WTA Engineer Search

[kwatt]

At some point in the not too distant future we are going to have to revisit the engineer search (ES) function and I’m looking to find out if there’s anything that WTA members specifically want on there as we go.

So long as it’s reasonable and not a total PITA to design and code, it should be doable. But, there are limits.

What happens now is that the WTA members are “cycled” first, meaning that if there’s more than one in the catchment area of the search they are randomly rotated to try to make it fair.

After that, all the others that have submitted details follow with the same randomisation.

Those that have not submitted details do not show at all.

There are some things that I want to add before you suggest anything, as follows:

Addition of link to website with click counter
Addition of up to three speciality products, such as washing machine, cooker etc.
Addition for WTA only of authorised agencies held
Ability to see calls sent over the past while
Ability to see calls missed and why
Bridge to Rapport to log calls/details

Now, cards on the table here…

I may need to make some of these premium paid for facilities as they are add-ons and the reality is, I need to pay myself to design the logic and, I then need to pay Sudeep to develop and code. Sorry, but that doesn’t happen for free.

If the take up is poor, we’ll not pursue it further.

However…

I don’t know if you all know this or not and, I meant to mention it at the meeting and completely forgot about it but, ES passes out about 4000 or so calls a year currently, totally for free.

About the same again or more that are not picked up by anyone.

There’s a number of reasons for that, no agent in the postcode, no skill coverage, someone forgot to add a brand or, they don’t so it and so on.

Point is, there’s a shedload of calls go through it and, more than that, almost all the manufacturers use it when looking for agents as it’s heaps easier than trawling through Google etc. So, worth being on there.

So, if you’ve any ideas or suggestions now would be the time to make them. 😉

K.

[admin]

Re: WTA Engineer Search

Fine by me

Bryan

[timdowning]

Re: WTA Engineer Search

I’m interested, not had a thing from the search as it is, depending on cost of course.

[kwatt]

Re: WTA Engineer Search

Okay so the new version is up and running. 😀

WTA members have got access before the genpop does ’cause you’re all “special”. 😉

Plus I can’t be a****d listening to Martin et all whining. Usually about silly stuff.

Anyways, new one is now live here:

http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/search/fi … e-engineer

Same URL, different system entirely. Like, not even slightly the same!

Aside the way it is used, which remains as simple as we can make it to be in the familiar three step layout but it has been made clearer and a bit more funky.

The backend is completely new and is hosted on the Rapport site, not on UKW as it uses the new core system that Rapport shares and that is also better protected in some ways. Also having it there reduces the server load as well as allowing us to use a more modern backend. Lots of geeky stuff basically.

Speaking of the backend system, it’s here…

http://rapportsoftware.co.uk/findanengi … nengineer/

From there you can (or will be able to) login and amend your listing almost at will with some restrictions as a few things can only be entered or amended by admin to prevent fraud basically or people taking the you-know-what.

But you will be able to switch yourself on and off, add or delete brands, products and so on.

And all new, you’ll be able to see some stats as well. Like this:

So it’s made small for speed but you get the idea, you can see the number of times someone has press the “Phone” button which goes to whatever number *YOU* set in the control panel. Then you see the number of web enquiries that have been placed or, the number of times it’s been clicked. Then you see the number of views your listing has had globally.

There’s SMS stuff in there also, you can get notifications that way and some other stuff but that’s more for Rapport users currently than anyone else.

To get a user/pass for access please email Sudeep on support@rapportsoftware.co.uk and he will set that up for you.

There is a two step authentication on it so, you will need to get past the first layer to get logged in.

K.

[Author]

Posts