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CRM Administration

This section explains the administrative tasks required to manage the CRM system. It describes:

For users with administration privileges the CRM system displays an additional [Settings] button in the Navigation bar as shown in figure: Additional Settings Button.

Figure 4.8. Additional Settings Button

Additional Settings Button
[Tip]Tip

It is advised that only one or a very limited number of users get administration privileges.

By clicking this button a CRM configuration window will open which is only available to administrators.

User Administration

The user management functions are the core of the security management of the CRM system. They control the access to the CRM system based on the users privileges. The following sections will explain in detail the purpose of these functions and the features available. You may look up the simple organisation setup examples at the Appendix: Administration Examples further reference.

User Administration Basics

From the organisation point of view, user administration means administration of privileges. Essentially, the use of privileges depends on the number of users and the company structure. Few users in small enterprises have few requirements for privilege administration. With an increasing number of users the complexity of the relations between the users increases and usually develops the need to assign and administer privileges.

The CRM system offers a privilege system that is based on the following simple looking rules:

  • Who can see certain data?

  • Who can change certain data?

  • Who can delete certain data?

  • Who can create certain data?

In the CRM system, privilege assignment primarily means the withdrawal of privileges. In the practical work with the CRM this is most helpful and necessary as the following examples illustrate:

  • A selling co-worker would certainly not be pleased, if somebody else changed the data of customers.

  • Personal information remains confidential only if other co-workers are not allowed to see it.

  • The company management does not want everybody to see the revenue figures.

  • Only one person is allowed to change the product or service catalogue.

Therefore, it is necessary that the user privilege assignment is truly based on business requirements as described in the following examples:

  • Only the sales staff is allowed to change customer related data.

  • The secretary does not get any access to revenue numbers.

  • Only the product manager is allowed to change prices of services or goods offered by the company.

  • Only the management is allowed to see all CRM data.

  • Nobody is allowed to export any contacts.

Considering the current CRM capabilities of managing user privileges you should configure your system in the following order:

Set the Default Organisation Wide Privileges:

Organisation Wide Privileges should be created first. They are the basis for the privilege assignment valid for all users.

Create Profiles:

Profiles are the basis for the privilege assignment to users. In any organization there are usually different users with different tasks, like sales, service, secretary or CRM administrator. Depending of the user type, the privileges for accessing data and using CRM modules and functions can be assigned.

Define Roles:

Roles are based on profiles and linked with the hierarchical order of the company. They define the overall privileges for each individual user.

Define Groups:

Larger organizations may define groups to improve the usability of the CRM system.

Create Users:

The privileges of individual users are defined by roles. You have to assign a role to a user.

[Tip]Tip

Never use the admin role for your daily work with CRM system. It is advised to create individual users instead. Later, if you want to delete a user, you can assign all data to a new user.

Single users do not need any privilege management. They have and need all privileges to access and to change all data stored in the CRM. Nevertheless it is helpful to know the basics of privilege assignment. This might be needed if additional users will be needed in the future.

A small number of users, who use the CRM system together, should be familiar with the simple solutions offered by the privilege assignment. This includes particular:

  • To prohibit that other CRM users see confidential data.

  • To prohibit that other users can delete or modify data.

In a small organization there is usually no pronounced hierarchy between co-workers. A complex privilege administration does not have to be developed. However, if it should be necessary to granulate the privileges more finely, you should begin with the use of different profiles. Each individual user may get its own profile with certain privileges.

To provide a larger number of users within an organization with different user privileges, a clear structure of the privilege assignment is necessary. It is sensible to connect user privileges with the position or tasks of each individual user or user groups.

The current CRM version supports a fine grained privilege management.

User and Access Management

In the following sections, the management of users is explained in the order of the menu. Keep in mind that a complete user setup includes several steps in a certain order as explained in the previous sections.

Users Configuration

To create or to manage users, click the Users menu to open the users list as shown in figure: User List View.

Figure 4.9. User List View

User List View

This user list includes the user name, the role, the e-mail address and other details for each individual user.

[Note]Note

The list view includes all users independent of whether they are active users or not.

You may edit or delete users at this view. If you want to delete a user click the [Trash Icon] at the users row.

[Important]Important

This function deletes a user but not the users data. You will be asked who you want to assign as the new owner of the data. You cannot delete default users provided by the CRM system.

Click the users name (User ID) to open the detail view of a particular user as displayed at figure: User Detail View. This view includes user master data related to the login and to the users role and other user information. User privileges are not shown. These privileges are defined by the user profiles and organisation-wide settings as it will be explained later.

Figure 4.10. User Detail View

User Detail View

With the help of the buttons displayed at this view you may perform the following operations:

view Audit Trail:

This button opens a new window which provides detailed information on the login history. Note that this function needs to be permitted by the CRM system administrator, as explained in section: Audit Trails.

duplicate:

This button allows you to copy user data. This is helpful if you have to configure several users with equal settings.

edit:

This button allows you to edit the user master data.

The entry fields at 1. User Login & Role displayed at figure: User Detail View have the following meanings:

Table 4.2. List of default entry fields for User Login and Role

User Name:Each user must get an unique and secure user name. Use at least 8 digits. User names once created cannot be changed in the edit view.
Admin Checkbox:Check this box only if you want to create a user with administrator privileges, independent from the role.
[Warning]Warning

Users with administration privileges can see and modify the settings and all user data.

Password:Each user must get an unique and secure password. Use at least 8 digits. Every user has the privilege to change his own password.
First and Last Name:Enter the users name. The first name will be used for the welcome message. If you do not enter a first name, the last name will be used for the welcome message.
Role:As explained before, roles define the privileges for a user. A role must be assigned to each individual user and must be created before. You may find additional information in section: User Roles.
Email:Enter the e-mail address of this user. This address will be used by the CRM for outgoing e-mails.
Status:You may set a user as active or inactive. Inactive users are not allowed to login.
Default Activity View:Here you can set the default activity view and decide how activities are presented to the user at the home page.
Default Lead View:Here you can set the default lead view and decide how leads are presented to the user at the home page.
Currency:You may set the currency for this user here. Note that the currencies used by the CRM system are defined by the currency settings menu.
[Important]Important

User name and passwords have to be a combination of small or capital letters and numbers. It is recommended that you use at least 8 digits. The more digits you have, the more secure is the CRM access. The use of special characters such as "-","/" or umlaut (such as ä, ö, ü or ß) as they are used in other languages as well as names with empty spaces or apostrophe are not allowed.

You may add further information at the 2. More Information section:

Table 4.3. List of default entry fields for User More Information

Title, Department:You may enter the name of the position the user has in the company, and his department.
Reports to:You may select the supervisor of the user. Note that this is only a reference and does not influence the security settings.
Other Email:You may enter an additional e-mail address for this particular user.
Yahoo Id:You may enter a Yahoo ID for this user. This ID might be used as an additional option when sending e-mails.
Signature:You may enter an e-mail signature. This signature will be added to every e-mail which is send by the CRM automatically. You may use HTML tags to format your signature.
Office Phone, Mobile, Other, Fax, Home Phone:You may enter additional contact information for this user.
Date Format:You may change the date format for this user.
Notes:You may enter additional information related to this user.
Internal Mail Composer:This controls which mail program is used if you click on an e-mail address. The default value is yes and this means that the CRM mail client is used. If you change it to no, the mail client installed on your computer is used for composing an e-mail.

Use the 3. Address Information section to enter the users address information. At 4. User Image Information you may store a photo of this user. At 5. Home Page Components you decide what will be displayed at the CRM Home page of a particular user. Click Hide or Show to make your selection.

The entries at 6. My Groups and 7. Login History are for information only. They cannot be edited. My Groups displays the group membership of a particular user. The Login History displays when a user has accessed the CRM system.

[Note]Note

User information is not visible to other users.

If you create a new user, note that an automatic e-mail will be sent to this user with the login data. It is advisable to inform a prospect user in advance about the purpose of this e-mail.

User Roles

The term Roles and their functions have been explained in section: Definition of Roles. Click the Roles menu to open the hierarchical role view as shown in figure: Company Hierarchy Example.

Figure 4.11. Company Hierarchy Example

Company Hierarchy Example

At this menu you are offered to add, edit, delete or move roles. Move your computer mouse pointer over a role entry. You will see a set of icons that allows you to perform these operations.

The "Add" function creates a new role which is located in the hierarchical order one level below an existing role. figure: Role - Edit View displays a sample for an edit view of an existing or new role. You have to give the role an unique name and to decide which profiles will be associated with a particular role. Furthermore, the superior role will be displayed.

Figure 4.12. Role - Edit View

Role - Edit View
[Note]Note

Users at any given role can always view, edit, delete all data owned by users below in the hierarchy.

Profiles

All roles are based on profiles as explained in section: Definition of Profiles. With profiles you set the user privileges to access, change or delete data.

[Important]Important

Please note the special rules that apply to profiles in relation to other security settings as described in section: Definition of Profiles.

Click the Profiles menu to open the list view of your profiles as shown in figure: Profiles - List View. Here you see a list of all profiles that have been defined in your CRM system. The CRM systems comes with a set of pre-defined profiles which you can use and change but not delete.

Figure 4.13. Profiles - List View

Profiles - List View

Click the name of a profile to see the details. The privilege setting terms have already been explained in section: Definition of Profiles. You may change the profile by clicking the [Edit] button.

To create a new profile click the [New Profile] button at the list view. Follow the instructions provided:

Step One:

Give the profile an unique name and a description. Select whether you want to use an existing profile as a template. It is recommended to use this option. Click [Next] to continue.

Figure 4.14. New Profile - Step 1

New Profile - Step 1
Step Two:

The menu for step two is displayed in figure: New Profile - Step 2. At this step you configure the access privileges for all modules. First you might select at the Global Privileges entry fields whether the profile allows to view or to edit all data.

Figure 4.15. New Profile - Step 2

New Profile - Step 2

Then you can configure the profile related access privileges for each individual CRM module. You may select Create/Edit, View and Delete privileges as well as the fields to be displayed in each module. Click [Finish] to save your profile at the CRM system.

[Important]Important

Please note that the settings of the Global Privileges are always superior to the other privilege settings.

Note that a new profile always has a parent but can be edited independent. At Appendix: Administration Examples you will find samples for profile configurations.

[Important]Important

The CRM system uses profiles in relation to the access privileges to modules and fields as described in section: Sharing Access and section: Default Organization Fields Access.

Groups

Groups are a very effective tool in order to summarize users and privileges as explained in section: Definition of Groups. Any type of relationship can be used to form a group, such as:

  • users at the same location

  • users with a common task

  • user at the same department

  • users with the same working history

  • users with the same interests

Click the Groups menu to open the list view as shown in figure: Groups - List View. You see a list of all existing groups.

Figure 4.16. Groups - List View

Groups - List View

Click the name of a group to get the details as shown exemplary in figure: Group - Detail View. The detail view lists the name, the description and the current users who are members of this group. You may change the group settings by clicking the [Edit] button.

Figure 4.17. Group - Detail View

Group - Detail View

To create a new group click the [Create New Group] button at the list view. The new entry window as shown in figure: Group - Edit View allows you to define the conditions for a group.

Figure 4.18. Group - Edit View

Group - Edit View

First, give the group a name and provide a short description. Then select the criteria for a membership of this group. The filter function as well as the search function allows you to select members quickly. As explained in section: Definition of Groups, you may chose users, roles, roles and subordinates as well as other groups as group members.

Click [Save] to store you new group in the CRM system. The assignment of a user to a group will also be displayed at the users detail view as shown in figure: User Detail View.

Sharing Access

The CRM system allows you to set default privileges that are valid organisation-wide. It is the purpose of this type of privilege to give an administrator tools that allow a fast overall security setting.

[Important]Important

Profiles always override the organisation wide sharing privileges!

The Sharing Access privileges include Global Access Privileges and Custom Access Privileges. By default the sharing access settings allow all users to use all CRM features if not limited by profiles. In most cases there is no need to change this. However, if necessary you can restrict the access to individual modules within your organization.

[Important]Important

If you make changes to the sharing rules you must hit the [Recalculate] button to make your changes valid! Beware, based on the number of users and the sharing rules, the recalculate procedure may last a couple of minutes.

Goto the Sharing Access menu to get an overview about the settings. The CRM system comes with default Global Access Privileges for the most important CRM modules as shown in figure: Global Access Privileges - List View. These privileges control the data sharing at organization level.

Figure 4.19. Global Access Privileges - List View

Global Access Privileges - List View

The following sharing permission types can be set :

Table 4.4. Sharing Permission Types

TypeDescription
PrivateOnly the record owner, and users with a role which is above that of the record owner's role in the hierarchy, can browse, edit, delete and report on those records. That means by default a specific user can view only the data sets that are owned by the user, owned by a group where the user is a member, owned by subordinate users, or shared to the user
Public Read OnlyAll users can view and report on records but not edit them. Only the owner, and users with a role which is above that of the record owner's role in the hierarchy, can edit or delete those records.
Public Read/WriteAll users can view, edit all records. Only the owner, and users with a role which is above that of the record owners role in the hierarchy, can delete those records.
Public Read/Write/DeleteAll users can view, edit and delete all records.
[Important]Important

Please note the following rules:

  • Default organization sharing privileges are overridden by profile settings.

  • For the activities module the default organization sharing privilege value is set to the fixed value Private and cannot be altered.

  • Regardless of the organization-wide defaults, users can always view and edit all data owned by or shared with users below them in the role hierarchy if not prohibited by the profile.

  • When an account has been set to Private, the access to related potentials, tickets, quotes, sales orders, purchase orders, and invoices is also set to private. You must have at least read access to a record to be able to add activities or other associated records to it.

[Note]Note

You cannot change the calendar access privileges here. You may configure the sharing access at the calendar settings menu as described in section: Calendar Sharing.

In addition, you may create user defined sharing rules set by Custom Sharing Rules. These functions allow the administrators to selectively grant data access to a set of users.

Custom data sharing rules can be created to share module related data between the following entities:

  • From Role to Role

  • From Role to Role with Subordinates

  • From Role to Group

  • From Role with Subordinates to Role

  • From Role with Subordinates to Role with Subordinates

  • From Role with Subordinates to Groups

  • From Group to Role

  • From Group to Role with Subordinates

  • From Group to Group

Sharing Rules can be created for the following modules:

Table 4.5. Sharing Rules for Modules

Leads Sharing Rules:Leads owned by the users of a given Role/Role Subordinates/Group can be shared with users of a another Role/Role Subordinates/Group with Read Only or Read/Write permission. E-mails related to a lead will also be shared with Read Only or Read/Write permission.
Accounts Sharing Rules:Accounts owned by the users of a given Role/Role Subordinates/Group can be shared with users of a Role/Role Subordinates/Group with Read Only or Read/Write permission. E-mails related to a account will also be shared with Read Only or Read/Write permission.
Potentials Sharing Rules:

Potentials owned by the users of a given Role/Role Subordinates/Group can be shared with users of a Role/Role Subordinates/Group with Read Only or Read/Write permission.

Quotes and Sales Order related to a potential will also be shared with Read Only or Read/Write permission.

Trouble Tickets Sharing Rules:Tickets owned by the users of a given Role/Role Subordinates/Group can be shared with users of a Role/Role Subordinates/Group with Read Only or Read/Write permission.
Email Sharing Rules:E-mails owned by the users of a given Role/Role Subordinates/Group can be shared with users of a Role/Role Subordinates/Group with Read Only or Read/Write permission.
Quotes Sharing Rules:

Quotes owned by the users of a given Role/Role Subordinates/Group can be shared with users of a Role/Role Subordinates/Group with Read Only or Read/Write permission.

Sales Orders related to a quote will also be shared with Read Only or Read/Write permission.

Purchase Order Sharing Rules:Purchase Orders owned by the users of a given Role/Role Subordinates/Group can be shared with users of a Role/Role Subordinates/Group with Read Only or Read/Write permission.
Sales Order Sharing Rules:

Sales Order owned by the users of a given Role/Role Subordinates/Group can be shared with users of a Role/Role Subordinates/Group with Read Only or Read/Write permission.

Invoices related to a sales order will also be shared with Read Only or Read/Write permission.

Invoice Sharing Rules:Invoices owned by the users of a given Role/Role Subordinates/Group can be shared with users of a Role/Role Subordinates/Group with Read Only or Read/Write permission.
[Important]Important

Sharing Rules created for the Accounts module will automatically apply to the Contacts module.

[Important]Important

Please note the following general sharing rules:

  • Custom Sharing Rules can only extend the visibility, but they cannot hide it.

  • Sharing Rules cannot be specified to share data between two users. (If you want to do this, please refer to Appendix: Example II - Organizing Simple Hierarchies.)

  • Sharing rules apply to all existing data and the data which will be added in future.

  • The number of sharing rules which can be defined for a single Role, Role Subordinates or Group is not limited.

Fields Access

The function available at the default organization Field Access menu is used to control the visibility of fields in various modules for the entire organization. You can use this function to either show or hide entry fields to the entire organization.

By default the CRM is configured as to display all master data which are provided in the CRM system. As an example, in figure: Fields Manager for Calendar you see the default fields for the calendar. If you want to restrict access to specific fields, you can edit and change the settings for each individual CRM module.

Figure 4.20. Fields Manager for Calendar

Fields Manager for Calendar
[Tip]Tip

Default field access settings include custom fields you may have created before.

Default field privileges can be defined for the following modules: Leads, Accounts, Contacts, Potentials, Calendar, Trouble Tickets, FAQ, Price Books, Purchase Order, Invoice, Notes, Emails, Products, Vendors, Quotes, and Sales Orders.

[Important]Important

Please note the following rules:

  • It is not possible to disable the mandatory fields in the modules.

  • Default Organization field access overrides the profile level field access.

    For example, let us assume a profile allows to view the website field in leads. However, if this field has not been enabled at the organization level field access settings it will not be displayed.

Audit Trails

You may want to know what a particular user has been done in the CRM system. For this type of audit open the Audit Trail Information menu.

[Important]Important

Please check the legal regulations in your country or your company procedures before you start an audit trail. In some countries or companies it is illegal to log user data without letting the users know that you are collecting such information.

In figure: Audit Trail - Configuration Menu you see the audit trail configuration menu.

Figure 4.21. Audit Trail - Configuration Menu

Audit Trail - Configuration Menu

To configure a audit trail for a particular user, select a user name at the drop down menu and mark the check box. Immediately you will see a display message that indicates that the audit trail has been enabled.

To see the collected data, select the user's name and click the [View Audit Trail] button. A new window will open which displays the collected data, as shown in figure: Audit Trail - Report.

Figure 4.22. Audit Trail - Report

Audit Trail - Report

You may stop an audit trail my removing the check box mark for a particular user. Immediately you will see a display message that indicates that the audit trail has been disabled.

[Important]Important

Please note that audit trails for many users might slow down the CRM system.

User Login History

As CRM system administrator you may want to know who has accessed the system. At this menu you may get the login history for each individual user. Open the menu and select a user then you will see the login details, as illustrated in figure: Users Login History. Note that the login date and time are always displayed. The logout data are only available if a user used the logout button.

Figure 4.23. User Login History

User Login History

Studio

The studio allows you to customize your master data and to modify the content of the pick lists in each individual module as explained in the following sections.

Custom Fields

You may configure your own entry fields for most of the CRM modules. If you want to create such custom fields go to the Custom Fields menu. Depending on the CRM module selected, the menu displays the existing custom fields. figure: Custom Fields - List View displays, for instance, the content for accounts.

Figure 4.24. Custom Fields - List View

Custom Fields - List View

To create a new custom field, select the desired CRM module first. You may add a new custom field to the selected module by clicking the [New Custom Field] button. A new window will open as displayed in figure: Custom Field Definition.

Figure 4.25. Custom Field Definition

Custom Field Definition

Now you have to select the data format first. The CRM offers you the following options. Make sure that each custom field gets an unique name.

Table 4.6. Custom Field Types

TypeContent
Text[Length:] Enter the maximum number of characters, e.g. 10 for ten characters.
Number[Length:] Enter the maximum number of digits, e.g. 10 for ten digits; [Decimal Places]: Enter the number of decimal places you want to have, e.g. 0 has no decimal places, 1 creates one decimal place,like 55.4 and so on.
Percent[Length:] Enter the maximum number of digits, e.g. 3 for three digits; [Decimal Places]: Enter the number of decimal places you want to have, e.g. 0 has no decimal places, 1 creates one decimal place,like 55.4 and so on.
Currency[Length:] Enter the maximum number of digits, e.g. 6 for six digits; [Decimal Places]: Enter the number of decimal places you want to have, e.g. 0 has no decimal places, 1 creates one decimal place,like 55.4 and so on.
DateJust give the field a name.
EmailJust give the field a name.
PhoneJust give the field a name.
Pick ListYou may create this pick list by using a new line for each entry.
URLJust give the field a name.
Check BoxHere you may define a check box (yes/no). Just give the field a name.
Text AreaThis is a field where you may enter up to 255 characters of text.
Multi-Select Combo BoxYou may create a list by using a new line for each entry. In contrast to the Pick List you will be able to select multiple entries at once.
SkypeYou may use this custom field to link the CRM System with the Skype application running at your client computer. Just give this field an unique name. At your edit view of the related CRM module you may enter a Skype ID or a phone number. For more information about Skype look at http://www.skype.com.
[Tip]Tip

You should write down your content selection for further references. You will need this if you want to convert leads to sales potentials as described in the following section.

Custom Fields for Leads

Custom fields for leads are special. You may decide what will be done with the content stored in these fields if you convert a lead to a sales potential. You may drop these information or transfer the content of these fields to corresponding custom fields at potentials, accounts or contacts.

You should adopt the following procedure to prepare the transfer of custom fields from leads for further use:

  1. Create custom fields for potentials, accounts or contacts in reference to custom fields in leads. E.g., if you have created a custom field account number for leads, you should create a custom fields for potentials, called account No. It is recommended not to use the same name.

    [Caution]Caution

    The format of the custom fields in leads and the corresponding custom fields in potentials, accounts, or contacts must be absolutely identical!

  2. Open the leads module at Studio>Custom Fields>Leads Module.

  3. Click the [Custom Field Mapping] button (only displayed for Leads). A new window will open as shown in figure: Map Lead Custom Fields .

    Figure 4.26. Map Lead Custom Fields

    Map Lead Custom Fields
  4. All custom fields created for leads are displayed. Select the mapping to the corresponding fields in contacts, accounts or potentials you want to have. In the sample display of figure: Map Lead Custom Fields , you see that the Contact custom field Purchaselimit has been assigned to the Limit field of Leads. Click [Save] to transfer your settings to the CRM system.

When finished the mapped custom fields are linked and will be used when you convert a lead into a potential as described in section: Creating Potentials from Leads.

Picklist Editor

Picklists are drop down menus which are offered to you at the edit or ajax view of several CRM modules. This menu allows you to define the content of the pick lists based on the roles. Click the Picklist Editor menu to get an overview about the CRM modules which have pick lists included, as shown in figure: Studio Picklist Editor.

Figure 4.27. Studio Picklist Editor

Studio Picklist Editor

With version 5.0.4 role based pick lists have been introduced. That means that the content of the pick list for each individual (non admin) user depends on the role which has been assigned. You may use this feature for instance to create pick lists in different languages or to restrict the users access to certain entries.

To modify the pick list content, select a role first and choose a corresponding CRM module. The display of the available pick lists will change accordingly. (Note that after a fresh installation all entries for all roles are equal.) To change the content of a pick list click [Edit]. At the new window which pops up you may make your changes.

You may change the applying role while you are in the edit view. If you want to modify the same pick list for another role just hit the [Select the parent role] button and switch to another role.

[Important]Important

Some content of the pick lists cannot be changed. This content is defined by the system settings. Please contact your CRM system provider if the offered content does not fit your needs.

[Note]Note

At the edit and detail view of the CRM modules the content of the pick lists is displayed in alphabetical order. A user with admin privileges always sees all picklist entries, indenpendent of its role assignment. If a pick list entry has been assigned that is not accessible by the role of the current user a message "not accessible" will be displayed.

Click [Save] to transfer your changes to the CRM system.

Communication Templates

Communication templates intend to help you to work with the CRM more efficiently. The CRM allows you to create and to use templates for mails and documents, to set automatic notifications for special events and to manage your inventory. The following sections explain the details.

E-Mail Templates

If you use the CRM for sending standard e-mails frequently it is most helpful to have such e-mails available as template . To see any existing e-mail template list, click the E-mail Templates menu. The CRM comes with templates as listed in figure: Email Templates - List View. You may modify existing templates or create an unlimited number of new templates. Note that there are public and private templates. Public templates are available to all CRM users. Private templates are only used by particular users.

Figure 4.28. E-Mail Templates - List View

E-Mail Templates - List View

Click on the name of a template to see the detail view of an existing template as shown in figure: Email Template - Detail View. Note the merge field values highlighted in this illustration. Merge field values are used to dynamically include data from your CRM into the mail. In this example mail, the merge field value $contacts_firstname$ represents the first name of a contact. The other merge field values are related to the user who sends the e-mail.

Figure 4.29. E-Mail Template - Detail View

E-Mail Template - Detail View

You may include dynamic merge fields into your template at the edit view as shown in figure: Email Template Edit - View. The merge field dialog supports you for defining the merge field syntax. Use the copy and past to enter the field codes. You must fill in all mandatory fields.

All e-mails are send in the HTML format. You may use the HTML editor functions to design a special layout. You may also include HTML code which has been created by an external editor. But be careful and test your results, not all HTML code options are supported. You will find sample HTML code at the Appendix: HTML Code Examples.

Figure 4.30. E-Mail Template - Edit View

E-Mail Template - Edit View
[Tip]Tip

You may clone templates. Edit an existing template and store it under a different name.

Click [Save] to transfer your template to the CRM system.

Mail Merge Templates

The CRM system allows you to use the stored data to be merged with your MS Word application at your office environment. This is very helpful if you frequently have to write letters, quotes or other standard documents .

[Important]Important

Mail merge templates have to be created at our office environment first. You will need the MS Office plugin provided with the CRM system. Please refer to Appendix: Ressources for further details.

To upload a template to the CRM system click the [Add Template] button at the Mail Merge Template menu as shown in figure: Mail Merge Template - List View. At this menu you see a list of all existing templates and you can mark and delete templates you do not need anymore.

Figure 4.31. Mail Merge Template - List View

Mail Merge Template - List View

The edit view for new templates is shown in figure: Mail Merge Template - Edit View. At this view you should provide a short description and select whether this template applies to Leads, Accounts, Contacts or Trouble Tickets . Then you have to provide the location of the template on your computer or network. Click [Save] to transfer your template to the CRM system.

Figure 4.32. Mail Merge Template - Edit View

Mail Merge Template - Edit View

Notification Scheduler

The CRM may automatically send notifications on special events by e-mails . Click the Notification Schedulers menu to see the status of the notification scheduler and all message types as shown in figure: Notification Schedulers - List View.

Figure 4.33. Notification Schedulers - List View

Notification Schedulers - List View
[Note]Note

At the current release the CRM administrator cannot modify the causes for notifications. The big deal notification is set to the value of 10.000 of your currency. You should contact your software provider if you want to have this changed. This provider may also help you to configure the threshold values for Delayed Tasks and Pending Tickets. Too many tickets are related to a particular account, and Support Starting & Ending dates to customers.

Use the [Tool] icon to activate or to deactivate a notification and to determine the content of a notification. All active notifications will be sent as e-mails if the conditions are met. They will be sent to the owner of a particular contact, potential or ticket.

Inventory Notifications

You may use the CRM system for automatic notifications to the inventory manager if certain conditions occur. Click the Inventory Notification menu or look at figure: Inventory Notifications for a description of these conditions.

Note that you can assign the product handler for individual goods or services at the product catalogue as described in section: Product Related Entries. You can determine which messages will be sent to the buying agent of your company. Click the [Tools] icon related to a notification to make modifications.

Figure 4.34. Inventory Notifications

Inventory Notifications

Inventory Terms & Conditions

You may store your default company terms and conditions in the CRM. Click [Edit] at the Inventory Terms & Conditions menu to open the edit view as shown in figure: Inventory Terms & Conditions - Detail View.

Figure 4.35. Inventory Terms & Conditions - Detail View

Inventory Terms & Conditions - Detail View
[Note]Note

The space available is limited to 255 characters.

Enter your information. Click [Save] to transfer the information to the CRM. These terms and conditions will be available as default entries whenever you create a new quote, order or invoice.

Other Settings

With the help of the configuration functions you may specify your company information, configure the outgoing mail server, your backup access, and your default currencies.

Company Details

If you use the CRM to create PDF outputs for your quotes, orders or invoices you must define the company information.

[Important]Important

The CRM system uses the company information for creating PDF output. If this information is not available at the time you create a PDF, an error message will be presented.

At the Company Details menu click the [Edit] button to enter company information as shown in figure: Company Information - Detail View. You have to fill in all entry fields.

Figure 4.36. Company Information - Detail View

Company Information - Detail View

Make sure that the size of your company logo meets the space available at the PDF outputs. The logo must be provided in the *.png or *.jpg file format. The recommended size is about 150x60 pixel.

Outgoing Server

If you want to send e-mails from the CRM system or if you want to receive notifications, you must configure the outgoing mail server.

[Tip]Tip

All CRM user will use the same outgoing mail server. If a user sends an e-mail by using the CRM, the user's e-mail address as defined for each individual user at the users settings will be used automatically as the sending e-mail address.

Click [Edit] of the Outgoing Server menu to enter your mail server configuration as shown in figure: Outgoing Mail Server Configuration - Edit View. Ask your service provider for the access data. Make sure that the server can be reached by the CRM system.

Figure 4.37. Outgoing Mail Server Configuration - Edit View

Outgoing Mail Server Configuration - Edit View
[Important]Important

Your outgoing mail server must be accessible from the Internet.

Backup Server

The CRM system allows you to make a backup of the database at your own FTP server. If configured, the CRM will make a backup of all data every time the admin user logs out. Every backup will create a new file at the backup server. Make sure you have enough disk space available. The names of these files are created automatically in the following format: "backup-<date>-<time>.sql".

[Important]Important

If the a admin user wants to quit, he has to log out properly to start the backup procedure.

[Tip]Tip

Depending on the speed of your access line to the FTP server, a backup of the full data base might slow down your logout procedure. If you do not need such frequent backups, check with your CRM system provider for other backup procedures.

Click the [Edit] button at the Backup Server menu to enter your server data as shown in figure: FTP Server Configuration - Detail View. Ask your FTP service provider for the access data. You may switch the backup on and off by marking the check box.

Figure 4.38. FTP Server Configuration - Detail View

FTP Server Configuration - Detail View

Click [Save] to transfer your configuration to the CRM system.

Module Owners

Each CRM module has an owner. By default this owner is the user admin. At the current release, this function is only working for the trouble tickets in relation to the customer portal. Do not change the other settings!

You may assign the Trouble Tickets to an other CRM user. When a ticket from the Customer Portal has been created, this ticket will be assigned to the corresponding module owner (user). The assigned user will receive an immediate e-mail notification on the ticket creation. This is useful, for instance, for active trouble tickets management.

Currencies

Click [Currency Configuration] to set your system-wide currencies. You may add an unlimited number of currencies, by clicking the [New Currency] button as shown in figure: Currency Configuration.

Figure 4.39. Currency Configuration

Currency Configuration

You may also delete or edit exiting currencies by clicking the appropriate icons.

For new currencies you will have to provide the following information, as shown in figure: Currency - Edit View:

Figure 4.40. Currency - Edit View

Currency - Edit View

Table 4.7. Currency Information

TypeContent
Currency Name:The name of the currency, e.g. US Dollar.
Currency Code:The short name of the currency, e.g. Dollar.
Currency Symbol:Enter the symbol of the currency. This symbol will be used at the CRM for all price information, e.g. $.
Conversion Rate:Enter the currency conversion rate in relation to the CRM basic currency. The basic currency is the first currency at your currency list.
Status:You may set a currency as active or inactive. Inactive currencies cannot get assigned to users as described in section: User Management.

Click [Save] to transfer your currency settings to the CRM system.

Tax Calculations

In all phases of the sales process, the CRM system considers all type of taxes which may apply to the sales of products or services. That may include local, state or federal taxes as well as special taxes. These taxes can be calculated individually for each product or service to be sold, or may be calculated for the whole. You may refer to the article Product Details in Quotes for further information on the use of the tax settings. The CRM System may include taxes when calculating prices for quotes, orders or invoices. To change the settings of the existing taxes, click the [Edit] Button at the Tax Calculations menu as shown at figure: Tax Settings - List View.

Figure 4.41. Tax Setting - List View

Tax Setting - List View

To add new taxes use the Add Tax button. You might define as many additional taxes as you need. Enter your taxes in percent (%). Note that you cannot delete the default taxes as they are provided with the CRM system. However, you may deactivate not needed taxes by clicking the appropriate check box.

Click [Save] to transfer your tax settings to the CRM system.

System Details

If you click the System Information menu, details on the server where the CRM system is running are presented. You may use these information to check the hardware resources available at your server.

Proxy Server

If you company is using a proxy server to access the Internet, you can use the Proxy Server Settings menu as displayed in figure: Proxy Server Settings - Edit View to enter server information. This might be needed by your CRM system when you use the RSS Reader or for accessing web pages as described in section: My Sites.

Figure 4.42. Proxy Server Settings - Edit View

Proxy Server Settings - Edit View

You need to enter all information. Please contact your service provider for the access information. Click [Save] to transfer the settings to the CRM system.

Announcement

System administrators or users with administration privileges are provided with a function that enables them to send announcements to all CRM users. Such an announcement will be displayed at the top of the CRM system as illustrated in figure: Announcement View.

Figure 4.43. Announcement View

Announcement View

You may edit an announcement by clicking the Announcements menu button to open the edit view as presented in figure: Announcement - Edit View.

Figure 4.44. Announcement - Edit View

Announcement - Edit View

Click [Save] to make your announcement public. You may see the announcement when you leave the settings menu.

Invoice Number Customization

While the CRM system uses its internal numbering system for all data stored in the system you can define your own numbering scheme for your invoice numbers. You should define your numbering scheme by clicking the Customize Invoice Number menu button as shown in figure: Customize Invoice Number.

Figure 4.45. Customize Invoice Number

Customize Invoice Number

You have to define a string that accomplishes the invoice number at the front and the starting number for your invoices. Click [Save] to make your numbering scheme active. This scheme will now be used for all invoices as described in section: Invoices.

Default Module View

The detail view of CRM entries is offering a More Information tab, that provides additional information related to an entry. You may switch to a Singlepane view. At this view the additional information will be listed below the master data as displayed in figure: Default and Singlepane View Details. Note that after switching the detail view for all CRM system modules changes.

Figure 4.46. Default and Singlepane View Details

Default and Singlepane View Details

Migration Wizard

If you want to transfer your data from a previous version of the CRM system to a new version, you need to upgrade your data base. This can be done in the Migration Wizard menu. To migrate, please follow the instructions given on the screen. Make sure that you have made a backup of your data before you start migrating.