July 2021 To: All Ideal customers Re: Annual Letter I hope this letter finds you well. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with you through an uncertain, but successful, year. Our OPE Market data shows that our customers have grown on an average of 23% over the last six months despite […]
We continue to invest in best in class support, and we are very pleased to announce that the new Ideal Customer Portal is now live! Click here to access it. Through this portal, you can: Request support Find answers to common questions using our easy to search knowledgebase View training videos & tutorials for new […]
Like many other equipment dealers, Hilly Ridge Sales & Service started as a mom-and-pop shop. Derwin Seibel, a second-generation owner of Hilly Ridge, started the business with his dad in 1999, right after Derwin got out of school. Back then, Hilly Ridge was a specialist shop. Now, 22 years later, they have expanded to become […]
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, April 12, 2021 — Ideal Computer Systems, a leading industry-specific dealership software vendor in North America, is delighted to announce that they have released a mobile app for their TargetCRM. Ideal’s TargetCRM is an automated sales and marketing platform designed to help dealers turn their one-time customers into repeat buyers, all year-round. With […]
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, March 29, 2021 — Ideal Computer Systems, a leading industry-specific dealership software vendor in North America, has released an exciting new product that will make it a whole lot easier for dealerships to find affordable parts efficiently – Ideal Parts Locator. This product has also been released for their sister company, C-Systems. With Ideal […]
Watch our Ideal Roadmap & What’s New webinar recording from our recent Virtual Summit here.
Would you like to save time and money on cross-referencing genuine OEM and aftermarket parts for Rotary, Oregon and Stens? We have good news for you – you can now instantly cross-reference 1,000s of them with our new files that you can download and install into your Ideal system in just a few clicks. Cost: […]
“I emailed the helpdesk and they won’t get back to me!” – Jon “I left a voicemail, but the helpdesk never got back to me!” – Jane Every now and then, we get complaints like the ones you see above. While writing helpdesk tickets isn’t exactly rocket science, it IS possible to write a “bad” […]
Did you know that if you purchase a workstation, add a new printer or upgrade your whole computer system before the end of this tax year, you can deduct its full purchase price? Based on your tax situation, this could be an effective discount of 15% – 40%! Is this legal? Yes! Under the provisions of Internal Revenue Code […]
Whether you’ve updated your Ideal software to v9.4 or any other version since then, you may have started experiencing unreasonable slowdowns when looking up products in the system. Since this problem can severely impact your daily processes, your first reaction may be to call our support, which is absolutely correct. However, you can actually fix […]
We wanted to make a quick announcement on the current state of wholegood prices in the US and Canada, which seem to fluctuate because of the ongoing trade negotiations between the US and its trading partners. So, What’s Happening, Exactly? As you may already know, the US has been re-negotiating its trade agreements with Canada, […]
We’d like to thank everyone who attended our 2-day Regional Training event in Nashville this spring. We’ve had 22 customers join us, all of whom were eager to learn the ins and outs of the Ideal software ahead of the busy season. Special Thanks to Our Professional Services Team We’d like to thank our […]
With the busy season looming ahead, you might want to make an extra investment in your Ideal system to bolster your dealership’s overall performance and efficiency. As a result, you might be stuck wondering whether it’s better to simply purchase another user license (like in the past) or perhaps invest in the much-improved Ideal Mobile […]
You asked, and we delivered! We’re pleased to announce that you can now download wholegood and accessory price files, and as a result, effortlessly upload 1,000s of products into your Ideal system. How This Will Make Your Life Easier Thanks to this addition, you won’t have to worry about manually entering model numbers for serialized […]
What’s the Difference? Last year, we invited all of our customers to a three-day User Conference where they had the opportunity to mingle, pick up some useful business tips and receive hands-on training on the Ideal software. This year, we decided to try something different: we are adding a Regional Training in spring and […]
How safe is your business data? Can you fully restore it after a catastrophic hard drive failure on your server? Is it protected from a fire, lightning strike or any other disaster? After all, losing data can be very dangerous. According to National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) in Washington D.C., 93% of companies that […]
We’d like to thank everyone who attended our 4-day Training Seminar in Cedar Rapids this year. We’ve had 68 customers join us from across 22 states and provinces, and it’s been a lot of fun having you all here! Check out our photos of the event: Special Thanks to All the Presenters We’d […]
Like all machines, computers are known to malfunction. So, if your computer is experiencing inexplicable slowdowns, periodic stalls, unexpected shutdowns, system crashes or similar issues, then there’s likely something wrong with it. Here are some of the reasons why your computer may be having these problems: You have not downloaded all the important Windows Updates […]
Do you want to get your customers in and out of your store faster and increase their satisfaction? There are a couple of things you can add to your Ideal system to improve the speed and efficiency of your point of sale: electronic signature pads and bar code scanners. Electronic Signature Pads Electronic signature […]
Did you know that many of our dealerships use only 20%-40% of the Ideal software’s potential, leaving valuable dollars on the table? Are you one of them? If you are, then invite us to come onsite and provide you with additional training and consultation on how to use the software to its full potential. […]
At Ideal, we are always striving to resolve your support requests faster. In that pursuit, we did an analysis of the type of information we get when a support request is logged. Here are the top 3 ticket descriptions we get: Call Me (no other details) Problem with …x… call me (no other details) Something […]
When using your Ideal software to send customers notifications or emails regarding their work order, you can choose what documents you want to attach. For instance, if your customer is expecting the total due for your service, attach a Sales Order. However, if instead they are merely waiting for a confirmation on when the item […]
Ideal is pleased to welcome Bob Murphy and Randy McKay to its Research and Development team. Both started working at Ideal this fall and are already making an impact on the development of the product. Bob Murphy Bob is no stranger to Ideal having worked here in the early 2000s when the company was […]
We had a question come up the other day about the ability to set the default order entry screen to an estimate. This is possible in Ideal. Here’s how: Use the Orders screen to begin this setup. Note that this setting will only apply to the active user/login. Use the Options menu and select Set […]
You may have noticed a new voice when you’ve called into Ideal support in the last couple of months. That person is Larry Clay. Larry joined the Ideal team in May as a Customer Support Representative and specializes in troubleshooting hardware issues. Prior to his tenure at Ideal, he worked at ACT in Iowa City […]
Picture this… a natural disaster happens in your town and your business is severely damaged. Some things are salvageable but your computers are destroyed. What happens to your business data? If you call into Ideal Support, the first question they will ask is if you have a backup. All too often, customers think that Ideal […]
Recently a dealer asked how they could track which customers have opted to receive Text notifications. One way is to add a Custom Field to your Customers list with a Yes/No type of response. Click on the Customers icon to open your customer list. From the menu, go to […]
Many of you have probably noticed some new faces on the Ideal Sales Team in recent months. First of all, we’d like to introduce our newest member of the sales team, Josh Moses. Josh began working in March as an Account Manager in charge of upgrade sales for current customers. He has since transitioned into […]
The Ideal family has welcomed some new employees in recent months. Accounts Payable Specialist Jenn Anderson, Business Development Representative Brit Connor, and Accounts Receivable Specialist Tori Davison joined the Ideal team last year and are making positive contributions. Jenn Anderson Jenn began working last August as Ideal’s Accounts Payable Specialist. Her primary responsibilities include […]
In an effort to improve the service we provide to our customers, we’ve made some changes to the way you submit support tickets through the Ideal Welcome Page. These changes allow you to provide more detailed information about your request. From the Ideal Welcome Page: 1) Select the Click to Request a Support Call button. […]
After 20+ years working in the industry, Frank Buchanan, the long-time parts manager at Mike’s Lawnmower in Ocala, FL, finally isn’t dreading his end of year inventory count. Why? As an early adopter of Ideal’s new mobile app, complete with advanced inventory counting features, Frank has turned what used to be a time consuming experience […]
The Ideal family is pleased to introduce new employees, TeresaAnn Taylor and Ryan TeBockhorst. Both started working at Ideal over the summer and have already made positive contributions to our team. TeresaAnn Taylor TeresaAnn began working at Ideal in mid-July as a customer relationship specialist and currently helps customers create procedures and processes that […]
In a continuing effort to keep you informed of changes that may affect your business, we want to make sure that you’re aware of Microsoft plans to discontinue support for Windows Server® 2003 next year on July 14, 2015. Often times, we see dealers wait to plan their server migration and upgrades at the last […]
If you’re like many dealers, the backbone of your operation relies heavily on your service department. We all know that the efficiency of your technicians greatly impacts your bottom line. Any time spent away from turning wrenches greatly affects your profitability. Here’s an example: Think about a customer that comes in asking for some of […]
There seems to be an increase in virus activity as of late. I reviewed an article on a major news source’s website where they listed the 14 most prevalent dangerous emails of 2013. Some of them are phishing type emails, while others request personal information connected to what seems to be legitimate emails from companies […]
Something I find interesting as I stop by dealerships for impromptu visits is that their Ideal for Windows software is not kept up-to-date with the latest version and build available. I haven’t quite been able to understand how and why this happens. I have been given a list of reasons including, “I don’t have time”, […]
OPE dealers entering Cub Cadet/MTD parts through Ideal’s PO interface with Snap-on eConnect now have the ability to check part availability before placing their order. From Ideal’s Purchase Order Entry screen, simply select the Part Avail. Sh+F5 button and the part information and pricing will display. This is just one of the many new features in […]
We would like to congratulate Price List Coordinator Rita Reif and Lead Programmer Kurt Meyer on celebrating 25 years of service at Ideal Computer Systems! Rita was hired in May of 1988 as Ideal’s first full-time employee in charge of customer support and service. She’s had many hats over the years, working in support for […]
Ideal is pleased to announce the hiring of Jeff Plecity as a member of the Ideal Computer Systems support team. Jeff brings a wealth of computer and accounting knowledge to Ideal. In his previous position, he helped resolve bank reconciliation issues and other fiduciary issues that involved research. He also has experience troubleshooting computer issues […]