AutoPlayAuto.com 20.10.1 Release Notes - Monday 2nd November 2020

AutoPlayAuto.com 20.10.1 Release Notes - Monday 2nd November 2020

Group Appraisal Offers (SPW-4111)

NOTE - ADDITIONAL CHARGES MAY APPLY FOR THIS PRODUCT  CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT MANAGER FOR MORE DETAILS

At AutoPlay we've always strongly believed that managing the Appraisal process is a key part of managing leads effectively.  In previous versions of AutoPlayAuto.com we have had several ways to help dealers on sell their Trade Ins via;
  1. Wholesale SMS Distribution (see https://support.autoplayauto.com/portal/en/kb/articles/how-to-send-sms-to-wholesalers-and-store-wholesale-quotes)
  2. Appraisal Group Bidding (see https://support.autoplayauto.com/portal/en/kb/articles/make-offer-for-appraisals-overview)
The Appraisal Group Bidding process enables dealers within a dealer group to notify other dealers in the group when they have an appraisal - achieved by setting up a Dealer Group for 'Group Account Visibility' and the role setting 'Group Account Visibility.  Any user with this role can opt to push an 'auction' out to other dealers in the group, who can then view the appraisal and place bids on them.  This concept was a great way to shop the vehicle around the dealer group before selling to a wholesaler.  With COVID-19 we've seen a lot of interest in the Appraisal Group Bidding process and have made a number of improvements based on the feedback from a few early adopters.  

1. Configuring Group Appraisal Bidding
As before when setting up the Group Account Visibility role you can select;
- Allow Bidding (enables the bidding functionality - without this dealers can still view Appraisals within the group but are unable to make offers
- Display Trade In Offer (shows/hides the valuation made by the dealer who created the Appraisal)
- Display Reconditioning Costs (shows/hides the reconditioning costs made by the dealer who created the Appraisal)
- Display Traded (show/hide whether the Appraisal has actually been traded or not)
- Display Trade In Comments (show/hide the comments the originating dealer has added to the Appraisal



You can also now set a default Email Template to send out your wholesale auctions on.  If no template is chosen the default AutoPlay branded template will be used, but a custom dealership branded option can be selected here.

In addition the Group Bidding process now has the ability to set a automated warning on the role (in minutes).  When a bidding process is about to expire a warning notification will be sent out to everyone who has received the offer and has not chosen to ignore it.  



In 20.10.1 it is now possible to set the Appraisal Bidding to send out notifications by either;
  1. SMS (New)
  2. Email
  3. Notifications
When setting up the Group Account Visibility role users are added to the role can not only see the 'Make Offer' function to submit a bid, but are also able to get Notifications (Email/SMS/In App).  If a particular user does not wish to receive notifications for one of these method you can specify that here.  Below are the range of notifications that will be sent;

Notification Type

SMS

In APP

Email

Receiver

Offer

Yes

Yes

Yes

Dealers and Wholesaler (no in app notifications)

Time remaining (Reminder)

Yes

Yes

Yes

Dealers and Wholesaler (no in app notifications)

Won

No

Yes

Yes

Dealers and Wholesaler (no in app notifications)

Rejected

Yes

Yes

Yes

Dealers and Wholesaler (no in app notifications)

Withdraw

Yes

Yes

Yes

Dealers and Wholesaler (no in app notifications)

Expire

Yes

Yes

Yes

Offerer



2.  Set Up Auctions To The Appraisal Group AND Wholesalers 
Previously the Apprasial Group Bidding process, and the Wholesale Offer process were very distinct and different processes.  In 20.10.1 whilst you can still use the Appraisal Group Bidding process to distribute only to a dealer group, and the Wholesale SMS process to request offers from Wholesalers completely separately - you can now use the Appraisal Bidding process to send out your Appraisal to dealers in the group, AND wholesalers in one managed bidding process.  In addition if you wanted to use this feature amongst other car dealers that are NOT AutoPlay customers you could do so by setting them up as wholesalers (who do not require a AutoPlay login).




When clicking on the 'Offer To Dealer Group' button in the grey action menu you can now specify what Appraisal Bidding Group (for Dealers in your network) and what Wholesale Group (or individual Wholesaler) you want to share your Appraisal Offer with.

Depending on how the users have configured the role they will receive either a SMS, Email or in App Notification (Dealers with AutoPlay accounts only).  The first notification will let them know there is a new Appraisal and who sent it ("Prashant - Live Testing" in the SMS below).  



The notification will have a link to view the vehicle on a web page - very similar to the existing web page used to capture wholesale quotes.  Unlike the Wholesale Quote version of this page the screen will show the time left on the bidding process, the number of bids and the best bid on the vehicle.  This is a blind model so no recipients of the Appraisal Offer will know which dealer or wholesaler has the best bid - just what the value is.

On this screen recipients can view the details of who created the Appraisal, details of the bidding, the vehicle specs entered and any photos of the vehicle.  The page is branded to the originating dealer using whatever logo is added to Settings>Listing Settings>Images as the image type Online Form Logo.

Any recipient of this link whether they are a Dealer in the Dealer Group or a Wholesalers can submit a offer on this vehicle.  They can also indicate they are not interested by clicking the 'NOT INTERESTED button.  If they click this button they will not receive any more comms about this particular Appraisal.




If the dealer is a AutoPlay customer then they can also view the Appraisal and make an offer via AutoPlayAuto.com.  To facilitate this the Vehicle Appraisals screen has been rejigged to make finding the Appraisals you have received, bid on and won easier.  In addition to the In Dealer vs In Group filter there is a new filter for;
  1. Group Offers Won (those Appraisals where you were the successful bidder)
  2. Pending Offers (those Appraisals you have made that you need to make a decision on (auction has ended) 
  3. My Current Offers (those Appraisals where you have made offers that are currently still in progress)
  4. My Accepted Offers (those Appraisals that you created that have had a successful bid) 
In addition users can now view more information about the offer via the 'Appraisal Bidding' column (this only shows if the logged in user has the correct role).  In this column any Appraisals you have received will show the current status, the number of bids, your current bid and the best bid (anonymously).



As per existing functionality the user can then add a bid or withdraw their current bid.  Any bids the dealer made on the web page will also show here.




During the course of the auction if set everyone in the Dealer and Wholesale Groups will receive a reminder when the auction is ending.  



If you are the dealership that created the Appraisal you will see all the offers and be able to Accept one of them via AutoPlayAuto.com.  Once a Bid is accepted all other bidders will be notified that the offer has been withdrawn and will no longer be able to see or bid on the trade in.  This cannot be reversed but the Appraisal can always be re-sent if the deal falls through.


If your Offer was successful then you will recieve an Email/SMS/In App Notification letting you know that your offer has been provisionally accepted.  AutoPlay does not get involved in any purchases or transactions so this does not constitute a purchase and sale agreement - only that you have won the bidding.  All other transaction will be handled outside of AutoPlay.





3.  Automating The Appraisal Bidding Process
In 20.10.1 it is also possible to set up the whole Appraisal Offer process to be automated.  To facilitate this there is a special trigger available for those with the 'Group Appraisal Visibility' role and group called 'Appraisal Created/Updated'.  Using this Trigger the distribution of the initial offer to the dealer and/or wholesale groups can be automated.

Once you've set the trigger you can then add Trigger Filters specific to this automation setting.  These Trigger Filters can be used to ensure that the Appraisal Offer email/sms is not sent before the vehicle has qualified to be sent.  The filters available are;
  1. Manager Approved Status - set to True or False, will not automatically send out the Appraisal offer until the Appraisal has been approved by the Manager (via the Vehicle Manager Approval Role)
  2. Traded Status - set to True or False, will not automatically send out the Appraisal offer until the Appraisal is marked as Traded
Although this Trigger is flexible and can be used to create all sorts of automation when an Appraisal is created, for the purposes of Appraisal Bidding there is a special Action type called 'Create Appraisal Offer'.  With this action you can set a time after Appraisal created to trigger, the User the email will be sent from (and the user that receives notifications), the Dealer Group and Wholesale Groups that should receive the Appraisal Offer.  Only one Wholesale Group and Dealer Group can be set at a time.  If you require multiple Dealer or Wholesaler Groups you can create additional Automation settings.

It is also possible to apply a Brake to your Automation to ensure you do not trigger the offer multiple times.  To ensure that it only sends once you must set up a Brake of 'Appraisal Offer Made' - preventing the Automation trigger picking up any changes to the Appraisal Form and resending the offer to your network of wholesalers and the Dealer Group.



When creating an Appraisal Form if you do not wish to send out a Appraisal Offer automatically you can select 'Exclude From Automation' in the Details section of the Appraisals form.  This will block this particular form from being sent to Dealer or Wholesale groups regardless of whether the automation was set up to send when approved or traded.  Even when Automation is set up you can still send Appraisal Offers manually if required.




Multiple Open Leads Warning (SPW-3860)

When creating new leads manually in AutoPlayAuto.com, when loading leads against customer records if they have any other leads loaded against them it will clearly display this to users.  However when electronic leads are captured we have received feedback that it is not always clear that the customer may have other open leads. 

Version 20.10.1 now has a function to alert a user when a customer record already has open leads against them (electronically captured or manually loaded).  These leads may legitimately be separate leads so are not labelled as 'Duplicate Leads'.  Instead you will see a warning in the Customer field for 'Multiple Open Leads'.  This will ONLY display when that specific customer has leads against them.  In instances where two very similar leads fail to match against the same customer record for any reason, the 'Multiple Open Leads' warning will not display.  To turn this on the user must be part of the 'Possible Duplicate Leads' role.  If you do not want to receive an notifications but still want the warning in AutoPlayAuto.com you can add the role with the users you wish to add, but remove any Email, SMS or Notification from the role.




Opening the Lead will give the user a much more obvious warning strip which tells them that this customer may have multiple open leads against them.  At this point the user can;
1.  VIEW - clicking on 'View' will open a popup detailing the matching leads
2. DISMISS - clicking on 'Dismiss' will hide the warning for the logged in user for the remainder of the session
3. DO NOT SHOW ME THIS AGAIN - clicking on 'Do not show me this again' will hide the warning for the user forever - even after logging out




When clicking on 'VIEW" a window will appear detailing all the currently open leads loaded against this customer - regardless of who owns the lead.  To merge leads you must also have the Merge Leads role set up.  When this role is set up there will be a selection icon next to the title on the popup.  




Clicking on this will enable the user to select all leads via the tick icon, or select the leads you want to merge manually.  Whilst you may see leads owned by other users on this screen you will only be able to merge leads that you own, or have manager rights to edit via the Manage Leads role.  When you have selected multiple leads click on 'Merge' to merge the two leads. 



When you click on Merge there will be one lead that will be retained, and another that will be merged into the original lead.  You can swap the priority via the green 'SWAP' button.  To find out more about Merging Leads click HERE




Possible Duplicate Lead Alert (SPW-3860)

Hand in hand with the new function to highlight 'View Similar Leads' and merge them is the existing Possible Duplicate Lead Warning.  Previously this was available only as an email notification and only triggered on manually loaded leads.  In 20.10.1 it now will trigger on manual and electronically captured leads, and is available to be set up as an Email, SMS or In App Notification. 

The Possible Duplicate Lead notification is controlled by the 'Possible Duplicate Lead Warning Role'.  If you already have this role it will be defaulted to email only - contact your Account Manager or Support@autoplay.co.nz to change to SMS or in app notification.



New Role Attributes On Listings Role - Cannot Manual Load, Cannot Edit Price and Cannot Change Yards (NZ ONLY - SPW-4124)

In some scenarios despite using AutoPlay to manage their listings via a partial import it may be desirable to limit a users ability to edit the vehicle price, modify the yard on a listing or load from scratch manual listings.  In 20.10.1 the 'Listings' role now has additional role attributes to limit the editing of listings under certain scenarios.




Splitting Role Notifications (SPW-3962)


As with the previous couple of sprints we have been investing time into splitting out Email, SMS and In App Notifications in our role management settings.  This provides internal staff more clarity over how notifications are controlled and helps us more accurately set up and maintain notifications to sort your particular user.  The roles focused on during October were;
  1. Track Email Conversation - notifications only, no emails.
  2. Email Campaign - no notifications
  3. PPL Notifications - real estate, not used
  4. Motorcentral CarCheck - no notifications
  5. MotorWeb Appraisal Report - no notifications
  6. Monthly Video Views - real estate, not used
  7. Automate Virtual Video - no notifications
  8. Manual Virtual Video - no notifications
  9. Can't Export Leads - no notifications
  10. Vehicle Preparation - no notifications
  11. Manage Prospects - no notifications
  12. Custom Lead Source - no notications
  13. Close Lead After Follow Up - no notifications
  14. Developer - no notifcations
  15. Privacy Disclaimer - no notifications
  16. Receive Closed Lead As Won Notification
  17. Group Account Visibility 
  18. F&I Form Role
  19. Receive Kiosk Lead Notification
  20. COVID-19 Compliance - no notifications
  21. Visitor Book - no dev work needed, already done (sms only)
  22. Test Drive Form - no notifications
  23. Email Response - no notifications
  24. Calendar - no notifications

Launch AutoGate Button (SPW-4040)

Many of our Australian dealerships also use AutoGate for Car Sales Call Connect Leads.  With these leads for Privacy reasons dealers need to log in to AutoGate to listen to the recording.  In 20.10.1 we now have a 'Launch AutoGate' button near the Notes on the lead to help make it easier to listen to the recording.




Email & Phone Number Validation (SPW-4046)

Email validation in AutoPlay is completed via a regex to validate email addresses according to RFC 5322 specs.  Yuu can read more about these standards at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_address

Mobile validation in AutoPlay is completed via a 3rd party library that parses the entered phone number and validates its structure according to the country that the Contact record is in.  This library is based on the Google Phone numbers library and is kept up to date with any phone number changes around the world.  It can handle numbers that start with +, 00, or just the plain number with no country code. The mobile number will be validated and if it fails, the entry on screen will be highlighted in orange but it won't prevent the record from saving.

If AutoPlay can firmly identify the value is not valid we will highlight with a red outline.  When it appears a phone number or email is invalid we will still allow the record to be saved but the user will see a warning, and the field will be highlighted in orange.




New Disclaimers On Vehicle Appraisal Forms (NZ ONLY - SPW-4053)

In 20.10.1 there is now a 'Disclaimers' section on the Vehicle Appraisal Forms.  These are visible for every client and by default are not mandatory to complete.  If the dealer does want to make these fields mandatory this can be set up in the Mandatory Fields section in 'My Company'.  When the field is mandatory it is not mandatory to answer yes - it is just mandatory to complete the disclaimer statements with a Yes or No.





HTML Terms & Conditions (SPW-3934)

During and post COVID-19 lockdowns this year we noticed more and more dealerships are wanting to sign their T&C's from mobile devices.  In the past our T&C's were PDF's which meant pinching and zooming in order to read - at times not that user friendly with large Privacy Policy documents.  

In 20.10.1 it is now possible to set up your T&C's as PDF's OR as full HTML text.  TO facilitate this we have moved the Terms & Conditions set up from 'Images' to it's own dedicated screen under Settings>Sales Pipeline Settings>Terms and Conditions.  This screen is accessible to AP1 users or any user with the Company Admin role.

Within this screen users can upload PDF T&C's as per normal, but can also tick the 'Use HTML Version' to create full html T&C's.  The beauty of HTML T&C's is that these will respond correctly on mobile devices - meaning the text is scaled and wrapped appropriately to the screen size. 

It is also possible to use a built in HTML editor to stylise your T&C's using the 'HTML Editor' button.   



The HTML Editor allows you to directly type/paste in HTML via the SOURCE button



It is also possible to click on 'EDIT MODE' and use the HTML editor to style your T&C's - perfect for users that don't know HTML as you can edit the T&C's just like a word doc.  Please note the HTML editor is still a WIP - images must be added via Source mode.  



Terms and Conditions that are created as HTML will all still print with the signatures and also be appended to the full Test Drive/Write Up etc document.


Dynamic Search In 'Search Listings' (SPW-3982)

When searching for listings, after typing 3 characters the 'Search Listings' window will automatically start searching instead of waiting for you to click enter.  This is triggered when the user stops typing for 500 milliseconds.  Note this function is not available on all search fields - only the Search Listings function.  THis is because the fields required to be searched are limited and dynamic searching could be achieved without slowing down the system.




Shortcut To Create Lead From Appraisals Dashboard (SPW-3519)

In 20.10.1 we've added a shortcut to the Vehicle Appraisals Dashboard.  Under the + button you will now see a 'Add New Lead With Appraisal' option if you have the Manage Leads role.  If you have both the Manage Leads role and the 'Standalone Appraisal' role you will see both the option to create a new lead OR a Standalone Appraisal here under the + button.

This is purely a shortcut if you are on the screen you do not have to navigate back to the Sales Pipeline Dashboard to create a Lead.  Clicking on the 'Add New Lead With Appraisal' button will take you to the normal new lead screen to complete the customer details.  Once completed you will be automatically taken to the Appraisal screen to complete your Appraisal Form.

Noe - this is only available from the Appraisal Dashboard.  It will be added to the individual Appraisals screen during the next sprint (Dec 2020 release)




Default Dashboard To My Default Yard (SPW-3679)

In the old Silverlight version of AutoPlay we had the ability to set your default yard for the lead Dashboard separately to the default yard for the Listings screen.  When we launched AutoPlayAuto.com this feature was missed and we've restored it in version 20.10.1. 

The Default Yard setting will still control;
  1. When loading a new lead if no listing is selected the lead will automatically be added to your default yard
  2. When viewing the listing screen the listings will be filtered to your default yard
However the Dashboard will no longer automatically default to your Default Yard.  This is due to feedback from many dealers that they view multiple yards and did not want to accidentally miss any leads.  If you do wish to set your login to default the Dashboard to your default yard simply go to the My Details/My Users screen, find the 'Sales Pipeline Preferences' section and tick the new 'Default Dashboard Filter to my default yard' check box.



Complete ALL Calendar Events When Closing Leads As Won Or Lost (SPW-3925)

When managing leads user will sometimes find themselves in a scenario when they are closing a lead as Won or Lost where they have outstanding incomplete calendar events.  In prior versions of AutoPlayAuto.com we've had the ability to 'Mark all overdue calendar events as complete'.  In this scenario when closing the lead pictured below the 'Follow up re Finance' event that is overdue would be closed, whilst the 'Follow Up Post Delivery' would remain open - allowing dealers to continue to use AutoPlay to manage their post sale follow up.  



Unfortunately there are instances where you might have a future calendar event that is no longer relevant that you might want to complete whilst you are closing the lead.  For example if you have an event scheduled in the next few weeks to follow up and the customer says that their job situation has changed and they are delaying their purchase decision for 12 months.  It's now inappropriate to follow up in the next few weeks, but you may want to touch base in 12 months.  

We now allow users to select a 'Mark all incomplete calendar events as complete' to close all events that are incomplete - no matter if they are overdue or not.  If you tick this box and change your mind you will need to untick before you will be able to check the 'Mark all overdue calendar events as complete' option.  You can still use the 'Post sale follow up' option to create a new event as you are closing the lead.





Improved Capability For AutoPlay Email Templates To Handle 3rd Party Video (SPW-4000)

We now have improved capability to handle 3rd Party Videos in AutoPlay Email Response.  If you have third party videos you can paste them in to the Video Link field in Listings (or talk to your Account Manager about ways to automate this process).  



When creating an email response, if you have the right email template selected that is compatible with 3rd Party Video, AND the listing has a valid video url in the Video Link field you will see this referenced on the New Email screen to let you know that there is a video available.  You can watch the video by clicking on the link.



When you send your email under these conditions the template will automatically pick up the third party video and enable you to include the video in your email.  Note - this does not automatically work with every email template - if this is a service you wish to utilise please contact support@autoplay.co.nz to request set up.





Added Inbound & Outbound Filter To SMS List Screen (SPW-4120)

SMS is becoming a more and more heavily used function within AutoPlay and we've now added a filter to the SMS screen to view your Inbound SMS, as well as your Outbound SMS in one single location instead of having to view in each individual lead.  The screen defaults to Outbound but can also view all the SMS replies you receive from customers.  System generated SMS such as alerts and notifications will also show in here (including automated SMS alerts and reminders)





Logins From New IP Addresses

20.10.1 now has a new security feature to alert managers if a user logs in from a new IP address that they have not logged in from before.  This enables dealers to immediately know when a user logs in to AutoPlayAuto.com outside the dealership.  When this occurs any user with the 'User Admin' role (or 'Company Admin' if no User Admin exists) will receive a email with the details below;

------------------------------------------------------------

We detected a sign-in to your account from a new device.

Dealer: xxxxx
User: xxxxx
When: Aug 27, 2020 07:54 PM New Zealand Standard Time
Near: Auckland, New Zealand

If this was you, you can disregard this message. Otherwise, please let us know.

------------------------------------------------------------

this message is only triggered each time we detect a new IP, however this feature won't be appropriate for everyone if you let your users utilise AutoPlay offsite - as it's uncommon for residential internet users to have a fixed IP address.  For this reason the setting is optional and can be turned on by account via the My Company screen and the check box below.


Appraisal Redbook Lookups - Display 'Best Match' More Clearly (SPW-4237 - AUS ONLY)

In 20.10.2 we've refined how we display the 'Best Match' that is returned from Redbook.  Instead of seeing all results with the Best Match at the top, AutoPlayAuto.com now presents the best match only on the initial results screen.  You can click on the 'MORE RESULTS' button to view the other records returned in the Redbook query.  As with existing functionality, click on the SELECT button to apply that Redbook data to your Appraisal Form.







Appraisal PPSR - Retrieve Previously Completed PPSR Lookups (SPW-4242 - AUS ONLY)

In 20.10.2 we have improved the ability to recognize that a Appraisal PPSR has been previously run on a VIN within the dealerships AutoPlay account.  When running a PPSR if the VIN matches a previous PPSR lookup (regardless of whether it is attached to a saved PPSR or not), the user is presented with a notification asking them if they would like to reuse the existing PPSR, or run a new one (in case something has changed on the PPSR lookup).  

If the user selects 'Existing PPSR' the system will retrieve the previously created PDF and the dealership will not be charged for a new PPSR lookup.  If the user chooses 'New PPSR' they will be charged for a brand new PPSR lookup as per normal behaviour.




Assorted Improvements & Bug Fixes

  1. Added brand specific vehicle classes (i.e Sig Class, Audi Approved, JLR Approved etc) to Import and Export screens as configuration options - allowing restriction of imports/exports to specific vehicle classes in scenarios where yard listings are mixed (SPW-4184)
  2. Closed gap in functionality whereby an AutoPlay AP1 master user could accidentally bulk allocate leads to themselves instead of restricting to users within the dealership account (SPW-3968)
  3. Added 'In App' notifications to Assistance Request / Reply (SPW-3915)
  4. Added Autotrader NZ Lead API and Provident to internal AutoPlay Audit functionality (SPW-3992)
  5. Internal improvements to reporting Custom Options (SPW-4009)
  6. Fixed display issue allowing AP1 users to exit the Lead Import screen when saving, but still triggering the unsaved content message (SPW-4036)
  7. Fixed intermittent issues with Record Search not returning results for AP1 users (SPW-4121)
  8. AutoPlay Rewards Minimum & Maximum KPI's adjusted to improve functionality (SPW-3873)
  9. AutoPlay Rewards - added new Overdue & Stalled KPI to incentivise keeping on top of leads (SPW-3875)
  10. Calendar Events are now assigned automatically to the current Lead Owner rather than the user who created the calendar event (SPW-3887)
  11. Fixed issue with Deleted Leads being visible when being navigated to from the Calendar or other screens.  These leads are now clearly marked as Deleted and are uneditable (SPW-3971)
  12. Added a link to the Vehicle Appraisal Approval Request and Response email and Request SMS that takes the user directly to the Vehicle Appraisal Form (SPW-4052)
  13. When creating a Vehicle Appraisal Form matching appraisals will now across other dealer accounts in the Group for any users with the 'Group Account Visibility' role (SPW-3978)
  14. Added a link to view the lead on the 'Lead Action Reminder SMS' (SPW-4069)
  15. Fixed bug with Not Allocated Yard not appearing in the Yard dropdown on View Lead screen (SPW-4177)
  16. Fixed bug affecting Wishlist matching Appraisals (SPW-4156)
  17. Fixed bug with Save button disappearing when marking a Loan Car Form as 'Complete' (SPW-4165)
  18. Fixed client specific bug with User list visibility (SPW-4174)