CFS Version 11 Highlights

• Chainlink Gate Builder
• Customer Contact Center
• Job Status Tool
• Alphanumeric Job Number with Salesperson ID
• Proposal/Contract imports Job Summary, Job Description, and Parts List
• WorkOrder imports Contract Notes, Job Description, Job Summary, and Parts List
• Option to List Chainlink Toprail as Full Lengths
• CFS Newsfeed
• New Roll Gate Drawings
• Renew QwikDraw & Tech Support
• & More ...

Chainlink Gate Builder

This is a feature I have wanted to add to CFS for a long time. How many times has someone walked in the door and wanted to just buy a gate? If you do retail sales I bet it happens a lot. The Chainlink Gate Builder enables you to fabricate any chainlink gate without having to do a whole Scratch Builder estimate. You can use Cash Register or Miscellaneous Estimator to build chainlink gates on the fly. This routine is applicable for over the counter sales or installed jobs when the customer only wants to buy a gate. It also speeds up entry, requiring eight less clicks on average to enter a gate. It works so well it has also become the gate entry mechanism inside Chainlink Scratch Builder.

Chainlink Gate Builder fabricates Single Swing, Double Swing, Panels, Rolling Gates and Cantilever Gates. While it simplifies gate entry, it still doesn’t limit your options - you have access to all the options you currently have in Chainlink Scratch Builder. You also get all the same great reports, and the gate can be invoiced and relieved from inventory.

Job Status

The new Job Status feature comes setup with 10 status levels which you can add to, edit, or delete. This enables you to filter all the jobs you have by their status level. For example, you can quickly view all the jobs in progress by clicking Job Status on the Main CFS Menu and choosing Jobs in Progress.

Job Status has the same Smart Search auto filter as Contact Center. Clicking on the address will access a map or on the name to find the customer in the Contact Center. To open jobs and estimates in Job Status click on the file name and the job will be opened in the program where it was created.

WorkOrder and Proposal/Contract

The Work Order report can now import Contract Notes, the Job Description, a Job Summary, messages, and a Parts List for the job into the Notes area with a single click. The Job Description, Job Summary, messages and a Parts List can be added to a Proposal/Contract in the same way.

Sample Workorder

CFS Newsfeed

The new CFS Newsfeed on the main CFS menu enables us to quickly communicate important messages to you if you have internet access. We will be using Newsfeed to alert you to updated product modules, program enhancements, CFS User tips and techniques and other significant fence industry related messages.

Other Enhancements

• Realtime online pricing from Bufftech - coming soon
• New rolling gate shop drawings
• Ornamental Fabricator prints drawing on estimate
• Access to Bufftech and ActiveYards shop drawings from estimate

New and Recently Updated Manufacturers Product Data

We have import modules for dozens of fence industry manufacturers. These are availabe free of charge to our customers on the current version of CFS. The many recently updated modules include:

Alumi-Guard	34820 products
Aluminum Fence Supply	28120 products
Ameristar	43220 products
Delgard	8450 products
Elite	3300 products
Fortress Iron	3500 products
Jerith	3900 products
Merchant's Metals Guardsman	4000 products
Specrail	5400 products
Ultra Aluminum	5250 products
XCEL	2900 products
Active Yards Aluminum	4740 products
D&D Technologies	100 products
LMT Vinyl Accessories	2000 products
Active Yards Pre-built Vinyl	1779 products
Active Yards Fabricated Vinyl	2200 products
Bufftech	3750 products
Illusions	700 products
Merchant's Metals Vinyl	400 products
Poly Vinyl Creations	25600 products
Deacero	900 products
Omega II	1500 products
Trex Wood	100 products

CFS Workshop at FenceTech

We will once again be conducting our annual CFS Workshop in conjunction with FenceTech 2012. This workshop, free of charge, is scheduled for Saturday January 28th, 2012 from 9 am until 3 pm in Room D237 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. We will be demonstrating new features, reviewing older ones, and helping you with whatever aspects of CFS you want to work on. Feel free to bring your laptop and your most current data.

view image   Computer Fencing System - Version 11

Contact Center

Contact Center is a new feature for CFS that replaces our old Customer File. Contact Center enables you to search out and manage your customer interactions, even export to CSV format. When a call first comes in you can open the Contact Center from the Main CFS menu and add the prospective customer right then and there, even before an estimate has been done for them. Contact Center is also accessible from Cash Register, Miscellaneous Estimator and all of the Scratch Builder programs.

With limitless editable fields you can expand and customize the data in Contact Center to gather whatever information you want to capture. Multiple email addresses, multiple phone numbers, notes, directions, and more can be entered on first contact and then stay with the job as it moves from estimate, to job and finally to an Invoice.

Discount Levels and Sales Taxes can be automatically associated with contacts. You can set up discount profiles to reflect different discount levels independent of a particular customer, and then link a profile to a contact so they get that special pricing. The same discount profile can be linked to multiple customers.

You can search out and open jobs and estimates you have done right from the Contact Center. For your customers with an activity history you can search out all estimates, jobs and invoices for that customer. There is a Smart Search auto filter that, with just a couple of keystrokes, will narrow down the display to just those contacts with that text in their Contact Center profile.There is a map lookup link for contacts, useful for when a job is assigned to a salesperson. There is also an export function that will dump all of your Contact Center customer information to a CSV file.

Job Number & Salesperson

CFS can now generate an automatic job number with or without a salesperson ID. This number sticks with a job once assigned. It can also be used as an autonaming feature for saved jobs. The Job number prints on the Packing List, Gate Cut Sheet, Job Summary, Itemized Estimate, Crew & Customer Image Albums, Discount Report, Inventory Status Report and the Work Order.

List Chainlink Toprail as Full Lengths

Chainlink toprail can now display the number of full lengths of pipe used for toprail on Chainlink Scratch Builder output, which can be either based on the per foot record for pipe or on a record for the full length of pipe (21') in Master File.

Renew Tech Support & QwikDraw

Our world class support includes unlimited toll free tech support for 45 hours each week with our live, Montana based, knowledgable and friendly support staff, for customers on the current version of CFS. When necessary we can even remotely log onto your computer to address issues. This is backed up by over 60 video tutorials on our website at: fencesoftware.com/support/tutorials/.

We will continue to provide live, toll free telephone tech support, free on-line backup and remote desktop support for Computer Fencing System Version 10 customers until December 31, 2011.

The charge for support after that date for customers not on the current version will be $3.00 per minute, with a minimum charge of $15.00 per call. Access to this resource alone is worth the cost of the upgrade.

Upgrading to Version 11 also renews QwikDraw for 2012. Get all of these new reports and features, updated product modules, and access to our outstanding technical support services. Take advantage of the slower months and upgrade to CFS Version 11 today.

ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS

CFS Enterprise Edition

Customers have been asking us to make CFS more open and accessible and for the ability to transfer data between CFS and other programs. In response we have developed the CFS Enterprise Edition. The Enterprise Edition consists of two primary applications that import data into and out of CFS. The first, which we call InterOp, is a program to export items from the Master File into Excel or any other spreadsheet program and back into the CFS Master File. The second application, called XML Export, creates an open format XML file of Scratch Builder estimates and Cash Register invoices that contain every bit of information that CFS knows about the estimate or invoice. This data can be readily accessed by any programmer and directed to any other application. In addition to these benefits, Enterprise Edition customers also receive free upgrades to the current version of CFS. The cost is $750 per year, only $255 more than the standard upgrade. Call us for more information about the CFS Enterprise Edition.

CFS to Quickbooks Interface

Jobs created in CFS transfer directly into an estimate in QuickBooks Premier or Enterprise editions where they can be converted into a Sales Order, Purchase Order, or Invoice. Double entry is eliminated. The QB inventory database can be populated with items from CFS. Costs and Selling Prices can be synchronized between QB and CFS and inventory breakdowns from CFS can be updated in QB. This interface will help you to get the most out of each program.

A more detailed explanation of features and a video demonstration of the interface can be found on our CFS to QB webpage.