We are currently finishing up ID922 - Related Items and need your feedback on configuration rules.

When your customer goes to order a toner online if your related items are set up correctly they should only see toners for their model. It can be a pain to maintain the related item list for existing models and getting new models in is worse. There are also tricks like remembering that staples need to be related to the finisher and not the model.
CEO Juice is working with Manufacturers to not just maintain related items for existing models but to have the related items available before new models are released. You need to have the items in your eAuto database but we will push in the relationships.
We are starting this process with Ricoh but chase your manufacturer to get us the info.

We are also working on configuration rules. These are the rules a salesperson needs so they can only sell equipment that can be built. If you have this finisher you can not have this paperdeck etc. There are quite a few tools available for sales to use but in our opinion Digital Quote Manager (DQM) has the most complete rules. Mike K built DQM while he worked at SOS and then passed it on to eAuto to maintain.

We would build and maintain all the rules and make them available to all our clients if they have DQM. If they do not have DQM we have 2 options and need your feedback please.

Option 1 purchase a single copy of DQM from ECi, ballpark cost is $1,200 one time fee and $30 per month but ask your ECi rep.

Option 2 we build a process to check your equipment orders against tables we install. There is a lot more work here for us which means we would not be taking care of other things you need.

Mike feels that DQM adoption was poor because of the work needed to build and maintain these rules, but that the rules and how it manages parent child relationships are superior.

Thoughts and feedback below please.