New Training for the New Year

Start the new year off right with training sessions that will help you get up to speed on the latest releases, learn little known tips and techniques, and use your Karmak system more efficiently. We've scheduled convenient Webinars on popular parts, service, accounting, and ProfitMaster topics, including FREE sessions for anyone interested in ProfitMaster RPM and our new online customer services. Click the links below for the new 2009 schedules.

Legend Training Schedule - including our Controller/Office Manager Workshop, Webinars on Cost Matrix and Velocity Pricing, Customer Special Pricing and Vendor Contract Pricing, KOLD 1.1, Accounting “Did You Know?”, and Legend 6.1 Enhancements, plus ProfitMaster Troubleshooting, Sales Management "Did You Know?", Misc. POs in Service, RPM System Setup, and RPM View Creation/Maintenance Webinars.

INFO 5 Training Schedule - including Service “Did You Know?”, Time Entry, Job Operation Codes, Parts Pricing, Physical Inventory, and Accounts Payable Webinars, plus ProfitMaster Troubleshooting, Sales Management "Did You Know?", Misc. POs in Service, RPM System Setup, and RPM View Creation/Maintenance Webinars.

Out of the office during scheduled Webinars? We can set up a time that is convenient for you.

Reserve your space today by contacting Jessica Vetter, Training Center Coordinator, at  or 800-252-7625. You may also register in the Training section of our Customer Confidential website.

New Guide for Boosting Productivity & Profitability

Whether you've been with Karmak for many years or just getting started, you may be missing out on some powerful modules that add advanced features and profit-boosting benefits to your business system.

Our new guide to Business Management & Productivity Tools provides an overview of these products and what they can do for your business. You'll find specific solutions for parts, service, and sales operations, as well as enterprise-wide reporting and laser printing options, including the following:

Parts & Service

• ProfitMaster Service Management—Increase efficiency with complete service tracking. Open repair orders with a single entry and eliminate re-keying data. Create new sales opportunities with automated tracking of deferred repairs and flexible preventive maintenance scheduling.
• Bar Code Receiving—Improves inventory accuracy and increases employee efficiency.
• Internet Parts Sales (IPS)—Expand your market share and improve service to your customers by allowing them to search for parts, check pricing and availability, and place orders over the Internet at any time.
• eCommerce—Direct computer-to-computer communications take cost out of the supply chain.

Unit Sales

• ProfitMaster Sales Management—Improve your total sales operation and manage margins more closely by tracking unit costs and activities. Increase sales by quickly locating units with specific features from inventory, other branches, on order, on consignment, and even track potential trade-ins. Save time managing floor plans, warranties, and commissions.

Reporting

• Real-time Performance Monitor (RPM)—Track critical metrics with browser-based dashboards of real-time information. Quickly locate specific data with dynamic filtering and search features.
• KOLD—Save money on paper, resources, and storage space by converting many Karmak reports and customer invoices into online documents.

Download the new guide, below, for more on these and other valuable modules.

Business Management & Productivity Tools

For additional information on any of these products, contact your Karmak sales representative, or call us at 800-622-6311.

Solving the Software Puzzle

Have you ever wondered...

• What's the difference between ProfitMaster and other Karmak products?
• Which new modules do I need and what is required to run them?
• Do the new products replace existing modules?
• Does Karmak make products for my customers?

To help answer these questions, we've put together a brief overview of Karmak's main products, plus new and upcoming modules and how they relate to your system. Here's an excerpt from Karmak Software at a Glance:

Click the link below for the full list, which includes additional products that can help you get more out of your Karmak business system.

Karmak Software at a Glance

For more information on any of these products, contact your Karmak sales representative, or call 800-622-6311.

Communication, Collaboration Highlight 2008 Conference

The Karmak Technology Conference & Expo 2008 recently brought together nearly 200 dealers and distributors from across North America for a unique networking and training event. Survey results are in, and attendees agree—this conference delivered informative, helpful, and well organized sessions.

Highlights of the conference included the Karmak Today presentation in which Bill Healy, Karmak President and CEO, discussed Karmak's response to your needs with new and enhanced products, as well as the following new customer-focused services.

• Customer Confidential website—your source for online documentation, training, tips, and our newly-created ProfitMaster quick reference guides, flow processes, and flow charts.
• Help Desk Live—track your support incidents online.
• Steering committees and customer surveys that keep our new products in line with your business needs. If you would like to participate in a steering committee or provide your input, please contact us at .

In addition, several products demonstrated at the conference were very well received by attendees, including:

• ProfitMaster Service Management—current beta site customers provided positive feedback on this major module
• Mobile Repair Order Entry—track repairs performed off site
• Mobile Service Writer—quickly open repair orders as vehicles arrive on site
• Mobile Parts Order Entry allows outside sales personnel to open parts orders from any location
• Real-time Performance Monitor (RPM)—real-time dashboards with enhanced chart and graph display options
• ProfitMaster Scheduling—this future release facilitates resource scheduling with drag and drop functionality

The conference also offered opportunities to meet with representatives from leading manufacturers and vendors, including Caterpillar, Daimler Trucks North America, Dell, Inland Associates, Mack/Volvo, Navistar, PACCAR, Western NRG, and Randall-Reilly, publishers of Successful Dealer and Truck Parts & Service. New this year, the New Development booth in the Product Demo Room offered visitors a chance to ask questions of the ProfitMaster development team and provide valuable feedback for current and future releases.

We'd like to thank our customers, partners, and staff members for making this one of the most successful events in Karmak's history. Mark your calendars and plan to join us next year for another power-packed conference.

Karmak Technology Conference & Expo 2009
October 20-23, 2009
Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, St. Louis, MO

We look forward to seeing you there!

New Training Opportunities

Karmak has flexible, cost-effective options to get new employees up to speed and keep experienced workers productive on your Karmak business system, including the latest ProfitMaster modules. We've scheduled convenient Webinars on popular parts, service, and accounting topics, as well as free sessions to introduce you to Client Talk, ProfitMaster Service Management, and our new online customer services. Click the links below for the updated schedules:

Legend Training Schedule - including Sales Tax Reconciliation, Physical Inventory, Fiscal Year End, and ProfitMaster Webinars.

INFO 5 Training Schedule - including Job Operation Codes, Preventive Maintenance, Fiscal Year End, and ProfitMaster Webinars.

Enrollment is limited. Reserve your space today by contacting Jessica Vetter, Training Center Coordinator, at or 800-252-7625. You may also register in the Training section of our Customer Confidential website. To request your company-wide Customer Confidential password, use our online Request Form.

Out of the office during scheduled Webinars? Contact Jessica Vetter to set up a time that is convenient for you. Customized training sessions and training at your location are also available. Download our Training Opportunities sheet for details on all of your training options.

Director Series Version 1.2 is Now Available

Karmak is pleased to announce the general release and immediate availability of the latest version of Director Series. This update includes enhancements to repair order functionality and reporting capabilities, including:

• Allowing change of customer on an open repair order
  • Re-priced at new customer’s pricing
  • Preventive Maintenance checks performed
  • Credit check performed
  • Meter Reading updated based on change of customer/unit
• Labor quote on a repair type and repair task
• Creation of repair order quotes
  • Allow creation of repair orders from quotes
  • Ability to save quotes to be used as a template
  • Allow change of customer on a quote

Click the link below for additional highlights of this release:

Director Series Version 1.2 Enhancements

Complete details of these enhancements can be found in the General Release Notes for Version 1.2, which are available upon scheduling your upgrade or upon request.

With many exciting changes, we encourage you to schedule your update. To schedule a convenient time to load this update, please contact Director Series Services at or call 866-856-4846.

Requirements needed to take advantage of this upgrade are outlined in the following documents:

Director Series Version 1.2 Upgrade Requirements

Director Series Version 1.2 System Requirements

Please contact Director Series Services at or 866-856-4846 with any questions.

There's still time to register for the Karmak Technology Conference & Expo 2008

October 14-17, 2008
St. Louis, Missouri

Navigating Technology

Don't miss the boat as we navigate through the latest technology and techniques that will help your business run more efficiently and profitably. Our convenient four-day program offers new networking opportunities and learning experiences in a relaxed and informative format.

• Choose from more than 65 new and updated classes.
• Meet and greet your technology partners and peers.
• Stay up-to-date on Karmak’s development plans and progress.
• Preview upcoming releases including the latest mobile technologies.
• Find out what’s new in ProfitMaster and learn how to prepare for the transition.
• Receive one-on-one guidance on powerful reporting tools and system features.
• Learn new tips and shortcuts with in-depth sessions for every department.
• Discover the latest options for protecting sensitive data and preventing system downtime.
• Participate in new product roundtable discussions.
• Take advantage of special discounts on Karmak products.

Visit our Conference website for the complete schedule and easy online registration. Register by September 12, 2008 to reserve your space and lock in the special room rate.

Don’t miss our FINAL ProfitMaster Sales Management and Service meeting of the summer!

In response to our previous correspondence regarding a special West Coast ProfitMaster meeting, we would like to invite you to our final regional meeting, which will cover both Sales Management and Service:

September 17, 2008 - Anaheim, CA (Los Angeles area)

• Take advantage of this great opportunity:
• Message from the President Learn about the latest releases
• Discuss the accomplishments and progress of the Steering
• Committee since the 2007 Conference
• Share your feedback with the ProfitMaster team
• This is not a sales pitch, just an informative session designed to give you insight to development and details of what you can expect from Karmak and the Sales Management and Service products in the future.

Agenda: Sales Management & Service Regional Meeting Agenda

Cost: FREE

Meeting Time: 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., with lunch provided.

RSVP to this meeting by contacting Jessica Vetter, Training Coordinator, at or 800-252-7625. Please respond by September 5, 2008. We look forward to seeing you there!.

International Point-of-Sale Fleet Pricing is Now Available

Now you can automatically verify pricing for International fleet customers at the point of sale, with a new interface from Karmak. The International Point-of-Sale Pricing module assures accurate pricing of invoices to selected fleet customers. It's easy to use from various programs within your Karmak system:

• when entering a parts counter order or a customer quote
• when billing and invoicing parts on a repair order
• when processing parts on estimates
• when performing pricing inquiries

Click the link below for more information on this and other interfaces available for International dealers.

Karmak International Interfaces

Legend Version 6.0 or INFO 5 Version 7.2A or higher is required to run the new Point-of-Sale interface.

Sign up for a free International Point-of-Sale Overview Webinar today by contacting Jessica Vetter, Karmak Training Center Coordinator, at  or 800-252-7625. For pricing and additional information, contact your Karmak sales representative, or call 800-622-6311.

Karmak Receives Mexican Trademark

The Mexican Trademark Office recently issued an official registered trademark for Karmak^®. This is an important milestone that clearly identifies Karmak’s heavy-duty business management software products in the Mexican market, and adds international protection for Karmak’s brand name and intellectual property assets.

We would like to thank all our customers in Latin America for their patronage, which makes this achievement possible. We look forward to continuing our successful partnership in the future, and are committed to providing quality products, service, and support to meet your business needs.

Effectively Use Your Business System to Increase Productivity and Profits

Karmak’s business system consulting team is a group of seasoned individuals specializing in advanced hardware and software technology, and their specific focus is to help you get the most out of your technology investment. Consultants teach you how to be more productive and proactive at managing your business system, as well as sharing their observations of the most current and successful industry business practices. Karmak is committed to helping in the success of your business management through an ongoing partnership, working hard to understand your business objectives, and offering you solutions. Our consultants are professionals who will show you the many conceivable ways to make money, save money, and streamline your processes.

Whether you need minor procedure adjustments or comprehensive recommendations on ways to enhance your business practices, Karmak Business System Consulting delivers tailor-made solutions right to your door. We recognize the important investment you’ve made in your business system, and our consultants work hard to understand your business objectives and offer you solutions that will let you utilize the Karmak Business System technology in a way that will meet your goals.

For more detailed information regarding Karmak’s Business System Consulting Services, or to schedule a consultant for your location, contact Karen Zwicker at 800-252-7625 or , or Heather Gardner at 800-865-8991 or .

New ProfitMaster Mobile Repair and Parts Order Entry Modules

• Mobile Repair Order Entry
• Mobile Parts Order Entry

Mobile Repair Order Entry makes it easier to track mobile repairs and any service performed off-site. The program speeds up the repair order process, eliminating time spent manually entering data and reducing non-billable labor costs.

• Create a repair order from one screen on a laptop or Tablet PC
• Retrieve customer, unit, parts, and repair type information from your Karmak business system
• Create a new customer in the business system or default them to a Cash/COD account
• Generate an invoice from the field, with or without displaying prices
• Capture signatures electronically on the spot

Download our Mobile Repair Order Entry brochure for details. Contact your Karmak sales representative, or call 800-622-6311 for additional information today, including special pricing on Mobile Repair Order Entry available in July.

Mobile Parts Order Entry offers parts sales personnel an easy way to enter parts orders on a Windows-based PC, laptop, or Tablet PC and upload that data to your Karmak business system. It is ideally suited for outside sales personnel who spend time away from the office, but return regularly to enter orders into the system.

• Generate orders as often as needed – no need to wait until you to return to the office
• Quicker and more accurate parts order entry and billing
• Visit multiple customer locations and enter many parts orders before transmitting to the business system
• Capture signatures to confirm the order in the field
• Print order confirmation for customers
• Generate pick tickets when orders are received by the business system

Download our Mobile Parts Order Entry White Paper for details. For more information, including special pricing available in July, contact your Karmak sales representative, or call 800-622-6311.

Legend Inter-Branch Purchasing Enhancements

The Legend Multiple Branch Purchasing module has been recently updated to handle differences between replacement costs in the shipping and receiving branches. Immediate Inter-Branch Transfer (MB015), Maintain/Process Inter-Branch Notice-of-Shipment (MB040), and Receive Inter-Branch Order (MB310) will now automatically calculate the cost differences between the old and new extended costs, and update the Inter-Branch G/L Transfer File. Master Option File line 76 must be set to L (LIFO costing) for this enhancement to work. Any cost differences will be automatically booked when Inter-Branch Transfers General Ledger Accounting (MB080) runs in the Bookkeeping series. You can determine how the cost differences are booked via settings in the Master Option File. The cost variances will post to the following new Master Option File lines: 221 (Parts Cost Variance), 222 (Inherent Core Variance), and 223 (Dirty Core Variance).

You must be on Legend Version 6.0 to take advantage of these enhancements. Contact Shawna Morton at 800-252-7625 or  to request an upgrade.

For questions regarding the Multiple Branch Purchasing enhancements, contact Parts & Service Support at 888-671-6008 or .

New Training Opportunities

We've scheduled convenient new Webinars and in-depth classes designed to help you use your Karmak system more efficiently, and introduce you to our latest modules. This quarter we are offering FREE Webinars on Client Talk, ProfitMaster Service Management, and FET changes in Sales Management, as well as an overview of our new customer web services. Click the links below for the updated schedules:

Legend Training Schedule - including Pricing, Inventory, Backorders, Open Postings, and Vendor Rebate Webinars, plus our popular Service Manager Workshop.

INFO 5 Training Schedule - including Pricing, Parts Open Forum, and Interbranch Parts Transfer Webinars, plus workshops on ODBC, Service Management, and General Ledger Reporting.

ProfitMaster Training Schedule - including Mobile Parts Order Entry, Internet Parts Sales, and Troubleshooting Webinars.

Enrollment is limited, so sign up today to reserve your space. Contact Jessica Schirz, Training Coordinator, at  or 800-252-7625. You may also register in the Training section of our Customer Confidential website. To request your company-wide Customer Confidential password, use our online Request Form.

In addition to our scheduled training sessions, we offer customized Webinars, one-on-one training, or on-site training to meet your needs. Download our Training Opportunities sheet for details.

Sales Management 2.0 Enhancements

Sales Management Version 2.0 includes many new enhancements that add increased flexibility in handling FET calculations, Deal, Unit, and Customer Maintenance, Commission Accounting, Local Purchase Orders, and more. Click the link below for highlights of this new release:

Sales Management 2.0 Enhancements

You must be on Legend Version 6.0 or higher or INFO 5 Version 7.3 or higher to take advantage of these enhancements. To request an upgrade, please contact Clint Rosser, Manager of Installations, at or 800-252-7625 ext. 2550. For questions on using Sales Management, contact ProfitMaster Services at or 866-452-7625.

Coming Soon! Sales Management Regional Meetings

Look for details on upcoming meetings at convenient regional locations to discuss recent Sales Management changes. It's a great opportunity to learn more about how you can benefit from this release and share your feedback with the ProfitMaster team.

New ProfitMaster Troubleshooting Webinars

Basic ProfitMaster Troubleshooting
June 24, 2008 - 10:00-11:00 a.m. Central Time
For users with some type of IT background, this session covers the ProfitMaster architecture and how it functions with other Karmak products, locations for ProfitMaster error logging, some of the most common errors that have been encountered, and good practices for sending issues to Karmak.

Advanced ProfitMaster Troubleshooting
June 25, 2008 - 2:00-3:00 p.m. Central Time
For those with an extensive IT background including database and/or programming knowledge, this session covers advanced troubleshooting techniques related to Report Generator, API calls, Update Services, printing, and reporting.

Space is limited and filled on a first come, first served basis. Visit our Customer Confidential Website for details and online registration, or contact Jessica Schirz at  or 800-252-7625 ext. 2604.

Internet Parts Sales 1.1 is Now Available

ProfitMaster Internet Parts Sales (IPS) Version 1.1 is now in general release for INFO 5 as well as Legend systems. IPS helps you process orders more efficiently and increase parts sales opportunities by allowing customers to place orders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Version 1.1 includes many enhancements to both the retail and administrative sites, such as displaying customer order status, service history, account status, and part substitutions, and options for customizing the order confirmation e-mail. Click the link below for features and benefits of the latest release.

ProfitMaster Internet Parts Sales 1.1 Enhancements

You must be on Legend Version 5.9-1 or higher or INFO 5 Version 7.2 or higher to take advantage of these enhancements. See the IPS White Paper for additional system requirements.

For more information, contact your Karmak sales representative, or visit our IPS website.

Track Support Calls with Help Desk Live

Help Desk Live allows you to easily monitor your open and recently closed Karmak support incidents online. This free service lets you see what's happening with your open incidents at any time from your desktop, and improves communication with our Support groups. All you need is an Internet connection to view updated information about incidents, including:

• Who called the incident in and when
• The incident number
• The Support representative who owns the incident
• Incident status: how many days open or how long to close
• A brief description of the incident

Powered by Real-time Performance Monitor, Help Desk Live is easy to use and lets you sort, search, e-mail, and export incident data to programs such as Excel. This can be useful for analyzing call patterns and pinpointing problem areas, such as the need for additional training in a particular area.

Help Desk Live is available to authorized contacts at your company. To request your Help Desk Live user name and password, Legend users may contact Karen Zwicker at  or 800-252-7625; INFO 5 clients may contact Heather Gardner at  or 800-865-8991. Once you receive your login information, our Customer Support group will contact you with additional information on using Help Desk Live.

Important Reminders

• Recoup fuel costs with delivery surcharge option
• There's still time to register for Regional Parts Manager Workshop, May 21-22, 2008, Orlando FL

Recoup fuel costs with delivery surcharge option

Did you know that your Karmak business system can help offset rising fuel costs by adding a delivery/fuel surcharge to parts invoices? This option applies a surcharge to delivery parts orders and lets you specify whether the surcharge will be applied to the total for parts only or the pre-tax invoice total. Legend Version 5.8-1 or higher or INFO 5 Version 7.2 or higher is required. Refer to your documentation, or contact your Parts & Service support group for details on using this cost-saving feature.

There's still time to register for Regional Parts Manager Workshop, May 21–22, 2008, Orlando, FL

Register by April 21, 2008, to reserve your space for in-depth Parts Manager training in sunny Florida. Click a link below or contact Jessica Schirz at 1-800-252-7625 or  for details.

Legend Parts Manager Workshop: Orlando, Florida

INFO 5 Parts Manager Workshop: Orlando, Florida