPS coordinates, or other mobile files and attach them to the service call, quote, invoice, or other screen in Dynamics SL using just an SMS message.
4. That photo, or other attachment, automatically attaches to the appropriate record in Dynamics SL
5. All attachments and SMS communication are also stored in a web portal, allowing your field people to review history without needing any special app. Any browser on any type of device will work!
Hurricane Irma may have put a damper on things for the DSLUG conference in Tampa. But Catalina did their Deep Dive presentation ONLINE. This is a recording of that deep dive in case you missed it.
Hurricane Irma may have put a damper on things for the DSLUG conference in Tampa. But Catalina is still going to do their Deep Dive presentation ONLINE.
Since many of you cleared your schedules during the week of the 12th, for the conference, we are going to do our Deep Dive as planned (but Online).
Join us for our ONLINE Deep Dive on Sep 12, 2017 at 3:30 PM EDT.
Deep dive on Integrating SL with CRM, Ecommerce, Helpdesk, Time Card Entry, IoT (Internet of Things) integration with Dynamics and other systems, online billing portal for your customers, and more.
Catalina’s Online Bill Payment allows you to get paid quicker by your customers, allowing them to login to a portal and pay their invoices. There is also auto-pay, which will automatically pay invoices, as they are generated. All of this using a PCI compliant secure system that minimizes your risk since you never handle credit card information.
Showing our IOT integration to Dynamics and other systems
Many of you may already have (or thinking about) an IOT (internet of things) initiative. Catalina will be showing our latest customizable IOT devices and how you can monitor your equipment, properties, construction sites, etc. (or your customer’s), and then automatically route data to your CRM, field service, dispatch, or other systems to take action or store auditing data for reports and more.
Integrate to existing proven solutions!
Learn how to get quicker return on investment by enabling Dynamics SL to integrate to existing proven solutions like: Salesforce.com, Dynamics CRM, Zendesk, and more for your CRM, Helpdesk, Time Card Entry, Ecommerce, etc.
Catalina Technology is a proud sponsor of the Dynamics SL User Group again this year. Visit us at booth#18.
Deep dive on Integrating SL with CRM, Ecommerce, Helpdesk, Time Card Entry, and IoT (Internet of Things).
Come visit our deep dive on Tuesday, September 12th at 3:30PM.
Catalina’s Online Bill Payment allows you to get paid quicker by your customers, allowing them to login to a portal and pay their invoices. There is also auto-pay, which will automatically pay invoices, as they are generated. All of this using a PCI compliant secure system that minimizes your risk since you never handle credit card information.
Showing our IOT integration to Dynamics and other systems
Many of you may already have (or thinking about) an IOT (internet of things) initiative. Catalina will be showing our latest customizable IOT devices and how you can monitor your equipment, properties, construction sites, etc. (or your customer’s), and then automatically route data to your CRM, field service, dispatch, or other systems to take action or store auditing data for reports and more.
Integrate to existing proven solutions using Catalina’s API for Dynamics SL!
Learn how to get quicker return on investment by enabling Dynamics SL to integrate to existing proven solutions like: Salesforce.com, Dynamics CRM, Zendesk, and more for your CRM, Helpdesk, Time Card Entry, Ecommerce, etc.
I have recently been experimenting with my X-Carve CNC router and 3-d Printer realizing that manufacturing and the supply chain will change drastically as these technologies mature. You can see some of my experimenting here:
I have a feeling that this decentralized fabrication could really disrupt traditional manufacturing. Where the “scarcity economy” will no longer be relevant when you can make anything you want from recycled feed stock through 3d printers, wet printers (for meds, food, etc.), and other fabrication devices. If you covet a shirt that someone else has, just take a scan of it and print it. No need for going to the store or even Amazon for that matter.
You may say that someone needs to supply the 3d printers. Well, even printers today are often made with parts that were printed on a 3d printer. Just like robots can fix and build other robots, 3d printers can print new printers.
If we, the consumer, can start to manufacture the products we now buy from others, what will happen to the actual manufacturers? What happens to the Mattel Toys or Lego who makes billions off of selling plastic toys that can easily be printed in ones own home? (NOTE: I used to work for Mattel in the early 90’s) Will there be a compensation model for the R&D work that these companies typically spend a fortune to create and protect. Could it become just like the music industry, where they fought and litigated against kids making mp3 equivalents of mix tapes?
Or maybe products will just be licenses that are paid for but then manufacturing is done locally? Or will it evolve into something more like an open source sharing economy? Where individuals create, share, barter, and sell their ideas with each other without the need of monolithic corporations?
In the 90’s, we saw the internet as a democratization of information, communication, and commerce. Where small entities and individuals could operate without a lot of central control. But eventually large companies rose out of that and dominated (Facebook, Google, Amazon). Maybe there will be someone who figures out how to capitalize on this and become the Facebook in the world of home-fabrication.
All I know is that this is an exciting time for someone who likes to make things. I don’t know how this will affect the economy of tomorrow. What I am hoping is that this decentralized model of manufacturing continues, giving us all more control over what we consume.
This means that if you are using payflowpro for creditcard or check processing with any Catalina Technology Application (OrderCentral, SalesCentral or AccountCentral) you might be in need of an updated build. If your system is not updated, credit card transactions on your system may start to fail effective June 30th.
If you require an update for your Catalina ecommerce, online payment, or order entry systems, please contact us [email protected]
