System parameters define the way the CRM system operates. They provide individual dealers with the choice of how to use the system to meet their requirements.
Warning: Due consideration should be given before changing any of the system parameters as they not only effect users working in the CRM module but those who need to access it from other modules.
The System parameters form is displayed when you select the System parameters option from the CRM system maintenance menu. The form is a standard general editor, but you will not have access to the help, create and delete options. When the form is opened it is already in edit mode where any changes can be saved by using the Save button or any amendments can be cancelled by pressing the cancel button. The only field that cannot be edited on the form is the field titled Company which will be automatically populated with the company number you are presently in.
Tabs
Special Contact Type Codes Group
The special contact types area has five fields which enable you determine contact type codes for complaints, customer satisfaction,contact termination, Quick SMS and Quick E-mail. Clicking on the ellipsis 
you will be able to select the correct contact type code from the contact type codes file.
Record of complaints: Enter the contact code used for complaints. This allows the record maintenance program to filter out complaints, and is also used as a default when creating a complaint.
Customer satisfaction records: Enter the contact code used for the Customer Satisfaction Index survey. This allows the record maintenance program to filter out Customer Satisfaction Index survey results, and is also used as a default in the customer satisfaction.
Substitute for illegal chain record: Enter the contact code for an override condition in certain cases, where ordinarily another type of contact would have been due, but in this case is not required, ie no further action is required with regard to the matter.
Quick SMS contact: Enter the contact code used to create contacts resulting from the use of the quick SMS icons on the CRM customer record.
Quick E-mail contact: Enter the contact code used to create contacts resulting from the use of the quick e-mail icons on the customer record.
Lead contact code: Enter the contact code used to create contacts for accepted leads.
The CRM system uses the document archiving facility extensively, not only for quotations and orders but also for the free typed notes regarding companies, targets and vehicles and also for the extended notes in respect of contacts and complaints. They will all be stored in the MK document types where the prime key will be the unique sequence number. The second key (id:) however will commence with the second two digits of these parameter settings followed by the record number of the relevant record.
Warning:The document types entered here need to have the corresponding entry in document archive types(AK) for the documents to be stored correctly.
Company - type: The Document archive type prime key for additional notes held at a company level.
id: The Document archive id for additional notes held at company level.
Customer - type: The Document archive type prime key for additional notes held at a customer level.
id: The Document archive id for additional notes held at customer level.
Vehicle - type: The Document archive type prime key for additional notes held at a vehicle level.
id: The Document archive id for additional notes held at vehicle level.
Contact - type: The Document archive type prime key for additional notes held against an individual contact record.
id: The Document archive id for additional notes held against an individual contact record.
Followup - type: The Document archive type prime key for additional follow-up notes held against an individual contact record
id: The Document archive id for additional follow-up notes held against an individual contact record.
Compl detail - type: The Document archive type prime key for additional notes held against an individual complaint record
id: The Document archive id for additional notes held against an individual complaint record.
Compl action - type: The Document archive type prime key for additional action or follow-up notes held against an individual complaint record
id: The Document archive id for additional action or follow-up notes held against an individual complaint record.
Scanned documents type: This is the document archive type for documents that you scan in as contacts (for instance when you scan in a customer letter).
RTF document type: This document type allows you the store copies of RTF type letters in the document archive.
Service history ID: The layout of the standard print service history form. The format is supplied with the system. This is controlled by format stationery definition K14. If you want to design your own service history form layout, possibly based on the standard service history form layout, enter the code of your specific layout here. Do not change the K10 standard layout because a future software update will overwrite it with the standard format.
PDF document type: The document archive type prime key for PDF files held against an individual complaint record
The priorities are used to limit user access to the system.
Edit a CRM record: This controls the user priority level (1 to 9) required to edit an existing CRM record. This parameter applies to companies, targets and vehicles.
Note: Remember that if a user is not allowed to edit then they also cannot enter contact records.
Create a CRM record: This controls the user priority level (1 to 9) required to create a new CRM record. This parameter applies to companies, targets and vehicles.
Edit execs and branches: This controls the user priority level 1 to 9) necessary to alter the Branch code and the existing sales executives against an existing customer record. This parameter can be used to prevent certain levels of operators from appropriating one another's prospects and/or customers.
Override a follow up date: This controls the user priority level (1 to 9) required to enter a follow-up date later than the one proposed by the system, when creating a contact record.
Retain previous links: This controls the user priority level (1 to 9) required to get the option to retain the previous links when changing the vehicle links.
Show purchase invoice values: This controls the priority level (1 to 9) which a user requires for the purchase invoice details for vehicles to show in the service history.
Priority to edit costs on vspec lines: This is only applicable for system where CRM stocking functions are used instead of vehicle stock books and gives the user access to change the costs on vehicle specification lines after the vehicle has been created.
Display\Edit vehicle key numbers: This controls the minimum priority a user requires to be able to see and amend a vehicles key number details.
Key Fields edit priority: This controls the priority needed to edit key fields on company and customer records. These fields vary between the two types of record.
For company records the priority affects editing of the company name and for customer records the priority affects editing of the following:-
- Telephone numbers
- Work extension
- Address
- Post code
- Title
- Initials
- First name
- Surname
Is the vehicle database turned on: Used to adapt the standard AUTOLINE CRM module for non-motor trade application. For normal motor dealer and motor importer operations, this check box is set to No Tick for Yes. For non-motor trade businesses where the concept of a vehicle does not exist then this can be unset for No.
Note: Changing this parameter setting should only be considered after consultation with a support consultant.
Continuous contact history statuses: The customer status codes which determine that a customer must have at least one outstanding contact that requires follow-up.
Customer statuses that do not have contacts: The parameter refers to the status flags on each cost centre (customer, hot prospect, etc). List the status codes in this parameter and any customer that has that status will not have contacts created. This could be used in the instance of customer - no contacts style status codes.
Shows sales data before histogram: When sales analysis is displayed in My desktop program it can be displayed as a table of 12 months data with a further option to graph it (if this check box is set to a tick) or go straight to the graph (if this check box is left blank).
Non alpha to be kept in short name: This parameter string is used to define the non-alpha numeric characters that should be retained when converting company and customer names into short names for look-up purposes, such as hyphens, etc.
Vehicle status shown first on search: When accessing company or target data In My desktop program, if the Vehicles tab is selected, the tab will display a list vehicles attached to that company or target. This parameter value determines what type of vehicles are shown when the user first enters the tab. This is normally C for current.
Tip: Click the Ellipse [...] button, adjacent to the Vehicle status shown first on search field, to view / select from all the available status codes.
Contact overlays - Forms: The layout of the standard re-printed contact form format supplied with the system is controlled by format stationery definition K10. If you wish to design your own contact form layout, possibly based on the standard with the necessary changes, then the code of your specific layout should be entered here. Under no circumstance should you change the K10 standard layout and use that, as a future software update will overwrite it with the standard format once again.
Contact overlays - Sheets: The layout of the standard plain paper contact sheet format supplied with the system is controlled by format stationery definition K10. If you wish to design your own contact sheet layout, possibly based on the standard with the necessary changes, then the code of you specific layout should be entered here. Under no circumstance should you change the K10 standard layout and use that, as a future software update will overwrite it with the standard format once again.
Maximum vehicles on contact sheet: The plain paper contact sheet is designed to show multiple current vehicles for those targets who are linked to more than one vehicle. In the case of large fleet targets, this could present an unwieldy list making the contact sheet run to several pages. This parameter is used to define a sensible limit when printing multiple vehicles on a contact sheet. A value of zero here is defined as no limit, and all vehicles would be printed.
Sales analysis type: Enter or select the type of sales analysis required.
- N - No analysis
- C - By department
- P - By product code
Time between sales analysis updates: Sales analysis data is gleaned from the accounting invoice buffer by a background or daemon task. To minimize the CPU time that this task takes up, it operates on a frequency basis and sleeps in between. The frequency with which this task wakes-up and reads the file is controlled by the value of this parameter which is stored as minutes. So to update sales analysis every half hour set this parameter to 30.
Maximum CSI score: The input of customer satisfaction survey results (CSI scores) allows a value of 0 to 9 as standard. This parameter can be used to limit the score to a lower level if required. If a dealer wishes to ask Yes and No questions only, then the logic of 0 for No and 1 for Yes could be adopted, in which case this parameter would be set to 1. If a dealer wishes to limit responses to good, average or poor, then the logic 1 for poor, 2 for average and 3 for good could be adopted, in which case this parameter would be set to 3.
Method of measuring tank capacities: This parameter controls whether the tank capacity stored in the vehicle record is measured in gallons (parameter should be set to G) or litres (parameter should be set to L).
GB Post code mode This parameter controls when the GB post code database is used to automatically fill in the address from the post code. The parameter settings are C for Create, A for Amend, B for Both, or leave blank if the post code database is not used.
Note: This applies to the UK only. Leave blank in all other countries.
Tip: There is also a parameter to switch Post code Validation on/off on the Duplication Awareness tab.
Tidy GBPC address: The address from the post code database from the post office often has blank lines (since it is supplied in a standard format of certain bits of information on certain lines). This parameter defines whether the system should automatically tidy the address into consecutive lines.
Special conversion character : Character used to stop the system converting lower case characters to upper case.
Customer title look up: this controls to what degree the title validation is enforced in customer record maintenance. This can be set to :-
- N Not used. This will allow users to enter the customer title manually there will be no drop down option next to the title field.
- L Look-up only. This allows users to use a look up to select the customer title but they will also be able to enter this information manually.
- V Validate. This forces the users to select a title code from the drop down
menu. The title field will not be edit able.
Complaint case file duration : This is the number of days which completed complaint contact remain in the case file.
Other Branches visible : When this parameter is switched on and location security is being used users will be able to see records for branches other than the ones they have access to. They will not be able to edit them.
User access control initiated : This parameter is used to switch on or off User access control. With this parameter switched on the system will only allow access to the CRM system according to a users User Access Control set up.
Contact executive security: Priority a user must have in order to access other executives' customers without having any team membership.
The Contact Strength tab allows you to define the contact strengths used on contacts. There are up to 9 different contact strengths in the range 1-9. 1 is a Weak contact, 5 is a Medium contact and 9 is a strong contact. Strengths 1,5 and 9 must be present, but it is up to the operator to decide if it is required to use any other strengths.
Strength: The contact strength is a number in the range 1-9.
Description: Each contact strength used should have a description.
The Duplication awareness tab controls which fields the system will use to search for duplicate records.
Validate post code: If this check box is set to a tick the system will search for records with the same post code after you have entered a post code in the post code field of a company or customer record.
Phone Numbers
Main: If this check box is ticked, the system will search for records with the same phone number after you have entered the Main phone number.
Other: If this check box is ticked, the system will search for records with the same phone number after you have entered the Other phone number.
Fax: If this check box is ticked, the system will search for records with the same phone number after you have entered the Fax number.
Telex: If this check box is ticked, the system will search for records with the same phone number after you have entered the Telex number.
Validate email: If this check box is ticked, the system will search for records with the same email address after you have entered one.
The Other tab on the CRM system parameters form contains some fields that are country specific and the system reports information
The fields on this tab are:
IMS integration. The IMS integration parameter is only used in Irish markets and is used to determine the level of access for importer systems.
Number of Recent Records. This parameter is used to set the number of records that will appear on the list of recent records within record maintenance.
SMS message cost This is the cost per SMS message charged by your service provider. This is used in CRM campaigns to calculated the campaign cost when running an SMS type campaign.
Loyalty card level This allows you to select which of the CRM records, company,customer or vehicle is to hold the loyalty card information. You are also able to select none if this is not going to be used on the system. the required option can be selected using the drop down
Consignment process enabled. This is only used on non vsb systems and is used to determine if users are able to use the vehicle consignment process. If this parameter is switched on a second field is enabled called Consignment progress code which enables users to determine the vehicle progress code which is to be allocated vehicles at consigned status.
CRM Statistic decimal places This is the number of places after the decimal place which you want to show on the figures displayed on the statistics tab information in My Desktop. You can select the number using the drop down
Maximum word search results returned This parameter is used to restrict the number of results listed following a word search in My desktop. You can enter a number between 1 and 1000
Split parent/branches in word search: Defines that parent / branches are to be split in word search's.
Enable account number buttons Ticking this will enable the account number buttons on the CRM company and customer records. Whether the button shows will also depend on the Sales Ledger accounts system parameter set up.
Odometer Check This parameter allows control of the number of miles you can changed the last known milage of a vehicle by when using the mileage icon on the CRM vehicle records.
Contact history archive (days): Defines the number of days until contact history is archived.
Service history archive (days): Defines the number of days until service history is archived.
My Customers user defined display Ticking this enables the menu option so you can create the user defined format.
Display magic number in search: (If Installed) Tick this to enable the Customer Record Number magic numbers to be displayed in the CRM word search.
Mandatory/Advisable customer phone capture: (If Installed) Tick this to specify that only one of the four phone fields is required to save the customer record.
Casefile Default: (If Installed) Selected the required Casefile default from the dropdown
- 1 No Maximise/Minimise button.
- 2 Default to Maximise.
- 3 Default to Minimise.
Service History Report ID: (If Installed) Report K88 has been created for display and printing of the service history.
Days to keep rejected leads: the number of days rejected leads are retain on the system before they are deleted during the MK consolidation process. If left at zero the rejected leads will remain on the system.
Purge reminder lines : Defines the number of days that Marketing Remin lines are deleted from the system.
System Reports The system reports grid allows you to specify up to five CRM report generator reports that users can access from with Marketing record maintenance. The reports can be selected by clicking on the ellipsis
which will list all of the available report generators.
Customer export definition this is the export definition used against report generator reports that are going to be used in the selection criteria options on the My Customers tab of My Desktop.
The general area of the form contains the parameters for the priorities, times and overlays needed in the demonstrator bookings system.
Create a loan vehicle This is the minimum CRM access level required to create a new loan vehicle.
Amend loan vehicle This is the minimum CRM access level required to amend a loan vehicle.
Immediate start This is the minimum CRM access level required to be able to use the now or immediate start facility in Demonstrator booking.
Authorise loan This is the minimum CRM access level required to be able to authorise a demonstrator booking.
Delete demo This is the minimum CRM access level required to be able to delete a loan booking.
Start with no licence This is the minimum CRM access level required to be able to start a booking with no licence. If the user does not have sufficient CRM access they are forced to enter the driver licence number before they are able to start the booking.
Default loan length This the amount of time in minutes that a booking will automatically set to last for. So if a loan vehicle has been selected at 10.00 the end time for the booking will be defaulted in as 10.30.
Loan retention days This is the number of days that loan transactions stay in the MK.demtr file before MK.CONSO removes them.
Interest Percentage Tax This is used for reporting purposes.
The questions for quick bookings are a set of up to five questions that a user should be aware of when using the now option in demonstrator bookings. These questions appear at the bottom of the screen. These are used as prompts and the user is not required to answer all the questions before the demonstration is allowed to be commenced.
There are three contact codes that can be used in demonstrator bookings these are:-
Confirm Loan This contact code is used to create a contact at the point the booking is confirmed.
Loan Complete This is the contact code that will be used for the contact created when a booking is completed.
Loan CSI This is the contact code used when creating the CSI contact for a booking on completion.
Click on the 
to select a loan type. Demo and Courtesy will default into the filter option in the bookings option. The codes are set up in Miscellaneous options Loan vehicle status.
Demo: Defines the loan type for demonstrator vehicles.
- N: No type selected
- D: Demonstrator
- H: Hire car
- L: Loan car
- S: Stock vehicle
Courtesy: Defines the loan type for courtesy vehicles.
- N: No type selected
- D: Demonstrator
- H: Hire car
- L: Loan car
- S: Stock vehicle
Non-fleet: Defines the loan type for courtesy vehicles.
- N: No type selected
- D: Demonstrator
- H: Hire car
- L: Loan car
- S: Stock vehicle
Insurance charge: Enter the RTS code to be pulled into Point-of-Sales WIPS regards the costs for Insurance charges.
Customer fee: Enter the RTS code to be pulled into Point-of-Sales WIPS regards the costs for Insurance charges.
Note: The Customer fee RTS code needs to be populated otherwise the Courtesy car icon
will not be seen in Point of sale.
Mileage excess: Enter the RTS code to be pulled into Point-of-Sales WIPS regards the costs for Mileage excess charges.
Insurance excess: Enter the RTS code to be pulled into Point-of-Sales WIPS regards the costs for Insurance excess charges.
Fuel charge: Enter the RTS code to be pulled into Point-of-Sales WIPS regards the costs for Fuel charges.
Tip: You do not have to have all the RTS codes populated only use the ones you want to charge the customer for, but you must adhere to the Note above.
Enter the format stationary id that is to be used for Demo, Courtesy start or return agreements. If this parameter is left blank the print options in the Loan vehicle booking screens are disabled
Demo agreement: Enter the format to be used to print demo vehicle agreements.
Courtesy start agreement: Enter the format to be used to print courtesy start agreements.
Courtesy return agreement: Enter the format to be used to print courtesy end agreements.
This tab allows you to specify the list increments for the My Customers tab. The entries made in the fields will be on the buttons at the side of the My Customer tab. As each is clicked the first entry for that description will be highlighted according to the sort selected.
On clicking the default button at the bottom of the grid you will be given a list of options to select these are :-
Single which when selected will show single character selection options for My Customers. For example A
Double, when this option is select the entries will be entered on to the My customers tab as AB.
Treble, when this option is selected the characters will be written onto the buttons on the My Customers tab as ABC.
Range,when this option is selected the characters will be written onto the buttons on the My Customers tab as A-C.