Easy link to the contact form. You can launch the Contact Manager form from a button in the category column, in the nav bar or elsewhere within Merchant or from a static page. You can also easily use a http link format for launching the Contact Manager form from static pages or within Merchant.

Assign the inquiry. The Contact Manager allows you to assign the contact record to a specific technician or department with ease. That technician can then find their active contacts easily.

User interface look and feel. The Contact Manager form characteristics are controlled from the module's admin configuration screen. At the admin level you can change category column button text, optional category column button image, email subject, email to address, contact screen title, customer email prompt, customer inquiry prompt, background color, font face, font size, font color, message for the submission form, send button text, and optional send button image. Even for the html novice, the form's characteristics are easily altered in admin.

Customer can choose department. The module allows the customer to select the target to send the inquiry to with a select list option. This expedites the delivery to the specific technician/department's email address. As with the uncompiled version, the email addresses are hidden from email harvesting spammers.

Field inclusion and validation. Department codes, descriptions and email addresses are configured through admin. The standard collection fields are name, email, subject, department, and inquiry. However, you can also have an unlimited number of extra fields in the form. These extra fields can be required or optional. If required and the customer does not provide a response, the form will validate and redisplay so the missing info can be supplied. What extra fields you create and use is dependant on how you will use this contact form; e.g. requests for info, pricing, availability, product details, billing, shipping, or even for customer surveys prior to checkout.

Autoresponse receipt verification. When the customer submits their inquiry, the module can optionally send them an autoresponse that you have received their inquiry and how soon you will get back to them. That autoresponse email is composed and customized by you through the admin panel. You can also include the contact tracking number in the subject of the contact emails and responses, e.g. [EP #925]: How do I.....

Searchable contact records. The admin section allows you to search one one or more criteria to find messages you are interested in. You can then edit the status and/or respond to the sender.

Store notification section. In the Main admin screen of Merchant 4.x, under Store Notifications, the module provides you with a quick summary of how many messages are Pending. Upon clicking the link for Contact Manager, a popup window displays the subject and message ID of all pending contact messages.

See the slide show for screen shots.