Microsoft Dynamics - CRM Introduction

Introduction

Business Partners has implemented Microsoft Dynamics CRM as a combined platform on which various areas of functionality is implemented. This functionality includes custom functionality, tailored specifically to address the requirements of Business Partners, namely:

• Application Processing,
• Activity Management & Work Distribution, and
• Document Management

In addition to the custom functionality, the standard, built-in CRM functionality is also

available.

Some of the built-in functionality includes:

• Contact and Account Management,
• Task and Activity Management,
• Queue Management,
• Communications Management,

  Contact and Account Management

CRM stores information regarding individuals (Contacts) and organisations, companies or institutions

(Accounts) in records accessible from most areas in the system. These records allow the user to access

a single record to edit or update the information regarding the Contact or Account, and, in doing so,

keeps a single version of the truth. Should one staff member at Business Partners learn about a change

to the information pertaining to a record, and makes this change, immediately everyone else will see

the updated information. Because there is only one record to maintain, no risk exists that multiple

places will require updates, and inadvertently, information go missing.

Whenever another record within CRM is referenced, even in the context of another record, this

reference becomes a clickable link which, when clicked, will open the related record in a new window

for the user to see. Many such cross-references exist, for example, on an Account record, the user may

choose a Primary Contact. This field is a look-up to the Contact entity. Once a Contact is chosen and

displayed on the Account record, it becomes a clickable link to the specific contact’s record.

Task and Activity Management

Tasks and activities in CRM represent work assignments created either for oneself, or for other users

to complete. The designated Owner of the activity is the staff member responsible for completing

such a task. These tasks may be created manually, in some cases, whilst others, such as alerts and

escalations may be system generated.

Activities come in a variety of flavours, including:

• Tasks (General, non-descriptive tasks)
• Faxes
• Email
• Phone Calls
• Letters
• Appointments

Email and Appointments will synchronise with the user’s Exchange calendar and mailbox, should

he/she be using the CRM for Outlook client.

Tasks and Activities have a status indicating whether they are Open (in Progress) or Closed

(Completed). This allows the user to keep track in his/her own Workplace of work or assignments that

are still outstanding. These records are also stored against other records to which they pertain, e.g.

against Applications, Contacts or Accounts, and in doing so, allow the user to keep a running history

of interactions with that particular record.

Queue Management

Queues represent buckets of work. Similar to Tasks and Activities, these work items also ultimately

need to be completed by staff members, but in the case of Queues, these items are placed on a Queue

from where they need to be assigned.

Queue Items may be assigned to a staff member manually, or staff members may choose to work on

these items themselves. Whenever a Queue Item is assigned to a user, it is removed from the Queue

and no longer visible there.

For more in-depth information and guidance please consult the Microsoft Dynamics Training Manual attached to the article.

If your requirement is outside the scope of the document please open an incident.