2004, 2007 AutoSoft International, Inc. All rights reserved.

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2 Copyright 2004, 2007 AutoSoft International, Inc. All rights reserved. The information in this document is subject to change without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanically, including photocopying, for any purpose other than the purchaser s personal use without written permission from AutoSoft International, Inc. The software described in this document is provided under a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement between AutoSoft International, Inc. and the purchaser. The software may only be used and copied in accordance with the terms of that agreement. AutoSoft International, Inc. 61 Executive Court West Middlesex, PA U.S.A. Trademarks AutoSoft and Finance Assistant are either registered trademarks or trademarks of AutoSoft International, Inc. AutOrigination is either a resisted trademark or trademark of DaimlerChrysler Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. DealerTrack is either a resisted trademark or trademark of DealerTrack.com, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. First American and CREDCO are either resisted trademarks or trademarks of First American in the United States and/or other countries. OneSource is either a resisted trademark or trademark of General Motors Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. RouteOne is either a resisted trademark or trademark of RouteOne, LLC in the United States and/or other countries. trivin is either a resisted trademark or trademark of trivin Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All vehicle makes and models mentioned in this manual are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective automotive manufacturer and should be noted as such. Any other products mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be noted as such. Revised 10/07

3 Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction AutoSoft Finance Assistant Overview...1 Logging on to the Program...1 Using the Menu Bar and Toolbar...2 Using the Menu Bar...2 Using the Toolbar...2 Getting Ready...4 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information...5 Opening the Setup Screens...5 Using Standard Buttons...6 Entering Setup Information...6 Employees...7 Banks...10 Dealer Information...12 Gap Companies...13 Insurance Agents...14 Service Companies...15 State Charges...16 Warranty Companies...17 Life Rates...18 Up Parameters...21 Adding a Code...21 Deleting a Code...21 Account Number...22 Parameters...22 CRM...23 Program Operation...24 Life A&H Defaults...26 Front End Adds...27 Back End Adds...28 Licensing...29 Taxing...30 Warranty...32 Service...33 Gap...34 Commissioning...35 Finishing Up...36 Chapter 2 Managing Traffic...37 Adding a New Up...37 Scanning the Driver s License...37 Up Information...38 Entering Customer Information...39 Customer Information...40 i

4 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Vehicle Insurance Primary Credit Application Information Selecting Inventory Entering Trade Information Entering Lead Details Viewing the Up as a Deal Rolling Figures Viewing a recap of the Deal Scheduling an Appointment Viewing Traffic...48 Generating Letters Printing One Letter Printing Multiple Letters Deleting an Up...50 Sending the Up to F&I Chapter 3 Creating Deals Using the Deals List Creating a Deal from an Up Creating a New Deal Working the Deal Selling Price...56 Life A&H Adds Licensing Local Fees Taxes Tax Warranty Service Contract Gap Tax on Cap Red Acquisition Fee Security Deposit Bank Fees Payment Subtotal Rebates Cash Price Gross Trade...66 Trade Payoff Cash Cap Red Cash Net Cap Cost Cash From Customer ii

5 Table of Contents Total Financed...68 Total Inception...69 Residual...69 M.S.R.P Add s M.S.R.P Package Discounts...69 Residualized Amount...70 Residual %...70 Base Residual...70 Mileage Adjustment...70 Total Residual...70 Terms...71 Extended Terms...71 Reset Extended Terms...71 Term...71 Days to first pay...71 Rate...71 Effective Rate...72 Purchase Date...72 Payment Date...72 Calculation...72 Service Memo...72 Front Gross and Back Gross...73 Amount Due...73 Monthly Payments...73 Other Charges...74 Total of Payments...74 Interest Rate...74 Finance Charge...75 Amount Financed...75 Total of Payments...76 Total Sale Price...77 Viewing An Overview of the Deal...77 Printing Forms...78 Deleting a Deal...79 Updating the Deal to Accounting...79 Chapter 4 Managing Inventory...81 Understanding the Inventory Manager Screen...81 Description Tab...82 Image Tab...82 Incentives/Cost Tab...83 Factory Invoice Tab...83 Adding a Vehicle...84 Deleting a Vehicle from Inventory...84 iii

6 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Searching for a Vehicle Validating VIN Entries Updating the Inventory Viewing Repair Orders Setting Incentives and Packs Chapter 5 Using the Scheduler Viewing Schedules Calendar View Daily View Weekly View Monthly View Yearly View Planner View Scheduling Appointments Using the Edit Menu to Schedule an Appointment Using the Scheduler Toolbar to Schedule an Appointment Editing an Appointment Deleting an Appointment Scheduling Tasks Scheduling Tasks Viewing Tasks Marking a Task as Completed Editing Tasks Deleting Tasks Chapter 6 Generating Reports Selecting a Report Filtering the Report Viewing the Report Searching for Information Using the Select Expert Using the Search Expert Using the Find Feature Printing and Saving the Report Conclusion Appendix A Downloading Reports and Forms Appendix B The DaimlerChrysler AutOrigination Plug-In Getting the Plug-In Setting the Plug-In Properties Using the AutOrigination Plug-In Appendix C DealerTrack Plug-In Getting the Plug-In Setting the Plug-In Properties Using the DealerTrack Plug-In Accessing the DealerTrack Plug-In from the Main Toolbar iv

7 Table of Contents Accessing the DealerTrack Plug-In from the Deal Screen Appendix D The First American CREDCO Plug-In Getting the Plug-In Setting the Plug-In Properties Using the CREDCO Plug-In Accessing the CREDCO Plug-In from the Main Toolbar Accessing the CREDCO Plug-In from the Deal Screen Appendix E The trivin Plug-In Getting the Plug-In Setting the Plug-In Properties Using the trivin Plug-In Accessing the trivin Plug-In from the Main Toolbar Accessing the trivin Plug-In from the Deal Screen Appendix F The RouteOne Plug-In Getting the Plug-In Setting the Plug-In Properties Using the RouteOne Plug-In Index v

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9 Introduction AutoSoft Finance Assistant Overview Introduction AutoSoft Finance Assistant Overview Welcome to the AutoSoft Finance Assistant, a Windows-based program that fully integrates with AutoSoft Dealership Management Systems. The program assists you with all the tasks the F&I and/or Sales Department complete when making a sale, from tracking prospects to desking the deal. The user-friendly design makes it easy to learn and use the program. The data screens consist of entry boxes that identify the information you need to enter, and default information entered during the initial setup automatically fills in the appropriate boxes throughout the program. This saves you the trouble of having to repeatedly enter standard information. The program is also very versatile because you can enter any type of deal cash, retail, lease, balloon, or wholesale. The program can accommodate the information you need to add to complete a deal, from the bank contracts to the rebates. In addition, the system automatically calculates commission based on the criteria you specify. With the AutoSoft Finance Assistant, making sales is fast, efficient, and easy. Logging on to the Program The first thing you will do each day is log on to the program. To ensure the security of your data, all users are required to log on to the program. You create user names and passwords for each employee you add in the program setup. This ensures that only the people you want to access the AutoSoft Finance Assistant can open the program. You will log on to the program the first time using a built-in administrator account. Once in the program, you must change the administrator account s password. See Chapter 1, page 7, for instructions on adding employee records to the setup and creating user names and passwords. 1. Double-click the Finance Assistant icon on your desktop. 2. The Login screen opens. 3. In User Name, type Administrator. The user name is not case sensitive. 4. In Password, type Admin. The password is case sensitive. 5. Click OK. The program opens. 1

10 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Using the Menu Bar and Toolbar Before you get started, you will want to become familiar with the menu bar and toolbar. The menu bar and toolbar appear at the top of the AutoSoft Finance Assistant screen. Since you use these items to maneuver through the program, it is important that you are familiar with them before you use the program. Using the Menu Bar The menu bar changes based on the screen that is open. The menu options specific to each screen are discussed in each chapter. You use menus by clicking the menu name. This will display the options for that menu. Click the item you want to select. Using the Toolbar The toolbar contains buttons you use to access parts of the program. Simply click the button that represents the part of the program you want to access, and the appropriate screen opens. The table on the following page identifies each button on the AutoSoft Finance Assistant toolbar and explains what you can use the button to do while using the program. Becoming familiar with the toolbar will make maneuvering through the program easier for you later in the manual, so take a few minutes to become familiar with the information. Note: Individual screens have additional toolbars, too. The toolbars specific to the various screens are discussed in each chapter. 2

11 Introduction AutoSoft Finance Assistant Overview Button Function Click to add a new Up record. Click to scan a driver s license to add a new Up record. You must have a driver s license scanner installed to use this feature. Click to view a list of the Up records in the program. Click to start a new deal. Click to view a list of the deals in the program. Click to view inventory, add inventory, or edit inventory information. Click to use the communications features installed on your system. See Appendices B through E for instructions on using the plug-ins. Click to use the scheduler. In addition to scheduling appointments, you can add tasks to your task list and view your schedule and schedules for sales reps on your sales team. Click to browse the Internet. Click to generate and print reports. Click to view the history from your previous F&I system. History is only available for customers who have paid to have their history converted when they switched from their old system to the AutoSoft Finance Assistant. This button does not do anything at this time. 3

12 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Getting Ready Now that you know how to use the menu bar and toolbar and how to find additional help as you work, you are ready to begin using the AutoSoft Finance Assistant. Each of the chapters in this manual discusses a specific feature. Make sure you read the corresponding chapter in the manual before attempting to use a feature. 4

13 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information When you create deals, you have to type standard information repeatedly. Continually entering the same information takes time and leaves you vulnerable to entry errors. It is crucial to both F&I and the Sales Department that information is entered accurately and in the most efficient manner. The AutoSoft Finance Assistant makes it easy to ensure this accuracy and efficiency. Before you begin using the program, you must enter setup information. This information customizes the program for your dealership and determines several pieces of default information (charges, tax information, commission information, insurance providers, etc.) that fill in automatically when you create a new deal. These default settings save you the time of having to enter standard information for each deal and ensure that the information is always correct. You can edit the setup information as needed to accommodate changes within your dealership. For example, you define commission percentages within the setup. When these percentages are increased or decreased, you would edit the default values so you do not have to adjust the commission calculation for each deal. Opening the Setup Screens You will enter all of the information from the Edit menu. When you click Edit on the menu bar at the top of the screen, you will see a list of all the setup information you need to enter. Simply click an option, and the corresponding entry screen opens. Each screen consists of entry boxes and selection buttons. Type the information in the boxes on the screen. Press the TAB key on your keyboard to move through the boxes. To move to a previous box, press SHIFT + TAB, or click in the box with your mouse. To select a selection button, click the button with your mouse. The minus sign on the button indicates an option that is not selected. When you select an option (click the button), the minus sign becomes a checkmark. If you click the button again, it becomes a minus sign. (See Using Standard Buttons on page 6 for more information about these buttons.) 5

14 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Using Standard Buttons Most of the setup screens allow you to add more than one record. These screens contain buttons on the bottom of the screen you can use to maneuver quickly through multiple records once they are entered and to add or remove records as needed. The following table lists all of the buttons you need to be familiar with before entering setup information in the program. Button Function Click to create a new entry. When you click this button, the program saves the current record and clears the screen so you can add a new record. Click to view the first record saved in the setup. Click to view the previous record in the setup. Click to view the next record in the setup. Click to view the last record saved in the setup. Click to delete the record currently displayed on the screen. This button appears next to options you can select. This image indicates the item is not selected. When you click this button, it becomes a checkmark to indicate you selected the item. This button indicates an item has been selected. When you click this button, it becomes a minus sign to indicate you cleared the item. Click to save the current record and to close the screen. Click to close the screen without saving the record. Entering Setup Information You will enter information on all of the setup screens in a similar manner. Use the following instructions as a guideline for entering information. 1. Click Edit, and click the parameter you want to enter. The corresponding screen opens. 2. Type the information required in each box. (Refer to the table provided for each parameter screen for an explanation of the information required in each box on the screen.) 3. When you are finished, click New to save the record and add a new record, or click OK to save the record and close the screen. 4. Continue to work your way through the Edit menu until you are finished entering all of the setup information. 6

15 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Employees The first thing you should do is add employees to the program using the Employees screen. For each employee, you will create a user name and password the employee will use to log on to the program, and you will set security levels to control what each employee can access in the program. To access the employee screen, you must first log on as an administrator by using the built-in Administrator account or a user name that has administrator rights. Remember: You need to edit the password for the existing administrator account. To add employees, fill in the information, and select the security levels and group you want to assign the employee. When you are finished, click New to add a new employee or OK to close the screen. Box Number Team Active Company Information it requires Type the employee s salesman number from the Accounting setup. This must match the number in the Accounting module to ensure the employee is paid properly when deals are sent to Accounting. This is a required entry. Teams are used to separate different employees into groups. This can be used to group together stores if you have more than one store, or it can be used to group together sales teams. If this is used, it will limit one team from seeing the other team s Ups and deals. Only an employee in the Administrator group is able to see all Ups and deals for all teams. Click to select if this employee is active. An active employee will show up in the employee list when selecting sales reps. Inactive employees do not show up in the sales rep list but will print on reports. If there are multiple companies, select the company you want to assign the employee to from the drop-down list. 7

16 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Box Name SS# Address City State Zip Phone Login Name Login Password New Up Traffic New Deal Deals Reports Inventory Communications Scheduler History Edit Parameters User Manager Power User Administrator Pack Holdback Invoice Invoice as Cost Information it requires Type the employee s name. This is a required entry. Type the employee s social security number. Type the employee s street number and street name. Type the city where the employee lives. Type the two-character abbreviation for the employee s state. Type the employee s ZIP Code/Postal Code. Type the employee s primary home phone number. Type the employee s address. Type the name employee will use to log on to the program. This is a required entry. Type the password the employee will use to log on to the program. This is a required entry. Allow Access To.. Click to give this employee access to create new Ups. Click to give this employee access to view Ups, edit Ups, and print batch letters. Click to give this employee access to create new finance deals. Click to give this employee access to view and edit existing deals. Click to give this employee access to view and print reports. Click to give this employee access to view inventory. Click to give this employee access to all installed dealer communications. Click to give this employee access to view and edit schedules. Click to give this employee access to view and edit history. Click to give this employee access to edit the parameters that determine how the program works and that determine the default entries. Is a Member of... Select to make this employee a member of the User group. Refer to the Permissions table on the following page for a description of each group s settings. Select to make this employee a member of the Manager group. Refer to the Permissions table on the following page for a description of each group s settings. Select to make this employee a member of the Power User group. Refer to the Permissions table on the following page for a description of each group s settings. Select to make this employee a member of the Administrator group. Refer to the Permissions table on the following page for a description of each group s settings. Hide Click to select if you want to hide the pack on the Wash screen. Click to select if you want to hide the holdback on the Wash screen. Click to select if you want to hide the invoice price on the Wash screen. Cost Click to select if you want to use the invoice price instead of the book value. This will not affect accounting. 8

17 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information The following table summarizes the tasks each member group can perform. New Up Permissions Area User Manager Power User Administrator Users can create new Ups but do not have access to the retail, lease, or balloon portion of the Up screen. They can t delete an Up. Managers can create new Ups and have access to the retail, lease, and balloon portion of the Up screen. They can delete an Up. Same as manager Same as manager Traffic Users can only open, view, and edit their Ups. They can t delete Ups. Users can print letters. Managers can view and edit all Ups for their team. They can delete Ups and print letters. Same as manager Same as manager New Deal Users can create a new finance deal and work it. They can t view gross or vehicle costs. Managers can create a new finance deal and work it. They can view gross and vehicle costs. Same as manager Same as manager Deals Users can view deals for their team but can t delete deals. Managers can view and delete deals for their team. Same as manager Administrators can view, edit, and delete any deal. Reports Users can view nonmanagement reports. Managers can view all reports. Same as manager Same as manager Inventory Users can view inventory but can t see the vehicle costs or make any changes to the inventory. Managers can view inventory and view inventory costs but can t change packs or incentives. Power Users can browse inventory, view inventory costs, and change packs or incentives. Same as Power User Communications Users can view and enter credit information. They can use all communications features for any plug-in installed. Same as User Same as User Same as User Scheduler Users can create appointments for themselves and view their appointments and tasks. Managers can view all tasks and appointments for their team and edit appointments for others on their team. Same as manager Same as manager Edit Parameters Users can change the way the program operates and change the default settings. They can t change employee settings. Same as User Same as User Administrators can change the way the program operates and change the default settings. They can also change employee settings. 9

18 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Banks Create a record for every bank your dealership works with using the Banks screen. Box Name #1 and Name #2 Name (First Box) Address (Second Box) City State Zip Phone Fax Misc Bank ID # Account # Control # Max Gap VW Driver Option Information it requires These buttons indicate which name you are entering. This allows you to list title requirements and liens for the same bank with two different names and addresses. This is used for leasing. Type the bank s (lien holder s) name. Type the bank s street number and street name. Type the name of the city where the bank is located. Type the two-character abbreviation for the bank s state. Type the bank s ZIP Code/Postal Code. Type the bank s phone number. Type the bank s fax number. Type any miscellaneous information about the bank that will differentiate entries for the same bank if you need to enter it into the system more than once because it requires different information for different types of sales (lease, retail, etc.). The information entered here will appear in the Banks drop-down list on the Deals screen but does not print with the bank name. Type the bank s ID number. Type Accounting s account number for this bank. Type Accounting s control number for this bank. Gap Type the maximum amount the bank allows for Gap. When you select this bank for a deal, the system will never allow the Gap insurance to exceed this amount. Balloon Click to select if Volkswagen drivers option applies to balloon deals. 10

19 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Box Chrysler Calculation Participation % Calculation Method OD Over From Zero Mileage Adjustment Default Excess Mileage Charge Purchase Option Fee Termination Fee Ford Lease Calculation GM Lease Calculation Chrysler Lease Calculation Acquisition Fee Origination Fee Calculate Residual One Band = Miles Residual Adjustment Per Band Bank Fee Bank Fee To APR Yearly Increment Single Interest Premium (VSI) Single Interest Premium to (VSI) APR To Payment 30 day mo/360 day year Information it requires Click to select if Chrysler calculation should be used for balloon deals. Reserve Type the percent of the finance charge reserve the bank pays. Select the calculation method the bank uses from the drop-down list. Leasing Type the number of miles over zero at which the bank will begin adjusting the residual value. If this option is selected and the miles on the vehicle are greater than the miles in the OD Over box, all of the miles will be multiplied by the Mileage Adjustment value. The bank s guidelines on beginning miles will determine if you should select this option. Type the cents per mile charged for being over allowable miles. This box is used only when From Zero is selected. Type the cents per mile charged for each mile driven over the allowed mileage at termination. Type the dollar amount over the residual that the vehicle can be purchased for at the end of the lease. Type the dollar amount charged for terminating the lease before the contracted termination date. Click to select if the bank uses Ford calculations for leases. Click to select if the bank uses General Motors calculations for leases. Click to select if the bank uses Chrysler calculations for leases. Type the bank s acquisition fee. Type the bank s origination fee (if applicable). Click to select to have the system calculate the residual based on the percentage you type and the settings you have entered for the bank. If you do not select this option, you must manually calculate the residual. This method is necessary for banks that do not calculate the residual using MSRP X percent. Ford Mileage Ford no longer uses these options. Ford no longer uses these options. Retail Type the fee or prepaid finance charge the bank charges. Click to select if the bank fee should roll into the APR by adding to the finance charge. In most cases, this option is selected. Type the yearly increment amount. This information is used in Canada. Type the single interest premium or VSI. Click to select if the single interest premium should roll into the APR by adding to the finance charge. In most cases, this option is not selected. Click to select if the single interest premium should roll into the payment. Click to select if the bank follows a 30 day month/360 day year when calculating APR. 11

20 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Dealer Information The Dealer Information screen is where you enter your dealership s information. You can enter multiple dealerships into the program as needed. Box Name Address City State Zip County Fax Phone #1 Phone #2 Dealer # Business License # Sales Tax # Zone # RRMC# Name SS# ID# 1-10 Information it requires Type the dealership s name. Type the dealership s street number and street name. Type the city where the dealership is located. Type the two-character abbreviation for the dealership s state. Type the dealership s ZIP Code/Postal Code. Type the county where the dealership is located. Type the dealership s fax number. Type the dealership s primary phone number. Type the dealership s secondary phone number. Type the dealership s dealer number. Type the dealership s license number. Type the dealership s sales tax number. Type the dealership s zone number. Type your dealership s RRMC number. Finance Manager Type the Finance Manager s name. Type the Finance Manager s social security number. Other ID # Type any additional ID numbers for your dealership in these fields. 12

21 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Gap Companies Use the Gap Providers screen to add all of the insurance companies you deal with for GAP insurance. Box Name Address City State Zip Phone Fax Contact Co. ID# Account # Control # Information it requires Type the insurance company s name. Type the insurance company s street number and street name. Type the city where the company is located. Type the two-character abbreviation for the company s state. Type the insurance company s ZIP Code/Postal Code. Type the insurance company s phone number. Type the insurance company s fax number. Type the name of your contact at the insurance company. Type the insurance company s ID number. Type Accounting s account number for this insurance company. Type Accounting s control number for this insurance company. 13

22 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Insurance Agents Use the Insurance Agents/Company screen to add all of the insurance companies you deal with and the agents for the companies. You can add multiple agents for each insurance company by using the buttons at the bottom of the Insurance Agent section. Box Name Address City State Zip Phone Name Address City State Zip Phone Information it requires Insurance Company Type the insurance company s name. Type the insurance company s street number and street name. Type the city where the company is located. Type the two-character abbreviation for the company s state. Type the insurance company s ZIP Code/Postal Code. Type the insurance company s phone number. Insurance Agent Type the agent s name. Type the agent s street number and street name. Type the city where the agent lives/works. Type the two-character abbreviation for the agent s state. Type the agent s ZIP Code/Postal Code. Type the agent s phone number. 14

23 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Service Companies The Service Providers screen allows you to enter all of the service companies you use for service contracts. Box Name Address City State Zip Phone Fax Contact Co. ID# Account # Control # Information it requires Type the service provider s name. Type the service provider s street number and street name. Type the city where the company is located. Type the two-character abbreviation for the company s state. Type the service provider s ZIP Code/Postal Code. Type the service provider s phone number. Type the service provider s fax number. Type the name of your contact at the company. Type the service provider s ID number. Type Accounting s account number for this service provider. Type Accounting s control number for this service provider. 15

24 AutoSoft Finance Assistant State Charges You use the Charges screen to enter standard charges for your dealership and to specify the types of deals to which the charges should be applied. When you create that particular type of deal, the program will automatically add the charges to the deal. You must enter your state charges as indicated on this screen to ensure your pre-programmed forms and contracts pull the charges. Box Description Amount Information it requires State Charges Type a description for up to five state charges. Type the amount of each charge. Taxing #1 Click to select if this charge requires tax rate #1. #2 Click to select if this charge requires tax rate #2. # 3 Click to select if this charge requires tax rate #3. War New Used Cash Ret Lse Bal Pmt Luxury Tax % Luxury Tax Threshold Description Charge Per Click to select if this charge requires the warranty tax rate. Veh Type Click to select if the charge applies to new sales. Click to select if the charge applies to used sales. Deal Type Click to select if the charge applies to cash deals. Click to select if the charge applies to retail deals. Click to select if the charge applies to lease deals. Click to select if the charge applies to balloon deals. Click to select if the charge should be calculated into the payment. Luxury Tax Type the percentage rate for the luxury tax. Type the dollar value at which the luxury tax is applied. Other State Charges (for use in Florida only) Type the description of the additional charge. This is your Doc Stamps. Type the amount of the additional charge. Type the dollar value at which the charge is applied. 16

25 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Warranty Companies Use the Warranty Providers screen to enter all of the warranty companies you deal with for warranty sales. Box Name Address City State Zip Phone Fax Contact Co. ID# Account # Control # Information it requires Type the warranty provider s name. Type the warranty provider s street number and street name. Type the city where the company is located. Type the two-character abbreviation for the company s state. Type the warranty provider s ZIP Code/Postal Code. Type the warranty provider s phone number. Type the warranty provider s fax number. Type the name of your contact at the company. Type the warranty provider s ID number. Type Accounting s account number for this warranty provider. Type Accounting s control number for this warranty provider. 17

26 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Life Rates Use this Life-A&H Rates screen to enter information about the life rate providers your dealership uses. You can obtain the information for life insurance and disability from the life insurance provider. Because life calculation methods vary by state, contact AutoSoft International for settings that apply to your state. Box Name Address City State Zip Group # Ins Type Life % A&H % Gap % Dec. Min. Prem Information it requires Life/A&H Settings and Per Anum Type Rates Type the insurance provider s name. Type the insurance provider s street number and street name. Type the city where the insurance provider is located. Type the two-character abbreviation for the company s state. Type the insurance provider s ZIP Code/Postal Code. Type the group number for the insurance Company. Type the description of the type of insurance this provider offers. Type the percentage of Life premiums your dealership retains as profit. Type the percentage of Accident and Health premiums your dealership retains as profit. Type the percentage of Gap premiums your dealership retains as profit. Type the decreasing minimum premium. 18

27 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Box Lev. Min. Prem A&H Min. Prem Calculation Method Single DEC 1 Single DEC DEV 1 Single Level 1 Single Level DEV 1 Single DISC 1 Single DEC 2 Single DEC DEV 2 Single Level 2 Single Level DEV 2 Single DISC 2 Joint DEC 1 Joint DEC DEV 1 Information it requires Type the level minimum premium. Type the A&H minimum premium. Select the calculation method from the drop-down list. Single Life Type the single decreasing rate. Type the single decreasing deviation rate. This varies by state. Type the single level life 1 rate. Type the single level deviation rate. This varies by state. Type the single discount rate. This varies by state. Type the single decreasing 2 rate. Type the single decreasing deviation 2 rate. This varies by state. Type the single level life 2 rate. Type the single level life deviation 2 rate. This varies by state. Type the single discount 2 rate. This varies by state. Joint Life Type the joint decreasing 1 rate. Type the joint decreasing deviation 1 rate. This varies by state. Joint Level 1 Type the joint level life rate 1. Joint Level DEV 1 Joint DISC 1 Joint DEC 2 Joint DEC DEV 2 Joint Level 2 Joint Level DEV 2 Joint DISC 2 A&H Deviation A&H Discount Life Thresh Term Life Trunc Term A&H Trunc Term Life Max Term A&H Max Term Max Life Benefit Type the joint level deviation 1 rate. This varies by state. Type the joint discount 1 rate. This varies by state. Type the joint decreasing 2 rate. Type the joint decreasing deviation 2 rate. This varies by state. Type the joint level life 2 rate. Type the joint level deviation 2. This varies by state. Type the joint discount rate 2. This varies by state. A & H Type the A&H deviation. This varies by state. Type the A&H discount. This varies by state. Ins Params Type the term at which the insurance stops paying gross life and then calculates at net method. This varies by state. Type the term at which the insurance stops paying life truncates. Type the term at which the insurance stops paying A&H. Type the maximum term for life. Type the maximum term for A&H. Type the maximum benefit for life. 19

28 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Box Max Total Dis Benefit Max Monthly Dis Benefit Allow Level Life Payment # Single DEC GRS Single DEC Net Single LEV Joint DEC Grs Joint DEC Net Joint Lev Single 7 Day Retro Single 14 Day Retro Single 30 Day Retro Joint 7 Day Retro Joint 14 Day Retro Joint 30 Day Retro Single 7 Day Elim Single 14 Day Elim Single 30 Day Elim Joint 7 Day Elim Joint 14 Day Elim Joint 30 Day Elim Gap Retail Gap Lease and Look Alike Information it requires Type the maximum benefit for total disability. Type the maximum benefit for monthly disability. Click to select if level life is allowed. This is used on lease deals to insure the residual amount. Life /A&H Table Type Rates This column identifies the payment number (month) from 1 to 120. The information in the remaining columns applies to the payment number listed on each line. This is the gross single decreasing life rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the net single decreasing level life rate per month or 0 if not applicable. This is the single level life rate per month or 0 if not applicable. This is the gross joint decreasing life rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the net joint decreasing level life rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the joint level life rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the seven-day single rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the fourteen-day single rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the thirty-day single rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the seven-day joint rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the fourteen-day single rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the thirty-day single rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the seven-day single rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the fourteen-day single rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the thirty-day single rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the seven-day joint elimination rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the fourteen-day joint elimination rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the thirty-day joint elimination rate per month or 0 if not applicable This is the Gap retail. This is the Gap retail and look-alike lease rate. 20

29 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Up Parameters The Up Parameters allow you to create codes you can use to flag Up records. You can create three types of codes: status codes, referral source codes, and result codes. You can create any number of each type of code, and you can delete the codes at any time. Your manufacturer may require specific codes be used with your Up records. Verify the requirements with your manufacturer. The status codes allow you to flag Up records so you know the status of the potential deal. For example, you might create status codes for Sales Presentation, Test Drive, Walked with OK, etc. The referral source codes allow you to identify what brought each Up into your dealership (TV commercial, newspaper ad, radio ad, etc.). This can be useful when you want to evaluate your advertising sources. The results codes allow you to identify what happened with an Up whose file you closed. Common result codes would be sold, bought elsewhere, Decided to wait, etc. Adding a Code 1. To add a code, click the tab that corresponds to the code you want to add. 2. In the blank box on the left side of the screen, type the code/description. 3. Click Add, and the program adds the code to a list on the right side of the screen. Deleting a Code 1. Click the tab that corresponds to the type of code you want to delete. 2. Use the arrow buttons to scroll through the list of codes on the right side of the screen as needed. Click the code you want to delete. 3. Click Delete. The code no longer appears in the code list. 21

30 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Account Number If you plan to download forms or participate in Web leads, you must enter your AutoSoft account number in the system. This allows AutoSoft to identify you when you attempt to download information from AutoSoft International. If you do not know your account number, contact AutoSoft International for assistance with this parameter. Parameters The parameters screen consists of 11 tabs where you specify default information you want to use for your deals. The default information you set on each tab here automatically fills in when you create a new deal. However, you can edit the default entries as needed. You must have entered your Life A&H providers, warranty providers, service contract providers, and Gap insurance providers before you can select the defaults in the parameters. If you have not entered them, return to this section and select the defaults later. 22

31 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information CRM The CRM tab allows you to set the default parameters that the system will use for Web leads. You also use this tab to set the automated preferences you want to use. If you select to use the automated service, the system will automatically generate an message to a Web lead when the lead is assigned to a sales representative. The message will include the text you will specify on this screen. Box Select the source for WEB Leads Auto Leads Subject Line of address sent from Mail Server Name Lead Text Information it requires Select the referral source for Web leads. This source is automatically assigned to all Web leads. Click to select if you want to use the automated feature. Type the text you want to appear as the subject of the automated message. Type the address you want to appear as the From address for the message. This does not have to be a real e- mail address. It serves only to provide a From address that can be included with the message that is generated. Type the server name for your server. Your network administrator or hardware provider should be able to provide this information for you. Type the text you want the message to include. The message will automatically include a signature line that includes Thank You, followed by the sales representative s name as it appears in the employee information entered in the program, so do not add any of this information. 23

32 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Program Operation The Program Operation tab determines how the AutoSoft Finance Assistant program operates. In addition to setting default information for how you want each new deal to start, you use this tab to determine if stores can access information from other stores if they are on the same network. 24

33 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Box Magic Number Start new deals with a Vehicle Start new deals as Deals Starts Retail Deal Calculations with Payments Start Lease Deal Calculations as a Lease Calculation Do NOT load deal defaults Allow all stores to SEE each other s INVENTORY Allow all stores to SELL each other s INVENTORY Allow all stores to SEE each other s DEALS Allow all stores to SEE each other s UPS ZIP decoder-replace tax rate Use internet price as starting selling price Sort by car line Pending Repair Order Prompt Report Printer Contract Printer Information it requires Type the breakeven or goal figure. This is the lowest profit you want to make on deals. The program displays this information as you work with an Up record so you can see how close to the target profit you are for the deal. Select the default vehicle type for new deals from the dropdown list. Select the default deal type for new deals from the drop-down list. Select the default payment type for new deals from the dropdown list. Select the default lease type for new lease deals from the drop-down list. Click to not have the deal defaults load automatically. If you select not to load the defaults, you will have to select the information for each new deal. Click to allow all stores to see the inventory at all other stores. Click to allow all stores to sell inventory from all other stores. Click to allow all stores to see the deals at all other stores. Click to allow all stores to view the Up records for all other stores. Click to select if you want to use the ZIP Code decoder. When a ZIP Code is identified, the local tax is edited to reflect the corresponding tax rate for the city. Click to select if you want the Internet price to be the default starting price for a deal. Click to select if you want to sort the inventory by car line. Indicate if you want the system to warn you when there are pending repair orders for a vehicle. Select the printer from the list you want to use to print reports. Select the Generic IBM Graphics 9 pin wide option from the list. This printer must be selected for the contracts to print. 25

34 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Life A&H Defaults The default insurance plan you select on this tab determines which company will default as the Life A&H provider. When creating the deal, you can select another provider if the default is not the company you will be using for the deal. Box Insurance Plan Primary Secondary Primary Secondary Primary Secondary Information it requires Select the default A&H provider from drop-down list. This provider will automatically fill in for new deals, but you can select a different provider when creating the deal as needed. Reducing Life Insured Click to select primary as the default for reducing life insured. Click to select secondary as the default for reducing life insured. Level Life Insured Click to select primary as the default for level life insured. Click to select secondary as the default for level life insured. Disability Click to select primary as the default for disability. Click to select secondary as the default for disability. 7 Day Retro Click to select 7 day retroactive as the default for disability. 14 Day Retro Click to select 14 day retroactive as the default for disability. 30 Day Retro Click to select 30 day retroactive as the default for disability. 30 Day Elim Click to select 30 day elimination as the default for disability. 60 Day Elim Click to select 60 day elimination as the default for disability. 90 Day Elim Click to select 90 day elimination as the default for disability. 26

35 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Front End Adds On the Front End Adds tab, you enter up to three front-end add-on products your Finance Department sells. These are items added to the vehicle before it reached the dealership. These entries automatically appear on all new deals. Box Description Retail Cost Information it requires Type the description for up to three front-end products sold by the Finance Department. Type the selling price for each product. Type the dealership s cost for each product. Tax #1 Click to select if the product requires tax rate #1. Tax #2 Click to select if the product requires tax rate #2. Tax #3 Click to select if the product requires tax rate #3. Pmt Click to select if the price should be added to the payment. 27

36 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Back End Adds On the Back End Adds tab, you enter up to three back-end add-on products your Finance Department sells. These are items added to the vehicle after it arrived at the dealership. The descriptions you enter on this screen automatically appear on all new deals as the default entries. You cannot edit these descriptions on the Deals screen. You can only edit the descriptions on this screen. However, you can edit the retail and cost amounts as well as the taxing, warranty, and payment options for each deal. Box Description Retail Cost Information it requires Type the description for up to three back-end products sold by the Finance Department. Type the selling price for each product. Type the dealership s cost for each product. Tax #1 Click to select if the product requires tax rate #1. Tax #2 Click to select if the product requires tax rate #2. Tax #3 Click to select if the product requires tax rate #3. War Pmt Click to select if the product requires the warranty tax rate. Click to select if the price should be added to the payment. 28

37 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Licensing Use the Licensing tab to define licensing fees. Although the fee amounts you enter here become the default values, you can edit the licensing fees when you are creating the deal. Box License Transfer Registration Certificate of Title Increase Notary In Payment Information it requires Type the license fee. This value becomes the default fee, but the value can be edited while creating the deal. Type the transfer fee. This value becomes the default fee, but the value can be edited while creating the deal. Type the registration fee. This value becomes the default fee, but the value can be edited while creating the deal. Type the certificate of title fee. This value becomes the default fee, but the value can be edited while creating the deal. Type the increase fee. This value becomes the default fee, but the value can be edited while creating the deal. Type the notary fee. This value becomes the default fee, but the value can be edited while creating the deal. Click to select if the fees should be added to the payment. 29

38 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Taxing The Taxing tab is where you enter the tax rates for your state. You can enter up to three tax rates for each item listed. The system pulls the tax rate (tax #1, tax #2, or tax #3) based on the tax rate you applied to items in the setup and based on the tax rate you apply to items while generating the deal. You can override the default taxes for a deal by selecting a different taxing state for the deal. Changing the default taxing state or province only changes the taxing scheme or code for how the taxes are calculated. You will have to enter the actual tax rate. This is true while you work in the deal, too. Box Default Taxing State or Province Retail State Tax Rate % Warr Retail Tax Rate % Lease Tax Rate % Warr Lease Tax Rate % Trade Tax Credit Rate % Retail State Tax Rate 1 % Rate 1 Indicator Retail Threshold 1 $ Information it requires Select the default taxing state from the drop-down list. The state must be selected in order for the code to be loaded for the state. Tax #1 and Tax #2 Type the retail tax percentage. Type the warranty retail tax percentage. Type the lease tax percentage. Type the warranty lease tax percentage. Type the trade tax credit rate percentage. This information is used in Nevada only. Tax #3 Type the retail tax percentage. Select the tax indicator from the list. This determines how the tax is applied. Type the maximum amount for the tax. 30

39 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Box Retail State Tax Rate 2 % Rate 2 Indicator Retail Threshold 2 $ Lease Tax Rate 1 % Lease Rate 1 Indicator Lease Threshold 1 $ Lease Tax Rate 2 % Lease Rate 2 Indicator Lease Threshold 2 $ Warr Retail Tax Rate % Warr Lease Tax Rate % Trade Tax Credit Rate % Information it requires Type a second retail tax percentage. Select the tax indicator from the list. This determines how the tax is applied. Type the maximum amount for the tax. Type the lease tax percentage. Select the tax indicator from the list. This determines how the tax is applied. Type the maximum amount for the tax. Type a second lease tax percentage. Select the tax indicator from the list. This determines how the tax is applied. Type the maximum amount for the tax. Type the warranty retail tax percentage. Type the warranty lease tax percentage. Type the trade tax credit tax percentage. Other Tax In Payment Round Tax To Whole Dollar (IL, DE Only) Cap Lease Tax (Up Front Tax States Only) Tax 3-Use Rate 2 for PORTIONS OVER Rate 2 Threshold (AZ) Click to select if you want to add the tax into the payment. This parameter applies to Arizona and Delaware only. Click to select if you want to round the tax to the nearest dollar. Click to select if you want to cap the lease tax. This parameter applies to Arizona only. Click to select if you want to use tax 2 instead of tax 3 for amounts over the tax 2 maximum amount. 31

40 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Warranty The warranty company you select on this tab determines which company will default as the warranty provider for all new deals. When creating the deal, you can select another provider if the default is not the company you will be using for the deal. You must enter warranty companies in the setup before they are available on this tab. Box Provider Plan Miles Deductible Warranty Term Retail Cost Payment Information it requires Select the warranty provider from the drop-down list that you want to set as the default provider for all new deals. Type the name/description of the default warranty plan. Type the number of miles the warranty covers. Type the warranty deductible amount. Type the number of months the warranty covers. Type the price of the warranty plan. Type the dealership s cost for the warranty plan. Click to select if the warranty plan should be added to the payment. Taxing Click to select the tax rate the warranty requires: tax #1, tax #2, or tax #3. 32

41 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Service The default provider you select on this tab determines which company will default as the service provider for all new deals. When creating the deal, you can select another provider if the default is not the company you will be using for the deal. You must enter service providers in the setup before they are available on this tab. Box Provider Plan Miles Deductible Warranty Term Retail Cost Payment Information it requires Select the service contract provider from the drop-down list that you want to set as the default provider for all new deals. Type the name/description of the default service contract. Type the number of miles the service contract covers. Type the deductible amount. Type the number of months the service contract covers. Type the price of the service contract. Type the dealership s cost for the service contract. Click to select if the service contract should be added to the payment. Taxing Click to select the tax rate the contract requires: tax #1, tax #2, or tax #3. 33

42 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Gap The provider you select on this tab determines which company will default as the Gap insurance provider for all new deals. When creating the deal, you can select another provider if the default is not the company you will be using for the deal. You must enter Gap providers in the setup before they are available on this tab. Box Provider Retail Cost Payment Use Warranty Rate Taxing Information it requires Select the Gap provider from the drop-down list that you want to set as the default provider for all new deals. Type the price of the Gap insurance. Type the dealership s cost for the Gap insurance. Click to select if the Gap insurance should be added to the payment. Click to apply the warranty tax rate to the Gap insurance. Click to select the tax rate the Gap insurance requires: tax #1, tax #2, or tax #3. 34

43 Chapter 1 Entering Setup Information Commissioning The Commissioning tab allows you to set the commission rates. Once you set your default commissioning rates on this screen, the program uses these values to automatically calculate the commission as you work the deal. Box Include Dealer Charges In Front Gross Include Advertising In Front Gross Include Hold Back In Front Gross Include Pack In Front Gross Commission Dealer Charges Commission Advertising Commission Hold Back Commission Pack Commission % Information it requires Click to select if the dealer charges will be included in the front gross. The dealer charge should be the fee that is entered in the first box on the Charges screen. (See page 16.) This is typically the DOC fee. Click to select advertising will be included in the front gross. Click to select if you want the hold back amount added to the front gross. Click to select if you want the pack amount added to the front gross. Sales Reps Click to select if the salespeople get commission from the Doc fee/dealer fee. In most cases, this box is not selected. Click to select if the salespeople get commission from advertising. Click to select if the salespeople get commission on this money. In most cases, this box is not selected. Click to select if the salespeople get commission on the dealer pack. In most cases, this box is not selected. Type the percentage used to calculate commission. Sales Manager and Finance Manager 35

44 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Box Commission Front End Commission Dealer Charges Commission Hold Back Commission Pack Commission % Commission Back End Commission % Information it requires Click to select if the Sales Manager and Finance Manager get commission on front-end add-on products. Click to select if the managers get commission from the Doc fee/dealer fee. In most cases, this box is not selected. Click to select if the managers get commission on this money. In most cases, this box is not selected. Click to select if the managers get commission on the dealer pack. In most cases, this box is not selected. Type the percentage used to calculate the managers commission on the front-end add-on products. Click to select if the managers get commission on back-end addon products. Type the percentage used to calculate the managers commission on the back-end add-on products. Finishing Up Once you finish entering employee records and the setup information, you are ready to begin learning how to use the program. The remaining chapters will cover each feature in the program. 36

45 Chapter 2 Managing Traffic Chapter 2 Managing Traffic The AutoSoft Finance Assistant helps you track your showroom traffic. As customers come to the dealership, you create Up records that allow you to keep track of the potential sales. When you create an Up record, you can enter as much or as little information as you need. You can enter customer information, trade information, insurance information, and credit information, and you can even add the potential sale vehicle to the record. In addition, you can use the traffic feature to print customer letters, generate reports, track follow-up dates, and preview the potential deal. Once the customer is ready to deal, you can convert the Up into an active deal with one mouse click. At this point, the Finance Manager can open the deal, add additional deal information, and print forms. Adding a New Up When creating an Up record, you enter several pieces of information. Click New Up on the toolbar to begin a new Up record. In addition to entering basic information on the first screen, you will also use buttons on the toolbar at the top of the New Up screen to enter customer information, view and select vehicles from your inventory, enter trade information, and schedule appointments. You can enter as much or as little information as you want to in the Up status. To simplify the delivery process, the information will be transferred to the final deal. Therefore, AutoSoft recommends that you enter as much information as possible. Scanning the Driver s License The AutoSoft Finance Assistant provides an option for scanning driver s licenses. Once you scan the license, you add the information to an Up record, and the information automatically populates the appropriate fields in the UP record eliminating the need to manually type this information. A copy of the license remains on file for printing during the deal. Scanning requires the purchase of a driver s license scanner from AutoSoft International. 1. Click Scan Up on the toolbar. The Scan Up screen appears. 2. Insert the driver s license into scanner. The license must be positioned face down, top up, and all the way to the right. 3. Click Scan Driver s License. 4. When the scan is complete, the customer s information will fill in the fields on the left side of the screen, and the window on the right side of the screen will display the license image. You can edit the information in the fields on the left side of the screen as needed. 5. Click Accept. 6. Click OK when prompted to verify if you want to view the information as a new Up. 7. The information is added to the customer information section of the Up record. Fill in the remaining information for the record. (See the following sections for details about the information required for the Up record.) 37

46 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Up Information The first screen that opens is the New Up Information screen. (Notice that the Info button on the toolbar is selected.) You use this screen to record basic information about the Up. Simply type the information in the appropriate box, select the appropriate information from the lists, or select the options that apply. Several pieces of information on this screen fill in with default entries. You can leave the default entries or edit the information as needed. This is where you can select the Vehicle and Sales Rep from the drop-down lists. You can use the Notes box to type valuable information to refer back to later. 38

47 Chapter 2 Managing Traffic Entering Customer Information When you are ready to enter customer information for the Up, click Cust on the toolbar. This opens the Find Customer screen. Although you can click New to begin a new customer record, you should search for the customer based on the customer s phone number. This ensures that you do not add multiple customer records for one customer. Type the Up s phone number in Customer Phone Number, and click Look Up. The program searches the customer records for a matching phone number. If the program finds a match, it displays the customers with that phone number in a list. Click the customer you want to select. The customer s information automatically opens for you to view. The information will pull to the Up record when you click OK on the Customer Information screen. If the program does not find a customer record with the phone number you entered, it opens the New Name screen. The phone number automatically fills in the Customer Phone box. If the buyer is a company, click to select the Primary Buyer is a Company box. Type the customer s First Name, Middle Name, and Last Name, and click OK. The Customer Information screen opens. The customer s name and home phone number automatically fill in the appropriate boxes. Type the remaining information on each tab. You will enter customer information, vehicle insurance, and credit application information. When you are finished, click OK to save the information and close the screen. You will be back at the Up Information screen. The following pages will cover each tab and the information you need to enter. Note: If you used the driver s license scanner, you will not use the steps in this section. 39

48 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Customer Information The Customer Information tab is where you enter standard customer information. Simply type the appropriate information in each box. There is a ZIP Code decoder in the program. Type the ZIP Code in the ZIP Code box, and press TAB. The system will display a list of cities and counties that match the ZIP Code. Simply click the city and county you want to select in the list, and click OK. The City, State, and County Name boxes will automatically fill in for you. The tab has a Primary and Secondary section. Type the Up s information in the Primary section. Use the Secondary section to enter information if an additional person needs to be included in the record (spouse, parent, co-signer, etc.). If the address for the secondary person is the same as the primary, click Duplicate Address to have the address in the Primary section automatically fill in the Secondary section. The Swap Primary-Secondary button allows you to switch the customers so the primary applicant becomes the secondary applicant and vice versa. The Edit Garage Address option allows you to enter garaging information. To add garage information, click the red minus sign. It will become a blue check mark, and the Edit Garage Address button will be available. Click the button, and type the information for the garage. Click OK to save the information. Once you save the information, you can view and edit it as needed by clicking the Edit Garage Address button. Tip: If you use a driver s license scanner to scan the customer s license, the information from the license will automatically fill in on this screen when you select to view the scanned data as a new Up. The Scan button (seen in the picture above) will become an Image button. Click Image to view the image of the driver s license on file. 40

49 Chapter 2 Managing Traffic Vehicle Insurance Click the Vehicle Insurance tab to enter the customer insurance information. Type the appropriate information in each box. Be sure to enter as much information as you can. You can use the Ins Co s button to select the insurance company and agent from a list of companies and agents entered in the setup information. Click an insurance company in the Company window on the left side of the screen, and a list of agents entered for the company will display in the Agents window on the right side of the screen. Click an agent, and click OK. The insurance company and agent s information fills in on the screen. You can also add a new insurance company and agent as needed right from this screen so you can continually build your insurance database as you add traffic. When you click Ins Co s to open the list of existing insurance companies, you can click Add at the bottom of the screen to add a new insurance company or agent. The Insurance Agents/Company screen appears so you can add the necessary information. This same screen appears when you select the Insurance Agents option from the Edit menu. You add a company or agent as described on page 14 in Chapter 1. Use the bottom section of the window to enter the policy number and coverage dates for the insurance policy. Then, click to select the coverage options that apply to the policy and enter the deductible information. 41

50 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Primary Credit Application Information Click the Primary Credit App Info tab to enter information necessary to retrieve the customer s credit reports. If there will be a co-signer on the deal, enter the co-signer s information on the Secondary Credit App Info tab. Both tabs require the same information. Simply type the information required in each box. Selecting Inventory If the Up looked at a particular vehicle in your inventory, you can add the vehicle to the Up s record. You can do this by either selecting the vehicle from the Vehicle list on the New Up screen, or you can click Inv. to select the vehicle using the Vehicle screen. The top of the screen lists all the vehicles in your inventory. It contains seven columns that display information for each vehicle: the stock number, vehicle type (new or used), model year, vehicle make, model name, body style, and color. You can sort any of these columns by clicking on the description/heading at the top of the column. The column sorts the vehicles in ascending or descending order numerically or alphabetically (depending on the information the column displays). Tip: Use the Re-Sync Inventory button to update the inventory form ASI DMS. This ensures the inventory records are current. 42

51 Chapter 2 Managing Traffic When you select a vehicle in the top part of the screen, the Vehicle Information tab on the bottom of the screen displays the detail for the vehicle. Click the Accounting Information tab to view all of the Accounting figures on file for the vehicle. You can click the Check RO s button on the Accounting Information tab to view the repair order history for the vehicle. This is only available if you use the AutoSoft DMS Accounting module. You will need to specify the drive and path for your AutoSoft DMS system in order to view the repair order details. You can use the Find button at the bottom of the screen to search for a vehicle. Use the Search drop-down list to indicate if you want to search based on the stock number, last six digits of the VIN, or the complete VIN. In Find What, type the number, and click OK. The program will display the record for the vehicle that matches your search criteria. If the program cannot find the vehicle, it displays a message indicating it could not find the vehicle in the inventory. Click OK to acknowledge the message. You should re-sync your inventory to ensure it is current, and then search for the vehicle again. To pull a vehicle to the current Up record, click OK on the bottom of the Vehicle screen. The stock number for the vehicle you selected fills in the Vehicle box, and the description of the vehicle fills in the box to the right. The bottom of the New Up screen displays the estimated gross based on the vehicle you selected. The top figure in blue is the Magic Number you specified on the Program Operation tab on the Parameters screen in the setup. The bottom number is the estimated gross profit for the deal. The figure displays in yellow when the profit for the deal is below the magic number, displays in green when the profit is at or above the magic number, or displays in red when the profit is at or close to zero. 43

52 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Entering Trade Information If there will be a trade involved in the potential deal, click Trade to record the trade vehicle s information. The Trades screen has two tabs in case there is more than one trade. If this is the case, use the Trade #2 tab to record information for the second trade. To enter trade information, simply type the vehicle information in each box. The program contains a VIN decoder, so when you enter the VIN and press TAB, the decoder will fill in the vehicle information based on the VIN entered. Use the Equipment/Options section to indicate the options on the vehicle. Click an option to select it. The red minus sign will become a blue check mark. Click an option again to remove it as an option. When you are finished, click OK to save the record and return to the New Up screen. Entering Lead Details If you need to enter information for a lead, click Lead to open the Lead Details screen. This allows you to record details about the vehicle the customer is looking for, including specific options the customer wants. You can also record details about the customer s financing. 44

53 Chapter 2 Managing Traffic Use the first two sections of the screen to enter information about the vehicle the customer wants to purchase. Under Vehicle, enter the detail about the vehicle the customer wants. Next, add specific options the customer wants under Options. Click Add, and enter the option details on the Add Option screen that appears. Click OK to save the option so it appears in the Options section. Similarly, You can remove options from the list by clicking the option once to select it and clicking Remove. The option will be removed from the list. Under Finance, type the finance information that will apply to the sale. Click Add to enter the finance amount. Add the amount, type, limit, and currency on the Add Finance Amount screen that appears. Click OK to save the information so it appears in the Finance section. Similarly, You can remove a finance line by clicking the option once to select it and clicking Remove. The finance line will be removed from the list. Use the Additional Notes section to add additional details as needed. This free-form text box allows you to enter multiple lines of text. As you type, the scrollbar on the right side of the box will become available. Use it to scroll through the notes as needed when reading the information. 45

54 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Viewing the Up as a Deal You can calculate the deal as a retail, lease, or balloon deal. This allows you to add figures and to work the deal from the Up screen so you have an idea of what the actual deal might look like a quick quote. Simply click Retail, Lease, or Balloon on the toolbar, and enter the figures for the deal. Some default information will pull to the deal. The tax and default fees are already entered. You can edit any box with next to it by clicking the button. Enter the cash down, rebate(s), gross trade, trade payoff, APR, and term. The system calculates the payment and displays it in the table in the middle of the screen. You can also view surrounding payments at incremental terms and rates. Rolling Figures In addition to calculating the payment, you can roll the deal to get to a target payment, target finance amount, and target inception money (total cash and trade down). 1. Click next to the option you want to roll. You can choose to roll the amount financed, inception amount, or payment. 2. On the Roll screen that appears, type the target amount, and click. This rolls the Cash, Trade, Selling Price, etc. to achieve your target. 3. Click the button that corresponds to the rolled option you want to accept. Your options are determined by the item you selected to roll (Amount Financed, Inception, or Payment). 4. The information on the deal will reflect the new amounts. 46

55 Chapter 2 Managing Traffic Viewing a recap of the Deal To view a breakdown of the deal that you have entered, in addition to the calculated finance charge, click Print on the toolbar. This will open a Print Preview window with the breakdown of the numbers. You can view the information or print it for future reference. To print the information, click the Print Report (printer) button on the Print Preview toolbar. Scheduling an Appointment You can schedule an appointment for the Up to return to the dealership right from this screen. When you schedule the appointment, the program adds it to the currently selected sales rep s calendar. If you want to view or edit the appointment, you will have to use the scheduler. (See Chapter 5 for information on the Scheduler.) Remember: This schedules an appointment with the currently selected sales rep. 1. Click Appt. A New Appointment screen opens, and the Up s name fills in the Subject box. 2. In Date, type the appointment date, or click the down arrow to select the date from a calendar. You can also use the arrows on the right side of the box to increase and decrease the date by one day. 3. In Start Time, type the time the appointment starts. You can use the arrows on the right side of the box to adjust the time by increasing or decreasing the time as needed. 4. In End Time, type the time you expect the appointment to end. You can use the arrows on the right side of the box to adjust the time by increasing or decreasing the time as needed. 5. Click to select the appropriate appointment Type. The program color-codes the appointment based on the appointment type you select. 6. If you want to set a reminder for the appointment, click to select Set Reminder. Use the Remind Me drop-down list that appears to select how far in advance of the appointment you want to be reminded about the appointment. 7. If this is a tentative appointment, click to select Tentative to flag the appointment accordingly. 47

56 AutoSoft Finance Assistant 8. If this is a private appointment, click to select Private. 9. In Location, type the location where the meeting is scheduled to be held. 10. Use the Notes area to record any information about the appointment you need. 11. Click Save and Close to save the appointment and to return to the New Up screen. Viewing Traffic Once you add an Up and save it, the record is stored as traffic. To view the record, click Traffic on the toolbar at the top of the screen. This opens the Showroom Traffic screen. This screen lists all of the dealership s traffic. A red triangle in front of the customer s name in the Traffic list indicates the customer is a prospect. The triangle remains red until you send the deal to Finance, at which time it will turn blue. The left side of the screen lists the sales reps in the user s team. You can select to view the traffic for a specific sales rep by clicking the rep in the list. You can also select to display only the traffic for a certain company by selecting the dealership from the Company drop-down list, and you can select to view just the traffic for a specified date range. Use the From and To boxes to specify the date range, and click Refresh to apply the settings to the list. The traffic list displays information in columns. You can use the column headings to sort the list. Click a heading to sort the list based on that piece of information. Click a record in the list, and the bottom of the screen displays the Up s information. Click the Details button to view the lead details. To open the Up s record, double-click the Up in the list, and the Up Information screen opens. You used the same screen to enter the Up s information. Edit the record as needed. 48

57 Chapter 2 Managing Traffic Generating Letters You can print letters for one or multiple prospects/customers right from the Traffic list. The letters can be follow-up letters, thank you letters, etc. The AutoSoft F&I Programming Department is currently generating the letters at your request. You can request letters be added to your AutoSoft Finance Assistant program using the AutoSoft Finance Assistant Form Request/Revision cover letter provided by AutoSoft International. Printing One Letter 1. Select the recipient from the Traffic list by clicking in the box to the left of their name. A check mark appears in the box to indicate you selected the customer. 2. Click on the Showroom Traffic toolbar. 3. A list of available letters appears. Click in the box in front of the letter you want to print to select it. 4. On the Enter Parameters Value screen, verify the information displayed is the information you want to print on the letter, and click OK. 5. Click Print. The Print Preview screen appears and displays the letter. This allows you to view the letter before printing it. 6. Click on the Print Preview toolbar to refresh the information on the letter. 7. Click on the Print Preview toolbar to print the letter. 8. Click on the Print Preview screen to close the letter. Printing Multiple Letters 1. To select multiple customers, click the box to the left of the customers name in the Traffic list. A check mark appears in the box to indicate which customers you have selected. To select every customer in the list, click Likewise, to clear all boxes in the list, click on the toolbar. on the toolbar. 2. Follow the same instructions for printing one letter. 3. When previewing the letters on your screen, click the black arrow buttons on the Print Preview toolbar to scroll through the letters one at a time. 49

58 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Deleting an Up If you need to delete an Up s record, simply double-click the Up on the Showroom Traffic screen, and click Delete on the Up Information screen. Click Yes when prompted to verify you want to delete the record. The program removes the Up from the Traffic list but retains the customer s information in case the customer returns to the dealership. When you type the customer s phone number on the Search screen, the program will recall the customer s information so you can select the customer record rather than having to retype the information over again. Sending the Up to F&I Sending an Up to F&I converts it to an active deal. To do this, click F&I on the toolbar of the Up s record. Click Yes when the program asks you to confirm you want to send the deal to Finance. The triangle in front of the customer s name in the Traffic list turns blue to indicate you updated the record to Finance. You are now ready to work this deal. Click Deals on the AutoSoft Finance Assistant toolbar, and double-click the customer in the list of active deals to enter deal information. 50

59 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Chapter 3 Creating Deals This chapter walks you through creating deals. You can create five types of deals: cash, retail, lease, balloon, and wholesale. You create deals by selecting the deal type and filling in information on the corresponding tab. A majority of the default financial information automatically fills in from the information you entered in the setup (dealership fees, banks fees, tax information, etc.), so it is important that you finish entering setup information before attempting to create any deals. Once you enter information in the setup, you will not have to fill in every piece of information necessary to complete the deal. Instead, the program will automatically pull the information. If you do not enter the information in the setup, you will have to manually type the necessary information for each deal you create. Using the Deals List Click Deals on the AutoSoft Finance Assistant toolbar to open the Deals screen. The screen displays a list of all the deals in the program (pending deals and deals sent to Accounting.) Use the Deals toolbar and column headers to filter and sort the list. The Deals list displays information in columns. You can use the column headings to sort the list. Click a heading to sort the list based on that piece of information. To view and edit the deal, doubleclick the deal in the list. The selected deal opens on the screen. The Locked By column displays the name of the user who is currently working in the deal record. Only one user at a time can actively edit a deal. If you select to view a locked deal, the program will warn you that another user is currently using the record. You can still view the record, but you will not be able to edit the information until the other user closes the record. If necessary, you can clear the lock on a deal by right-clicking on the deal in the list and clicking Clear Lock. Click Yes when prompted to verify you want to clear the lock. 51

60 AutoSoft Finance Assistant The Deals toolbar provides options that allow you to filter the list. This allows you to include only the deals you want to include in the list. The following table identifies how each option filters the list. Option Function Click to display all deal types. The Deals screen automatically displays all deal types when it opens. You would use this button to display all deal types again after you used one of the other deal type buttons to filter the list. Click to display only the cash deals. Click to display only the retail deals. Click to display only the lease deals. Click to display only the balloon deals. Click to display only the wholesale deals. Store From To This button indicates that the list includes all pending deals. By default, the list automatically includes pending deals, so the button is selected when the list appears. Click this button to clear the pending deals from the list, and the list will display only deals that have been updated to Accounting. The checkmark in the box on the button disappears to indicate you cleared the pending deals. Click this button again to view the pending deals. The checkmark will reappear in the box on the button. Click to search for a deal. On the Find screen, use the Search drop-down list to indicate if you want to search using the customer s last name, a company name, phone number, stock number, or purchase date. Type the criteria you want to use in Find What, and click OK. The list will display only the deals that match the criteria you specified. Click to clear the search filter you used to find a deal (as explained above). This displays the complete list of pending deals again. This is the Refresh button. It works in conjunction with the From and To boxes. Click this button to apply the dates in these boxes to the list. Select to display only the deals for a certain store by selecting the dealership from the drop-down list. Select to view just the deals for a specified date range. Type the beginning date you want to use to filter the list. Select to view just the deals for a specified date range. Type the cutoff date you want to use to filter the list. Creating a Deal from an Up Once you enter information for an Up, you do not have to re-enter any of the information. Instead, click F&I on the toolbar on the New Up information screen to convert the Up to an active deal. When you open the Deals list, the Up will now appear in this list. Simply double-click the customer to view and edit the deal information. 52

61 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Creating a New Deal If you need to create a deal for a customer who does not have an Up record, you must enter the customer s information along with the deal information. The screens you will use to record the customer information and trade information and to select the vehicle for the deal are the same screens you used when creating an Up record. All you have to do is type the information in the boxes on each screen. 1. Click New Deal on the AutoSoft Finance Assistant toolbar. A blank deal screen opens. 2. Use the Bank drop-down lists to select the bank that is financing the deal. 3. Use the Sales Rep drop-down list to select the salesperson for the deal. 4. Click Customer to enter the customer s information. This opens the Find Customer screen. Although you can click New to begin a new customer record, you should search for the customer based on the customer s phone number. This ensures that you do not add multiple customer records for one customer. 5. Type the customer s phone number in Customer Phone Number, and click Look Up. The program searches the customer records for a matching phone number. If the program finds a match, it displays the customers with that phone number in a list. Click on the customer you want to select. The customer s information automatically opens for you to view. The information will pull to the deal when you click OK on the Customer Information screen. If the program does not find a customer record with the phone number you typed, it opens the New Name screen. The phone number automatically fills in the Customer Phone box. If the buyer is a company, click to select the Primary Buyer is a Company box. Type the customer s First Name, Middle Name, and Last Name, and click OK. 6. The Customer Information screen opens. Type the customer s information, vehicle insurance, and credit application information on the corresponding tab. When you are finished, click OK to save the information and close the screen. 53

62 AutoSoft Finance Assistant 7. Use the Vehicle drop-down list, or click Vehicle to select the vehicle for the deal. You can use the Find button at the bottom of the Vehicle screen to search for a vehicle. To pull a vehicle to the deal, click OK on the bottom of the Vehicle screen. The stock number for the vehicle you selected fills in the Vehicle box, and the description of the vehicle fills in the box to the right. Remember: When viewing the vehicle information, you can click the Check RO s button on the Accounting Information tab to view the repair order history for the vehicle. This is only available if you use the AutoSoft DMS Accounting module, and you will need to specify the drive and path for your AutoSoft DMS system. 8. Click Trades to enter information for the trade-in vehicle(s). The Trades screen has two tabs in case there is more than one trade. If this is the case, use the Trade #2 tab to record information for the second trade. To enter trade information, simply type the vehicle information in each box. The Equipment/Options section indicates the options on the vehicle. When you are finished, click OK to save the record. 9. Click the tab that corresponds with the deal type for this sale. Type the information for the deal. (See the following sections in this chapter for information about the information displayed in each box for deals.) 10. Click Save to save the deal. 54

63 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Working the Deal The tabs on the Deal screen represent the different deal types. Click the tab that corresponds to the type of deal you are creating. Each tab contains boxes for the information required for each deal. You can directly edit the yellow boxes by clicking in the box and typing information. The blue text represents figures the program calculates based on information entered in the setup or information entered on secondary entry screens. You open the secondary entry screens by clicking or. When you edit figures on secondary screens, the system prompts you to verify you want to change the information. Click Yes, or No accordingly. Tip: Click the Comm button on the toolbar to use the communication plug-ins available on your system. See the Appendices B through E for information about plug-ins. 55

64 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Selling Price This box is available on all deals. It displays the selling price for the selected vehicle. This is the base selling price minus any discounts. Click to work the selling price. Edit the base selling price or type a discount amount. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. Life A&H This field is available on retail, lease, and balloon deals. It displays the total amount of life and disability insurance purchased. Click to add or edit the insurance information. The insurance plan defaults to the plan selected using the Life A&H Defaults tab on the Parameters screen in the setup Select a different insurance plan from the drop-down list and select the insurance options as needed. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. 56

65 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Adds This field is available on all deals. It displays the total amount of the add-on products. Click to add products to the deal or edit the product information. The screen displays the front add-on products (products added before the vehicle arrived at the dealership) and back add-on products (products added by the dealership) you entered using the Front End Adds and Back End Adds tabs on the Parameters screen in the setup. You cannot edit these descriptions. Type the retail and cost for each item, select the appropriate tax, and indicate where you want to apply the amount. The description for an add-on product will not print if the Retail field does not contain an amount. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. 57

66 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Licensing This field is available on cash, retail, lease, and balloon deals. It displays the total licensing fees. The licensing fees default to the amounts you set using the Licensing tab on the Parameters screen in the setup. Click to view and edit the fees. If you issued a plate, record the plate number. Add or edit the licensing fees as needed, and indicate if you want to add the fees to the payment. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. Local Fees This field is available on cash, retail, lease, and balloon deals. It displays the total local fees. The local fees default to the amounts you set on the Charges screen in the setup. Click to view and edit the fees. Add or edit the fee amount, select the tax rate, and indicate where you want to apply the fee. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. 58

67 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Taxes This field is available on cash, retail, lease, and balloon deals. It displays the total amount of taxes for the deal (based on the tax information for the state you selected as the default taxing state). Click to view and edit the taxes. If you are selling a vehicle to a customer from another state, you must change the state tax scheme and replace the tax rate. If you selected to use the ZIP Code decoder to replace the tax rate, you will only have to change the state. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. 59

68 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Tax 3 Click Tax 3 Settings to view or edit the parameters for tax 3. You set the tax 3 parameters using the Taxing tab in the Setup Parameters. The parameters pull to the Tax 3 Settings screen. You can edit the parameters for the current deal by adjusting the figures on this screen. Click OK to save any changes you make to the screen. Warranty This field is available on cash, retail, lease, and balloon deals. It displays the total cost of the extended warranty plan. Click to add or edit the warranty information. The warranty provider defaults to the provider selected using the Warranty tab on the Parameters screen in the setup. Select the warranty provider from the drop-down list, and type the warranty information as needed. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. 60

69 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Service Contract This field is available on cash, retail, lease, and balloon deals. It displays the total cost of the extended service contract. Click to add or edit the contract information. The service provider defaults to the provider selected using the Service tab on the Parameters screen in the setup. Select a different service provider from the drop-down list and type the contract information as needed. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. Gap This field is available on retail, lease, and balloon deals. It displays the total cost of the Gap insurance. Click to add or edit the insurance information. The provider defaults to the provider selected using the Gap tab on the Parameters screen in the setup. Select a different Gap provider from the drop-down list and type the insurance information as needed. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. 61

70 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Tax on Cap Red This field is available on lease deals. This is the total tax on the cap cost reduction. Click to add or edit the tax amount. Click to select the Pmt button if you want to add the tax to the payment. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. Acquisition Fee This field is available on lease deals. This is the amount of the selected bank s acquisition fee. This box defaults to the amount you entered on the Banks screen when adding the bank to the setup. Click to edit the fee. Type or edit the acquisition fee. Click to select the Pmt button if you want to add the fee to the payment. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. 62

71 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Security Deposit This field is available on lease deals. This is the amount of the security deposit. Generally, the security deposit is determined by the bank. Click to add or edit the amount. Type or edit the security deposit as needed. Click to select the Pmt button if you want to add the security deposit to the payment. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. Bank Fees This field is available on retail and lease deals. It displays the total amount of the bank fees. The bank fees automatically fill in based on the information you entered when adding the bank in the setup. Click to edit the fee. Type or edit the bank fees as needed, and indicate if the fee should be added to the payment (or to the APR for retail deals). Click OK to save the information and close the screen. 63

72 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Payment This field is available on lease deals. This is the monthly payment. Click to view the payment. Indicate if you want to waive the payment. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. Subtotal This field is available on all deals. It displays the subtotal of the deal up to this point. The subtotal of the financed amount is the selling price plus any additional charges added to the payment. The subtotal of the inception amount is the amount of any additional charges not included in the payment. 64

73 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Rebates This field is available on cash, retail, lease, and balloon deals. It displays the total amount of the rebates applied to the deal. Click to add or edit the rebates. Type the information for each rebate that applies to the deal. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. Cash Price This field is available on cash, retail, and balloon deals. It displays the cash price of the deal up to this point. This is the subtotal minus any rebates that apply. 65

74 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Gross Trade This box is available on cash, retail, lease, and balloon deals. It displays the total value of all trades for this deal. Click to add or edit the trade values. The trade amounts pull from the trade information you entered on the Trade screen. If you type or edit amounts on this screen, the program updates the Trades screen (and vice versa). Use the ACV Trade boxes to enter the actual cash value of each trade. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. Trade Payoff This box is available on cash, retail, lease, and balloon deals. It displays the total cost to pay off any trades for the deal. Click to add or edit the payoff values. The trade amounts pull from the trade information you entered on the Trade screen. If you type or edit amounts on this screen, the program updates the Trades screen (and vice versa). Click OK to save the information and close the screen. 66

75 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Cash Cap Red This field is available on cash and lease deals. It displays the total cash cap reduction amount. Cash This box is available on retail and balloon deals. It displays the total cash applied to the deal. Click to add or edit the cash for the deal. Type the amount the customer is putting down. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. Net Cap Cost This field is available on lease deals. This box displays the net cap cost. This is the subtotal adjusted by the rebates and trade amounts. 67

76 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Cash From Customer This field is available on lease deals. This is the total cash due from the customer. Click to roll the cash amount. Click to indicate the order in which you want to adjust each item. Type the target cash amount, and click Roll. The program calculates the new figures based on the target cash amount. Click Reset to change the settings back to the original values, Accept to add these new figures to the deal, or Cancel to close the screen without saving the information. Total Financed This field is available on cash, retail, balloon, and wholesale deals. It displays the total amount financed. Click to roll the finance amount. Type the target finance amount, and click Roll. The program displays the new cash amount, trade amount, or selling price you must use in order to meet the target finance amount. When you decide which calculation you want to use to adjust the deal, click the roll button next to the line to pull the new calculations to the deal. 68

77 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Total Inception This field is available on retail, lease, and balloon deals. This is the total amount due at inception. Click to roll the inception amount. Type the target inception amount, and click Roll. The program displays the new cash or trade amount you must use in order to meet the target inception amount. When you decide which calculation you want to use to adjust the deal, click the roll button next to the line to pull the new calculations to the deal. Residual These boxes and fields apply to Lease and Balloon deals. Use them to add the information used to calculate the residual amount. M.S.R.P. This box displays the manufacturer s suggested retail cost for the vehicle. Add s M.S.R.P. This field displays the total of any add-on costs to the manufacturer s suggested price. Package Discounts Type the total of any package discounts that apply. 69

78 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Residualized Amount This field displays the retail price after the add-on costs and discounts. Residual % Type the percentage of the residual amount that applies to the lease. Base Residual This is the base amount used to finance the lease. Important: If you change the M.S.R.P., Package Discounts, or the Residual % and want the program to recalculate the base residual based on the new values, you must press TAB to advance to the Base Residual box, clear the box, and press TAB again before the system will recalculate the new base residual figure. Mileage Adjustment This field displays the total amount due for any mileage adjustments applied to the lease. Click add or edit the mileage adjustments. Type the appropriate information in each box, or edit the information as needed. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. to Total Residual This is the amount used to calculate the lease. 70

79 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Terms This section allows you to specify the financing terms. The boxes in this section vary by deal type. Extended Terms This button applies to Canada. It is available on retail and lease deals. Click to edit the extended term. Type the term amount in months. For retails deals, select the term payment amount. The remainder of the payments after the term entered will adjust accordingly. Click OK to save the information and close the screen. Reset Extended Terms This button applies to Canada. It is available on retail and lease deals. Click to reset the extended term. Term This box is available on retail, lease, and balloon deals. Type the lease term in months. Days to first pay This box is available on retail, lease, and balloon deals. The default entry is 30 days. Leave the default entry, or type the number of days before the first payment is due. Rate This box is available on retail, lease, and balloon deals. Type the financing rate. 71

80 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Effective Rate This field is available on retail deals. It displays the effective rate for the deal. Purchase Date This box is available on all deals. The purchase date defaults to the current system date. If necessary, edit the date by clicking and using the calendar to select the correct date. Payment Date This box is available on retail, lease, and balloon deals. The payment date automatically fills in based on the number of days you entered in Days to first pay. If necessary, edit the date by clicking and using the calendar to select the correct date. Calculation This box is available on retail deals. Select the payment calculation method (weekly, monthly, yearly, etc.) from the drop-down list. Service Memo This area is available for all deals. This area is a free-form text area that allows you to record additional information about the deal. For example, if the customer needs touch-up paint or needs to bring the vehicle back in for repairs, you would make note of this information here. Once the deal is updated to Accounting, the memo information will appear in a memo field in the Accounting, Parts, and Service modules of your AutoSoft DMS system. 72

81 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Front Gross and Back Gross These fields are available on all deals. They display the front-end and back-end gross for the deal. These boxes only appear when you click Gross on the toolbar. Click Gross again to hide the boxes. Amount Due This information is available on lease deals. It displays the amount due at inception. Monthly Payments This information is available on lease deals. It displays the monthly payment amount and the date the payment is due every month. 73

82 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Other Charges This information is available on lease deals. It displays the disposition fee that applies at the end of the lease. Total of Payments This information is available on lease deals. It displays the total cost of the lease. This includes the total amount paid at inception and the total of all payments. Interest Rate This information is available on retail and balloon deals. It displays the annual percentage rate. 74

83 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Finance Charge This information is available on retail and balloon deals. It displays the total amount the customer will pay in finance charges. Amount Financed This information is available on retail and balloon deals. It displays the total amount the customer is financing. 75

84 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Total of Payments This information is available on retail and balloon deals. It displays the individual payment amount and total the customer will have made in payments at the end of the financing terms. Click to roll the payment amount. Type the target payment, and click Roll. The program displays the new cash amount, trade amount, or selling price you must use in order to meet the target payment amount. When you decide which calculation you want to use to adjust the deal, click the roll button next to the line to pull the new calculations to the deal. 76

85 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Total Sale Price This information is available on retail and balloon deals. It displays the total cost of the purchase. This includes the total cash down and the total of all payments. Viewing An Overview of the Deal You can switch between the detailed view (the view used to work the deal) and a general view by clicking View on the Deals toolbar. The general view displays the monthly payment and allows you to view and edit the Life A&H, warranty, Gap insurance, and service contract for the deal. Click an image to view and edit the information for each item. Click View again to return to the detailed view. 77

86 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Printing Forms Click Forms to print the various forms for the deal. The Forms screen lists all the available contracts. You provided these contracts to AutoSoft International to be programmed into your system. Tip: Your AutoSoft Finance Assistant program comes with all of your reports and forms preinstalled. If AutoSoft edits or creates a new report or form after installation, you use the Tools menu to download the new reports or forms. See Appendix A for instructions on how to download reports and forms. 1. Use the Company list to select the dealership for this deal. 2. The left window displays a list of all of the contracts that are available for this deal type. 3. Click to select the contracts you want to print. You can select as many contracts as you want to select. The selected contracts are highlighted. Click again to clear a contract from the selections. 4. Click. The selected contracts appear in the right window. 5. To remove a contract, click the contract in the right window, and click. 6. Click Print Forms to begin printing the contracts. Tip: If you scanned the customer s license, you can use the Print License button to print a copy of the driver s license. 78

87 Chapter 3 Creating Deals Deleting a Deal If necessary, you can delete a deal. Once you delete a deal, you cannot retrieve it. To delete a deal, open the deal, and click Delete on the Deals toolbar. Click Yes when prompted to verify you want to delete the deal. Updating the Deal to Accounting The final step is to wash the deal. If you integrate with AutoSoft DMS, this finalizes the deal and updates it to Accounting for posting to the books. Part of this process includes finalizing the commission for the deal. The program calculates the commission based on the information you entered on the Commissioning tab on the Parameters screen in setup and information you entered for the deal. 1. Click Wash on the Deals toolbar. The Wash screen opens. The program automatically calculates the profit (front and back gross), and you can only edit information displayed in the yellow boxes. 2. Use the Sales Rep #1 and Sales Rep #2 tabs to specify the commission percentage, spif, and flat commission for the deal. You must click to select Split Deal to make the boxes on the Sales Rep #2 tab active. 3. Use the Sales Manager and Finance Manager tabs to specify the commission percentage, spif, and flat commission for the managers on the deal. 79

88 AutoSoft Finance Assistant 4. The Posting section displays the total front and back gross. 5. The Last Posting Date will automatically fill in when the deal is sent to Accounting. 6. If a bank is funding the deal, click to select Funded. The Funded column in the Deals list will display Yes or No to indicate if the deal is funded based on the selection you make on this screen. 7. If the vehicle has been delivered to the customer, click to select Delivered. The Delivered column in the Deals list will display Yes or No to indicate if the deal is funded based on the selection you make on this screen. Tip: You can also flag the deal as funded and/or delivered from the Deals list. Right-click a deal in the list, and click Funded and/or Delivered from the menu that appears. 8. Click Print Recap to print the information. 9. If you are not ready to update the deal to Accounting, click OK to save the information and close the screen. If you are ready to send the deal to Accounting, click Send to Acct. Tip: Once the deal is posted in Accounting, the Notes section on the Up screen will fill in with information about the closed/delivered deal. This completes creating deals in the AutoSoft Finance Assistant. Regardless of the deal type, the process is as simple as filling in the appropriate screens, verifying the information, and updating the deal to Accounting. 80

89 Chapter 4 Managing Inventory Chapter 4 Managing Inventory The Inventory Manager allows you to view and edit vehicle information. In most cases, you will not use the Inventory Manager to add vehicles or edit vehicle information unless you do not integrate with AutoSoft DMS Accounting. If you integrate with the DMS software, you should only make changes to the inventory through the Accounting module in the AutoSoft DMS software. Understanding the Inventory Manager Screen The left side of the screen displays lists of models based on vehicle type. Click the headers to view the new units, used units, demo units, or ordered units. Click a model to view a list of the individual vehicles in your inventory. The top of the Inventory Manager screen lists the vehicles for the selected model. You can click the column headers to sort the list. When you click a vehicle in the inventory list, the vehicle information displays on the tabs on the bottom of the screen. The bottom of the screen consists of four tabs. Each tab allows you to view specific information for the vehicle. 81

90 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Description Tab This part of the Vehicle Inventory screen displays detailed vehicle information. When adding a vehicle to your inventory, type the appropriate information in each box. You must type the year, make, model, body, VIN, and vehicle type (new or used). Image Tab When adding a vehicle to your inventory, you use this tab to add a picture of the vehicle to the vehicle record. Click Acquire Image or Get Image From A File to select the picture you want to store. When viewing the vehicle s information, the tab will indicate if an image is saved for the vehicle. Click View Image to view picture. 82

91 Chapter 4 Managing Inventory Incentives/Cost Tab You use this tab to record and view the incentive and cost information for the vehicle. Factory Invoice Tab This tab allows you to store a copy of the factory invoice with the vehicle record. Click Acquire Image or Get Image From A File to select the invoice you want to store. Once you add the invoice, the tab will indicate if an invoice is saved for the vehicle. Click View Image to view the invoice as needed. 83

92 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Adding a Vehicle 1. If there are multiple stores in the system, select a store from the Stores drop-down list. 2. Click on the Inventory Manager toolbar. 3. Type the stock number for the vehicle, and click OK. 4. The program begins a new record for the vehicle. Type the vehicle information required on each tab. Remember, when entering information on the Description tab, you must fill in the year, make, model, body, VIN, and vehicle type (new or used). The descriptions for these boxes flash in red to remind you that these are required entries. The program checks the VIN for accuracy. If you type an invalid VIN, the program will warn you. 5. When you are finished, click to save the record. You must save the information before attempting to open any of the other tab (Image, Incentive, or Factory Invoice), or the information will be lost. (You can also click Cancel in the top-right corner of the screen to abort the new record.) Deleting a Vehicle from Inventory Only delete inventory in the AutoSoft Finance Assistant if you do not integrate with AutoSoft DMS Accounting. If you integrate with AutoSoft DMS Accounting, you should delete inventory through the AutoSoft DMS system. 1. Select the vehicle you want to delete so its information displays on the tabs on the bottom of the Inventory Manager screen. 2. Click on the Inventory Manager toolbar. 3. Click Yes when prompted to verify you want to delete the vehicle. 84

93 Searching for a Vehicle The Find option lets you search for a vehicle based on the stock number, last six characters of the VIN, or the entire VIN. 1. Click on the Inventory Manager toolbar. 2. Use the Search drop-down list to indicate if you want to search based on the stock number, the last six digits of the VIN, or the complete VIN. 3. In Find What, type the number, and click OK. The program will display the record for the vehicle that matches your search criteria. If the program cannot find the vehicle, it displays a message indicating it could not find the vehicle in the inventory. Click OK to acknowledge the message. Validating VIN Entries The program has a built in feature that checks VIN entries to ensure they are correct. Although the program checks the VIN when you add a vehicle to the inventory, you may periodically want to run this utility to ensure the inventory records are correct. While in the Inventory Manager, you can select to validate the VIN entries by Clicking Tools and clicking Validate VINs. The program will inform you of any invalid entries it finds. 85

94 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Updating the Inventory If you integrate with AutoSoft DMS, click to update the inventory from your AutoSoft DMS system. This means that you can have up-to-date inventory files without having to manually add the vehicles to your inventory. Viewing Repair Orders If you integrate with AutoSoft DMS, click to open the View Inventory/Internal screen. This allows you to view R/O data for each vehicle in inventory. 1. Click. The View Inventory/Internals screen appears. 2. The information for the selected vehicle automatically fills in on the screen. To view information for another vehicle, type the stock number in the Stock No. field. You can also click Inventory to search for a vehicle. Click to select a car line. A list of vehicles for that car line is displayed. Click the vehicle you want to select. The vehicle s information fills in on the screen. You can continue to scroll through the vehicles by clicking the arrow buttons on each side of the Inventory button. 3. The top of the screen displays general vehicle information and accounting figures. 4. The bottom of the screen lists the transaction lines for this vehicle. You can click repair orders in the list to view the detail for the repair order. 5. When you are finished viewing the information, click the Back button. 86

95 Setting Incentives and Packs The AutoSoft Finance Assistant has a feature that allows you to set incentives and packs for a group of vehicles. This saves you the trouble of having to manually edit each vehicle record. The Inventory Manager screen must be open in order for you to access this feature. 1. Click Edit on the menu bar, and click Set Incentives/Packs. 2. Use the What would you like to do? drop-down list to select what you want to update. 3. Use the Do it by? drop-down list to select if you want to set the amount by model, model code, or car line. 4. Use the Select drop-down list to select the model, model code, or car line. 5. Type the amount, and click Go. 6. Click Close when the button appears on the Update Inventory screen. 87

96 AutoSoft Finance Assistant This completes managing your inventory. Remember, if you integrate with AutoSoft DMS, you should ensure you enter vehicles using the same criteria used by the Accounting Department. In addition, you should refresh your inventory often to ensure the inventory files are current. 88

97 Chapter 5 Using the Scheduler Chapter 5 Using the Scheduler You open the scheduler by clicking Scheduler on the toolbar. The scheduler allows you to schedule appointments and add tasks to a task list. This helps you keep track of the activities you need to complete each day. If the user is a manager, power user, or administrator, the left side of the screen will displays a list of all the employees in the user s team. The user can click an employee in the list to view and edit that employee s schedule. Viewing Schedules Before you can schedule appointments, you need to become familiar with the different views you can use in the scheduler. The scheduler automatically opens in the calendar view and displays the current user s schedule (as illustrated in the picture above). The buttons on the Scheduler toolbar allow you to switch how you view the scheduler. You can also use the View menu to select which view you want to use. Tip: You can only print the daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. Click Print on the Scheduler toolbar. 89

98 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Calendar View The calendar view is the default view displayed when you open the scheduler. This view displays the appointments scheduled each day for the month. If you cannot view all of the appointments for a day because they do not fit in the square, double-click the day, and use the scrollbar to view the complete list of appointments. To schedule an appointment, click the day, and click Daily. From the daily view, double-click the time slot for the appointment. Daily View Daily view displays one day at a time. The calendar defaults to the current day. Use the calendar in the top-right part of the screen to select the day you want to view. Double-click a time slot on the left side of the screen to schedule an appointment. When you schedule the appointment, the slots fill in with the appointment information. The bar to the left of the appointment slots provides a color-coded glance at the appointments for the day. Each appointment is represented by a colored bar based on the appointment type you selected when scheduling the appointment. Blue is Office, gray is Personal, and red is Special. The tasks scheduled in the task list display under the calendar on the right side of the screen. See page 95 for information about adding tasks to the task list. 90

99 Chapter 5 Using the Scheduler Weekly View The weekly view displays the calendar for the current week. Use the scrollbars on the right and bottom of the screen to view parts of the schedule that do not fit on the screen. Double-click a time slot to schedule an appointment. When you schedule an appointment, the bar on the left side of the appointment indicates the appointment type. Monthly View The monthly view displays the calendar one month at a time. The calendar defaults to the current month. Click the arrows at the top of the screen to scroll through the months. The screen shows all of the appointments scheduled as colored bars based on the appointment type you selected when scheduling the appointment. You can double-click a day to view the schedule for that day, or you can click the day and click Daily. 91

100 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Yearly View The yearly view displays the calendar for an entire year. This view does not display appointments. Use the arrow buttons at the top of the calendar to view the previous and next year. You can doubleclick a day to view the schedule for that day, or you can click the day and click Daily. Planner View The planner view displays an overview for the selected week. The screen shows all of the appointments scheduled as colored spaces based on the appointment type you selected when scheduling the appointment. If you right-click the slot, the program will display the appointment details. 92

101 Chapter 5 Using the Scheduler Scheduling Appointments Now that you are familiar with the different scheduler views, you can begin scheduling appointments. When you schedule an appointment, you enter the information on the New Appointment screen. This same screen opens from the Up Information screen, and you enter information the same way you did on that screen. There are two ways to schedule appointments. You can use the Edit menu on the menu bar, or you can use the Scheduler toolbar. Using the Edit Menu to Schedule an Appointment 1. From the Edit menu, click New Appointment. 2. The New Appointment screen opens. 3. Type the appointment information. 4. Click Save and Close. The appointment appears in the scheduler. 93

102 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Using the Scheduler Toolbar to Schedule an Appointment 1. Use the Scheduler toolbar to advance to the day of the appointment. 2. Double-click the time slot that marks the starting time for the appointment. The New Appointment screen opens. 3. Type the appointment information. 4. Click Save and Close. The appointment appears in the scheduler. Editing an Appointment 1. Advance to the day of the appointment. 2. If you need to edit the description, click the appointment to focus attention on the appointment. Edit the description. When you click off the appointment, the program will save the new description. If you need to edit the date, time, location, appointment type, location, or notes, double-click the appointment. 3. On the Edit Appointment screen, edit the information as needed. 4. Click Save and Close to save the changes. The program makes the necessary changes to the appointment in the scheduler. Deleting an Appointment 1. Advance to the day of the appointment. 2. Double-click the appointment. 3. On the Edit Appointment screen, click Delete. The appointment is removed from the scheduler. 94

103 Chapter 5 Using the Scheduler Scheduling Tasks The scheduler has a feature that allows you to add tasks to a task list. The task list is a useful tool you use to keep track of assignments or errands you need to complete by a certain date. Once a task is in your task list, you can view and edit it as needed. The task list displays on the daily view. In the monthly view, the calendar indicates there are tasks in the task list by displaying complete the task, you mark it as completed.. Once you Scheduling Tasks 1. From the Edit menu, click New Task. 2. The New Task screen opens. 3. In Subject, type a brief description of the task. 4. Use the Completion Date drop-down list to select the due date for the task. You have three options: Type the date in an eight-character format (two digits for the month, two digits for the day, and four digits for the year). Click to open the calendar to select the date. Click to manually increase or decrease the date by one day. 5. Next, click to select the priority level for the task. In the task list, the priority appears as a number from 1 (low) to 5 (high). 6. Use the Notes section to record details about the task. 7. Click Save and Close. The task appears in your task list. 95

104 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Viewing Tasks 1. Click Daily on the Scheduler toolbar. The task list displays on the bottom-right side of the screen under the calendar. 2. You can click the column headers at the top of the task list to sort the tasks by status, completion date, priority, or subject. Marking a Task as Completed 1. Click Daily on the Scheduler toolbar. 2. Click the box in front of the task. An X fills in the box to indicate you completed this task. Editing Tasks 1. Click Daily on the Scheduler toolbar. 2. Double-click the task. 3. On the New Task screen, edit the information. 4. Click Save and Close to save the changes. Deleting Tasks 1. Click Daily on the Scheduler toolbar. 2. Double-click the task. 3. On the New Task screen, click Delete Task. The task is removed from your task list. This completes instructions on using the scheduler. Once you become familiar with adding appointments and tasks, you ll find the scheduler to be an invaluable tool for managing your daily activities. 96

105 Chapter 6 Generating Reports Chapter 6 Generating Reports The AutoSoft Finance Assistant comes with a comprehensive report feature that allows you to generate reports. You can generate sales reports, inventory reports, prospect reports, or userdefined reports. The program displays the report on your screen, so you can review the information before printing it or saving it to a file. The viewer offers different search options so you can locate specific information on the report. Tip: Your AutoSoft Finance Assistant program comes with all of your reports and forms preinstalled. If AutoSoft edits or creates a new report or form after installation, you use the Tools menu to download the new reports or forms. See Appendix A for instructions on how to download reports and forms. Selecting a Report Click Reports on the AutoSoft Finance Assistant toolbar to open the report viewer. The left side of the screen displays headers for four categories: inventory, sales, prospects, and user reports. Click a header to view a list of the available reports under each category. To generate a report, click the report in the list. 97

106 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Filtering the Report You can use the Company drop-down list to select to view information for one dealership if you have multiple dealerships entered in the program. Just click the dealership in the list, and select the report you want to generate. The From and To boxes at the top of the screen allow you to specify that date range for the report. The report will include just information for the date range you specify. By default, the program generates the report using information for the last 30 days. To specify dates, click in the boxes and type the dates, or click to select the dates from a calendar. Viewing the Report Once the program generates the report, it displays the report on the screen. Use the scrollbars on the right side and bottom of the screen to view any parts of the report that do not fit on the screen. Once you generate the report, you have several options. You can adjust the zoom for the report so you can view the report closer up or view more of the report on the screen. Click the report. next to the zoom box, and select the zoom setting you want to use to view The top of the report displays a button bar you can use to scroll through the pages, locate specific information in the report, print the report, or save the report to a file. The middle of the button bar displays a box that indicates the total number of pages in the report and the page number you are currently viewing. Use the buttons on the left and right side of this box to scroll through the pages of the report. Click to view the first page of the report. Click to view the previous page. For example, if you are viewing page 3, clicking this button will display page 2. Click to view the next page of the report. For example, if you are viewing page 3, clicking this button will display page 4. Click to view the last page of the report. 98

107 Chapter 6 Generating Reports Searching for Information You can search the report for specific information. You can find the occurrences of a word or phrase, or you can search the report for a set of criteria. All of the search features allow you to locate the exact information you are looking for on the report. Using the Select Expert The Select Expert is the most powerful search feature you can use on the report. You enter the criteria you want to use for the search, and the program will list all of the records on the report that match the criteria you selected. 1. Click to open the Select Expert. 2. Click New. 3. The Fields screen lists all of the fields available on the current report. Click the field you want to select, and click OK. 4. Select the qualifier you want to use for the search. 99

108 AutoSoft Finance Assistant 5. Select the criteria you want to select. The lists you use display all of the available options based on the information entered in the program. For example, if you selected to search the report for a model year, this list displays all the model years entered in the program. 6. Continue to select search criteria by repeating steps When you are finished entering all of the search criteria, click OK. 8. The program displays a list of all the records that meet your criteria. Tip: You can remove a field you added to the search by clicking the tab that corresponds to the field and clicking Delete. The program will remove the field from your search criteria. 100

109 Chapter 6 Generating Reports Using the Search Expert The Search Expert allows you to perform a more specific search. You can select multiple pieces of information, and the program will locate the first record on the report that matches all of the criteria you specified. 1. Click to open the Search Expert. 2. Click New. 3. The Fields screen lists all of the fields available on the current report. Click the field you want to select, and click OK. 4. Select the qualifier you want to use for the search. 5. Select the criteria you want to select. The lists you use display all of the available options based on the information entered in the program. For example, if you selected to search the report for a model year, this list displays all the model years entered in the program. 6. Continue to select search criteria by repeating steps When are finished entering all of the search criteria, click OK. 8. The program takes you to the first record that meets the criteria you specified. Using the Find Feature The Find feature allows you to specify a word or phrase you want to search for on the report. The program will locate all instances of the text you specify. 1. Click to open the Search screen. 2. Type the word or phrase in Find What. 3. Click Find Next. The program takes you to the first occurrence of the word or phrase. 4. Continue to click Find Next to locate the next instance of the text. 5. When you are finished, click Cancel. 101

110 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Printing and Saving the Report You can print the report and save the report to a file. Printing the report provides a hard copy you can review at your leisure without having to be in the AutoSoft Finance Assistant. Saving the report to a file allows you to view and print the report later. In addition, you can copy the report to a disk or send the report in an message to anyone who needs to view the information (the Dealer Principal, an accountant, etc.). Click to print the report. Click to save the report to a file. On the export screen, select the format for the file and the location where you want to save the file, and click OK. Reports are useful tools for tracking information. With the advanced search tools, you ll be able to find the information you need fast. However, there is one important thing to keep in mind about report. The program uses the information users enter to generate the reports, so the reports are only as accurate as the information in the program. Because of this, it is imperative that you double-check all information you enter before saving and updating it. 102

111 Conclusion Conclusion That completes learning how to use the AutoSoft Finance Assistant. Until you are familiar with the program, reference this manual and the online help to assist you as you work. If you have any questions that are not answered by this manual or the online help, or if you are having a problem with the program, contact support at (800) , and select option 5. The appendices that follow explain how to download, set up, and use the communication plug-ins available for AutoSoft Finance Assistant. 103

112 AutoSoft Finance Assistant 104

113 Appendix A Downloading Reports and Forms Appendix A Downloading Reports and Forms Your AutoSoft Finance Assistant program comes with all of your reports and forms preinstalled. If AutoSoft edits or creates a new report or form after installation, you use the Tools menu to download the new reports or forms. 1. Click Tools, and select Download Forms and Reports. 2. If you are prompted to enter your AutoSoft account number, click OK to continue. Type AutoSoft account number on the screen that appears, and click OK to continue. 3. The Download Forms/Reports screen appears. 4. The window on the left side of the screen lists all of the forms available to download, and the window on the right side of the screen lists all of the reports available to download. You can select all forms and reports by selecting the Check All Forms and Check All Reports options. You can clear the selections by clicking Uncheck All Forms and Uncheck All Reports. You can also click to select individual forms and reports. Tip: Click the On System tab to view a list of forms and reports on your system. This will help you identify any forms and reports you already have. You can also delete and rename forms or reports on this tab. 105

114 Appendix A Downloading Reports and Forms 5. When you are finished selecting the forms and/or report, click Download. 6. The selected forms and reports will be added to your system. Tip: Use the Refresh button on the top of the Forms/Reports screen to refresh the forms and reports lists as needed. 106

115 Appendix B The DaimlerChrysler AutOrigination Plug-In Appendix B The DaimlerChrysler AutOrigination Plug-In AutoSoft Finance Assistant integrates with DaimlerChrysler AutOrigination. The AutOrigination plugin allows you to send deal information to DaimlerChrysler for verification. This allows DaimlerChrysler to review the deal and send verification faster, decreasing the time it takes for you to complete the deal. This also helps speed funding. This document explains how to download, install, and use the AutOrigination plug-in available for the AutoSoft Finance Assistant. Getting the Plug-In Use the following steps to download and install the plug-in. 1. Click Tools, and select Get Plugins. 2. If prompted, type your dealership s AutoSoft account number. You received this account number in a letter from AutoSoft International. 3. In the Plugin Selection list, click to select AutOrigination. 4. Click Install. 5. When prompted that you must close all programs, including the AutoSoft Finance Assistant, click OK. 6. Click Open. This downloads the plug-in. 7. Click Next on the Welcome screen. 8. Click Install on the Ready to Install the Program screen. The install runs. 9. Click Finish on the InstallShield Wizard Complete screen. 107

116 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Setting the Plug-In Properties Before you can use the plug-in, you must add some setup information. 1. Click Deals on the toolbar, and open a deal. 2. Click the COmm button on the toolbar that appears at the top of the deal screen. 3. Click the AutOrigination icon on the Communications tab. 4. The AutOrigination plug-in appears on the screen. 5. Click (Properties). 6. Most of the information on the Settings screen will be filled in for you. You need to fill in the Dealer Code, User Name, Password, and Form # fields. 7. Click OK. You are now ready to use the AutOrigination plug-in. 108

117 Appendix B The DaimlerChrysler AutOrigination Plug-In Using the AutOrigination Plug-In 1. Create the deal. 2. Click the COmm button on the toolbar that appears at the top of the deal screen. 3. Click the AutOrigination icon on the Communications tab. The AutOrigination plug-in appears on the screen. 4. Fill in the necessary information. The table on the following page identifies the fields and buttons on the screen. Use it to assist you as you work. 5. Click the Validate Contract button to send the deal information. The button that appears on the screen depends on the contract type selected. 6. This is the Validate Retail Contract button. It appears for retail and gold key plus deals. 7. This is the Validate Lease Contract button. It appears for lease deals. 8. When DaimlerChrysler replies to the submission, the information will fill in on the bottom of the screen. 9. Click (Print) to print the information. 10. In addition to the communication interface, the tabs at the top of the screen provide easy access to the customer information. The information on the Customer Info, Vehicle Insurance, Primary Credit App Info, and Secondary Credit App Info tabs is the same information entered when creating the deal. 11. Click OK to close the screen and save the information. 109

118 AutoSoft Finance Assistant The following table lists all of the buttons and fields for the AutOrigination plug-in. Use it to become familiar with the plug-in. Button Use it to Print the information sent from DaimlerChrysler that appears in the window at the bottom of the screen. Enter settings that determine how the AutOrigination plug in works. You must enter the settings after you download and install the plug-in and before you use the plug-in for the first time. Send the deal. This button only appears for retail and gold key plus deals. Send the deal. This button only appears for lease deals. Field Personal/Comm Subvention Code Applicant Vehicle Last Submitted Special Programs Coupons Tax Exempt Form No Status Credit Application No Add # 1-6 Description Equipment Code Information it requires Select P for personal, C for company, or A for agricultural. Type the subvention code for the deal. This field displays the customer s name. This field displays the vehicle stock number, year, make, and model. This field displays the date the deal information was last submitted. Type the program codes for the deal. You can enter up to four codes. Type the coupon codes you are using for this deal. You can enter up to four coupons. Click to select Yes or No to indicate if the customer is tax exempt. This field displays the form number used for the deal. The form number is specified in the AutOrigination settings. This field displays the status of the deal. Type the credit application number for the deal. DaimlerChrysler provides this number. These fields display the add-on items for the deal. Type the equipment codes for any equipment added to the deal. 110

119 Appendix C The DealerTrack Plug-In Appendix C DealerTrack Plug-In AutoSoft Finance Assistant integrates with DealerTrack. The integration allows dealers to access credit reports, process credit applications, and utilize an array of other financial tools. Getting the Plug-In Use the following steps to download and install the plug-in. 1. Click Tools, and select Get Plugins. 2. If prompted, type your dealership s AutoSoft account number. You received this account number in a letter from AutoSoft International. 3. In the Plugin Selection list, click to select DealerTrack. 4. Click Install. 5. When prompted that you must close all programs, including the AutoSoft Finance Assistant, click OK. 6. Click Open. This downloads the plug-in. 7. Click Next on the Welcome screen. The install runs. 8. Click Finish on the InstallShield Wizard Complete screen. 111

120 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Setting the Plug-In Properties Before you can use the plug-in, you must set the directory path. 1. Click Comm on the main AutoSoft Finance Assistant toolbar. 2. Click the DealerTrack button on the Dealer Communications screen. The DealerTrack plugin appears on the screen. 3. Click (Properties). The Properties screen appears. 4. In Dealer Name and Dealer Track Dealer ID, type the dealer name and the ID number assigned to the dealer by DealerTrack. 5. Click OK to save the information. 112

121 Appendix C The DealerTrack Plug-In Using the DealerTrack Plug-In You can access the DealerTrack plug-in two ways. The plug-in feature varies slightly based on where you access the plug-in in the AutoSoft Finance Assistant program. Accessing the DealerTrack Plug-In from the Main Toolbar 1. Click Comm on the main AutoSoft Finance Assistant toolbar. 2. Click the DealerTrack button on the Dealer Communications screen. The DealerTrack plugin appears. 3. You use the screen just as you would if you were accessing it through your Internet browser. Use the plug-in toolbar to navigate the pages. The following table lists the buttons available on the toolbar. Button Use it to Print information displayed in the web browser window. Access any parameter settings available for this interface. Display the previous page in the browser window. Display the next page in the browser window. Stop the browser window from Refresh the browser window. Navigate the web browser to the DealerTrack home page. 4. When you are finished, click to close the plug-in. 113

122 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Accessing the DealerTrack Plug-In from the Deal Screen 1. Create the deal or open an existing deal. 2. Click the COmm button on the toolbar that appears at the top of the deal screen. 3. Click the DealerTrack button on the Communications tab. 4. The DealerTrack plug-in appears. You use this screen the same way you use the DealerTrack screen that opens when you access DealerTrack from the Finance Assistant main toolbar. The only difference is this screen has three additional items, which are explained in the following table. Item Submit Store Use it to Send the customer information to DealerTrack. The system prompts you when the information is finished being sent. Click OK to acknowledge the message. This identifies if the information has been sent to DealerTrack. It displays Not Submitted if the deal has not been sent or the submission date if the deal has been sent. This list displays all of the dealers that have been added to the DealerTrack properties. Select the store from the list. 5. In addition to the communication interface, the tabs at the top of the screen provide easy access to the customer information. The information on the Customer Info, Vehicle Insurance, Primary Credit App Info, and Secondary Credit App Info tabs is the same information entered when creating the deal. 6. When you are finished, click OK to close the plug-in screen. 114

123 Appendix D The First American CREDCO Plug-In Appendix D The First American CREDCO Plug-In AutoSoft Finance Assistant integrates with First American CREDCO. The integration allows dealers to access credit reports from the three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experion, and Trans Union. Getting the Plug-In Use the following steps to download and install the plug-in. 1. Click Tools, and select Get Plugins. 2. If prompted, type your dealership s AutoSoft account number. You received this account number in a letter from AutoSoft International. 3. In the Plugin Selection list, click to select CredCo. 4. Click Install. 5. When prompted that you must close all programs, including the AutoSoft Finance Assistant, click OK. 6. Click Open. This downloads the plug-in. 7. Click Next on the Welcome screen. 8. Click Install on the Ready to Install the Program screen. The install runs. 9. Click Finish on the InstallShield Wizard Complete screen. 115

124 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Setting the Plug-In Properties Before you can use the plug-in, you must enter setting that determine how the plug-in will work. 1. Click Comm on the main AutoSoft Finance Assistant toolbar. 2. Click the First American CREDCO button on the Dealer Communications screen. The CREDCO plug-in appears on the screen. 3. Click (Enter Settings). The Settings screen appears. 4. In Account Number and Account Password, type your CREDCO account number and the password assigned to your account. 5. In FAC Key, type the key for you have been assigned. Use the Authenticate button to verify the key is correct. 6. The Request URL contains the address where the information will be sent. Do not edit this field. 7. Use the Repository Defaults to select the credit reports you want to automatically retrieve from CREDCO: Equifax, Experion, and Trans Union (respectively). By default, all reports are selected. 8. Click OK to save the settings. 116

125 Appendix D The First American CREDCO Plug-In Using the CREDCO Plug-In You can access the CREDCO plug-in two ways. The plug-in feature varies slightly based on where you access the plug-in in the AutoSoft Finance Assistant program. Accessing the CREDCO Plug-In from the Main Toolbar 1. Click Comm on the main AutoSoft Finance Assistant toolbar. 2. Click the First American CREDCO button on the Dealer Communications screen. The CREDCO plug-in appears on the screen. 3. To add a new customer, click (Add New Customer). 4. Enter the customer s phone number on the Lookup screen. If the phone number exists in the system, a. All matches for the phone number appear in a list. b. Click the customer you want to select, and click OK. c. The customer s file is displayed on the screen. Verify the information, and click OK. d. The customer will appear in the list on the CREDCO screen. If the phone number does not exit in the system, a. You will have to enter the customer s name, and click OK. b. You will then need to enter the rest of the customer s information. c. When you click OK to close the customer s file, the customer will appear in the list on the CREDCO screen. 117

126 AutoSoft Finance Assistant 5. You can use the From and To lists to filter the deals. Click (Refresh) to apply the dates to the list. 6. Click the customer in the list you want to select. 7. Click to file a single report or to file a joint report. 8. Verify that the credit bureaus you want reports from are selected. You can prevent the information from going to any of the credit bureaus by clicking the button that corresponds to the bureau. 9. Click (Pull Report) to send the information. 10. The reports will appear in the window on the bottom of the screen. Click the arrow buttons to move through the reports. Click this button to displays the first record. Click this button to displays the previous record. Click this button to displays the next record. Click this button to displays the last record. 11. Click (Print Report) to print the information. 12. When you are finished, click to close the CREDCO plug-in. 118

127 Appendix D The First American CREDCO Plug-In Accessing the CREDCO Plug-In from the Deal Screen 1. Create the deal or open an existing deal. 2. Click the Comm button on the toolbar that appears at the top of the deal screen. 3. Click the First American CREDCO button on the Communications tab. 4. The CREDCO plug-in appears on the screen.. 5. Click to file a single report or to file a joint report. 6. Verify that the credit bureaus you want reports from are selected. You can prevent the information from going to any of the credit bureaus by clicking the button that corresponds to the bureau. 7. Click (Pull Report) to send the information. 119

128 AutoSoft Finance Assistant 8. The reports will appear in the window on the bottom of the screen. Click the arrow buttons to move through the reports. Click this button to displays the first record. Click this button to displays the previous record. Click this button to displays the next record. Click this button to displays the last record. 9. Click (Print Report) to print the information. 10. In addition to the communication interface, the tabs at the top of the screen provide easy access to the customer information. The information on the Customer Info, Vehicle Insurance, Primary Credit App Info, and Secondary Credit App Info tabs is the same information entered when creating the deal. 11. Click OK to close the plug-in screen. 120

129 Appendix E The trivin Plug-In Appendix E The trivin Plug-In AutoSoft Finance Assistant interfaces with trivin. The trivin plug-in allows you to register vehicles online. This document explains how to download, install, and use the trivin plug-in available for the AutoSoft Finance Assistant. Getting the Plug-In Use the following steps to download and install the plug-in. 1. Click Tools, and select Get Plugins. 2. If prompted, type your dealership s AutoSoft account number. You received this account number in a letter from AutoSoft International. 3. In the Plugin Selection list, click to select TriVIN. 4. Click Install. 5. When prompted that you must close all programs, including the AutoSoft Finance Assistant, click OK. 6. Click Open. This downloads the plug-in. 7. Click Next on the Welcome screen. The install runs. 8. Click Finish on the InstallShield Wizard Complete screen. 121

130 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Setting the Plug-In Properties Before you can use the plug-in, you must set the directory path. 1. Click Comm on the main AutoSoft Finance Assistant toolbar. 2. Click the trivin button on the Dealer Communications screen. 3. You are prompted you must set the trivin shared directory path. Click OK to acknowledge the message. 4. The trivin plug-in appears on the screen. 5. Click Set trivin Settings. 6. Type the directory where the trivin software needs to look to get the file. You can also click to browse for the path. 7. Click OK. 122

131 Appendix E The trivin Plug-In Using the trivin Plug-In You can access the trivin plug-in two ways. The plug-in feature varies slightly based on where you access the plug-in in the AutoSoft Finance Assistant program. Accessing the trivin Plug-In from the Main Toolbar 1. Click Comm on the main AutoSoft Finance Assistant toolbar. 2. Click the trivin button on the Dealer Communications screen. 3. The trivin plug-in appears. 4. The screen lists all of the deals available in the system and all of the deals that have been submitted to trivin. The Sent Date column identifies which deals have been sent to trivin by listing the date the deal was sent and which deals have not been sent by displaying Not Sent. 5. You can use the From and To lists to filter the deals. Click (Refresh) to apply the dates to the list. 6. If you click a deal in the list, the vehicle information fills in on the bottom of the screen. It displays the date the information was sent to trivin, the customer s name, the vehicle information, and the VIN. 7. You have two options for sending deals to trivin. Click Send to trivin to send just this deal. Click Send All Un-Sent to send all deals in the list that have not been sent to trivin. 8. When you are finished, click to close the plug-in. 123

132 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Accessing the trivin Plug-In from the Deal Screen 1. Create the deal or open an existing deal. 2. Click the COmm button on the toolbar that appears at the top of the deal screen. 3. Click the trivin button on the Communications tab. 4. Click Send to trivin on the plug-in screen that appears. 5. When the transfer is complete, the Sent Date field will fill in with the date and time of the submission. 6. In addition to the communication interface, the tabs at the top of the screen provide easy access to the customer information. The information on the Customer Info, Vehicle Insurance, Primary Credit App Info, and Secondary Credit App Info tabs is the same information entered when creating the deal. 7. Click OK to close the plug-in screen. 124

133 Appendix F The RouteOne Plug-In Appendix F The RouteOne Plug-In AutoSoft Finance Assistant integrates with RouteOne. The integration allows dealers to access credit reports, process credit applications, and utilize an array of other financial tools. Getting the Plug-In Use the following steps to download and install the plug-in. 1. Click Tools. 2. Click Get Plugins. 3. If prompted, type your dealership s AutoSoft account number. You received this account number in a letter from AutoSoft International. 4. In the Plugin Selection list, click to select RouteOne. 5. Click Install. 6. When prompted that you must close all programs, including the AutoSoft Finance Assistant, click OK. 7. Click Open. This downloads the plug-in. 8. Click Next on the Welcome screen. 9. The install runs. 10. Click Finish on the InstallShield Wizard Complete screen. 125

134 AutoSoft Finance Assistant Setting the Plug-In Properties Before you can use the plug-in, you must enter setup information. 1. Click Comm on the main AutoSoft Finance Assistant toolbar. 2. Click the RouteOne button on the Dealer Communications screen. The RouteOne plug-in appears on the screen. 3. Click (Properties). The Properties screen appears. 4. Leave ASI User Name and ASI Password blank. 5. Type your RouteOne Dealer ID. (The third character is a number). 6. Type your ASI Account Number. (The last two characters are numbers). 7. Click OK Click OK to save the information. 126

135 Appendix F The RouteOne Plug-In Using the RouteOne Plug-In You can only submit information to RouteOne from the deal screen. You cannot log on to RouteOne in the ASI Finance Assistant program. You can only use the RouteOne plug-in to submit your information to RouteOne. To log on to RouteOne, you must go outside the Finance Assistant program. 1. Create the deal or open an existing deal. 2. Click the COmm button on the toolbar that appears at the top of the deal screen. 3. Click the RouteOne button on the Communications tab. 4. The RouteOne plug-in appears. 127