Housekeeping - United Baristas Services – August 2024
We’ve made several improvements, changes and temporary fixes as we prepare for a major update to United Baristas Services.
United Baristas Services – bringing everything together [Project Ensemble]
Work has started this autumn on Project Ensemble, our effort to bring together all our services into one place. It's going to be a massive, multi-stage project that will take much of 2024 as we integrate jobs, new and used equipment, companies and profiles as well as commercial sales. The first big step was incorporating Equipment into Market so that it would integrate with Marketplace and Company Profiles. Many of you are already finding this useful, so we are embarking on the next step. We are updating you now so can appreciate the bigger picture as we make the next updates. Together, they'll build the future of United Baristas. Specific updates to follow as changes are made. And if you have any suggestions drop us a line. Thanks for your ongoing support and all the best for the year ahead.
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Enhancements to Search
With more-and-more listings, we want to make it as easy as possible to find suitable jobs and equipment.
Search now organises results into four distinct sections:
- Sections - relevant listing and profile categories
- Listings & Profiles - relevant results
- Store – relevant products
- Explore – other relevant, key pages
You can make very specific searches, such as 'Victoria Arduino engineers London', 'used GS3' or 'Barista jobs in Edinburgh'. Remember, if you wish to view all relevant listings it is easier to use Filters.
We’ve also removed sold and recently expired listings from search results. There are two changes you may need to make:
- if you wish to check sold prices, start in the relevant Marketplace section (for example, coffee equipment) and use Filters and toggle the Status to 'Sold'
- if you wish to re-list once it expires, you can no longer find the listing through search. Instead, sign in to your Account > Manage Listings.
Sold Marketplace listings
If you mark your Marketplace listing as 'sold', the payment and contact information is removed and the listing no longer:
- appears in search results (though it will remain in Filter results)
- nor displayed in related Marketplace listings
These changes further reduce the visibility of sold listings. If your sale falls through, remember to change the status back to something other than 'sold'. We recommend using the 'under offer' status until sales are completed.
Signing in
You can no longer sign in to United Baristas using Google. To continue using United Baristas Services, simply create a new password.
Your email address is the unique identifier. For example, if the Google Account associated with your UB-iD was person@gmail.com, then enter the email and continue to create a password.
Steps to sign in:
- start Sign In to your Account
- enter your email address
- create a password by following the Forgot Password link
Additional guidance is available in Support Centre.
UB-iD Improvements
Implement a new generation of UB-iD with improved ease-of-use and enhanced security.
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Accounts updates, plus receipts and invoices
Accounts have been amended to make functions clearer.
Additionally, when you pay to list on United Baristas Services, the receipt/invoice is issued through Stripe and emailed at the time of purchase. Now, a copy is also available via a link from your Account.
Directory
The profiles section has been renamed to 'Directory'. Going forward, Directory will house both People and Company profiles, plus we will add new functions and features.
Equipment Store product finder
We've updated Product Finder to make it easier to sort equipment available on United Baristas Store by edit.
Removed 'Discussions' from Marketplace listings
You can no longer comment on Marketplace listings. This function was seldom used, as most people prefer to message their questions directly. We believe that having two methods to ask questions risked causing confusion.
Following Listings, Jobs & Profiles
We have temporarily removed the “Follow” button for users who are not signed in. (Recent backend updates caused the button to do nothing if clicked without being signed in.)
To follow a listing, job, or profile, sign in first and then follow.
Follow functions will be updated with the forthcoming updates to Notifications.
United Baristas Services Notifications
Want to be notified when specific item is listed on Marketplace? Or maybe you want to be notified when a listing, company or product is updated? The new functions will enable you to can create specific, personal notifications so you can keep up-to-date with the latest from across United Baristas Services.
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Numerous temp fixes
There are numerous small styling fixes to buttons, margins and blocks. As we make backend changes in advance of the new styling changes, some of the existing styles may look a bit odd. If some thing is too much, not working or unclear – please let us know.
United Baristas Services – Styling 🎨
Some pages are awkward as we update templates across United Baristas Services. We are simultaneously updating the software that powers United Baristas and preparing to implement a new design. We'll seek to make these changes as smoothly as possible, however some pages and functions will be awkward at various times. It'll all be worth it in the end.
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