Autotask November 2012 Product Release Extends Functionality and Usability for Technology Solutions Providers

East Greenbush, NY, November 1, 2012 – Autotask Corporation, the world’s leading provider of hosted IT business management software, today announced the latest features and functionality that will be available to its users around the world in November, 2012.  The upcoming release adds dedicated incoming email for new ticket creation and closed-loop communication, enhanced inventory and product procurement workflows, a new My Autotask feature which allows users to quickly define and access important items, and numerous usability enhancements including an improved Online Help system.

The company’s November release culminates a year of steady product development which included significant enhancements to Autotask’s Workflow Engine, Client Access Portal, Taskfire and LiveMobile features, and the release of Autotask software in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.

“We are thoroughly committed to delivering the most efficient and flexible business management platform possible for technology solution providers, and 2012 has been a remarkable year for Autotask software and for our users around the world,” said Mark Cattini, Autotask President and CEO.  “Each new feature has been engineered to further optimize users’ business processes and give them real-time service intelligence about their operations.”

Autotask’s November 2012 product release will include:

Incoming Email Processing Service
Designed to further improve customer service and response times, incoming email processing effectively integrates inbound client emails into a users’ workflow by converting them to Autotask service tickets.  The new feature supports Autotask’s Add-Ticket-Email-Service (ATES) functionality, and allows user to specify the default attributes of new tickets including Status, Priority, Queue, Source, Issue Type, Sub-Issue Type, Work Type and Due Date.

Additional add-on capabilities are also available to support full, closed loop communications, including the creation of Ticket Notes and Time Entries, Task Notes and Time Entries and Project Notes, based on email conversations between technicians and clients.  Customizable, client-facing HTML notification templates have also been included in the release to improve effective communication.

Inventory Module Product Procurement Extension
Autotask’s Product Procurement Extension is an add-on to the Autotask Inventory Module that provides enhanced product inventory workflows and automation from product quoting to invoicing.  The extension also includes automatic notifications to relevant parties at critical stages of the process, and system alerts that ensure complex orders stay on track.

Autotask Product Procurement provides a repeatable, controlled and highly visible process for procuring and delivering customer requested hardware – from selling quoting, checking inventory and requesting products, to purchasing, receiving and shipping.

“We approach each new product release with a goal of balancing improvements to the Autotask user experience with adding new features that help clients compete in the marketplace and make it easier for clients to pursue new business opportunities,” said Patrick Burns, Vice President of Product Management. “The November 2012 product release includes a number of powerful new features that accomplish both – making it easier for Autotask users to focus on the work that matters and build their businesses.”

My Autotask
This new usability feature makes it easier for users to quickly access the pages and items they use frequently.  Users simply click the My Autotask button in the sub-navigation toolbar of any module to display or add bookmarks to the features and pages they access most often, and to view links to the last 10 Autotask pages they visited.

Import Tools for Accounts and Contacts, Products, and Configuration Items
Autotask’s data import tools have been upgraded and enhanced to simplify and streamline the process of adding new data sets – including the ability to update existing data for easier modifications.  Account and Contact information can now be uploaded within a single import file and includes the ability to simultaneously configure Client Access Portal and Site Configuration information.

The Product Import Wizard has also been enhanced, and allows users to bulk-import Configuration Items from their own records, or from remote monitoring and management applications.  A new import history screen will display recent uploads along with exception reports.  The exceptions file makes it easy for users to identify, correct and re-import their files.

Contracts Module Enhancements
Autotask’s Contracts Module allows users to model virtually any contract type and automatically apply agreed upon terms and rates to time entries, expenses and services delivered under the contract.  New enhancements include:

• Invoice Configuration options which allow users to display labor rates against Recurring Service and Fixed Price Contracts
• Customizable Invoice Description fields for Services, Service Bundles which can be used to provide greater detail to clients.
• Enhanced Approve and Post for Block Hour and Retainer Contracts that allows users to quickly view Contract Balance details, and flags any labor costs which would result in an overage.

Workflow Engine
Autotask’s dynamic Workflow Engine, which allows users to customize and automate a wide range of processes and actions when specified conditions are met, received significant upgrades earlier this year, including major enhancements to Project, Task and Service Desk workflow engines.  New improvements for the November 2012 release include new action options for CRM workflow rules which allow for product release of reserved inventory, and new Project-Task events that can be triggered by time entries.

Additional Enhancements
Autotask’s November Release includes a wide variety of additional enhancements including an updated and more intuitive Online Help System.  Autotask’s robust Web Services API has also been expanded to expose additional data fields related to Billing Items, Time Entries and Roles, and includes support for newer editions of Quickbooks™ in the US, Canada, UK and Australia.

About Autotask Corporation
Autotask Corporation provides the world’s leading hosted IT business management software to streamline and optimize business processes for technology solution providers. The software integrates a broad range of critical business systems, including customer relationship management (CRM), service desk, tech scheduling, project management, billing and reporting, and provides real-time service delivery intelligence to help users understand the factors that drive their business and their profitability.