Using Smart eCat Configuration

When you click the Configure toolbar button , the Catalog tab shows the Configuration tabs for Smart eCat:

• Smart Buy Tab
• Coverages Tab
• Pricing Tab
• Connections Tab
• Options Tab
• Labor Mapping Tab
• Purchase History Tab

Smart Buy Tab

Smart Buy is a coverage that includes

• Your local inventory coverage.
• Other supplier coverages.

The Smart Buy coverage allows Smart eCat to search multiple suppliers at once - including your local inventory. Otherwise, you would have to search your local inventory and each supplier separately, which is time-consuming and inefficient.

Use the left and right arrows to include and exclude coverages for the Smart Buy list.

Includes in Smart Buy Section

The Includes in Smart Buy section displays the coverages in the Smart Buy list.

• Only checked items in this list dial out to the supplier's online catalog.
  • Unchecked coverages are not searched when the Smart Buy coverage is searched.
• The sequence of coverages in this section determines the sequence of search results sections on the Catalog tab.
  • Use the up and down arrows to determine the sequence.

Available Coverages Section

The Available Coverage section displays all the coverages you have configured.

• The name of coverage is in the following format: [Coverage name]: [Interface name].
  • The coverage name is the name assigned to the coverage when it was created on the Coverages tab in Smart eCat Configuration.
  • The interface name is the name assigned to the supplier interface for the supplier in R.O. Writer Configuration.
    
    • "No Interface" means no electronic ordering interface has been created for the supplier and it cannot be searched. Do not select these for the Smart Buy coverage.

Coverages Tab

A coverage is a grouping of part lines from the suppliers and the manufacturers they work with.

On the Coverage tab, you

• Assign coverage lists to the suppliers configured with interfaces.
• Import coverages.
• Add new coverages.
• Edit existing coverages.

• Suppliers With Online Ordering — This section contains all suppliers that have an electronic interface configured in R.O. Writer Configuration.
• Add/Edit Coverages button — Click to open the Supplier Maintenance Wizard where you create, edit, and delete coverages for Smart eCat.

NOTE: When adding and editing coverages, please refer to the Help button on each window in the wizard. It opens information from Epicor that describes each screen in detail.

To Import a Coverage from a Supplier

In this scenario, either the supplier has sent you or you have obtained the supplier's MCL file and stored that MCL file on a hard drive the current computer can access.

Complete these steps:

1. On the Coverages tab, click the Add/Edit Coverages button to open the Supplier Maintenance Wizard.
2. On the Select Coverages screen, select the Import a Coverage List/Export Files option.
3. Click the Select button.

4. On the Import/Export Coverages popup window, navigate to the MCL file and select it.

5. Click OK to import the file.

To Create a Coverage for a Supplier

You need to configure a coverage for a supplier when you do not have the supplier's MCL file.

Complete these steps:

1. On the Coverages tab, click the Add/Edit Coverages button to open the Supplier Maintenance Wizard.
2. On the Select Coverages screen, select the Add/Modify Coverage List Manually option and click Next.
3. On the Select Supplier, select the Existing Supplier option and the supplier in the list.

4. Click Next and the coverage wizard takes you through the steps of creating a coverage.
5. You need to choose the features and, most importantly, the part lines for each supplier.
6. On the Finish screen, click Perform Changes and the supplier is configured.

To Edit a Supplier Coverage

You can edit only one supplier at a time.

Complete these steps:

1. On the Coverages tab, click the Add/Edit Coverages button to open the Supplier Maintenance Wizard.
2. On the Select Coverages screen, select the Add/Modify Coverage List Manually option and click Next.
3. On the Select Supplier, select the Existing Supplier option and the supplier in the list.

4. The wizard moves you through the windows.
5. Make changes where you need to.
6. Click Finish on any window or after you complete each window, the Finish Supplier window opens listing your edits in the top half of the window.

7. Click Perform Changes and the supplier is edited.
8. When the process is complete, the bottom section says, "Supplier successfully modified!"

To Delete a Coverage

Complete these steps:

1. On the Coverages tab, click the Add/Edit Coverages button to open the Supplier Maintenance Wizard.
2. On the Select Coverages screen, select the Add/Modify Coverage List Manually option and click Next.
3. On the Select Supplier, select the Existing Supplier option and the supplier in the list.

4. Check DELETE This Supplier.
5. Click Next. The Finish Supplier window opens displaying that the supplier is to be deleted in the top section of the screen.

6. Click the Perform Changes button and R.O. Writer deletes the supplier. The bottom section of the window says, "Supplier successfully deleted!"

To Assign Suppliers to Your Coverage Lists

You need to assign suppliers that are configured for electronic ordering to a coverage list in Smart eCat.

Complete these steps:

1. Select the Coverage in the dropdown list.
2. In the Suppliers with Online Ordering section, select the supplier.
3. Click the left arrow to associate it with the selected Coverage.

NOTE: Each supplier can be assigned to only one coverage. If you assign a supplier to a second coverage, the supplier is removed from the first coverage.

To Import Settings from LaserCat

Smart eCat does not use the coverages set up in LaserCat. You can import the LaserCat settings by clicking the Import Settings from LaserCat button on the Coverages tab.

You are notified that the coverages will be deleted and asked to confirm the deletion.

WARNING! Clicking Yes will delete all existing coverages already configured in PEDS. Only the Epicor coverages are affected. Coverage lists in Smart eCat but not in Epicor remain intact.

Changes made to coverages in Smart eCat cannot be exported back to Epicor.

If you plan to use the imported coverages from LaserCat, in Smart eCat, you need to reassign suppliers to the imported coverages.

Pricing Tab

On the Pricing tab, you

• Mark up the catalog list price for each coverage list.
• Determine how the retail price is calculated for each supplier.

Catalog Pricing

Catalog pricing is applied to the suggested List price in Epicor when there is no electronic connection available or a part comes back from a vendor unavailable.

To mark up the list price for a selected coverage, select the coverage in the Coverage Lists dropdown list. Then, then enter the percentage to add.

Click Save to choose this method for the selected coverage.

Click Set All Suppliers to This Pricing Method to save this percentage for all coverage lists.

Supplier Pricing with Online Ordering

Supplier pricing is applied after a vendor has been queried and returned a cost and suggested List price.

Select the supplier using the dropdown, Then, select the option that determines the retail price posted to the ticket.

• Use List Price plus X% adds the percentage entered to the list price.
• Use the default matrix set as the pricing method for outside purchases.

Click Save to save the selected pricing option for the supplier selected in the dropdown list.

Click Set All Suppliers to This Pricing Method to save the selected pricing option for all suppliers with online ordering.

Other Price Options

Use List Price if Higher Than Calculated Price — Check to post the list price to the ticket if the list price is higher than the calculated price.

Modify Labor Estimate Time — Enter the percentage of time to add to labor times posted to the tickets. For example, "10" increases labor time by 10%.

• If you pay technicians on a flat rate, increasing labor time increases the technician's pay.
• Leave this field blank to use the labor at book time.

Connections Tab

This screen includes options when using Smart eOrder.

Allow Electronic Ordering from an Estimate

If this option is selected, you can use Smart eOrder to order parts for an estimate. If not selected, you can only order parts for a repair order.

Order Parts if Unavailable

This option determines how Smart eCat handles parts that are unavailable after you click the Check Price and Availability button on the Parts tab.

When selected, unavailable parts are highlighted in bold. The parts are ordered when the truck button is selected.

When not selected, unavailable parts are grayed out. Parts are not ordered when the truck button is selected.

IAP

Configure the Using IAP/EZConnect in eOrder COM portal address from either Smart eCat or eOrder. Click the Default button to change the URL back to the default and click the Save button to save changes.

AConneX Settings Button

AConneX setup is part of Smart eCat configuration. It is also available from the eOrder module by selecting Options.

You do not need to configure anything extra to connect to the AConneX Cloud. R.O. Writer connects to the AConneX Cloud automatically.

Options Tab

The settings on the Options tab determine the default behavior in Smart eCat. You must click the Save button at the top of the window to save these settings whenever you make changes. When you click Save, the changes apply immediately.

The options on this window are as follows:

• Limit Catalog Searches to Current Vehicle and Coverage
• Default Coverage
• Default Posting
• Parts Coverage Groups
• Cover to Cover
• Smart eCat Default Labor Options
• Smart eJobs Default Labor Options
• Automatically Post Specifications

Limit Catalog Searches to Current Vehicle and Coverage

Select this checkbox to limit catalog searches to only parts and labor that match the selected vehicle and coverage list.

Default Coverage

The Default Coverage dropdown list allows you to select smart buy or a specific coverage as the default for catalog part searches. Use the dropdown list to select the default coverage.

Select one of three options for the default coverage you selected:

• Use the Last Selected Coverage When the Catalog Starts – The last coverage used is automatically selected the next time you access the catalog.
• Use Default Coverage When the Catalog Starts – The default coverage is selected every time you access the catalog.
• Use the Default Coverage for Every Query – The default coverage is used every time a query is made, even if a different coverage was selected originally.

Default Posting

These options determine which posting option is selected by default on the Posted Parts and Labor tab.

Check Do Not Update Prices if the prices have changed since the parts were posted to the repair order; existing prices are not updated.

Parts Coverage Groups

Add the Coverage Description to the Part Group — Display the description for each group as in the example below.

Display the Coverage Description When Hovering on Part Group — Does not display the description unless you hover your cursor over the group name as in the example below.

Cover to Cover

Check Use Supplier Information in Favor of Cover to Cover to display the part information from the supplier (when available) instead of Cover to Cover information from Epicor.

When this checkbox is not selected, the Cover to Cover information displays:

Smart eCat Default Labor Options

Select the default labor option selected on the Posted Parts and Labor tab when posting labor to open tickets.

The labor option determines

• The name of the labor line in the Jobs section on the Parts/Labor tab.
• The information that posts to the labor description, which prints on the final invoice to the customer.

The Smart eCat Default Labor Option selected determines which labor option is selected by default for regular labor.

You can select from the following options:

• Use Predefined Description
  • Posts and prints only the labor description.
• Append to Predefined Description
• Replace Predefined Description

Smart eJobs Default Labor Options

Select the default labor option selected on the Posted Parts and Labor tab when posting labor to open tickets.

The labor option determines

• The name of the labor line in the Jobs section on the Parts/Labor tab.
• The information that posts to the labor description, which prints on the final invoice to the customer.

The Smart eJob Default Labor Option selected determines which labor option is selected by default for Smart eJobs.

You can select from the following options:

• Use Predefined Description
  • Posts and prints only the labor description.
• Append to Predefined Description
• Replace Predefined Description

Automatically Post Specifications

When Automatically Post Specifications is checked, the Epicor specifications for catalog parts and labor are selected automatically when they appear in Smart eCat.

If you leave the specifications checked:

• The specifications post to the Notes Tab of the Posted Parts and Labor tab automatically.
• When the labor is posted to a ticket, the specifications are added to the description of the labor, which also prints on the customer invoice.

You can uncheck the specifications before clicking the Next toolbar button.

Labor Mapping Tab

You can map Epicor descriptions to R.O. Writer categories and/or operations. When you post a mapped Epicor description to a ticket, the R.O. Writer category and/or operation posts. Mapping can help you track sales by labor category better, which helps you design better marketing campaigns.

In most cases, you should map only to a category and a labor operation only in certain cases.

For each Epicor Labor Guide Group, select the R.O. Writer Labor Category and/or Operation using the dropdown lists.

Click Save to save your changes.

Purchase History Tab

The Purchase History tab displays the dollar amount purchased online through Smart eCat from each supplier for 12 months. Select the ending month and year and click the Refresh button. The dollar amount per month displays as well as a graph.