In order to get a list view of data related to your particular interests you may create a custom list view based on the following parameters:

For instance, to create a new list view for accounts click [New] as shown in figure: Access the Create List View. The new window that opens, as shown in figure: Create Custom List - Edit View, will give you the opportunity to create your own list view.

Figure 3.1. Access the Create List View

	Tip
	Individual lists make working with the CRM system much easier. However, mistakes in the list composition, especially by AND and OR operations, can lead to unexpected results. Therefore, inexperienced users should begin with simple lists and simple logical filters, and should examine the results carefully.

Figure 3.2. Create Custom List - Edit View

For a creation of a new list view the following approach is recommended:

	Note
	You may include check boxes in your advanced filter options. If you want to check whether a check box is marked, user the terms "yes" or "1" for comparison. If you want to have a list of entries with unmarked check boxes use "no" or "0" for comparison.

You may change the default list view by selecting the [Set as Default] check box. You may also select the created list view to be present at the Key Metrics, located at Home, by marking the [List in Metrics] check box. The functions of the Key Metrics are explained in section: Key Metrics. As a user without admin privileges you will see the list views which have been made public, your own views, your own views which are pending for approval, and the views of other users which are assigned to you by the roles hierarchy.

If you mark the check box [Set as Public] your list view will be also be available for other users after review and approval by an user with administration privileges (admin user). The admin user will see your created list view as a pending view as illustrated at figure: Approve Custom View and will have to approve this view to make it available to all the other CRM users. An admin user is also empowered to reverse the process and deny public access to a custom view. As a user with admin privileges you will see all public, pending and private list views from other users.

Figure 3.3. Approve Custom View

For each record, the CRM system recognizes the user who changes the content of a record. If this user is different from the user who owns a record (assigned to) the CRM indicates that someone else made modifications by an icon as displayed in figure: Record Change Indicator. This icon will disappear automatically as soon the owner of a record reviews the entry.

Figure 3.4. Record Change Indicator

The Key Metrics view is located on your Home page. It offers a comprehensive view of the most important data stored within your CRM system. This is done by providing a quantitative summary of the information selected by your criteria. The content of the Key Metrics is defined by your custom list views. For an introduction in custom list views, you may look at section: Customize Lists. If the check box List in Metrics is marked within a list, the CRM will consider this list as part of the Key Metrics. As a result the CRM automatically calculates the data displayed at the Key Metrics.

You may use the Key Metrics to answer questions such as:

You may have other questions or you may find your own criteria. The possibilities for listings in Key Metrics are limited only by the CRM's capabilities of creating list views. You may use Key Metrics for critical processes, in order to recognize immediately whether something has changed. For instance, a sales person can immediately see if the service team has to solve critical tasks with a special customer; a manager can watch the progress in a sales cycle; a service colleague can see whether the company has won new customers etc.

If you have many entries in your list views of leads, contacts, accounts etc., a search function helps you to find a specific entry fast. Click the magnifying glass icon in the list view to open the search display, as shown in figure: Basic Search at List View for accounts.

Figure 3.5. Basic Search at List View

The basic search function searches for entries related to the master data. In addition, you may search by alphabetical order. If you click [Goto Advanced Search], a new search window will open that allows you a more detailed search based on logical combinations for all fields, as shown in figure: Advanced Search at List View. You may add as many search criteria you need. You may switch between the basic and the advanced search at any time. Click the [Search] button to start your search.

Figure 3.6. Advanced Search at List View

If you need to change the content of specific fields for a list of entries all at once you may use the mass edit function available in most of the list views. Mark the entries you would like to modify and click the [Mass Edit] button. At the new window which opens you may set a new content for your entry fields as illustrated in figure: Mass Edit at List View.

Figure 3.7. Mass Edit at List View

You may send emails from a list view of leads, contacts or accounts to multiple recipients at once by marking the list entries and clicking the [Send Mail] button. However, you need to make sure in advance that all marked list entries have an email address. If you try to send an email to a list of entries, and one or more do not have an email address, there will be no warning message.

Sometimes you may need email or address data from contacts or accounts for purposes not covered by the CRM system's functionality. By clicking the [Mailer Export] button at the contacts or accounts list view the CRM provides a convenient function to export such information as a text file with comma separated values (CSV) as illustrated in figure: Mailer Export From Lists. Note that the character format of the exported file is UTF-8 (see chapter: UTF-8 coding tools) as it is used by the CRM internally. For further use with other applications you may convert UTF-8 characters to any other character format.

Figure 3.8. Mailer Export from Lists

Data duplicates are dangerous for the CRM usage. Imagine you have entered for instance the same contact twice and one of your sale staff is using the first entry while the other sales representatives are working with the second entry. Since both contact entries do not relate to each other, your sales staff does not get valid information about the contact's history or future plans. To prevent duplicates in some cases the CRM checks for already-existing entries. For instance, if you try to enter a new account with an account name which already exists you will get a warning message. However, the CRM software can not avoid duplicates completely. For instance, you may get duplicates from data imports or synchronization (e.g. Outlook Plugin) or by users with different access privileges.

In order to remove duplicates, the CRM provides a function in the list views to find duplicates for leads, contacts, accounts, potentials, products, tickets and vendors. Click the appropriate icon at the list view to open the duplicate search menu a illustrated in figure: Duplicate Search. The icon is not available for custom views. Select from the available fields menu your search criteria and hit the [Find Duplicates] button.

Figure 3.9. Duplicate Search

The opening menu displays all records which are identified as duplicates and allows you to delete entries or to merge the content of duplicate records as shown in figure: Duplicate Search Result. You may merge up to 3 records. The entity type column indicates the source of a record.

Figure 3.10. Duplicate Search Result

Select the records you want to merge and hit the Merge button. A new window pops up which displays the content of the records as shown in figure: Duplicate Merge. First select the record you want to keep as the primary record. Then mark the content of the fields you want to add to the primary record. You should direct your special attention to the Assigned To field. If you merge picklist entries which are only accessible by users with administration privileges these entries will be displayed as "not accessible" to users which do not have administration privileges. Hit the [Merge] button to finish the process. Your primary record will be updated and the other records will be moved to the recycle bin.

Figure 3.11. Duplicate Merge

RSS is a Web feed format, used for Web syndication and stands for Really Simple Syndication. Web feeds are widely used by the weblog community for sharing the latest entries headlines or their full text, and even attach multimedia files. Some providers allow other websites to incorporate their syndicated headline or headline-and-short-summary feeds. RSS is used for many purposes, including marketing, bug-reports, or any other activity involving periodic updates or publications. Many corporations are turning to RSS for delivering their news, replacing email and fax distribution. The news media is also utilizing RSS by bypassing traditional news sources

CRM users are able to have news constantly fed to them instead of searching for them. In the Tools > RSS menu the CRM system provides an RSS reader - which can check a list of feeds on behalf of the users and displays any updated articles that it finds. You may search the Web for RSS feeds you are interested in. Every RSS feed has a unique address similar to Web URLs. To watch an RSS feed, you have to enter these addresses into the CRM system.

You may link the CRM system with other web sites which are of any interest to your business. Users do not need to leave the CRM system to access third party web sites or other Intranet or Internet sites. You may use this function, for instance, for watching important customers, your own web site, or the websites of your competitors. It is also very useful for tracking shipments, or conducting web-based communication with vendors.

Before you can see any website at the Tools > My Site menu, you need to bookmark a site. Click[ Manage Sites] to enter a new web site. Click the [My Sites] to see the bookmarked web sites.

Documents are practical to add further information to CRM entries. You may enter a document by using the Quick-Menu or the Plus Icon at the list view of the Tools > Document menu. You may also add documents directly at the detail views of certain CRM modules. As displayed in figure: Documents - Default Folder the CRM comes with a default document folder setup and you may add additional folders if required. Note that empty folders are hidden from the view and the Move button is only available to the CRM administrator.

Figure 3.14. Documents - Default Folder

In the Support -> Documents menu click the [Plus] icon to create a new document as shown in figure: Documents Create View. You need to give the document a unique name and to select the folder in which the document is going to be saved. The create view allows you to enter three different document types:

Figure 3.15. Documents - Create View

This menu is only available if you have installed the appropriate optional CRM package. In most cases it is not recommended to delete any data from the CRM. If you do it unintentionally, the deleted data may be restored from the recycle bin. Open the Recycle Bin menu as illustrated in figure: Recycle Bin - List View and select the CRM module for which would like to restore deleted data. Then all deleted records will be displayed. You are only allowed to restore the data if you have proper permissions. You may restore records either individually or multiple records at once but only within the selected module. When a record from particular module gets restored, also all the related records from other modules are restored automatically if possible.

The CRM administrator is empowered to empty the recycle bin and to remove the deleted entries from the CRM system permanently. Note, that removed data can not get recovered anymore.

Figure 3.16. Recycle Bin - List View

If you want to use the CRM system for outgoing emails you have three options:

Figure 3.18. Compose an Email

	Tip
	The CRM system can store your standard email signature and add it to your email message automatically. The signature is set by the My Settings menu at the CRMs Login Area. You may also find further explanations in section: Users Configuration.

You may send a common email from the CRM to several people at the same time. You may use this function for mass mailings to your customers or to other contacts stored in your CRM system. For mass mailing it is recommended to create a mail from the list view or use the campaign modules.

A reference to a copy of the sent email, will be stored at each individual contact and is displayed in the detail view.

If you generally receive your email at your office, you may use the Outlook Plugin or the Thunderbird extension to transfer selected emails to the contacts stored in your CRM system. Please refer toPlease refer to section: Synchronizing CRM with Office Environment for further descriptions.

In addition, you have the possibility to receive emails directly in the CRM. Before you can receive any email at your CRM, you must have set up the access to your receiving email server. As a necessary precondition for this, the user must have access to an email server outside of the CRM system. To configure the access to the receiving mail server click [My Home Page > Webmail] menu at the navigation area. You do not need administrative privileges for this operation. The email client menu opens, as shown at figure: Webmail Menu.

Figure 3.21. Webmail Menu

Click the [Incoming Mail Server Settings] icon to open the email server configuration menu as shown in figure: Incoming Mail Server Details.

Figure 3.22. Incoming Mail Server Details

You have to enter all configuration data as described in the following table. Please ask your email service provider for the necessary access information.

Click [Save] to configure the mail function at the CRM system. All your emails are organised at the My Home Page > Webmail menu as displayed in figure: Webmail Menu.

The buttons at the top of figure: Webmail Menu provide the following functions:

The CRM comes with a set of standard mail folders:

You may search your emails by the subject or sender or both.

	Important
	Email is received in unprotected mode. That means that the CRM does not check for any viruses or other threats frequently transmitted by email. Even though these threats can not cause any damage to the CRM, it is advised to take protective action at the receiving mail server, especially if you plan to download email content to your computer.