Quick Links And How To Use Them

Post date: Jun 27, 2011 4:36:8 PM

An SMCP 'Quick Link' is a customized shortcut to a function in the program.  Normally, when logging into the SMCP program, a user will enter their user name and password, proceed to the main menu, then down into submenus until they arrive at the function they need.

The 'Quick Link' is a link which embeds the user's sign-on information (so they don't have to explicitly log on) and takes them directly to the function they want.  This is especially useful when working on a smart phone or tablet, where it's not as easy to type, or where you might be on the go.  Salespeople using the contact management features of SMCP find it easy to incorporate Quick Links to the system's contact management features.

For example, a field superintendent might need to frequently use the 'View Order Information' function when he's on the road, but find it awkward to log in each time and click to that function.  Instead he can put a 'Quick Link' to the 'View Order Information' function on his phone.  Just clicking the 'Quick Link' will bring him straight to the 'View Order Information' screen. (if he's using a phone that handles voice-to-text, he can 'speak' the order number into the phone and get his information, too - with NO typing at all.)

Quick Links are also useful in regular computers - some people may use a limited number of functions, but only intermittently.  By saving Quick Links to functions they often use as 'Favorites' or 'Bookmark' in their browser, they can save time and simplify navigation around the program.  

How do they work?  There is a function in the system called 'SM List Quick Links (1100)'.  Click on this menu, and you'll get a list of your own customized Quick Links.  These have embedded in them the information needed to instantly initiate a new session (or 'log you in') in the SMCP program, and they also go directly to the function listed.  (Not all functions are currently available as Quick Links but we are adding them all the time, and if you need one that's not yet listed, let us know.)

Click one of the links you plan to use - for example, the 'View Order Information' function.  When you arrive at that screen, save it as a 'Favorite' (or a 'Bookmark').  That 'favorite' will include the user name, password and other information so that next time when you click that Favorite, even if you're not IN the SMCP system, it will jump directly to that function, logged in as yourself.

Three things to consider when using Quick Links:

1) The link includes your user name and password, so if you change your password, the old Quick Link will no longer work - you'll have to create a new one.

2) Each time you use a 'Quick Link', you start a new web 'session' on your computer.  Keeping 2 or 3 sessions open in different windows shouldn't cause a problem, but opening lots of multiple sessions at the same time might cause 'session timeout' errors in the oldest sessions after a while.

3) Because the link includes your password, anyone who can find your Quick Links (in your favorites list, or on your 'List Quick Links' screen) COULD conceivably see your password.  So keep these confidential, and don't leave screens with Quick Links in view when you leave your computer.