The market performance in 2019 to date has been up and down, and July was no different.  After increasing by 3.3% from May to June, the volume of leads captured by kiwi dealers decreased by 3.2% from June to July 2019.  Test Drives fell again with 4.6% fewer Test Drives loaded across the 80% of franchise dealers using AutoPlay in July.  Sales bounced back in July with 12.9% more Sales being logged among AutoPlay dealers in July.

Unlike most sources, leads from ‘Web -Classified’ sources increased by 5.4% from June to July.  July also saw ‘Web – Dealer’ reclaim the second most popular source of leads despite decreasing by 1.9% from month-to-month.  This is because leads from the ‘Brand’ source decreasing by a massive 69.1% from June to July.  This is not unexpected as every June in NZ we see brands accounting for a large amount of leads due to the marketing and sales activities around Fieldays.

In July ‘Web Classified’ was the most common source of Test Drives but fell by 9.4%.  Test Drives arising from ‘Web – Dealer’ leads increased by 2.1% and Test Drives from ‘Direct’ leads decreased by 2.0% from June to July.

After a sizeable drop in Sales in June, Sales across the board increased in July 2019 (by 12.9%).  This was primarily due to a significant uptick in conversion to Sales on ‘Web – Classified’ leads – increasing by 23.2% from June to July.  Sales from ‘Web – Dealer’ source also increased by 5.5% resulting in a great month of Sales from online sources.  Sales from ‘Repeat’ customers decreased slightly (-0.1%) but still remained the 3rd most prevalent source of leads in July.

​Make sure to check back in August to see the top Sources of Leads, Test Drives and Sales in August 2019.  

​May 2019 saw increases of more than 8% in the number of Leads, Test Drives and Sales from the previous month.  In June 2019 we saw a slight increase in leads of 3.3%, but Test Drives decreased by 10% from May 2019 to June 2019, and Sales decreased by 15.7% from month to month.

The top 3 sources of leads remain unchanged with ‘Web – Classified’ continuing to be the most common source of leads for NZ Dealers despite decreasing by 1.3% from May to June 2019.  With Fieldays in June, ‘Brand’ supplied leads jumped a spot to be the second largest supplier of leads in NZ – on the back of a 29.6% increase the previous month, leads from the ‘Brand’ source increased a further 15% in June.  ‘Web – Dealer’ rounded out the top 3 despite a 6.6% decrease.

Test Drives decreased across the board as we were yet to witness the conversion of Leads to Test Drives within June from the Fieldays event.  Typically, we would expect to see an increase in Test Drives in the months following Fieldays.  From May 2019 to June 2019 we saw a decrease of 24.7% in Test Drives from the ‘Web - Dealer’ source, a decrease of 2.4% from ‘Web – Classified’ and an increase of 3.3% in Test Drives generated from May to June 2019.

Sales dropped by 15% from May to June across kiwi AutoPlay users.  We saw this trend across all sources with ‘Web – Classified’ decreasing by 22.9%, ‘Web – Dealer’ decreased by 14.7% and Sales from the ‘Repeat’ Source decreased by 16.5%.

​Make sure to check back in August to see the top Sources of Leads, Test Drives and Sales in July 2019.  

​After April was one of the worst performing months in recent memory, we experienced a bounce back in May 2019 with increases in the number of Leads, Test Drives and Sales recorded.  We saw Leads increase by 14.2%, Test Drives by 17.4% and 8.0% increase in Sales from April 2019 to May 2019.

The top 3 sources of leads remain unchanged with ‘Web – Classified’ bouncing back from an 11.7% decrease from March to April, with a 10% increase from April to May 2019.  Leads from the ‘Web – Dealer’ source increased by 6.7% and continued to be the second most common source of leads in May.  As brands geared up for Fieldays in NZ we saw a number of pre-qualified leads for the event get pushed through to dealers in advance of Fieldays.  This was reflected in an increase in leads from the ‘Brand’ source of 29.6% from April 2019 to May 2019.

Following the trend, we saw Test Drives increase by 17.4% April to May 2019.  The most common source of Test Drives was again ‘Web – Dealer’ leads which increased by 12.4% month to month.  After drops of more than 30% in April, Test Drives from ‘Web – Classified’ sources bounced up to second on the back of a 16.4% increase month to month.  ‘Direct’ Test Drives also increased, but by a smaller margin (6.8%) – resulting in this source slipping to occupy the 3rd spot in Test Drive tracking.

​As with Leads and Test Drives, we saw an increase in Sales.  This played out as an 12.9% increase in Sales attributed to ‘Web - Classified’ sources, 3.5% increase in Sales from dealer websites (‘Web – Dealer’) and 5.6% increase in Sales attributed to ‘Repeat’ lead sources.

​With Fieldays just completed in June, we expect to see a big increase in brand leads when we publish the June figures next month.  Make sure to check The PlayBook next month for the top sources of Leads, Test Drives and Sales in June 2019.  

Kiwis love their cars. In fact, our roads are home to around 4 million of them. New Zealand is also a proudly diverse nation, with hundreds of ethnicities and languages spoken on our streets. It makes sense, then, that consumers be able to find and buy a new vehicle in their own language. ​

AutoPlay are always looking to share good news with our customers and HouGarden represent a opportunity to target a specific audience.  AutoPlay have worked with HouGarden to make this easy for AutoPlay customers as we have a direct connection via an AutoPlay Data API.

Anytime, Anywhere
​​The HouGarden Motors platform has been designed to work optimally on both desktop and mobile, while smart new iOS and Android apps meet the demand of today’s on-the-go users. 

Elite Customer Base
During HouGarden's eight years of running New Zealand’s largest property portal for the Chinese market, HouGarden has dealt with thousands of elite professionals, including real estate agents, lawyers,bankers and developers. These same people are potential clients for your own business.  

Affluent, Highly-Motivated Audience
The New Zealand property market is very attractive to Chinese buyers who have a lot of disposable income. HouGarden Motors enables you to put your listings in front of an audience that’s very motivated to buy.

NZ-Based Support Team
The HouGarden team combines our Chinese backgrounds with local knowledge to develop online products for a New Zealand-based Chinese-speaking market. Their head office is located in Central Auckland.

How Do I Get Started?
Keen to improve your marketing results bylisting your vehicles on HouGarden Motors for FREE*? 
Visit https://nz.hougarden.com/motors 
Contact the HouGarden team on +64 9 377 5666 
or support@hougarden.com for  more information.
 
You can start to take the above benefits with HouGarden Motors by just signing a form (Dealership Data API Access Authorization) and send back to our email support@hougarden.com

​As winter sets in we’ve seen a noticeable drop in activity by NZ dealers across all the key kpi’s.  April was one of the worst months in memory with Leads decreasing by 22.3%, Test Drives by 31.2% and Sales by 19.8%.

​With Fieldays just around the horizon in June dealers across NZ will be hoping for a bounce back in Leads, Test Drives and Sales in the coming months.  As always make sure to check back next month for the top sources of Leads, Test Drives and Sales in May 2019.  ​

When is "lost" actually lost when it comes to sales leads?

This is a recurring question that every dealer must ask themselves.  Too cautious about closing your leads as lost and you run the risk of cluttering your dashboard with cold leads, and compromising your sales peoples efficiency in managing leads.  Too often we see dealers that don't want to close their leads as "lost", and these inevitably end up as Overdue or Stalled leads.

Conversely if you are to aggressive in qualifying your leads as lost then you might be burning your potential customers too soon.  It's not a good look when customers are still actively in the market and salespeople choose not to follow up with them due to a perception they won't result in a sale.

It's a delicate balance - something that dealers manage in different ways.  Some will use AutoPlays Role Management Settings to restrict who can mark a lead as lost in their dealership, whilst others will set the account up to allow anyone to close leads as lost, but notify managers when this happens.  

The important thing to remember is that closing a lead as 'lost' doesn't necessarily mean you should stop talking to these customers - it just changes the method of communication and clears up the dashboard in Sales Pipeline, allowing salespeople to focus on more active leads.  All 'Closed Lost' leads can still be filtered to, and reports such as the Closed Lost Reason Report allow you to identify these leads in bulk,  AutoPlay has built in tools such as Live Leads which let you target recently closed lost leads with bulk eDM's - allowing dealerships to re-qualify leads enmasse in a way that might be hard to achieve with individual personalised follow up.  Whatever your approach, there should at least be an approach as there's still juice to be squeezed from these leads - something Manukau Hyundai recently experienced first hand.

Recently Manukau Hyundai hired a new salesperson.  To get them started they decided they would allow the new salesperson to have a crack at leads that the dealership had previously closed as lost.

To do this the dealership ran a Closed Lost Report from 1st July 2018 to 31st March 2019.  By exporting this list of leads via the 'Export' function in reporting.autoplay.co.nz the dealership was able to come up with a list of potential leads for the new salesperson to follow up with.

The new salesperson set about managing these leads and in just a month had achieved 16 sales from the pool of leads the dealership had previously classified as 'Closed Lost'.   

There is nothing wrong with closing leads as lost!  However this story proves the value in following up Close Lost leads as there is potentially money to be made.  Whether you follow up individually like Manukau Hyundai did, or you target these leads with bulk eDM's or Live Leads - the important thing is to have awareness of these leads, and a dedicated process for your dealership to verify they are truly lost sales opportunities.

If you would like to talk to AutoPlay about how you can identify and re-target your Closed Lost leads contact support@autoplay.co.nz and one of our account managers will get in touch.

​

Online Chat plug-ins are becoming more and more common in both NZ and Australia.  Online Chat allows a dealership to have someone on hand to communicate with potential customers whilst they are on the dealers website.  This provides the customer with instant answers to any questions they may have, and doesn't force them to pick up the phone or email the dealership until they are ready.

At AutoPlay we recently had the opportunity to meet with Drive Chat - one of the leading players in the online chat space.  Watch the video below to find out more about Drive Chat.

​Dealers spend a lot of money marketing their website so it's important that every one of those leads is maximised.  Drive Chat engages passive visitors to your website and converts them to active customers.  After installing Drive Chat on their website, on average Drive Chat customers report an increase of 20%-30% in enquiry levels.

Drive Chat leads can be automatically captured to AutoPlay and mapped in as a lead - complete with a copy of the conversation between your Drive Chat agent and potential customers.  This makes it easy for your sales team to start managing these conversations once Drive Chat has converted them to leads - all without having to manually re-enter any lead details.

To find out more about Drive Chat visit ​https://drivechat.com.au/

​If you already use Drive Chat and would like to capture these leads to AutoPlay Sales Pipeline contact support@autoplay.co.nz to get the ball rolling.

In February we saw slight decreases across the board in Leads, Test Drives, Sales - somewhat expected with February being a shorter month than average.  In March 2019, AutoPlay saw an increase in Leads (by 10.9%), Test Drives (18%) and Sales (15.3%) all increasing from February 2019.

The most common source of Leads in March 2019 was from the 'Web - Classified' source which increased by 15.2% from the previous month and leaped 'Web - Dealer' to become the most common source of leads in March.  Leads from dealers websites ('Web - Dealer') accounted for the second most common source of leads in March - increasing by 7.2%.  The 'Brand' source remained the third most common source of Leads in March, but actually dropped by 17.1% month-to-month.

Test Drives also increased across the board with 'Web - Dealer' increasing by 11.1%, 'Direct' increasing by 28.1% and 'Web - Classified' increasing by 27.7%.  

In March 2019 the most common Source of Sales remained as 'Web - Dealer' which increased by 10.5% from February.  Likewise, 'Web - Classified' accounted for the second most Sales - increasing by 11.2% month-to-month.  However, whilst last month 'Brand' accounted for the third most Sales, in March 'Repeat' increased by 12.3% to become the third most common source of Sales.

As always make sure to check back next month for the top sources of Leads, Test Drives and Sales in April 2019.

​Contact support@autoplay.co.nz if you have any questions.

Why can't I save my new lead/customer/form?
Often this is due to mandatory fields for that particular screen not being completed.  Mandatory fields differ by screen and some are customisable from dealership to dealership - they are always marked with a *.  When you save and any of these fields are not complete a error message will display at the bottom of the screen.  The incomplete mandatory fields will be highlighted in red and you can click on the relevent error message to auto-locate to the missing or incorrect data.

How do I organise more training?
The new autoplayauto.com has been designed to minimise the shock of change for all our loyal customers.  If you believe you require further training this can be arranged for an additional charge.  Contact support@autoplay.co.nz to schedule.
​
I need help but I don't want to pay for training.  What are my options?
There is a comprehensive how to guide and video tutorial database available at https://www.support.autoplay.co.nz.  In addition AutoPlay plan to hold webinars post launch in July and the following months (more information to follow).  If you need more urgent assistance you can contact support@autoplay.co.nz for help.

How do I navigate around autoplayauto.com?
The main navigation bar is located on the left hand side of the screen - just like the iOS app and the old Silverlight Studio.  The menu is divided into sections that can be expanded or collapsed as required.  Clicking on each menu item will open that menu.  If at any stage you need more space to view the page content you can hide the navigation menu using the < button.  When you view a page such as an individual lead or listing, you can return to the previously viewed page using the back button on your browser, or by clicking on the relevent menu item and navigating back.

How do I open multiple windows at once?
In certain instances you might want top open a new screen, but keep the current screen open.  You can do this by opening the Profile menu in the red header, and clicking on the 'Open New Tab' button.

​What is the menu next to my avatar on the top right hand corner of the application?
Autoplayauto.com now has a profile menu with shortcuts to several screens relating to the logged in user (as well as a 'Log Out' button).  You can still navigate to all these buttons via Settings>Company Settings.

Why am I seeing so many more screens in the left hand side navigation menu?
Most of these screens existed previously but were not visible to any users outside of AutoPlay employees.  With autoplayauto.com we have taken a conscious effort to make these screens visible to approved users.  This will mean that dealerships are able to self diagnose and change more settings instead of contacting AutoPlay Support.

I can't find fields on certain screens such as Leads and Listings.  Where are my fields?
We have not removed any fields from autoplayauto.com.  However on many screens we have separated the content into sections to make it easier to read and manage your content.  Each of these sections can be expanded and collapsed to customise your view of the screen to how you prefer.  The system will remember the way the sections were left the last time the page was viewed, and automatically display your page this way the next time the type of page is viewed.  The system will remember this until the user logs out again.

How do I use the keyword search on all the Dashboard pages?
On most of the Dashboard screens it is possible to use the keyword search in order to more easily find the records you need to view or edit.  To use the keyword search simply type in what you would like to search and click enter, or click on the search icon to complete your search.  The fields that are searchable differs from page to page.

How do I use the filters on Listings, Dashboard, Vehicle Registry, Vehicle Appraisals etc?
On all the Dashboard screens there will be a limited number of filters visible on the screen.  You can click on any of these filters to narrow down the visible leads.  To view more available filters you can click on the expand filters button next to the keyword search.  Some dropdowns will allow you to select multiple options such as User or Yard.  Other filters will allow for a single selection only.  In addition where the drop down lists are long, we have added a keyword search to the filter drop down.  This keyword search will allow users to more quickly find the option they wish to in each filter list.  To unselect filter options you can click on each selected filter, or use the clear filter option to clear ALL selected filters.  You can hide the filters again using the collapse filter button.

How do I add an avatar to my profile?
To add your photo to autoplayauto.com so that it appears in the top right hand corner, access the My Details or My Users screen.  In the grey Action menu there will be a picture icon.  Simply select your image, resize using the built in tool and upload your preferred image.  Note this is a business application so you need to be mature and responsible with the image you upload.  AutoPlay will take no responsibility for any inappropriate images that are uploaded.

What is role management and why can I see it?
Role management is the group of settings and logic that dictates which users can view and edit records.  These roles are either grouped into roles that control a range of functions such as Listings Manager and Lead Manager.  Other roles are more specific such as who can close leads as lost.  This screen has always existed, but in autoplayauto.com we have made it visible to selected users.  If you believe you should have access to make changes to this screen please ensure your manager contacts support@autoplay.co.nz (we require written requests to change any role management settings).  For help with role management click HERE.

Why can't I view/edit certain screens, leads, listings or forms?
Autoplayauto.com has refined and strengthened the role management settings to ensure that salespeople only have access to the data they should have access to.  Whilst we have taken great care to ensure there is no disruption to users, it is possible that on certain screens a slight tweak to the way a role is applied has resulted in a change in visibility of records.  If you believe you should be able to view records contact support@autoplay.co.nz to discuss.

I would like to tighten the visibility for certain screens or functions.  What do I do?
The old Silverlight Studio had numerous behind the curtain settings that AutoPlay can tweak per user to customise access and visibility within different screens.  Autoplayauto.com has expanded this in certain areas including User and Company Admin.  If you are unsure of whether access can be restricted you can browse our how to guides and video tutorials, or contact support@autoplay.co.nz for assistance.

Why can I view a summary popup instead of accessing the full record?
In some cases users will see a popup giving a summary of key information instead of being able to see the full record.  This happens in cases where we believe viewing this info will help the user, but they do not have the role management rights to view or edit the full record.

How do I set up a new user?
If you have the User Admin role you can set up new users via the My Users screen.  If you have the right role you will see a + button in the grey Action menu.  Remember that setting up a user is only half the equation - you also need to make sure you set up the right role management.  An easier way to achieve this is to find a user that has the same access settings, and from the Action menu click on 'Copy User'.  This will create a copy of the user complete with their role management settings.  All you need to do next is add the new users name and email address.

I've set up a new User and they have access autoplayauto.com but can't login.  What do I do?
Every user must have a password set up.  You can enter the users email address and click 'Reset Password' to email the new user a link to set up their password.

How do I delete a user?
If you have the right role management setting you can delete a user that no longer requires access to AutoPlay.  The 'Delete' button is visible in the Action menu under the User Details screen.  If you Delete a user their historical leads will remain under their name within AutoPlay, and in reporting.  If the user has any open leads against them the system will prompt to reallocate those leads to a new user.

Why can I no longer view or edit certain listings when I could previously?
It sounds like your role management settings have not been applied correctly.  Contact support@autoplay.co.nz for assistance.  If you didn't have access to these records when using the old software then it is probable this is because your manager has requested your access level - in which case talk to your manager about your visibility.

Why can I see the listings I can see?
The Listing Manager role controls what listings are visible.  You do not need to be a manager in order to view listings within a yard.  There is also a setting in each User screen for users to set their 'Default Yard'.  The Default Yard will be the first yard visible when accessing the Listings screen.

How do I search my listings?
You can use the keyword search to find any listings you want to view or edit.  You can search by Make/Model, Variant, Stock Number, Rego using the keyword search - just type in and click on the search icon, or hit enter to search.  You can also search your listings using the drop downs that are visible on screen.  If you want to search by additional filters use the filter drop-down to open the filters menu.

Why can't I see all my listings at once?
​In order to ensure autoplayauto.com loads fast all of our dashboard screens have adopted pagination.  The Listing screen will show 25 listings at a time and you can scroll through the pages via the page numbers at the top and bottom of the screen.  If you don't want to scroll through multiple pages we recommend using the keyword search and other filters to narrow down the amount of listings visible.

How do I add a new listing?
If you have the correct role management settings you can add a new listing using the + button in the grey action menu.

How can I get a print out of all my listings?
On the Listings screen you can click on the 'Download' button to download a PDF or Excel sheet with the currently visible listings.  

Where is the Listing Reporting menu item?
The Listing Reporting button has been moved from it's own separate menu item to a function within the Listings screen.  All of the report options are available under the 'Reporting' menu.

How do I manage my listing images?
Expand the 'Add/Edit Images' tab and click on the 'Edit' button to access the image controls.  In the top left of the image section you will see 3 icons to add images - direct from a camera, from the image bank or from the devices file explorer.  You can drag and drop to change the image order as well as delete any images.  Click finish to exit edit mode.

How can I view a larger version of my images?
Expand the 'Add/Edit Images' tab and click on the 'Gallery' button to view the image in a larger size.

What are the icons in the Fuel & Safety section?
If you are a NZ customer you will see the Fuel Saver and Safety ratings for each listing.  This info is pulled directly from the Fuel Saver database when the listing is first received via the Rego, Chassis or VIN.  If you need to pull through this info again you can click on the 'Update Fuel Saver' button.

What is the Consumer Information Notice section for?
The Consumer Information Notice section allows users to add fields that will enable them to print out CIN notices.  If a template is set up these can be printed via the 'View Fact Card' button (Note-you will not see this option if no template has been set up).

How can I manage my Virtual Demo Videos?
If you have access to Virtual Demo Videos you will see some menu icons in the Action menu to manage your videos.  'Manage Audio' allows approved users to record a voiceover to be used in your video.  'Build MP4' is only visible if you have the Manual Virtual Demo role and prompts for a new video to be built.  'Download MP4' allows users to download a MP4 video file, but users can also view the video directly within AutoPlay using the 'Preview Video' button.

How do I view the Listing Activity screen?
The Listing Activity screen can be accessed via the grey Action menu>MORE>Listing Activity.  This screen shows you a summary of all the vehicle information - including any Leads, Test Drives or Loan Vehicle Forms created on the listing.

Can I still select individual listings for export to Trade Me?
Yes - the Trade Me Export screen is still available for dealerships that have this set up.  This screen works exactly as it does in Silverlight Studio - simply tick the listings you want to export up to your limit.

What is the Vehicle Registry used for?
​The Vehicle Registry is where all your Test Drives and Loan Cars will appear (if you have signed up for the Loan Car Form).  The Vehicle Registry shows by default the Test Drive and Loan Car Forms that are created this month.  To change what records are visible you can expand the filters and view by Status (Uncompleted, Completed), Type and Date Range.

What does the Completed column show?
The Completed column shows Test Drives/Loan Car Forms that are completed vs still in progress - allowing users to easily identify which cars have yet to be returned.

How do I create a Loan Car Form?
If you have been set up with the Loan Car role you will see a + button in the grey Action menu. 

Can I scan a drivers licence with autoplayauto.com?
When you create a Loan Car Form you can click on the camera icon in the Action menu.  If you have not previously the system will ask for permission to access your camera.  Obviously this is designed for tablets and smartphones, but will activate any device with a camera.  

How can I view my leads by Created Date?
​In autoplayauto.com it's possible to view the Sales Pipeline Dashboard by Created Date instead of Action Date.  You can toggle between the two views using the 'Use Created Date' check box within the date range filter.  When you tick this option the Next Action column will change to Created Date.  If you would like this to become your default view you can set this up in the 'My Details' screen. 

What does the 'Updated' column show?
The 'Updated' column shows the date a changes was last made against the lead.  You can click on the header to sort chronologically most recent to least recent and vice versa.

What is the icon on the far right of the screen?
The icon on the far right of the Dashboard is the Lead Origin.  The Lead Origin is another layer of tracking independent of the Lead Source and Lead Campaign.  The Lead Origin icon can be hovered over to reveal if the lead was manually loaded, captured via email, or loaded via an API.  You can also use the Lead Origin filter to narrow down your leads by these options.

Where are all my filters?
In trying to keep the screen uncluttered and easy to use, when you initially open the Dashboard you'll see only the most commonly used filters for Status (Open, Closed), Users, Yards and Lead Progress (i.e. Awaiting Action, Test Drive etc).  If you expand the visible filters using the button next to the search box you will be able to see the full range of filters.

Why am I seeing so many Lead Sources & Campaigns?
In order to speed up the Dashboard we've changed how the Lead Source and Campaign filters work.  Instead of returning only those with currently filtered to leads, the list shows all of the Sources/Campaigns available to your dealership - sometimes resulting in a longer list.  However these types of drop downs now have keyword searches built into them which eliminate a lot of scrolling to find the Source/Campaign you want to filter by.

Why am I not seeing some sources that I know I have loaded leads against?
The Lead Source filter shows only Active Lead Sources by default. To view inactive sources that might have leads against them click on the 'Include Inactive' checkbox.  'Inactive' Sources are displayed in italic and red font.

How do I clear my filters?
To clear any selected filter just click it again to deselect.  In some drop-downs you can select an option for 'Any' or 'All' which will also serve to clear all your selections for that particular filter.  To clear all your filters you can click the 'Clear Filter' button at the end of the visible filters.

What does the blue + icon in the 'Customer' field do
This icon opens a shortcut to the customers contact details.  You can click on the customers phone, mobile or email to directly contact the customer, but any action completed here will not be automatically recorded within AutoPlay.  Instead this shortcut can be used to schedule follow up, send an AutoPlay video email response or allocate the lead without having to open the full lead.

What does the coloured square in the 'Progress' field mean?
As with iOS and SIlverlight Studio the coloured square represents the customers perceived interest.  The square can be blue=cold, orange=warm, red=hot or not selected.  This can be set when viewing the lead detail screen.

Where have the Listing Activity and Customer Activity screens gone?
These buttons are located in the Action menu under MORE options.  

How are notifications managed in autoplayauto.com?
Notifications hare handled in a similar way to iOS and the old Silverlight Studio.  On the far right of the screen above the Lead Origin icon, the Notification warning icon will appear on any lead with a pending notification.  In the red header the Notifications for all leads can be viewed.  As with the current system the Notifications apply to the user who is logged in, and are automatically created when certain actions occur such as Overdue Test Drives, or when customers reply to SMS or Emails.

How do I create a new Lead, Test Drive or Appraisal?
Under the + menu you will see options to create Leads, Test Drives or Appraisals.  All of these first go through the customer selection screen where you can search the customer database and/or scan drivers licence or business cards.

What are the 3 icons at the top of my lead?
In autoplayauto.com the View Lead screen now has 3 shortcuts at the top of the screen.  The User icon can be clicked on to Allocate your lead to another user, and the Progress icon can be clicked to advance the progress of the lead.  Both of these actions can also be completed from the 'Lead Details' section.

How do I schedule follow up?
As with the old Silverlight Studio, there are multiple ways to schedule follow up on your lead.  You can use the calendar in the Action menu to + New Event, view the calendar and click on a date, or click 'Add' in the 'Next Action' section on the calendar.  When you are ready you can mark the event as 'Complete' or 'No Show'

How do I create a Test Drive/Appraisal/Wishlist/Write Up/Assistance Request Form?
All forms can be created by clicking on the + button in the Action menu.  Alternatively you can click on the 'Add' button in the Test Drive, Appraisal, Wishlist, Write Up or Assistance Request Form sections.

When creating a new lead what does the 'Opt In' button do?
The Privacy Policy should be used to disclose to your customers why you are capturing their data, what you are using it for and who it is being shared with.  This can be marked as 'Accepted' if the customer has seen and agreed to the T&C's.  In autoplayauto.com we've also added a 'Opt in' button to also flag a customer as opted out.  This will still allow you to send an individual email to the customer, but will stop the customer from being sent a bulk email such as Live Leads.  In accordance with changing legislation we have plans to continue to refine customer opt out flags in the coming months.

Why can't I Close Won or Close Lost?
This function can be restricted by user if the DP/Sales Manager requests.  If you are unable to close a lead as Won or Lost it will be because this functionality is restricted for your user account.  In this scenario please talk to your manager and ask them to contact support@autoplay.co.nz

What is an SMS Email?
The communications section has options to create three different types of comms to your customer.
1.  New Email Response - this allows the user to create a email response with or without video
2.  New SMS Message - if your account is set up with a SMS Gateway you are able to send SMS replies to your leads (additional charges apply).
3.  New SMS Email - autoplayauto.com allows users to create a video email response, but then send that link as an SMS - getting the best of both worlds.

What is the difference between Standard Responses and Standard Text?
Standard Responses can be set up with a full selection of email template, images, and even video.  Standard Text is only used to populate text within your email.  Depending on your email templates, you may have been set up with either option.  Standard Text can now also be set up to use in your SMS replies.

How do I know when my customers have viewed my email, or replied to an email or SMS?
When an email has been sent it will appear in the 'Communications' section.  When the email is viewed you will see a small red circle with a count of the views.  This will be '1' if the email was opened, and then an additional count for each time the video is viewed (in most cases the first time you view it the view count would be '2').  If you need more information you can open the email, click on 'History' within the Action menu to view the date sent, viewed and read,  If your account has been set up for it the customers reply will also be captured directly back to this lead.  When the customer replies to an email or SMS it will also generate a notification to advise the user who sent the message that their customer has replied.  These will be marked as incoming in the 'Communications' section.  

When building an email how do I change the order of my images?
Once you are on the Create/View Email screen you can drag and drop your listing images to change the order they display in the video.  This will not affect your listing.  When on mobile drag and drop can be difficult, so you can use the buttons provided to change the order of photos.

How do I create an audio recording?
When in the Create/View Email screen click on the microphone icon to access the audio controls. Clicking on the 3 dots icon will let you 'Upload audio file' 'Select branded audio' or 'Use Listing Audio' (if one exists).  You can record audio using the recording controls.  The first time you do this you will be asked for permission to use your microphone. 

Can I send my customer a AutoPlay Video Email with attachments?
You can add attachments to your email via the 'Add/Edit Attachments' section.  You can choose any PDF or JPG from your PC or device just as you would with a normal email.  If you have completed a Test Drive, Appraisal or Write Up Form the PDF can be attached to your branded AutoPlay Video Email Response, a very professional way to follow up with your customers after their visit to the dealership.​

Why can/can't I see 'Assistance Requests' in the left hand nav menu?
The Assistance Requests screen is controlled by the Assistance Request role.  If you can't see the screen but need to please ask your manager to email support@autoplay.co.nz with the request.

Why is the 'Create Assistance Request' button not visible on my lead?
Only approved users can submit Assistance Requests.  In addition the Assistance Request button will not be visible unless the primary listing is one of the approved brands set up for Assistance Requests.

Why can't I create an Assistance Request from the Assistance Request Dashboard?
In the majority of scenarios you can ONLY create Assistance Request Forms from the lead.  However some dealerships will have access to create an Assistance Request Form directly from the Assistance Requests screen.  This is restricted to Demo, Pre-Reg or Service Loan Vehicle purchaser types only.

How do I view the terms & conditions that apply to the Assistance Request?
The T&C's are accessible via the T&C's icon in the Action menu.

How do I upload my customers 'Proof Of Status'?
The Assistance Request Form has a section labelled 'Proof Of Status'.  This section includes a image control that will enable you to take a photo of your proof of status, or to upload a file from your device/computer.

How do I submit/re-submit my Assistance Request Form?
At the bottom of the screen there is a red 'Submit' button.  Clicking this will automatically trigger the email to your brand/group OEM as well as make the record appear in their corresponding screen for approval.  If you need to trigger the email again for any reason you can do so using the 'Resubmit' button.

Can I use the Test Drive Kiosk Mode in autoplayauto.com?
Not as of July 2019.  The Kiosk Mode has been optimised to work with the physical Test Drive Kiosks and currently the iOS app supports this best.  We will be working on autoplayauto.com in the future to port this function across.

Can I create a Test Drive without first creating a lead?
No - we don't currently offer the ability to create a Test Drive without a lead.  However you can create a lead at the same time that you create the Test Drive by clicking on the 'Test Drive' button on the Dashboard.  This will take you to the screen where you can scan Drivers Licence/Business Card and search the customer database.  Once you create/select the customer you will automatically be taken to the Test Drive Form.

How do I create a Test Drive in autoplayauto.com?
You can create a Test Drive via the Dashboard or from the View Lead screen.  The create options are shown in the Action menu under the + button.  You will see options for 'Test Drive', 'Appraisal', 'Write Up' and 'Wishlist'.  All of these will create a Lead first.

What are 'Check Out' and 'Check In' used for?
In autoplayauto.com it's now possible to take photos of the condition of the vehicle before Test Drive, and upon it's return.  This function was previously only available on the Loan Car Forms, but has now been copied to the standard Test Drive Forms.

What are 'Odometer In' and 'Odometer Out' for?
We've always had Odometer Out and Odometer In on our Loan Car Forms.  In autoplayauto.com we've now added this to the Test Drive Form.  The fields can be used to record the km's before and after the car was taken for a Test Drive.  

Where do I store the Drivers Licence, Second Drivers Licence, Check In and Check Out images?
The Test Drive has a section at the top of the screen to manage images.  When you scan the customers drivers licence it will appear here.  If you click on Check Out or Check In and use the camera autoplayauto.com will know that you are not attempting to scan a licence and display the normal image capture mode.

What does the Vehicle Appraisals screen show me?
The Vehicle Appraisals screen found in the left hand nave menu shows all the Appraisals that have been created that you have role management rights to view.  The vehicle displayed is the appraised vehicle rather than the vehicle on the lead.  The screen defaults to Open Leads, Pending Trade Ins, Any Traded Status for All Users loaded This Month.  You can change these filters using the Expand Filters function.

How do I run a free vehicle lookup? (NZ only)
You can still do a free vehicle lookup in autoplayautomotive.com.  This function has been moved slightly from the Silverlight Studios 'Retrieve Details' button.  It is now located within the 'Vehicle Lookup' section next to the Rightcar logo (which is where AutoPlay retrieve the data from).  The function works exactly as per the old system - just type in a rego, vin or chassis and you can retrieve the vehicle details.

How do I mark my Appraisal as 'Approved' or 'Traded'?
You can mark the Appraisal as 'Approved' if you have been set up as a manager in the Vehicle Appraisal Manager Approval role.  The tick is located in the MORE menu as 'Approve Appraisal'.  Alternatively you can tick 'Manager Approval' check box within the Valuation section.  If the vehicle is successfully purchased by the dealership you can also mark your Appraisals as 'Traded' from the same location.  

How do I stop my team from seeing the Wholesale Quotes?
If you need to stop your sales team from seeing the Wholesale Quotes section this can be achieved by enabling the Wholesale Quote role.  If the role is enabled only users in the role will see the section.

How do I email or sms the wholesaler some vehicle details?
You can click on the Communication icon to 'Email PDF', 'Email Wholesaler' and 'Send SMS'.  Note that 'Email PDF' will email exactly the same form as you can print so it may be more appropriate to select the 'Email Wholesaler' option - this removes any confidential internal valuations or customer data.  The 'Send SMS' function will send from your smartphone unless you have a SMS Gateway set up with AutoPlay.  Any SMS sent directly from your phone is not tracked by AutoPlay.  If you create an AutoPlay Email Response you can also attach the Appraisal PDF to your video email response for a professional follow up with your customer.

How do I limit my Wishlist matches to Appraisals only Open Leads?
When creating a Wishlist you can tick the 'Match When Lead Closed' checkbox to include Appraisals on closed leads as well as open.  If you prefer to only match on open leads leave the box unticked - this can be an effective way to move both leads forward.

How do I stop selected Appraisals being returned as matches in my Wishlist Form?
In your Appraisal Form you can select the 'Exclude From Wishlist' checkbox to ensure the Appraisal is not matched against in the Wishlist.

What do I do with the matching Appraisals and Listings?
You can add any matching listings to your lead on the spot by clicking on the 'Add To Lead' button.  If you have role management rights you can click on any matching Appraisal to view the full Appraisal Form.  If you do not have rights you will see a summary of the key info about the possible trade.

How do I add Listings to my Write Up Form?
The Write Up Form will automatically default to the Primary Listing on the Lead.  You can choose from any of the Listings on the Lead using the 'Select' button.  If you would like to select a listing that is not already on the lead you can do so by clicking on 'Select more'.  Any listing added will back-fill into the Other Listings on the lead itself.  If your deal involves the customer purchasing multiple cars you can add additional listings in the 'Other Listings' section.

I currently push to F & I providers from AutoPlay.  Can I still do this?
You can still push to F&I providers from the View Lead screen or from Action menu>MORE>Finance & Insurance (selected providers and dealerships only).

How do I sign Terms and Conditions?
You can sign T&C's by clicking on the 'View & Sign' button in the Terms & Conditions section. This loads whatever Write Up T&Cs you have loaded for the yard, and a signature box to get signed by the customer.

Why is the Write Up Form not visible to me?
In isolated cases managers have indicated they would like us to hide the Write Up Form from users.  If you cannot see the Write Up this is likely due to this reason.  Please talk to your manager and get them to submit a request if they would like us to activate Write Ups.

Why can't I see the Address Book?
In autoplayauto.com we've introduced a new role to control who can access the address book (the Manage Contacts role).  The role will enable anyone added to view contacts, and if ticked as a manager the user can add/edit/delete contacts.  If you are not seeing the Address Book it is likely because this role has not been set up for your dealership - in which case have the approved person contact AutoPlay to request set up.

Why can't I see all my contacts?
The Address Book defaults to show only New and Current contacts.  The Address Book may contain those who have Opted Out or are undeliverable - in which case you can filter to these contacts via the expandable filter options.  In addition to keep the system fast we will not load your full database at once - instead we display 25 at once.  It is recommended you search using the keyword search (which we have spent a lot of time refining to improve the quality of search results.  In addition in isolated cases it is possible for AutoPlay to restrict access to contacts by yard or user.  If you need assistance with the Address Book contact support@autoplay.co.nz.

What are the 3 dots next to the keyword search?
The icon next to the keyword search box will allow you to select multiple contacts at once to bulk add to a group, or bulk delete.  This button will only be visible to approved managers.

How can I load contacts into the Address Book?
If you are a manager in the Manage Contacts role you can add a contact via the address book via the + button in the Action menu.  Any new contact created on a lead will automatically end up in the Address Book and if you have integration with a DMS or CRM system these will also appear in this screen.  It is also possible to 'Import Listings' using a preset format.  If you don't have the format you can 'Download Template' from the 'Import Contacts' screen.

How do I view what activity has happened on my customers?
When viewing an individual customer you can see all the Leads, Test Drives or Appraisals that have been created against the customer.  If you have role management rights via the Manage Leads role you will be able to click through to view each Lead/Test Drive/Appraisal.  If you do not have rights you will see a summary popup of key information.

I've found my customer...now I want to create a Lead against them.  Can I do this?
In autoplayauto.com you can now send an email, create a lead, test drive or loan vehicle directly from the customer record (without having to navigate back to the Dashboard.  Once you've found your contact, click on the + button within the Action menu to create your new lead. The customers details will be automatically captured on the lead, but you will still need to add a listing, source etc.

I forgot to select the customer as Opted Out when I created the lead.  Can I update my customer later?
You can click through to the Contact screen from your lead, or directly from the navigation menu.  Once you've found your contact you can open the 'General' section and change the Status to 'Opted Out (it will likely be 'New' or 'Current').

What is the 'Member Of' section for?
The 'Member Of' section is for users to manage the groups the customer belongs to.  In this screen you can add the customer record to the groups set up under your account.  If you need to add multiple customers to groups you can use the bulk manage function, or upload directly to Contact Groups.

Where are the Live Leads and Email Campaigns buttons?
In the old Silverlight Studio the Email Campaigns and Live Leads screens were visible under the Emails section in the main navigation menu.  In autoplayauto.com the menu has been renamed as 'Communications'.  

Where is the 'Live Leads' button?
In autoplayauto.com we've merged 'Email Campaigns' and 'Live Leads' screens into one screen labelled 'Email Campaigns'.  This screen will still allow you to send AutoPlays Live Leads emails, but the screens are so similar we've decided to consolidate them.  If you are used to sending Email Campaigns only you will see there are some additional buttons - including 'Build List'.  Whilst you can still select an existing Contact Group you can do so via the Email To drop down, you can also now build a custom recipient list based on the leads you have captured already.

How do I build my recipient list?
If you have previously set up a filter you can reuse this filter to build your recipient list.  Unlike sending to pre-loaded groups, building a list with a pre-loaded filter will dynamically include new leads/customers loaded since you set up the filter.  If you need to build your filter just select the types of leads you want to build your list to include using the provided filters.  For example if you just want Facebook leads, created this month that made it to Test Drive and were qualified to Ford Falcons you can do this.  The Build List function give you much greater control over targeting your messages at specific customers.

How do I view the results of my email campaign/live leads?
Once you have sent the eDM, open the email record in autoplayauto.com and click on the 3 dots in the Action menu.  In this screen you can click 'View Results' to see which individual recipients opened or watched videos.

What does 'Delivered', 'Opened' and 'Video Views' represent?
The results screen shows for each recipient of the email, what they did with it.  'Delivered' means that AutoPlay's email server was successfully able to send the email to the customers email address.  'Opened' means that the recipient opened the email in their inbox (if images are downloaded), or in the web page.  'Video Views' represents the number of AutoPlay Virtual Demos the recipient watched.  Note - these are all currently tracked in iOS and the old Silverlight Studio, but have been renamed here for improved clarity.

What can I do from the Email Campaign/Live Leads results screen?
As well viewing the stats for each recipient, you can also view the Contact, the original Lead or any New Lead created for this recipient.  You can also run multiple reports on your campaign, and also select records to schedule follow up or create new leads.  Find out more about how to follow up your Live Leads recipients HERE.

What is In Market Leads and how do I use it?
In Market Leads is not a new feature - it existed in the old Silverlight Studio.  However a lot of our customers have yet to experience how much impact this product can have.  To find out more you can read about In Market Leads HERE.

What are all the Settings screens I can now see?
When building autoplayauto.com one of our goals was to be able to safely expose all of our settings screens to users.  In the past our customers were able to create users, but unable to create all the role management settings required to effectively use the Sales Pipeline.  Among many other settings we can now allow approved users to set up Role Management.  To find out more about these screens you can visit ​https://support.autoplay.co.nz/

Will reporting.autoplay.co.nz be changed at all?
No.  You will still be able to access reporting directly from the url https://www.reporting.autoplay.co.nz.  In addition in the main navigation menu on the LHS under Sales Pipeline you can click on 'SALES PIPELINE REPORTING'.
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I can't find the 'Generate Reports' menu?
We've moved the Generate Reports menu to the grey action menu on the top right hand side when you are on the Dashboard screen.  This is located under the MORE menu item.