December 2014
Happy Holidays
Have a Healthy and Happy Holiday Season
With Peace in the New Year
Many thanks for your continued support!
Your friends at CUS
Brian, Ellen, Steve, Moira and Howard
CUS Version 11.0 set for release in January 2015
We’re finishing our last round of testing for the 2015 Version 11.0 release and will begin setting update appointments very soon. All CUS Maintenance and Rental clients are entitled to the new version, of course. If you’ve purchased CUS recently or updated in the past few months, you may also be pre-licensed for Version 11.0. All other clients can order the new version at an upgrade price. Contact Ellen at 954.680.6545 or sales@cus.com for details about your license. Meanwhile, here are some of the new features we’ve added:
Archive old auctions in a separate folder – Auctions from previous years can be out of the way for daily operations but still easily accessible if needed. This helps to manage updating old auction files during program updates too.
Expanded query filters – You can filter for lot description key words. Find every lot containing the word excavator even if you don’t use Class codes or find every Bridgeport Mill even if you don’t use the Manufacturer field. Print the resulting list or export it to Excel. Also query for Buy It Now indicator in Lots; Group codes in Buyers/Sellers.
Charge expense on all lots by Class code – Use a class/category to identify vehicles requiring a title transfer fee. You no longer need to use a tax class just for this purpose.
Import lot expenses – Add individual lot expenses such as loading or shipping directly into the auction from a spreadsheet.
Save custom documents – As your document is created, you can add it to the Document Manager so it is linked to that buyer, seller or lot record in the future.
Email custom documents – You can also choose to send the completed form by email to the buyer, seller or anyone. You can do this at print time or later.
Redesigned online catalogue searches – Side panel for easy Category or Key word searching pops open/closed next to catalogue view.
More picture display features – Display a set number of images per lot in picture presentations. You might have 35 images of a single machine for the online auction catalogue, but only
want to display the first 5 in the auditorium slide show. You can also run the entire unattended slide show during preview automatically.
Auction-specific language text editing – Change the wording on invoices in any auction without affecting other auctions. For example, change Sales Tax to VAT on buyer invoices only for occasional auctions in Europe but not in the US. Use different terms for Buyer’s Premium as required in other countries.
Copy word watermarks in emailed invoices – The copy of an invoice that you email to the buyer can now have a watermark. You can also include a watermark in the top copy when printing locally. These copy words are also auction specific if you prefer.
CUS Client Workshops
The latest CUS regional client workshop was held in Bronson, Michigan at the White Star Snowmobile Auction Center. We had a good turnout despite the cold and rainy weather that day. Everyone in the group learned some useful tips, even clients who’ve been using CUS for more than 20 years. We also had a sneak peek at the new Version 11.0 that’s about to be released. We want to thank our hosts Brent and Ginny Wilber for the use of their facility and kind hospitality. A special thank you goes to Becky Myers and Michelle Barker for all of their help.
Our client workshop schedule will resume in early 2015, so watch for announcements in upcoming CUS Notes issues.
Custom forms in CUS
Are you taking advantage of the custom forms in CUS yet? If you need to fill in government forms, bills of sale or title transfers for your auction, let CUS help with the workload. Any lot, buyer or seller information you have in CUS can be automatically filled into your forms. And now, as described above in the Version 11.0 highlight preview, you can save and email the forms too!
Our website has a section displaying some of our most popular custom forms. Go to https://cus.wpengine.com/webpress-forms/?source=email for some ideas, and then contact Steve at 954.680.6545 or techsupport@cus.com to get started.
Try the CUS Online Auction or Catalogue
You can see a sample of the CUS Online Auction here:
http://cus3.cusauctions.com/?auction=sample12&toa=splash&splashpage=splash3.htm
Your “private brand” auction blends in with your company’s image, color scheme and logo. The “Welcome” page has all of the auction details and pictures of featured lots. There’s a photo slideshow display, “Watch this lot” and “Buy It Now” features with bidding from either the individual lot page or the catalogue screen.
The CUS Online Auction is an extension of your regular CUS Auction System, with one-click uploads and photo management built right in. You don’t need to import or export data because it’s all in one system. Add a new lot or a few pictures at any time, adjust your opening bid amounts, or change the closing date. See who is looking at your auction at any time and watch your bids as they happen. After closing, instantly execute all of the high bids as sales; there’s no data entry needed! Email the invoices to your bidders and display post-auction sales results too. Everything is in CUS and it’s all under your control.
It’s easy to publish a catalogue with pictures also, allowing pre-registration and absentee bidding if you like. Don’t send your customers somewhere else to see YOUR catalogue. The advertising clutter distracts them from your important event and they can wander away from you. Contact Ellen at 954.680.6545 or sales@cus.com for more information and a private demo of the CUS Online Auction.
From the Technical Support Team
Data Backups
As you put together your list of New Year’s resolutions, think about this: When was the last time you backed up any of your CUS data? Have you taken any steps to preserve your vital business information? Unfortunately we often hear sad tales of stolen or damaged laptops, major server crashes and virus or malware infections. Whether you use CUS on a single laptop or as part of a large network, there are data backup methods that fit your situation.
You can copy all of the CUS data folders from the local hard drive or the server drive to an external device on a regular schedule. Keep one copy on site and another copy off the premises. Within CUS, there are handy zip utilities to take backup copies of individual auctions or the main mail and inventory data files. Zipping is quick and easy, so just do it! Maybe you won’t lose that 20 pounds or stick to an exercise plan, but you can do this.
Ask your local tech consultant or corporate IT department what backup methods are in place. If nothing is being done, or you don’t have anyone to consult, contact Steve at 954.680.6545 or techsupport@cus.com for advice that’s suitable for you.
Network Speed Issues in Windows 7 or 8 Laptops
When several Windows 7 or 8 laptops are networked together, sometimes the network response time is slower than expected. Even though you’re using wired ethernet network adapters and a wired network switch or hub, the laptops might try to communicate through their wireless adapters instead. This can slow down the network.
You can try to avoid this by changing the network adapter priority setting on each laptop workstation so it looks for the wired adapter first. If that doesn’t help, you can disable the wireless adapter in the laptop stations so the network is forced to go through the wired adapter instead. As a last resort, you can change the priority settings or disable the wireless adapter on the server too.
There are also IP configuration changes that can affect network speed. Sometimes changing scanning settings in your anti-virus protection will help too. Contact Steve at 954.680.6545 or techsupport@cus.com for guidance on network speed issues.
Using CUS on Windows 7 or 8 Operating Systems
We’re satisfied that most current CUS versions are compatible with Windows 7 and 8 operating systems. In general, Windows 7 is compatible with CUS Versions 8.0 and higher, but not older CUS versions. Windows 8 has been acceptable too, but we’ve only tested it on CUS Versions 9.0 and 10.0. To run CUS on Windows 7 or 8 computers, there are some Windows Registry changes necessary. We install a utility file to handle this for you. For any CUS network containing Windows 7 or 8 stations, please contact Steve at 954.680.6545 or techsupport@cus.com for guidance.
You may know that Microsoft ended all support for Windows XP systems. This means that your anti-virus applications may not be fully protecting you, even if you subscribe to anti-virus updates. We’d advise you to keep XP computers off the internet, especially on a network. If you are replacing your old XP systems in the near future, you may want Windows 7 for staffers who aren’t comfortable in new computer environments. The Windows 8 user experience is very different from Windows 7 or XP. Windows 7 systems are still available online but aren’t easy to find in your local retail store. It’s also possible that some of your older devices (printers, scanners etc.) may not be compatible at all. Contact us at 954.680.6545 or techsupport@cus.com for further information before buying any new computers, especially if you aren’t yet licensed for CUS Version 8.0 or higher.
Note: DOS versions of CUS are NOT compatible with any Windows 7, Windows 8 or Vista computers at all.
Advantage Database Server for CUS
Many of our larger network installations use a more robust “client/server” CUS edition that has the Advantage Database Server engine as its foundation. This enables networked CUS applications to run more securely in wireless or remote access environments. If you have a large network with a Windows Server or are planning to expand, you may be a candidate for the CUS ADS Server edition. It’s very important to contact CUS before upgrading any server or installing a new one, to be sure CUS can support that server operating system. If you have an older ADS Server release version, you may need an ADS update before installing a newer Windows Server.
Contacting Technical Support
Please send emails to techsupport@cus.com instead of an individual email address. Other CUS consultants will see the question and be able to help you if the person you tried to reach is not available. If you don’t get an answer to your emailed question in a day or two, follow up by calling to our office at 954.680.6545. Your email might have been trapped by a spam or junk filter and blocked. Of course, if you have an emergency, don’t rely on email at all. Call us right away at 954.680.6545 (all hours). If you reach our automated recording outside business hours, select extension 501 for emergency support.
Technical Support via Remote Access
If you need technical support but aren’t comfortable on a computer, we can help. With your permission, we’ll get the job done using an internet connection to let us log in remotely. We can troubleshoot most network issues, install CUS on your computer or do program updates from older CUS versions.
There’s a link to our live remote support from the CUS Version 9 and 10 Support Centers at www.cus.com or from the Help Menu in your Version 9 or 10 CUS program. For older CUS versions, contact Steve to help you connect to CUS remote support. This is live real-time support, so you must make arrangements with us before connecting to have a consultant available for you.
Contacting CUS
sales@cus.com for price quotes or other sales related questions
techsupport@cus.com for any support or training questions
websupport@cus.com for website content or maintenance
billing@cus.com for any billing questions to our bookkeeper
Phone: 954.680.6545 (all hours) Fax: 954.680.6018
CUS Business Systems, 5722 S. Flamingo Rd. PMB #3130, Cooper City FL 33330
Ellen Weintraub
Sales Manager