Tried the Print view in Microsoft CRM?
April 1, 2009 by JFerguson · Leave a Comment
From experience, most haven’t tried the Print View … and personally find it every useful, even if I am not printing!
From a record, simply hit the ‘Print Preview Icon’ as shown below:
And hey presto, you’ll get this from the system:
A great and useful way to get that quick snapshot of a record, to see the key info quickly!
‘til next time.
Microsoft CRM Workflow – A Primer
March 26, 2009 by JFerguson · Leave a Comment
If you’d like a nice overview of the workflow functionality in CRM, the Microsoft Dynamics site has a great over view.
To quote:
You can use workflows to automate many common tasks and processes in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. They can be as simple or as complex as you need them to be, but getting started may seem challenging. You don’t need to be a programmer to create a workflow: you just need to understand your department’s business processes.
Like always, if you’d like some advice on exactly how CSG can assist you implement this powerful feature – give me a shout and will be glad to chat.
‘til next time.
Don’t forget about your most valued resource …
March 23, 2009 by JFerguson · Leave a Comment
… your customers!
A great feature of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is the ability to run a report on those customers you have neglected … and make contact again before your competitors do.
This great article will step you through the steps to leverage this great feature.
‘til next time.
Microsoft CRM and Outlook: 10 Things to know!
March 18, 2009 by JFerguson · Leave a Comment
The best feature, in my opinion, of Microsoft CRM is how tightly integrated it is with the staple of most people’s work day, Outlook.
This article on the Dynamics site gives you a great primer of the 10 key things to know about, from installation, through configuration and usage.
With our vast experience, CSG can assist you with any questions or advice you may require around this – so as always, feel free to drop me a line if you’d like any advice.
‘til next time.
CRM Advanced Find – how does it work?
March 10, 2009 by JFerguson · Leave a Comment
Many users can struggle with Advanced Find, and do not realise the power that it can provide in slicing and dicing the data in your Microsoft CRM solution.
On the Dynamics Site there’s a great video tutorial on how you can leverage this tool … to quote:
Learn the steps for running queries in Advanced Find, including entering the criteria, or fields, that will help you filter your search. Also, save your Advanced Find search results as a personal view that you can access any time you want.
If you want text, step by step instructions, you can find that here.
CSG runs all of the Microsoft curriculum for Dynamics CRM – so if you’d like more information, check out our training section.
‘til next time.
Automated delivery of SQL reports
March 9, 2009 by JFerguson · Leave a Comment
We often get asked my many clients, how difficult is it to automate the delivery of key KPI reports, to members of their organisation.
The good news is, not very!
Microsoft TechNet has posted an informative video of the steps you need to take to do exactly that – automate the deliver of reports to an email address:
This demo shows how to:
- Configure a shared data source to store credentials (required for subscriptions)
- Configure SSRS for SMTP email delivery
- Create a subscription that delivers reports to a file share
- Create a subscription that delivers reports via email
‘til next time.
CRM – Outlook reminders …
March 1, 2009 by JFerguson · Leave a Comment
If you’re like me, you have many tasks syncing from CRM into outlook … and then finding you may be drowning in reminders, and snooze has become your best friend!
Fear not, as the CRM Team Blog has a great solution for you!
Fortunately, I picked up a neat little registry setting trick from former CRM Product Manager Michael Lu. By adding the registry setting OutlookSyncDisableTaskReminders to your client computer (not the server) at HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/MSCRMClient and setting its value to 1, the Outlook client will not create reminders on activities it syncs into Outlook.
This solution won’t work for everyone, but I find that it works pretty well for me.
WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to re-install Windows to correct them. Only administrators will have the necessary permissions to perform this modification. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use the Registry Editor at your own risk.
‘til next time!
CRM Administrator - what skills do you need?
January 15, 2009 by JFerguson · Leave a Comment
A question that many clients have asked us in the past is, what skills do they need to admin a CRM system?
An interesting article on the Crowe Horwath CRM Blog explains just that!
But what should you look for in a CRM admin? It can be a challenging position to define. On the one hand, you need someone who can handle the business requirements, managing scope, timelines, and user expectations, but also someone who can deliver much of the work or coordinate the various technical departments in order to maintain and modify the system along with the growing needs of the business.
Read the whole article, here.
CRM 4.0 Keyboard Shortcuts
January 8, 2009 by JFerguson · Leave a Comment
I am constantly asked by users, what are the Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft CRM … so without any further explanation - here they are!
General Shortcuts
- Copy text = CTRL+C
- Paste text = CTRL+V
- Undo previous text change = CTRL+Z
- Save a record = CTRL+S
- Close a record = CTRL+F4
- Cut text = CTRL+X
- Delete text = DELETE
- Delete text without putting it on the Clipboard = SHIFT+DELETE
- Move the insertion point to the start of the next word = CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
- Move the insertion point to the start of the previous word = CTRL+LEFT ARROW
- Select all text in the current field = CTRL+A
- Display the System menu for the active window = ALT+SPACEBAR
- Move forward through the form’s fields = TAB
- Move backward through the form’s fields = SHIFT+TAB
- Display the shortcut menu for the selected item = SHIFT+F10
- Display the corresponding menu = ALT + the key for the underlined letter in the menu name
- Cancel the current task or command, or close a selected list or dialog box = ESC
- Move up through a list of records = UP ARROW
- Move down through a list of records = DOWN ARROW
- Expand or collapse the preview in a list view = SPACEBAR
- Open the selected record = ENTER
- Select all records on the current page = CTRL+A
Dialog Box Shortcuts
- Move to the next option or option group = TAB
- Move to the previous option or option group = SHIFT+TAB
- Complete the command for the active option or button = ENTER
- Move between options in an open list, or between options in a group of options = ARROW keys
- Cancel a command, or close a selected list or dialog box = ESC
- Auto-complete lookup fields such as Primary Contact = Type a couple letters and CTRL+K
Form Shortcuts
- Save = CTRL+S or SHIFT+F12
- Save and close = ALT+S
- Expand or collapse Form Assistant = CTRL+SHIFT+F
- Cancel edits and close (Close) = ESC
- Delete the record = CTRL+D
- Save and then open a new form (Save and New) = CTRL+SHIFT+S
Customising a Marketing List
January 5, 2009 by JFerguson · Leave a Comment
So you read the earlier article, and now can create fantastic data out of your system - but how do you customise the view for same?
Sadly, the User Interface doesn’t allow flexibility here - but Advanced Find does allow you to customise the results!
This article from the CRM Team Blog explains more.
’til next time.
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