Category

Under the Hood

Google Maps API Adjustments

By | Tech Update, Under the Hood | No Comments

Due to adjustments Google has made to billing for their Maps API service, we have made some slight changes to how we make calls to that API in order to get the most out of it.

Without getting too boring and technical, there are two APIs that we use to build maps on your site – the Maps API and the Places API. We had been making multiple hits to both of those APIs when the maps page was loaded, which was working, but not in the most efficient manner. Since our optimization adjustments were completed, we have been able to reduce the amount of calls made to the APIs, which makes the calls more cost-efficient.

Security and Username Updates

By | Feature / Release, Tech Update, Under the Hood | No Comments

As part of our ongoing effort to upgrade our systems and improve security, we have made a couple of significant updates that we wanted to share with you!

 

CMS Login Page

You have probably noticed that the Login screen to the CMS looks somewhat different than it used to. This change helps establish the foundation for us to improve security, add options for single-sign-on, and more efficiently integrate the tools we use across our platform to be consistent.

The CMS URL has not changed, but it will redirect to https://account.dealeron.com to log in, and then redirect back to https://cms.dealeron.com. This is similar to how if you go to gmail and are not logged in, it will redirect you to account.google.com briefly in order to sign in.

CMS Login Screen

 

 

 

 

 

Username Updates

If you have been logging in with a username (JoeDealer) instead of an email (joedealer@dealership.com), you will likely have seen a message when you log in to the CMS alerting you to upcoming changes:

CMS Username Alert

 

 

 

 

Since there is no longer a need for a single person to have multiple accounts, there has been an ongoing cleanup effort to remove duplicate usernames and email addresses. In cases where active users have more than one account, or there are multiple usernames tied to the same email address, we have reached out directly to resolve those accounts. At this point we have resolved most of the active duplicate email addresses and are reaching the end of this phase of the project. The last step is to convert all usernames into an email format.

If you are not already using an email address to login, you will need to update your account. You can either do this immediately, or wait until your next 90 day password reset. If you run into any issues while updating, your support team will be able to help you get back in action!

 

Inventory Merchandising Report

By | Feature / Release, Under the Hood | No Comments

As you may know, the New & Used Inventory Merchandising reports were working inconsistently for some time. This resulted in the information not loading on the page, or loading incomplete data.

I am pleased to announce that we have made updates to how that report pulls data, and the Merchandising reports are now working correctly.

Enjoy your data!

Homepage Banner Editor Improvements

By | Feature / Release, Under the Hood | No Comments

We have made some slight adjustments to the Homepage Banners page in order to improve ease of use. The white “Delete List” button below the Current Banner list has been removed, and a new red “Mark All to Remove” button was added next to the red “Remove Selected” button. See the following screenshot for what this looks like now:

Banner List Editor

 

 

 

 

We feel that these improvements will make everyone’s life a little easier!