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Favorite Non Auto Technology/Software?

Nov 4, 2012
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First Name
Jessica
As far as industry solutions go - I bet there is a piece of software out there for everything you need (AND DON'T).

What are you using daily that you didn't buy from an automotive vendor?

For me, my number one is Evernote.

I've heard great things about Slack (@emiltsch and @Daniel J. Mondello swear by it).

Those are great for organization and project management.

What tools are you guys using daily?

If you need any ideas for gifts this year, or hell buy it for yourself - check out this article with the hottest tech gifts.
 
I am with Jessica, Evernote IT IS!!!! I use a iphone, ipad, Windows based desktop, Surface tablet and MacBook Air. Doesn't not matter what device I am on, i always have all my notes. Adding notes on the run into Evernote on my phone is so easy, especially since it allows you to add voice notes. Then wa-la my notes are everyplace else i work when I get there. I don't know how in this digital age anybody can work without something such as Evernote.
 
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Hello Jessica


A software tool that I have used for many years and is an incredibly handy program is called “TYPEITIN”.


http://www.wavget.com/typeitin/


This program allows you to create “buttons” that you can easily customize, which when clicked can fill out forms and even run scripts. Buttons can be color coded, placed into different “groups” and easily labelled as to what they do.

This little program can automate so many functions from the very simple to the very complex, and is very inexpensive, costing about $25.00 to $35.00 depending on the version you download. I use the professional version. Free to download and try.

I use Typeitin as a password manager as well as a comment generator for our online ads. For example: In creating comments the program scrapes specific data about the vehicle (IE: Odometer, color, engine etc.) from the screen placing that data into placeholders. The program then merges the captured information with random introduction sentences and random paragraphs that it pulls from text databases and creates and writes a HTML advertisement for the vehicle. Writing such a complicated routine as a comment generator is not for the faint of heart, as such I use it here only as an example showing that the TYPEITIN program can do some very complex routines.

Other possible uses would be to create templated responses to emails and with a click of a TYPEITIN button the program will write the response for you. The program can also be used to manage and open any programs currently residing on your computer. For example: you can create a GROUP for “MS OFFICE” programs, were one TYPEITIN button opens EXCEL, another button perhaps WORD, another OUTLOOK.

The key to success with this program is to spend some 15 minutes reading the manual “help file” and understanding the basics. You can be up and running in minutes.

I am not affiliated with the TYPEITIN software, however I do recommend it as a great utility to add to your software tool box.



John O
 
For me, the list is extensive. I have a bit of a fun desk setup and I'm very particular about the software. I use a bunch of software that's very tightly tied to my workflow, but the more generic software I use:
  • Wunderlist - everything To Do list. I have a shared list with each team member so I can keep an eye on when things are completed
  • Tree - I don't know why I use this, but before I start any big project or presentation I always outline it in Tree
  • Google Hangouts - We used to use Slack and before that we used a real IRC, but we've gone back to Hangouts until the team is too large.
  • Rdio - For a couple more weeks before they go completely bankrupt my team and I will get to keep sharing playlists and songs and continue to use music as a social aspect of the office. Looking for a replacement now.
 
I haven't started using it yet, but I think Office Sway could be very useful for making dealership 'customer manuals' to send out to potential buyers, sold customers, and service customers. I could see it being very intuitive to build a walk around/brochure to send out, a how to set up Bluetooth, how to use navigation, etc.

It's kind of like a powerpoint + pdf + webpage on steroids. The ease of use, organization flow, and functionality (can embed clickable video, links, pictures) is what I'm very interested in.

Look at these two examples and you'll see what I mean. These are completed project examples: (Press play to start it - make sure to CLICK THE PICTURES, VIDEO, AND UNDERLINED TEXT to see the capabilities)

Edit: Deleted the private links - Added these public ones

https://sway.com/art_film_institute_presentation

https://sway.com/dBheQgVZ1RQBfiQU
 
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Hey guys, thought I would share one I implemented at the last dealership I worked at.

http://www.setmore.com

SetMore - is a calendar sharing app. You can keep a client list, set in static services with prices and get reports on how much profit was made that day. We implemented this for our Service Department to schedule the Techs. Its pretty powerful, and free which is nice. There are also scripts that you can post on your website to allow the customer to schedule their own appointments and have a Service Adviser/Writer go back in and adjust or confirm the appointment as necessary.

I'm sure some of you use your DMS to do this, but at the time CDK wasn't very useful for us, so they were just using Excel Spreadsheets to schedule the appointments which created a problem when the file got deleted. So this cloud base product was my solution to that issue.