We are excited about what’s in our development pipeline for 2021!  We have several new products and feature enhancements in the works, and we want to give you a glimpse of what we’re working on. Now we don’t have release dates yet, but each of the products and features that follow is currently in the research and/or development phase. We’ll share more updates throughout the year as release timelines are confirmed. 

I think you will be thrilled about what’s to come! Let’s take a look.

In preparation for updating our Website Builder, in early December 2020, we revamped the layout of our control panel and introduced a new left menu to streamline where products, settings, and account details are located. 

The Website Builder is now in the process of getting an overhaul to make designing much easier. When version 8.5 is released, the builder will have a tabletop workflow, meaning menus and options for modifying blocks will slide in and out when you need them. This workflow will replace the existing infrastructure of menus and sub-menus.  

If you’ve used the PhotoBiz Assistant, you probably noticed how it slides out when you click it, overlapping the content you are working on. The new builder will work like this, settings and options for different aspects of your website will float in and out as you need them, making designing your website snappier.

We are also working to improve the webpage building experience for users on smaller screens. We are removing horizontal scrolling from the control panel and the Website Builder block toolbar is getting a redesign. The toolbar will be anchored to the right side of the builder for easy access to block settings while creating and editing pages.

Additionally, we are using this update as an opportunity to modify each block's information and functions, to make a richer user interface and experience overall.

A brand new exciting feature we’re working on is Email Automations. This will give you the ability to set up automated email reminders for your Proofing events, Scheduler appointments, and Invoices. For example, you will be able to use Email Automations to remind people that their Proofing event is about to expire, that their appointment is a day away, or that their invoice is due in 1 week. Manual email reminders will be a thing of the past, and you will have more time to focus on other aspects of your business.

Once launched, it will be simple to set up an automated series of emails. We will have sample content you can use plus the option to create custom email series.

Proofing related emails will be able to be triggered before and after the expiration date of an event, if a visitor has an abandoned cart, or if a visitor has selected their favorites.

Scheduler appointment reminders will be able to be sent before or after an appointment date. Therefore you will have multiple options for marketing to your customers for current and future bookings, and more. 

Invoicing emails will also be able to be sent before or after an invoice due date to help you get paid. 

We hope Email Automations will help streamline your business, save you time, and help you stay profitable.

Another fantastic addition in the works is a new feature to enhance our ecommerce tools. We call it “Quotes”. It will allow you to create, preview, and send quotes by email to your clients and leads for products and/or services.

The quotes will be accessible through unique links, similar to invoices, and you’ll receive notifications when a quote is approved or rejected.

Once a quote is approved, an invoice will be automatically created that you can email to your customer.

Since we’re on the subject of payments, let’s talk about invoicing. We’re making improvements to enhance your experience in creating invoices. It will be more of a visual display, in that you’ll see a preview of the invoice while setting up the details in a side panel, such as products, services, and contact information.

The enhanced invoicing tool will also connect to e-commerce and global branding settings, making it even easier to set up. This means you will have the ability to add ecommerce items to the invoices, including products, services, packages, digital images, and even prints.

2021 is looking bright and as you can see we have a number of projects in the pipeline. Again, these are all in developmental phases, so thank you for your patience as we get them ready for primetime. What’s not changing is our commitment to providing Passionate SupportⓇ, which is available by phone, email, and even video chat so let us know how we can help your business. Also, be on the lookout for more Facebook Live events about online marketing, how to use our tools, and to have your website reviewed. 

If you have any questions, leave a comment below or give us a call at 866.463.7620. We’ll be happy to help you.