Overview
This article outlines the key details of the Blackpurl platform and service offerings. It is organized into three sections: Blackpurl Activations, Blackpurl Support, and Integrations that Blackpurl can provide.
Blackpurl Activations
The Blackpurl Activations team guides you through your Blackpurl onboarding process from sign-up through to launch.
Terminology
You / Your / Business | The dealership, owner, client, or business purchasing Blackpurl. |
Users / Usernames | Full paid licenses per instance of Blackpurl, as per your agreement. Paid users can access all or some of Blackpurl's features based on their permission settings. See the pricing page for details. |
Technicians / Techs | Paid slots for technicians to track time with. This is a separate level of access from a username. Once logged into Blackpurl via a username, a technician may clock onto jobs and use other time-clocking functionality. A technician may be given a full username, or they may log in via a shared technician portal username. See the pricing page for details. |
Getting Started
Once you sign up for Blackpurl using the checkout link or by e-signing the agreement, your Blackpurl account will be created. This usually takes 1–2 business days (allow extra time if sign-off falls on a Friday).
Upon account creation, an activation guide will be assigned and will send your designated project lead:
A link to the Blackpurl Activation Project, hosted by Monday.com, along with information on how to work through the project with your activation guide's assistance
Log-in details
Email verification
A request to schedule a 30-minute Google Meet to discuss the activation plan and set a launch date
Your dealership will be required to work through the project until completion.
As you work through the launch tasks, your activation guide will respond to questions via the chatter function in the project board or by email.
Weekly check-in meetings are included as part of the project.
If verbal contact is needed, the preferred method is Google Meet, as it supports screen sharing and dial-in options. These sessions must be booked at a mutually suitable time.
Activation Time Frame
The standard activation period is 4 weeks. An activation guide will be assigned for your 4-week activation period. During this time, a series of tasks must be completed with your activation guide's assistance, including account setup, providing data, accounting integration, add-ons, and training.
Most dealerships complete their activation within the standard time frame. If you need additional time, an extended activation is available for purchase.
On completion of your Monday.com activation project, you will retain access to the project for another 60 days before it is archived. This access is strictly for reference — your activation guide will no longer be available to respond to chatter or questions during this period.
Your Data
A formatted data collection template is supplied in the activation project. Your data must be submitted in this format for import. Data that can be imported includes:
Customers
Vendors
Customer owned units
Stock units
On-order units
Consignment units
Parts inventory
Make/Model/Sub-models of the units you sell
Factory options for units
Labor/Labour codes
Fees
Data will be reviewed for accuracy and format only before import. If the data is not suitable for import, your activation guide will alert you so that you can make the necessary changes before re-submission. To learn more about Blackpurl's data cleanup services, inquire with the Sales Team or your activation guide — keep in mind that this service may not be available in all cases.
Parts inventory data can be imported using your average or actual costs per item to match any existing accounting balances or opening balances. Importing parts inventory based on price files is not recommended, as this may skew your opening balances. Blackpurl is not responsible for inventory valuation variances.
Price files and parts catalogs may be used to import part records and pricing. You can load these manually, or supply them in CSV or Excel format to Blackpurl via your activation project. Blackpurl cannot supply or import any price files unless the dealership is entitled to them. The upkeep and accuracy of these price files and catalogs is the sole responsibility of the dealership.
You will be responsible for adding all Work In Progress (WIP) — open sales, parts, and service orders — as Blackpurl does not import these records.
Blackpurl does not import any historical data, with the exception of Customer Owned Units. No service history for these units will be imported.
Accounting Integration
The following terms are used in this section:
GLs — General Ledger Accounts
COAs — Chart of Accounts
QBO — QuickBooks Online
If you use QuickBooks Online (QBO) or Xero as your accounting system, Blackpurl can activate the accounting integration as part of the activation project.
Blackpurl's accounting integration requires a 1:1 ratio of Blackpurl instance to accounting system instance. It is not currently possible to link multiple accounting packages to one instance of Blackpurl, or multiple instances of Blackpurl to one accounting package. If you have multiple locations, an assessment will be needed to confirm a 1:1 ratio before activation begins.
Blackpurl integrates with the following QuickBooks Online plans: Essentials, Plus, and Advanced. Blackpurl does not integrate with the Simple Start plan.
You are responsible for importing the Blackpurl-supplied additional General Ledger accounts into your accounting package, as these are required for integration. These must be imported exactly as provided from your activation project and must not be changed at any time. If these General Ledgers are not available in your accounting package, the integration cannot be completed.
If you choose to integrate accounting after the 4-week activation period, you are welcome to purchase the Post-Launch Accounting Integration service, with timing subject to launch slot availability.
As part of the accounting integration, opening balances will be supplied at launch for stock unit inventory, parts inventory, and — if in use — work in progress (WIP) that has been loaded, any deposits, and received inventory. These figures will be based on the data you have provided and what has been imported into Blackpurl.
It is your sole responsibility to load the opening balances into your accounting package on your launch date to ensure Blackpurl and your accounting package are aligned and balanced. Failure to load the opening balances may cause significant issues with your accounting accuracy. Blackpurl is not responsible for any issues that arise from opening balances not being loaded or adjusted by you. Your dealership is also responsible for loading any other opening balances being carried over from your old system.
Blackpurl Training
Blackpurl offers self-paced online training through Blackpurl Academy. You will be sent an invite to the training, and accepting that invite will give you access to the courses assigned to your dealership. Users at the dealership are encouraged to work through the Academy courses at their own pace.
For North American dealerships, during your activation you will also be provided with details of weekly training sessions you can join:
Parts — Tuesdays at 12:00 PM ET
Service — Wednesdays at 12:00 PM ET
Units — Thursdays at 12:00 PM ET
For Australian and New Zealand dealerships, training needs will be discussed during one of your activation calls.
While Blackpurl offers training and reference resources on the Blackpurl accounting integration, training for the operation of QuickBooks Online and Xero is provided by those organizations.
Launching Your Blackpurl
A launch date will be booked at the 30-minute kick-off meeting at the beginning of your activation project. If you have a preferred date, you can notify your activation guide.
You can book a guaranteed launch date to secure your spot in the launch queue. This is offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and once booked, the date is locked in.
If you are unable to launch on the scheduled date due to circumstances such as data not being submitted on time, you may re-book your launch on an exception basis. Choose your launch date carefully and speak to your activation guide for advice.
Blackpurl Support
Blackpurl Support is the team that assists you with technical difficulties, questions, and help with how to do something in Blackpurl. This section is a brief summary — for full and comprehensive information, please refer to the Blackpurl Support (no longer available) article.
Overview
Blackpurl Support is available to Blackpurl dealerships and their licensed users to assist them in using Blackpurl as it has been designed.
The Support team will provide clear and concise answers to your questions. There may be times when clarification is needed — providing screenshots of the issue is very helpful.
In some instances, an issue may need to be escalated to the Blackpurl Support Development team. Blackpurl Support will keep you informed of what is happening with your support case.
How to Access Support
Knowledge base — Available online 24/7 to all licensed users.
Chat bubble — Available during normal business hours in your time zone, Monday to Friday (public holidays may be the exception). Provide your email address, dealership name, and full details of what you need assistance with.
Email — Contact [email protected] with full details of the issue, including screenshots. Blackpurl endeavours to reply within 24 hours (public holidays and weekends are the exception).
Premium Phone Support — A paid service available during normal business hours in your time zone, Monday to Friday (public holidays may be the exception). If you reach voicemail, leave your name, dealership name, contact number, and details so that the team can return your call.
What Is Not Considered a Support Issue
The following are not considered Blackpurl Support issues. For further context, refer to the "What is not considered to be a support issue" section in the Blackpurl Support (no longer available) article:
Training
Activations
Accounting support (Xero or QBO support)
Shopify support
Product feedback and suggestions
Integrations
Blackpurl has numerous integration partners, including DP360 CRM, Shopify, third-party website providers, and payment processing providers. Review the current list of integration partners at www.blackpurl.com.
DP360 CRM
For full details of the DP360 integration, review the Dealership Performance 360CRM (DP360) Integration (no longer available) article.
In summary:
Dealerships will need to sign up with DP360 CRM and notify Blackpurl to turn on the integration. If the dealership already has a DP360 account, they will need to notify DP360 of their intention to integrate with Blackpurl so DP360 can prepare it for integration.
Once Blackpurl has connected the integration with DP360, all available units (including on-order units) will be synced over to DP360. Customer records are not integrated or synced to DP360.
If any changes are made to unit records in Blackpurl — including Make/Model/Sub-model, the Unit Notes field, and Suggested Price — DP360 will also be updated in real time.
When a DP360 lead becomes a sale, the salesperson will need to create the relevant Customer Order for a Unit Deal in Blackpurl by integrating the information from DP360 over to Blackpurl.
When a unit has been invoiced in Blackpurl on a Customer Order > Unit Deal, that unit will then show in DP360 as inactive.
Ecommerce Store (Shopify)
Blackpurl provides a simple way to connect Blackpurl to your ecommerce store (such as Shopify). For full details, review the Blackpurl and Shopify Integration Overview article.
The dealership is responsible for:
Setting up and maintaining your own Shopify store, including your own Shopify training
Installing the Super Connector App (Blackpurl provides instructions on how to do this) — this is how Shopify connects to Blackpurl and only needs to be done once
Maintaining your own product list using Blackpurl's Website Products Management system — this is how you map and link products in Blackpurl to your product list in Shopify
Maintaining the sales made in Shopify once integrated to Blackpurl
Blackpurl is responsible for:
Maintaining the integration and ensuring all sales made in Shopify integrate to Blackpurl in real time
Ensuring that product changes made by the dealership in Blackpurl are integrated back to Shopify
Blackpurl does not support or recommend any specific bolt-on apps for Shopify.
Important: The setup of your Shopify integration is important and should be discussed in detail with your Blackpurl Sales Team. There can be many variables involved — for example, whether you are starting your ecommerce store from scratch or already have an existing store that requires additional work to link your products. If you have a large volume of Shopify products that need to be linked to Blackpurl, you may want to purchase the Shopify Data Service.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) / Data Feeds
For full details of FTP and data feeds, review the FTP Data Feed Setup article.
In summary:
Blackpurl can be set up to regularly push out requested data (such as available units) to a third-party application or file server.
The third-party application can then use the data feed to upload to your online store or website.
The dealership is responsible for completing all relevant Blackpurl forms and submitting them to Blackpurl so that setup can be completed.
Full details of what data is required, along with the credentials of your third-party application, must be provided to Blackpurl.
The FTP can be scheduled to run at specific times every day. Running it once at midnight is recommended.
Blackpurl can send URL addresses for unit images, but you will need to confirm with your third-party application whether they can use them. The dealership must first have images loaded on the relevant unit records — see Add Images to Unit Records.
Ecrypt (formerly Preferred Payments) — Payment Processing
For full details of the Ecrypt (formerly known as Preferred Payments) integration, review the Set Up Ecrypt Credit Card Processing Integration article.
Ecrypt (formerly known as Preferred Payments) is the third-party partner Blackpurl uses for credit card processing integration in the USA and Canada.
The dealership is responsible for signing up with Ecrypt. Upon receipt of the application, Ecrypt will contact Blackpurl with the dealership's API credentials and dispatch the terminal(s) to the dealership.
Once the terminal(s) are received onsite, the dealership will need to connect the terminal(s) to their network using the instructions supplied by Ecrypt.
After connecting the terminal(s), contact the Blackpurl Support team by email or chat bubble and provide the following:
Dealership name
Contact person
6-character code displayed on the terminal screen
Name to be assigned to the terminal (for example, Parts terminal or Service terminal)
Blackpurl Support will finalize the integration and advise when complete.
Important: If the dealership has an accounting integration, they will need to add the relevant Undeposited Funds General Ledger to the Payment Type: Preferred Payment.
Fiserv — Payment Processing
Fiserv is the third-party partner Blackpurl uses for credit card processing integration in the USA. For full details on the Fiserv integration, review the Fiserv Payment Processing Integration article.
The dealership is responsible for signing up directly with Fiserv. Once the application has been submitted, Fiserv will handle all account setup questions directly with the dealership.
Once the dealership receives their terminal(s) from Fiserv, they will need to connect the terminal(s) to their network using the instructions provided by Fiserv.
Upon completion, Fiserv will automatically email the production credentials to Blackpurl, which will trigger the start of the integration setup. Blackpurl receives the secure credentials directly from Fiserv.
Blackpurl will then finalize the configuration and activate the integration. During this step:
Credentials provided by Fiserv are entered into the system
The integration is enabled and terminals are fetched
Terminal settings such as Nickname, Signature Required, and Receipt Printing preferences can be customized
Once complete, Blackpurl will notify the dealership that the integration is active.
Important: Fiserv remains the main point of contact for any account-related questions, terminal support, or transactional issues. If the dealership has an accounting integration, they will need to add the relevant Undeposited Funds General Ledger to the Payment Type: Fiserv.
BRP Integration for Certified BRP Dealers
For full details of the BRP integration, review the BRP Integration (no longer available) article.
The dealership will need to provide their BRP Dealer number, BRP username, and BRP password.
The dealership will need to sign the relevant BRP Consent form to allow Blackpurl to provide data to BRP.
Blackpurl provides the following as part of the BRP integration:
Parts ordering (the dealership will need to provide BossWeb username and password details)
Sending data to the Service History API and retail transactional data (sales)
DMS info as requested by BRP
Dealer Lookup, BRP Article Lookup, Purchase Order (PO) Status, and BRP Product Availability Lookup
BRP Parts Master (nightly price file updates)
Vehicle identification verification