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AutoQuotes Newsletter
September 2011
AQ360, A Version with Experience
Michael Greenwald, CFSP, President, AutoQuotes
AutoQuotes, having been in business for over 20 years, has been a continuous work-in-progress. From the first Windows-based Version 4, with its ever-growing monthly compliment of snail-mailed update floppy disks, to the state-of-the-art, cloud-based AQ360, AutoQuotes has become the most ubiquitous software in the E&S industry today.
AutoQuotes now boasts over 25,000 user licenses. That includes users from over 1500 dealer companies, over 400 rep organizations, and almost 200 consultant companies. Today, 469 manufacturers advertise over half a million products in our database, which generates over half a billion dollars a week in quotation activity.
On December 15th, we will end support for our oldest edition, Version 4. The program & the data for V.4 will not be updated at all thereafter, nor will we be providing technical support for it. We have reached out directly to the remaining V.4 users to advise them of this development. There are not many left.
The quantity of AQNet (V.6) and Legacy (V.5) users decline every week as more users discover the unprecedented benefits AQ360 has to offer. Almost half of our daily users are on AQ360. A little over one-third are on AQNet and approximately 15-17% use Legacy.
AQ360 users will feel a real boost when our massive new, state-of-the-art server goes on line this month. Consisting of over 60 CPU’s, this workhorse will comfortably handle the load as the number of daily users on AQ360 continues to increase. We’re excited to get this baby up & running.
Only in AQ360 can you create a report aggregating your O&M manuals into a single PDF document. AQ360 is the only AutoQuotes version that “fields” utility rough-in information so you can populate your specification reports or cutbook report leadsheets with plumbing & electrical rough-in data. Would you rather work in Spanish? In AQ360 you can. Or, you can work in English & provide Spanish language quotes to your Spanish speaking customers.
Soon, we’ll introduce the AutoQuotes AutoCAD plug-in, which will help make the design-specify-quote process dramatically more efficient. You won’t find it anywhere but in AutoQuotes 360 and it’s like nothing you’ve seen before. We unveiled an early prototype at the NAFEM show to a rousing reception. Our CAD plug-in, at times, got more attention than AutoQuotes 360 itself. The consultant community has shown great enthusiasm for its fresh, sophisticated design and over 100 so far, have lined up to be BETA testers. In fact, we’ve been presenting it at the FCSI Super Regional conferences to eager, very attentive audiences. Interested in being a beta tester? Click http://www.aqnet.com/Home/AutoCAD.
The leasing option returns to AQ360 very soon. We are working with a respected innovative financing provider to develop an improved lease quote report as well as the leasing option “stamp” on standard quotes.
Of course we will continue to support AQNet and Legacy and maintain the data therein; however we will not add any of the aforementioned new features to those versions. From a program standpoint, they are frozen in time.
We think AQ360 is our final version. Our hope is to someday have all users on that platform. Then we’ll be able to be truly efficient maintaining only one database, not multiple databases as we must today.
To that end, our intention (& don’t get nervous as there is no timetable for this) is to ultimately phase out AQNet, which has served us well these past 6-7 years, but has not scaled as well as all had hoped. The speed at which users are moving from AQNet to AQ360 is staggering and only helps to reinforce our objective. 360 is where it’s at!
Legacy will continue to be available….kind of a lite version of AutoQuotes, if you will. It will never be upgraded but will continue to be updated with the latest data, images, and supporting documents. Numbers of Legacy users are also dwindling weekly. Our hope, as I said earlier, is to ultimately evolve to a one version program.
In the meantime, if you’re not using AQ360, you’re not getting the most AutoQuotes has to offer. http://www.aqnet.com/Home/Upgrade. It’s a free upgrade if you’re a licensed AutoQuotes subscriber!
See you on the cloud ;~}
AutoQuotes/AutoCAD Plug-In
Katharine Mizla, CSI, CDT, Director of Consultant Services, AutoQuotes
Hi, I am Katharine Mizla, CSI, CDT, Director of Consultant Services for AutoQuotes working specifically on the development of the AutoQuotes/AutoCAD plug-in. I came from the world of consulting working the last five years as a Senior Associate for Cini Little International, Inc. As a designer, I worked with AutoQuotes and AutoCAD every day. I always found it frustrating, and time consuming, working in several programs to complete my project. Being a fan of technology, I always thought “There has to be a better way!” When I learned AutoQuotes was thinking about developing a plug-in that would link AutoQuotes and AutoCAD, I was on board and ready to go with lots of ideas about how the two programs can work together. After several months of hard work, I believe we have found the “better way!”
AutoQuotes will release the beta version of the new AutoQuotes/AutoCAD plug-in to a group of more than 115 designers within the next week or two. The new plug-in allows designers to access manufacturer’s CAD symbols in AutoQuotes while creating an AutoQuotes project, then bring the CAD symbols into a drawing in AutoCAD, completing two important steps of the design process at the same time Everything a designer needs to create a project is now in one place, without losing the functionality of either program.
We didn’t stop there! We also added:
- Dynamic Symbols - we are using the dynamic features available in the newer versions of AutoCAD (2011 and 2012) to create multiple symbols as one symbol, show casters hidden within the symbol, and flip doors swings all at the press of a button.
- A Tagging feature that tags every item in the drawing at the press of a button.
- A Rough-in routine that adds the utility symbols along with the appropriate tag, at the press of a button.
- Schedules, created in AutoQuotes and brought into AutoCAD using the tables built into AutoCAD. Again, at the press of a button.
- Quality Control that alerts the designer if the CAD drawing doesn’t match the AutoQuotes project.
- A Create a Block feature that creates a block using the dimensions in AutoQuotes when a CAD symbol is not available, and adds the item to the AutoQuotes project.
Our new AutoQuotes/AutoCAD plug-in takes full advantage of the technology available in the newer versions of AutoCAD (2011 and 2012), because of this, our plug-in will not work with older versions of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.
For our manufacturers, do we have your symbols? If we don’t, send them to us and we will get them added to our database quickly. If you are not sure, give me a call or send me an e – mail and I will let you know what we have and what we don’t.
We are excited about our new plug-in and want everyone in the design community to test it out. We are confident it is going to be a huge time saver for anyone who works with AutoQuotes and AutoCAD. If you haven’t seen our plug-in yet, call: 904-384-2279 ext. 113, email: kmizla@aqnet.com, or post on our forum: http://cadforum.aqnet.com for a demonstration.
AutoQuotes Lease-Quote Options are Back! 
AutoQuotes has teamed-up with Marlin Business Services Corp., a nationwide provider of equipment and software financing solutions to small and mid-sized businesses, to offer you competitive and flexible financing programs for end-user customers to purchase your equipment. The strategic alliance is designed to help you close sales faster, sell more equipment and add incremental sales opportunities. Marlin is a very proactive organization with years of financing expertise, is well capitalized and is a trusted financing source to help you grow your sales.
AutoQuotes is very excited to include this value added service in the program once again. We understand that our market is very competitive and while your customers are looking to buy new equipment, they are also focused on preserving their cash. Equipment financing provides the means for your customers to do both. Marlin makes the process simple and easy for you to sell more equipment utilizing financing as a sales tool.
Phase I - the functionality in the program is much like it was before. There is an option to put a “finance for as low as…” stamp on the quote report, which will include a link directly to Marlin for additional information, applications, etc. There is also the more detailed Lease Quote Report.
Phase II will include automated electronic transmission of the financing application data. This will make submitting applications easier than ever for your customers.
Marlin has been effectively servicing dealers and manufacturers in the foodservice channel for many years. We’re excited to be able to once again offer equipment financing as a quoting option. Having Marlin, a recognized industry leader, provide our “in-house” equipment financing option, assures that your customers will be handled with courtesy & professionalism.
AutoQuotes 360 Roadshows
- Sept. 15 – Boston, MA
- Sept. 27 – St. Louis, MO
- Oct. 13 – Houston, TX
- Oct. 25 – Milwaukee, WI
- Nov. 1 – San Francisco, CA
For seminar details, fees, and registration information, please go to http://www.mafsi.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=64928.
September Price Updates
(Canada)
New Manufacturers
(Canada)
