Product Update: March 2019

       Hi Beacon fans! Here's an update on the latest product improvements that are ready for you to try right now.
     

       The all-new Beacon backend
     

Alas, not all of our big product announcements come with a flashy new interface.  We've recently rolled out the biggest re-architecture of our database ever.  This is the fundamental stuff that keeps Beacon as a whole (and your database specifically) running smoothly and efficiently.  Didn't notice the change? That means we did it well! All accounts are now migrated to our new infrastructure with zero downtime - because that's how we roll at Beacon HQ.

What's in it for you? Well our new infrastructure is faster, more elegant, more scalable, easier for us to maintain, and makes some features (like advanced filtering, advanced roles and permissions, and deduplication - all coming soon!) much more straightforward.

In summary, this is all about us working hard behind the scenes to ensure you are using the most advanced non-profit CRM on the planet.  We'll keep doing the smart stuff backstage so you can focus on doing your great work.

       Improved front-end interface
     

Sometimes things do get a makeover and wind up looking pretty darn slick.  At Beacon we follow Google's Material Design principles to keep our interface at the cutting edge of beauty and functionality.

We've updated input interfaces across Beacon and we're really pleased with the snappy new look.  You'll see the changes all over the place, but keep a special eye out for the new enclosed fields:

Auto-formatting of amount fields:

And collapsable blocks:

Stop it, Beacon front-end team.  You spoil us.

       Bulk creation of related records
     

You can now create records that are related to other records in batches.  Confused? Don't worry, some examples will help.  Say you want to do one of the following:

Well now this is very easy in Beacon.  For example, to invite some users to your new event you can select the users you want to invite:

Then configure the details of these event attendees:

Hey presto, 6 new event attendees.

Read more in this guide.

       Up next...
     

Stay tuned for the release of advanced roles and permissions, automated payment statement generation, and more snappy UX improvements coming very soon!

See you next month, Beacon chums!