In this release, we’re upgrading security and adding several improvements based on your suggestions. Read on for the highlights and see details in the release notes.
Upcoming security improvements
On December 12, we’ll begin using the next version of a protocol which enables more-secure internet communication. If you see a message in a red bar that says “This browser is no longer supported” you’ll need to update your browser ASAP.
For our technical readers, the new protocol we’re using is TLS version 1.2. For everyone else, just be assured that using a newer version of this protocol is a good thing for data security. Here’s what everyone needs to know: It’s a good idea to update to the latest version of your browser. Actually, most browsers have supported this protocol for a few years. However, we’ve looked into it, and there are a few Mercury Network users whose browsers don’t support this technology, so will be impacted when the change takes place. To make sure you’re not on the naughty list, please update your browser to any of the following versions:
Internet Explorer 11
Microsoft Edge version 14+
Chrome version 49+
Firefox version 52+
Safari version 10+ (Mac only)
If you’re not using one of these popular browsers, that’s OK. Just check your browser specifications to make sure it supports TLS 1.2, and you should be fine.
New statuses for bid orders
Some of you using VMP XSites let us know that you need more insight into the status of commercial bid orders after you’ve sent the bids to the client for approval. Before this update, when the client was selecting the bid they wanted to award, the status simply said Out for bid. Now, we’ve added more detail so you’ll see a couple more possible statuses for bid orders. First off, when you send bids to the client for approval, the order will have a status of Bid request for Authorization. Then, after the client selects the bid they want, the status will be Appraisal bid selected. Finally, when you award the bid to the vendor, the status will show Bid awarded, as it did before.
Quickly access vendor profiles while reviewing bids
You asked for an easier way to see vendor profiles when reviewing bids. So, we added the profile icon to the left of the vendor’s name in the Review bids dialog. Plus, if there are multiple vendors in the dialog, you can use the left/right arrows to scroll between them, which eliminates the need to leave the Review bids dialog to go hunt down multiple vendor profiles.
See the vendor’s company name during order assignment
When assigning orders, it’s sometimes undesirable to assign an order to another vendor in the same company. For instance, if an appraiser in an appraisal company has already declined an order, you might want to attempt to assign the order to an entirely different company. Or, you might want to avoid sending bid requests to multiple appraisers in the same company. So, you’ll now be able to see the vendor’s company name when you’re assigning orders. That’s helpful information to have, and we appreciate this excellent suggestion.
New custom rule for API users
This one is a bit technical, and likely only appreciated by those of you using the API. You told us that you’re using the product item identification (PID) number for some of your automations, but that number wasn’t always available in the order details. So, now there’s a custom rule which will display the PID in the Other reference field in Order Details which means you can easily use it for automated processes. You can contact Client Relations or your account manager to enable this rule. We hope this helps streamline your advanced integrations!
Supplemental products ignore vendor capacity
When you’re assigning a supplemental product to the same vendor who completed the primary order, there were cases when the vendor exceeded the capacity you had specified in your Vendor Selection Settings, so the order wasn’t being assigned to them as intended. Going forward, the vendor’s capacity will be ignored for the supplemental product so it can be assigned to them as it should be per your preferences.