Volume Software is pleased to introduce ReflexClient version 4.4. This version enriches the user experience with the new concept of business deals which replaces opportunities.
Let’s see what it’s all about.
Business deals
As stated in our introductory text, sales opportunities were replaced by business deals. These benefit from a new screen and offer new features. Please note that existing opportunities will be automatically converted to business deals following the update process.
New window
Like for other elements of ReflexClient, like companies or contacts, the business deals window can be divided in three main parts:
- The upper band gives access to the contacts, notes, appointments and jobs relating to the business deal
- The left panel gives access, in standard, to General information and Additional information about the business deal, as well as customizable menus
- The right, main, panel, is used to perform actions on business deals
General information
In the General information tab, the upper part of the screen ① allows you to enter general information about the business deal, including its object (business deal title) and its description.
Like for the company and customer records, an icon enables you to add quickly the business deal to your favourites. The notions of business deal number and variant, as well as the indicators displayed on the right, are detailed in dedicated sections.
The lower left part ② enables you to enter the information about the target company of the business deal:
- The company, required.
- The facility within the company, where appropriate.
- The group, automatically retrieved of the company is attached to a group.
- Your contact inside the company.
The lower right part ③ allows you to inform the business deal details:
- A business deal manager, in your company.
- An umbrella project for the business deal.
Clicking on the selector will display the list of existing projects and allow the creation/modification/deletion of projects. Note that the notion of project can apply to different companies for which we would like to regroup business deals. - The business deal family, for example the „Packaging” or „POS” families in the cardboard business.
- The business deal origin, in order to specify the channel which brought the deal, e.g. „Website”, „Advertisement” or „Fair”.
Business deal numbers and variants
Business deal number
The business deal numbering is performed when ReflexClient communicates with the server.
This works as follows:
- When I create the business deal, the number is not assigned yet:
- When I am done completing the business deal and if I am connected to the server, a business deal number is automatically assigned when saving the deal:
- If I am not connected to the server, the business deal number will remain unassigned until the next server synchronization.
Variants
Just like it is possible to create estimate variants in your ERP (e.g. technical, colour, quantity variants), you can also create business deal variants.
The variant creation duplicates the header information of the original business deal (company, manager, …).
By default, this is the main variant but the „Main variant” checkbox offers the ability to select the variant to display as the main variant.
The concept of main variant is particularly useful in the calculation of the total amount of business deals, displayed at the bottom of the business list:
In order not to skew calculations by adding multiple times to amounts relating to the same deal, only the main variants are totalized.
Nonetheless, ReflexClient offers you the ability to select a group of business deals. Their total amount will be displayed on the same line, after „Selection”.
Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
In the upper right part of the window, two new visual indicators are now available.
- The first indicates the status of the business deal, as well as its inactivity.
- The second indicates the business deal amount and its chances of success.
The various statuses are the following:
| Status | Background colour | Definition |
| Open | The box colour is based on the business deal activity: if it was just created or modified in the current week, the business deal is displayed in green: If the business deal remains inactive for several weeks, it will progressively turn to red:  | This is an ongoing business deal. |
| Won | A won business deal displays against a bright green background: | The deal is won and the box automatically displays the date of signature. The reason is not required. |
| Lost | A lost business deal displays against a bright red background:  | The deal is lost. The reason is required. |
| Aborted | An aborted business deal displays against a bright red background:  | The deal is aborted. The reason is required. |
The second box displays the entered amount for the business deal, or „Turnover not evaluated” if there isn’t any input amount.
The colour of this box depends on the chances of success of the business deal.
If the business is won or lost/aborted, this box will be of the same colour as the business deal status indicator.
However, if the business is open, this box will reflect the chances of success of the business deal: from red for a deal with low prospects of success to green for a deal which will most certainly be successful. Chances of success are materialized by a percentage and a circle which is more or less completed:
 |  |  |
Please note: If the business deal amount was not entered, this box will will remain grey as long as the deal is open.
Sales steps
The sales steps that you know were kept in the lower part of the screen, with a refreshed design.
You will find the business deal scenario which allows you to customize the sales steps based on the context in order, for example, to display a reduced number of steps when dealing with a renewal scenario.
Once the business deal scenario selected, the screen will display the corresponding sales steps.
Double-click on a step (or select it and click on „Modify”) to open the sales step modification screen:
Note that when modifying the current step, you can update the business deal state:
A won business deal automatically updates the date of signature with the current date.
The closure of a business deal („Lost” or „Aborted”) requires the input of the reason.
Additional information
With additional information, users get a quick access to basic information about the business deal: state of the deal, information about the creation/modification of the deal (user and date).
Configurable menus
While product lines were deleted, this information can be entered in configurable menus which are available, like on the company and contact records, on the left panel of the screen.
As is the case for companies, these configurable tabs enable admins to create custom buttons to open network folders with various variables in the path, including the business deal number.
Grouped actions
In the list of business deals, a new grouped action allows you to batch-assign business deals numbers , for a selection or all business deals in your list.
When updating ReflexClient, when opportunities are converted into business deals, this function enables users to quickly number the business deals which have not been assigned a number.
New contextual information windows
In lists of business deals, new contextual information windows offer a synthesis of the available information about the business deal, as well as various quick actions, such as turning a simple variant into a main variant.
In the sales steps available on the business deal details window, right-clicking on a sales step displays a synthesis of available information about the step, and offers you a quick action to define this step as the current step:
Synchronization with ERP
With an option, in the administration of server bases („Manage this ERP database”), business deals can now be directly transferred in the VoluPack ERP („Affaires” table).
As a reminder, in the input of VoluPack estimates, you can enter a business deal number, as an umbrella for the created estimates.
You will find all these new features of ReflexClient in our brochure.
