Shortlisting products is a great way to see side-by-side comparisons of selected products. Often this is done after initial searches and prior to final material selections. You can learn more about how to use shortlists and their benefits here.
Creating a Shortlist from a Search
Once you have completed a search and are happy with the results, you can easily shortlist them. When you hover over the image on a project card, the option to shortlist will appear. Click on the pin to shortlist the item.
Creating a Shortlist from a Product Page
If you are on a product's page, click on the Shortlist button in the lower right.
Saving a Shortlist to a Project
After selecting the Shortlist button in either of the above flows, a pop-up will ask which project you would like to shortlist the product to.
You can also save the product without saving to a project. This will then save the item to your products which can be accessed from your library.
⭐ Best Practice Recommendation: Saving to a project or creating a new project is the most helpful option for engaging with product reps and for keeping your research process organized.
Finding and Understanding your Shortlist
If you saved the shortlist to a project, you can see all the products that you have identified for the project and create robust comparisons. You can navigate to this shortlist by going to My Library > Projects > Product Shortlist. At the bottom of each shortlist is an option to 'Compare [number] Products'. The number is a field that will auto-populate based on the number of products selected.
⭐ Best Practice Recommendation: Shortlisting too many products can be overwhelming. The Acelab team recommends no more than 8 products max in your shortlist.
The shortlist will now show the products selected with side by side comparisons of helpful data. All the data that shows is the data that is publicly available.
⭐ Best Practice Recommendation: Downloads of CAD files, BIM details, or brochures may be available at the very bottom of the list, if they are publicly available. Save your team time by scrolling to the bottom of the list.
If you have a large number of products in your shortlist, the 'Rearrange Products' allows you to drag and drop the product tiles into the best order.
Requesting Information
Product shortlists make it super easy to request information. The 'Request Information' button will appear at the top of the page underneath the product image.
If a product rep is available on the platform, the request will go directly to the rep who will get back to you ASAP. The name, photo, and title of the rep will appear below the Request Information button is a rep is on the platform. If a product rep isn't available, our team of product experts will look into your request and also respond ASAP.
Every time a request is made, a conversation is begin in Acelab and you will receive an email notification when there is a response. You can then come back to Acelab and respond as needed.
Sharing a Shortlist
Shortlists can be shared using a link. This is a fantastic collaborative tool to share with your clients, contractors, consultants etc. To share your shortlist navigate to the top of the screen and find the 'Share' button on the right.
The next pop-up will allow you to control which products you share by using the checklist on the right. The default will be to include all products. You can also opt to include additional information or not at the bottom of the pop-up.
When you click 'Create Shareable Link' the link will open in a new tab allowing you to review the link, then copy and paste it and share it.
Commenting and Uploading Documents
Adding comments and uploading documents helps keep the entire team organized. To add a comment or upload a document, such as drawings or performance requirements, select the 'Add Comment' or 'Add Document' button.
You can then upload documents as needed. Comments are helpful to keep your team organized and also serve as a spot to remind yourself or the team of necessary actions and/or questions to follow-up on.