Payments of £1378
Lincoln you have insured your Fiat Bravo we will be sending any outstanding information to your address at:
Sincerely, If you eccour any problems submitting your payment
Feel free to Contact us
Tel: 0208 654 4456
Fax: 0208 654 4457
John Doyle
General Manager
J.Doyle
Questionnaire
- Do you find the outlook of the confirmation sheet useful
- Is the information in the confirmation sheet useful
- Does the information layout persuade you to further on your account with hawks
- Should the confirmation sheet be sent to your home, on email or straight away
- Should you have a choice where the Information is sent
- Should the confirmation sheet include the company’s logo
- Should confirmation sheet include a monthly payment plan
- Should the quote stand out more
- Should there be any more user information visible for example age, date of birth, telephone number etc
- Should anything else be added in the conformation sheet?
Results from Questionnaire
The questionnaire shows the results from 10 users and it is about and there overall comments on the customer’s confirmation sheet and using the data to collect it , I collected these questions due to make sure that the mail merged item is acceptable for the second end user (the customer)
These Are The Results:
- The overall comments from 5 customers found the confirmation useful this means that the main detail needed are in the confirmation sheet.
- The information was found to be useful including the quote and the car details
- No a percentage found it to be useful but not to be professional
- All said they should be sent on all three
- Yes due to it being a easier convenience for the customer
- A percentage said that it is essential to include a logo
- The information sheet should include a monthly plan
- The quote should stand out so that it is the first thing a customer should see
- A percentage said that this information is irrelevant.
- No main things were included
Of all of the customer data collected I have come up with a new insurance conformation sheet that will improve the quality of are service and the customers knowledge
May 1, 2007
Dear Mr Kargbo
Thank you Mr James Kargbo you have chosen Hawks cars insurance you have to submit a payment of £1246 you have chosen the Plan A this plan consist of cover for only the other car in the incident and not your own, we are sure you will be able to submit to the outstanding payments of
James you have insured your Fiat Bravo we will be sending any outstanding information to your address at:
If you can not pay the whole £1246 you will be able to pay a monthly payment of the cut down price of £103 a month
Sincerely, If you have any problems submitting your payment
Feel free to Contact us
Tel: 0208 654 4456
Fax: 0208 654 4457
John Doyle
General Manager
J.Doyle
The improvement of the confirmation sheet has been altered by the results from the questionnaire and from my research I have firstly added a bold title
New System (cont)
If the Quote is rejected then the form will be cancelled and it will just return to the blank customers input sheet which will be controlled by a macro:
Inputs, Process and Outputs
Inputs
Inputs: New Customer Details
- Customer first name
- Customer surname
- Age
- Title
- Name or number of house
- Street
- Postcode
- Sex
Inputs: Car Details
- Car Type
- Car Model
- Registration Number
- Car Litre
- No Claims Bonus
- Insurance Plan
Inputs: Existing Customer
Outputs
Outputs:
Customer Details
- First Name
- Surname
- Title
- Address
- Postcode
Mail Merge Letter
- Payment Outstanding
- Monthly payment
- Quote Number
- Description of the insurance plan chosen
Business Details
- Manager directors name
- Address of company
- Phone number
- Fax number
Processes: Calculate the quote
Sum of all the car detail factors that have been inputted like the car type and the model and the liter of the car and the age will also be multiplied and then the insurance plan will entitled how much cover they will receive this will be added on and this will total the quote.
Process: Mail Marge
All the data that is entered and is processed is placed an on page like below and then via mail merge is all sent towards the final confirmation letter.
Inputs
For the inputs to work I have to make sure that I have enough actual information in the database to be able for the end user to have a choice of what to use due to the systems new disadvantage is that it going to limited due to the customer not having the widest range of cars being allowed to be insured.
Due to this I have make sure that all the information that is entered into my system is going to make as it expandable as possible for example I can not have a drop down box for first names because it is sure I can not cover all the customer names.
I firstly have to make sure I know what is going to involved in the process so I can then easily identify what options aim going to have limit for example age has to limited so that it can easily be added and times due to the drivers age and reliability of their driving limiting from 17 to 70 of course the younger you are the more likely you are to get into accidents and the more older you are the more likely you are to have slower responses that someone in the middle like 25 to 50 all these ages will given a multiplying factor for their ability to drive.
Another factor that will have to be taken into case is one of the most important, the cars and because I can not add all the cars they are available I can add the most common ones and I have chosen to only state 21 car makes and 4 models of each make:
There will be two drop down boxes made with these cars one for the make and another for the models which will be processed by , the drop having all the 21 of cars then once a car is chosen the other box will then V lookup a another list made just for the makes of that car list.
Another input that I am going have to add in is the registration which I will limit it from j reg to the newest one 2004 issued in July 2004.
These have to be entered due to this representing how old the car is which it can then be fairly given a valued price.
It can also be used as a multiplying factor by the older the car the more likely it is to break down so in the likes the hawks system it will be more cheaper to insure a more younger car than a slightly old car.
I will also add the size of the litre due to check how big the size the tank is due to bigger the litre the more likely there is going be problems so a drop down box will also have to added to make it easier access for the telephone assistant to actually be able process the data, fast and support the performance criteria of inputting the data in the maximum of 4 mins,
These drops down boxes will also be used for data like the area data that is used to be able to see how safe the car is going to be at the location where it is parked.
Also the insurance plans are also included as well being different prices for different covers:
Another entry that has been added in this is the no claims bonus which helps the hawks insurance car companies be able to verify how good the actual driver is at driving the actual fact that have a driving license is that they have done good there day of their test.
The others drop down boxes that I will input is going to the be the title of the status of all the customers although this has no effect on the end quote it still has to be added for the confirmation letter to obtain its professionalism.
The male and female drop down box is also added but this is because of the statistics that female drivers are much more sensible when it comes to the road that is why, it is very important to add this detail so you can easily make a little difference in the price.
It also includes a date of birth section where you will have a scroll down box of the years and the 12 months and 31 days again this information will be added on the mail merge sheet and should be added on the confirmation sheet if not It will still be stored on the internal storage for any further use, also important because when it is past they date of birth and there insurance could be added or deducted due to the different rates of the multiplying factor of the age.
The years are although are limited so you will not be able to enter anything that is under the age of 17 although this will start to be a disadvantage anytime a year passes due to the younger age being a lower year, that is why the system will need to be updated at least once a year on problems would easily occur.
Years
Months Days
A disadvantage of the of the days is that not all of all the months are 31 days and it will to complicated to do a v look up for a month so that it can automatically change it in to the right amount of days it is not impossible but it can cause a lot of unnecessary problems so I have decided to leave it out.
Objectives
Objective 1: To reduce the input time for new customer details by 70%
Objective 2: To achieve 100% accuracy of the payment of my customers
Objective 3: To produce a system that is easy for a beginner to use
Objective 4: To produce a system that will hold up to 150 customer record
Performance Criteria
- The system should allow new customer details to be input in a maximum of 4 mins (currently takes 10 mins manually)
- The payment should be 100 % correct, no manual mistakes
- A beginner once trained should be able to use the system, once trained, without reference to the producer of the system
- The system should be able to handle on average 150 customers.
For test 1 there is a range of data and it can either be individually validated test separately, or use this sort of approach. But I must test using a range of data.
The range of data in test 1 includes valid within range, extremes, invalid out of range and erroneous data (that is, if the validation has been to accept numeric values only between 17 and 70)
Test 2 shows how the numbering processes can help with testing design. This would be an integration test, probably involving the testing of a button, macro, form/sub-form and a query.
(in test 2 the data is quoted “as data set 3” data to be used for integration, system and end user tests can be specified separately – usually easier than trying to fit into the table.
Test 3 shows how important is to design the testing to ensure that the performance criteria set are tested
Test 4 is an of testing an element of the solution: checking that the saving macro actually saves the required data with the right place. This is a very important when making sure that the solution will work in the end users environment.
Test 5 is testing a user requirement for professional-looking letters to be produced. This is a qualitative test that needs to be followed through out by the end users themselves, as their opinion may differ from my own.
Test 6 shows an of a testing a process. Here data has to be entered which is then used for two or three lookups to find the corresponding details in a table. This is integration
Test 7 could be to test the criteria that “now the company can now employ staffs that are not all fully skilled like said in the interview by Mr Doyle” and this would help the less experienced staff.
I have chosen this system due to the vast level of data and functions that you are capable of using it could also store data.
And excel is not an uncommon program so it will not be as expensive as other specialised programs the same for word as well.
The excel program can hold a lot of data and it can also help to create a simple but realistic system,
Microsoft Excel also contains features that make software Accessible to a wider range of users, including those who have limited dexterity, low vision, or other disabilities.
Your knowledge of and facility with Excel will, naturally, determine its usefulness to you. It might make more sense to use the ready-made features in Access, but if you are familiar with Excel, I have found that it allows more flexibility in massaging the data and that it is considerably faster in handling large files. For small files, this is not the case. Importing the data and running various sorts takes time and it makes only sense to do so after a certain threshold. Furthermore, the presentation of the information in Excel is user-friendly when deigned
Easy onscreen presentation that is going to be very easy for the telephone assistant to be able to use and enter the information correctly everything labelled and done in stages then added by the system into a merge for the customer, a quick simple onscreen form will be liked by most staff this being easy to adjust any mistakes made before continuing.
Having easy to read buttons with borders and clear white spaces that state what its function is will also help the telephone assistant to be able to do everything that is needed problem free moving from different pages by clicking on the on screen macros.
The onscreen presentation also including information tabs this is there for the telephone assistant finding any difficulty to enter data into the space required can click on this which will bring them to a instruction sheet
Fig.1 being the example of the information tab
For the car type option. Different screens
Appearing for any information tab selected.
The onscreen form also having dropdown boxes making it easy for the telephone assistant to be able to choose the required data all these options available on the onscreen form being popular with most car insurance companies.
The current system will be uploaded on to excel and it will be much more faster then the paper based system being easy to use by any user from the age of 16+ also because of the effiency of this programme only one system has to be installed and it can be used by the whole work force.
A logo is not nessacery but due to the fact of customer recognition and the competitions use of logos Mr Doyle has also wished for a logo to be designed and issued on every on of our documentations as a marketing strategy.
Fig 2
The company logo in fig.2 is used and will be well known to Hawks loyal customers and as an attraction to other customers in the London region.
The Input Sheet: Customer Details
All the input screens are provided so that they are very easy for the telephone assistant to see each box, being very bold and having clear white spaces so that they are very easy to verify, they are also large spaces in between the boxes so that it will also be easy for the telephone assistant to be able to just read on the screen.
And due to the way Mr Doyle wants to bring new young staff, information tabs were added so that the company do not have to have spent too much time trying to train the new employees.
Using a macro the information tab was a link to another sheet called the information sheet which is a simple but effective explanation of what should go in the box every tab being a link to the same page:
The information tab is different macro for every single input box but all of them sill has the same functions just a different input emplaced in the information sheet:
Macro
Shortcut: None
Started From: The Input Sheet
Started By: Clicking on the Information Tab next to the box
Actions:
1. Moves from the input sheet to the Information Sheet
2. Selects the information box
3. Adds the selected texts aids into the Box
Ended: The box is highlighted.
The fig above is the result of pressing the information tab next to the registration box to find out the information sometimes to even tell the caller, the fig below, is the of the information tab that is pressed on the postcode tab:
As soon as the customer declares that they are a new customer the phone assistant will click on the "proceed" macro:
Macro
Shortcut: none
Started From: Front Page
Started By: Pressing the proceed button
Actions:
- Moves from the Front Page to the Input Page
- Then starts off being set at D9
Ended: Then the title option selection is selected
The logo and presentation of the sheets that have been shown is due to these two sheets: the input sheet and the front page are the sheets that will have the main concentration on by the telephone assistant, they will still see the information page and the edit page but they have not got an as effect on the end result how these pages do.
Also having the logo being presented due to if this was a website this will be the two main pages they will be viewing and when they receive the confirmation sheet as well, in my design I was only going to put the logo on the confirmation sheet, but after evaluating, this company can be very big and successful and can easily divert to the web without the need to call in a new designer.
Logo show the reputation of a company and soon there customers and other customers will know their company by just looking at there logo.
Again the drop down box sticking to the performance criteria:
Taking approx 4mins max to complete it,
this is also useful to the less experienced employees who are not as fast as the most experienced ones so they will be no need to type it in the only thing needing typing is the names and address.
The drop down box for the car type is different from the one of title this is because the title is not really as wide scaled as cars so firstly to make it
Easy for the hawks company is has to limited to the most common cars so unfortunately if the customers car is not on the drop down list than they quote can not be continued.
Although this is a negative, a scroll down box also helps to open up the car model via a v-lookup four of the cars being chosen for each section
Again if they have not got any of the cars in the car model section a quote can not be produced.
The car type triggers the car model list so that the phone assistants will know if the that car is or is not in the database if it is not there wont be a multiplying factor for the car and that will cause a stall in the database showing error on the quote page.
The input page is of course the main page of the database because you have to have input before you can have process or output so mistakes should not be taken that is why I have also created a clear button that should be used in case of a run of numerous mistakes:
In my design It was shown that I will only have one macro at the bottom the get quote button, but due to further research and focusing on Mr Doyle’s objectives to be error free it will be more easy and efficient to just clear it all then to delete separate parts.
A customer’s verification and sound recognition could easily cause confusion for the telephone assistant so if there a numerous amount mistakes the employee is advised to just press the clear button.
Macro: Clear
Shortcut: ctl-alt C
Started From: The Input Sheet
Started By: Clicking on the clear button
Actions:
1. Clears contents in all boxes
2. Selects the information box
Ended: The title box is highlighted
When they are a lot of mistakes like this the employee will only need to scroll down and press the clear button instead of clearing everything manually.
After the macro has been set the employee can easily start right from the top again this avoiding any later problems with any multiplying factors gone wrong because the data has not been inputted correctly.
The clear button is also useful because the system is not fool proof so mistakes will happen and if they are taken any further from the input sheet the matter will resulted the edit sheet, although it can be resolved it will still take time and some of the customers loyalties as well.
EDIT Sheet
The edit sheet is for existing customers that have received a conformation sheet that will have there own personal quote number on it.
When the customer has there quote number they can easily call up and the phone
Assistant will from the front page enter the quote number in the space provided then will click on the proceed button, which will be located right under the white space proved for the quote number
PIC OF THE FRONT PAGE MAILY THE PROCEED AND EDIT SPACE
PIC OF THE EDIT PAGE WITH ALL THE DETAILS IN TWO SCREEN SHOTS ONE OF THE PAGE THE NEXT SHOWS TO THE MAIL MERGE
The edit page will have all the of customers vital details that will be added to the mail merge and the quote will be created right there and then imported back to mail merge to be ready to produce into another confirmation letter.
One of the main sheets that processes all the inputs and then creates an output is the data sheet:
This page two screenshots shows all of the data that went in it to actually making sure that we got all the details and the right information for the input sheet, this information being collected and analysed what would be the best multiplying factors for each separate category.
Both all as important as each other although some of them are more relevant then others all having different effects on the outcome to the quote then others.
The age being a very a important factor due to the age contributing to how likely it is that there going to be a accident or a claim
So the multiplying factor had to be sorted out very slowing started form a high number from the 1988 year to 1985 that is on average 17 to 20 years old will be charged high rate but after that the rate will reduce but not that much
In the 40‘s is where the price becomes the lowest due to Mr Doyle believing at that age you are at a very stable time in your life.
The rate will then increase again due to the fact at old age you become to be less aware of things around you and less responsive to situations so this will have to brought up to the rate of around a young 20 year old both as risky as each other and as soon they hit the age of 70 they contract is terminated.
Another factor that is also very important as well is the post codes, this was also a very difficult piece of data to record accurately due to the crime rates keep on changing it is important because where they live will effect if there car is at a risk of being stolen or being damaged in any way and if it is, the company has got charge a higher rate for a more unsafe environment.
The cars are another important factor due it being the main aspect of the car insurance due to having limited car data it was simpler to sort out than the post codes.
The more valued the car being charged the more lower rates due to MR Doyle believing that when a car is better it will have less problems than a lower valued car, so there will no point of charging them more when they will probably claim less than the lower valued cars.
No bonus claims are also important due to this being a reward for drivers for not claiming any minor accidents, this being a reduction in the price they will have to normally pay all new drivers are chosen onto the first year bonus so they will still have a little reduction but not as much as the customer who has not claimed from 5 years
The Registration and the litre are just about added the same just adding more into the quote evolution not really being processed into the end outcome but still very significant for the outcome of the quote price.
Registration is just to see how new the car is and the litre will just see how compatible the engine, smaller engines of course having the most problems but when an engine to big it can also cause problems.
The last piece of data is the actual insurance plan this is essential because it wraps up all the actual data and then it helps to just add extra money, to the quote due to this being how their car is actually going to be insured (what type of insurance they will receive on their car)
The full plan platinum is the full package followed by the plan premium which is than plan plus then the least cover is the plan A.
The data sheet is where all the data is stored and it is one of the only pages that the employees won’t see and the employees will be permitted not to even open the file which will be password protected to make sure that they will be no problems. If any of information is changed it could stall the whole system and cause major problems.
The data sheet is also where all the tables that are created that will make all the v-lookups work on the input sheet and be able create an accurate quote.
These two screen shots above show the v-lookup that were taken for every box that was used to create the end quote these were used in a column which was hidden where all other multiplications and additions are also conducted in this column to come to the quote page.
This hidden row is where all the formulas are left so again the employees can not accidentally tamper with any of these any formulas again will this disrupt the whole database.
For the first outcome is when the whole input sheet has been filled in the get quote macro has been pressed this presents the quote sheet,
Macro: Get Quote
FINISH OFF IMLEMENTATION
FINISH OFF TESTING
Evaluation.
After the system was completed it was thoroughly tested and now an evaluation is needed about what I think and conclude about the created system.
In my evaluation i am going to discuss the following evaluation criteras:
Efficiency- Does the newly created system reduce the time it takes to get your car insured when compared to the old system? Bench marking could be a way to test this, do the use of drop down boxes and default data entry save time and make it more error free.
Functionality –is the system suited for the task which is intended?
Does the user understand how the system works and can they use it? The new system should be designed so that it can be easily taught to new existing staff, it should also be nearly self explanatory, can staff teach other new staff how to use it?
Accuracy- does the new system ensure accurate data input? do all of the validation and input mask work according to plan and do they prevent illegal or irrelevant data being input do they all serve there purpose.
Performance- how does the software perform when compared to the old system does it perform how you expected? Are you disappointed or, surprised
Ease of Use – are there enough features and messages to help the user to use the system?
Does the system cover all the experienced and inexperienced users?
Is the GUI easy to understand by sell levels of ICT users? Is the system able to show the user how to rectify these mistakes and prevent them from occurring again?
Robustness- is the system virus and bug proof? Is it prone to being corrupted by illegal use and key presses? Do the validations and the input masks work? The system should be completely free of problems when given to end user to use.
Graphical User Interface (GUI) - Is the layout and the interface of the system, reports and all of the conformation sheets consistent? Do they meet the required needs of the business? Is the layout of the system easy to understand and easy on the users vision? These factors are considered as they are important in determining the level of ease at which the system must be designed in order to be in favour of the user and so that all outputs can be correctly read and analysed.
Backup and ordered storage of information- can all of the information that has been inputted into he system he categorised in alphabetical order for easy referencing? Do the outer numbers actually work?
Is al of the information inputted and outputted backed up in event of a disaster? This feature has to consider as it would reduce waiting time of the customers and increase sales, and prevent the company from any losses.
Output relevance and content – does all of the outputted information produced by the system contain the right amount of information which can be interpreted by the staff and the higher staff at Hawks? Is the information relevant for the intended purpose for which it is to be used for?
Are all of the outputs clear and easy to understand by staff at all levels of in the business, e.g. employees and bosses? There is a strong why this has to be considered as these outputs provide the boss of the business with vital information that could be used to improve on services and facilities that the business offers which in could help boost profits and customer relations.
Efficiency
The database did lead to increased efficiency, however if it fulfilled every requirement of the car insurance process it lead to the procedure being a lot more efficient, although due to all the limitation if there are not expanded the efficiency will not have such a large effect on the businesses profits due to there being some customers that won’t be able to continue their quote with hawks.
Functionality
The system met the functionality of the user; it was only the minor discrepancies which meant that it would not be used.
The user stated that the shortcut keys drop down boxes and search queries made the system a lot more functions and allowed the insurance process to be a lot simpler.
The user requirements did meet as it was expected. I feel that the information tabs helps making it easy for any user to easily to just pick up and learn if their existing staff or a new staff and like predicated in my view they will not have to take any time or money to train the employees.
The user requirement that did not meet I the edit page although this is a useful tool it is not as accurate as should due to it not including all the data that has been included in the input sheet.
I felt that the software did provide a high level of assistance that was required and if was used a traditional or a common in business the whole insurance service will run much more efficiently.
I also had limited knowledge of access if I was more aware of the program I would have used that instead of excel, the access being a more accurate program.
Accuracy
The new system did ensure that data entry was accurate the use of the input masks validation rules, drop down boxes and automatic data entry meant that the room for human error was significantly reduced.
The user agreed that the system did make the insurance process a lot more accurate.
Performance
My end user stated that the system has improved greatly being more easy and stress free she said “what would of took me around takes 10 minutes now just takes me 1 or 2 minutes”
Also adding that the overall performance was good and the entry of data and the ability scroll down helped to choose a vehicle from a large list an easy task which before would have involved in shifting through a log box.
The system was said to be a big difference compared to the old log book and the conformation system which required a greater deal concentration and time to reduce any errors.
Ease of Use
The System was very easy to use for the end user and me. There were a few functions that were not fully understood such as the way the car insurance could be deleted form the system after the quote has been accepted but the customers can’t deal with payment.
But overall the use of the system should be easy as long as the employee does not try enter any section that have been restricted as long as they follow the given instruction in the user guide, instructions.
The addition of shortcut keys and information boxes and error messages with help information meant that the user wasn’t stuck when it cam to rectifying minor problems.
Robustness
The system is robust as it is free from any major programming errors and performs a large amount of the tasks required by the end user.
The macros work without and bugging and the correct error messages and the information dialogues appear when they are needed.
Graphical user interface (GUI)
The system has a very easy to understand GUI which is consistent and follows a consistent layout which uses sober colours which do affect vision when looking at the system for long periods of time. The confirmation and some of data pages include the corporation log which reduces the chance of fraud.
The need user was very happy with the GUI of the system stating that it was very ‘user friendly ‘and pleasant to look at’ although I had already collected data about the sheets is probably is seemed to be very professional.
Back up and ordered storage of information
After have input sheet has been filled in the data will be stored in the internal storage in the mail merge in the data sheet then when it is imported to the actual mail merge it is also saved there as well.
So that means the data is backed up in two different files and can located by the find data on the mail merge and can be found by entering the quote number on the front page it can also be saved a USB.
Output Relevance and Content
The relevance of the current output is accurate and relevant; however the user would have prepared to some reports such as the number of reports such as how much insurance claims we receive yearly and the total amount outstanding funds. Apart from this, the relevance of the confirmation letters with it containing too much or too little data needed.
Enhancements (extra added criteria)
There are several enhancements that I would d liked to make to my system. The first is that I would of liked too add the facilities that the end-user required which were not present.
The next would be to expand the database and not just limiting the system to any amount of cars and car models this allowing more customers to come through which will lead to a higher profit margin.
Another part of the system should be changed is the limitation of the postcodes only being the codes London not of surrounding counties. Another feature that would be useful is help page which would have a FAQ so that any minor queries can be dealt without the problem is brought to the higher hierarchy.
Finally all input masks would be re-evaluated so that they function in exactly the correct manner and accept the correct information so as to reduce time consumption and errors. Overall I believe that the system is nearly perfect it just has to many limitations other from that it is a very useful system.
May 1, 2007
Dear Mr Olaribigbe
Thank you very much the creation of your system and thank you for sending it to the hawks industry I have to tell you we have accepted your system we feel that is a program that is going to help to be able to expand.
Although the system is very efficient it is still very limited to a certain number of cars but I am sure this can easily be solved by adding a few more cars to the database, I am very pleased that you kept to my performance criteria and you that you understood that I have a system that will be widely used by young employees.
The system was a quite easy to navigate overall with a few exceptions but had a great layout which finally could be transferred to the web.
The interface of the whole system was very user friendly and the color did bother me at all.
The other formatting and validations also meant that errors which otherwise would have been common have nearly been eliminated.
I would like to thank you once again for your hard work and your dedication and time you have spent in developing a system with me and I hope my comments have proved useful and productive.
Yours Sincerely
If you eccour any problems
Feel free to Contact us
Tel: 0208 654 4456
Fax: 0208 654 4457 John Doyle
General Manager J.Doyle
Part 1
Technical Manual
Section 1 Introduction
Section 2 Minimum System Requirements
Section 3 Installation
Section 4 Getting Started
Part 2
User Guide
Section 5 How to
5.1 Customers
5.1.1 Searching for customers
5.2 Setting up an insurance
5.2.1 Editing data
5.2.2 Customers and their cars
5.2.3 Other functions
Section 6 payments
6.1 Other functions
Section 7 Printing Confirmation sheets
Section 8 Mail Merging
Section 9 Backing Up
9.1 Hard Disk Backup
Section 10 Troubleshooting
1 Introduction
Welcome to hawks insurance IT system.
Thank you choosing this system as it is the best way to get your cars insured in the right way with features such as fast editing, deletion and easy addition of records.
This user manual will help you get the best of this software.
2 Minimum System requirements
In order to get best out of this system the following requirements must be met.
Minimum system requirements
- Windows 98, Windows ME, windows 2000, windows Xp or Nt workstation 3.51 service pack or later
- Microsoft Excel
- Pentium 166MHz
- 8Mb of RAM for windows Me,64Mb of Ram for windows 2000 and XP
- 44- 100Mb of free HDD space for Excel and word full systems
- CD drive for installation purposes
- USB port for backup Purposes
- 128 colour VGA or Higher
Recommended system requirements
- Windows 200 or higher
- Microsoft Excel 2000/XP
- Pentium III 900MHz
- 64 MB Ram
- 100mb + free HDD space for full installation
- 32 bit graphic card
- 16 bit high colour VGA or higher
The above guide is recommended lists not all aspects of the system have match those which are given above: not having the full recommendation will not definitely affect the speed or control of your program.
- Getting Started.
After you have installed and entered the system the shortcut icon will appear on the on the desktop this will need to be entered into any time the system should be used.
When this is clicked the system should open as normal. Once the system has been opened the front page will be shown which a password will have to be inputted by a user to proceed any further.
Passwords have been defined during implementation and cannot be changed without the administrator. Never give out or share password every employee would be given there own password.
After you have stated whether the customer is a new customer or an existing customer you will either go straight to the input sheet or to the edit sheet.
The input sheet will be located as soon as the proceed button under the instructions is clicked.
How to Use the Input sheet.
Once the input sheet has been located you can begin to use immediately.
To add a new customer you have to input the customers details by asking there detail in the order that is set on the sheet:
May I have your Title?
You’re First Name, Please
Your Last Name, Please
Sex
Age
Etc
Then ask for their car details again in the same order that it is set up on the on the input sheet,
After you have filled the whole sheet make sure you ask them for there details aging to make sure that the information that was collected was right, if they are more than one or two mistakes hit the clear button and start again .
The clear button is there to make sure that are no mistakes so however long it takes make sure that the data has been inputted correctly.
After the input sheet has been filled and then checked you can now proceed to the quote procedure you will have to press the get quote macro.
If there are existing customers and they wish to change there details this can be easily be done.
You will have to firstly enter the customers quote number then press the proceed button placed under the white space provided for the quote no.
This will take you to the edit page at this page it is similar to the way the information is entered into the input page but not all of the questions will be asked due to already having the customers on the file.
So the question will be a few and just variable question only questions that will effect the final quote
Again the questions should be asked as edit sheet is set out as this has been done for reason. Then the get quote should be also clicked again it should be checked again and if there are numerous problems the clear button should be pressed.
The Quote Sheet
Both the input sheet and the edit sheet will both connect to this page,
This is where you will ask the customer if they want to continue and save the details or do they want to cancel the quote because they are not satisfied with price.
If they do not want to continue you will press the cancel quote macro and the system will restart it self:
If they are satisfied with the quote and they wish to continue you will need to press the save detail macro to save their details in the systems database and to also to connect to the mail merges:
Looking up customers
The easy way to look up customer details is by the mail merge sheet this is where all the data is stored:
This again is covered by an administrator password due to fraud and other people changing the quote prices
Again do not share out your passwords or use anyone else’s
When the password has been entered you will then be able to use and change the inputted information if absolutely necessary, this can then be used for the mail merge letter,
You must only do this if necessary because this can easily affect the whole outcome of the quote price.
Mail Merging
The system comes complete with its own pre written letter which can be printed off if it is required and handed straight to customer and emailed and also kept in the companies file for any further use if necessary.
It can also be edited to the style of its intended purpose. In order to mail merge, the Microsoft word icon called mail merge letters should be clicked this will open up the prewritten letter and in order to chose which customer receives.
Finding the customer in the mail merge.
When locating mail merge you will have to open the Hawks mail merge file
You will
Then have to open up the Hawks Merge sheet and the customer that you wish to find you could easily do this in 4 steps.
Step 1
Open up the file
Step 2 Find data source which should be saved under Hawks, Mail merge sheet
Step 3 is to go the find option and try and add one the customers personal details to get the customers confirmation sheet.
Step 4 is to go over the confirmation sheet to make sure that there is no problem and then to email a copy to the and print out 2 copies
This mailed sheet will then should be sent to the customer and one should be kept with the business.
Backing up
When the system is used all the data added is automatically stored upon closing without prompting from the user.
Therefore the chances of new data being lost are very slim. Precautions have to be taken however in the case of computer malfunction and added security.
There are two main ways that are recommended when backing up the system:
9.1 hard disk backup
Even though the system is fully saved upon exiting the system, an extra backed up copy in another section is advised in case the original becomes corrupted for any reason.
This can be done by right clicking on the folder in which the system is located and selecting copy.
A new locating which may be kept secret is chosen and then the right mouse button is clicked and the system is pasted
9.2 Recordable medium backup
The system can also be backed up a lot more securely on another storage device such as a cd or a tape. To save onto a blank medium, it should be inserted into the driver of the system and the drive opened up through my computer. Then folder containing the system should then be right clicked upon and the copy button clicked. The system should then be pasted into the recordable medium. Store the medium in a safe place and back up the system regularly.
10 Troubleshooting
This trouble shooting is intended to aid in solving some common problems that may arise when using the application. If more detailed is required pleas press the F1 button on the excel or word to bring up Microsoft help, or technical support can also be called.
FAQ’s
Q I cannot the system started
A try install the system again if this does not work the system does not match your computer system.
Q I cannot seem to get a correct quote
A Make sure that all the information is entered on the input and the edit sheet do not leave any white spaces
Q The customer that iam dealing with, their car is not on the system
A That is because the information data is limited, inform that we can not continue with the insurance
Q the Mail Merge letters seem to be jumbled up when printed on to the hawk’s confirmation sheet.
A The system has stalled, delete the last person inputted and renter the details this should solve the problem
Q why do I get error messages when typing information into some fields?
A field either have a validation rule, input mask or they are locked. In this case the rule must be followed, the data entry format followed or data not entered,
Depending on which type of field you are accessing. Fields such as ID fields are locked and so cannot be changed at all.
Q The confirmation sheets do not print
A is the printer Plugged in or set up
Q has the data on the system been saved? If it hasn’t been saved it will not be present in the mail merge sheet.
Therefore repeat the process and made sure the quote is accepted
Q None of the above has helped
A. press F1 to go to Microsoft access help screen or call technical support on 0240 567 8906.