Sicon CRM Desktop User Guide

1. Companies

Under the Company tab the user can search for a Company or create a new Company.

1.1. Company Search

Companies can be searched for by a series of standard, custom and Analysis Code fields.

If territories are enabled, it is also possible to search by them and they can be viewed in the search list.

Those fields are displayed in the search list columns.

Note: Not all fields are displayed in the search filters or columns.

Columns on the search list can be moved left or right.

From the list view (subject to security permissions as defined in Sicon System Admin) it is possible to:

• Create New Company, Edit, View or Delete companies.
• Create a New Opportunity, New Task, New Case or New E-mail ‘in context’ of the Company.
• Using the New… button on the footer of the search screen allows the user to create: New Quotation, New Pro Forma, New Sales Orders and New Sales Returns in the context of the highlighted company.
• Create a New Supplier Account or New Customer Account.

Note: Creating a New Account or Supplier whilst highlighting a Company in the list view does Not create the Account in the context of the Company.

Note: A Company can be linked to an Account in one of 3 ways:

• Run the Migrate Sage 200 Contacts (see Company Utilities Menu section in Sicon System Administrator Guide).
• From the Accounts tab within the context of the Company and clicking on the Convert to Customer / Supplier button.
• Creating an Account in Sage 200 which will automatically create a company in Sicon CRM.

Search Companies by their Sales / Purchase Ledger Analysis Codes

From the Company Search List, the user can select the Customer or Supplier Analysis Code buttons and then select the relevant values to search by.

Note: the query run within the Analysis Codes is an AND (meaning it has to meet all the search criteria within the Analysis Codes selected in order to return a value).

So if Abbey Retail Ltd has Acct Manager = Peter Bellamy and Cus Type = CVR Coverings then searching by the one field Acct Manager = Peter Bellamy will successfully return one Company.

Note – The Analysis Codes are not displayed in the Company Search List.

It is not currently possible to search by Sales / Purchase Ledger Analysis Codes in Sicon CRM Web.

1.2. New Company

A New Company can be created from various locations such as the Company Search screen.

Or the New Company Menu item.

A new Company requires the user to complete certain fields on the Details tab before being able to Save.

Note: The Prospect Currency field is only displayed if the Company Type is set to Prospect Customer.

Note: The Territory Field is only displayed if Territories is enabled (see section Sicon CRM Settings > Contacts in Sicon CRM Administrator Guide).

2. Company Tabs

When a Company is opened the user can go through different tabs to get the desired information, these tabs are: Activity, Summary, Details, Addresses, People, Account, Tasks, Cases, Opportunities, E-Mails, Attachments, Memos, GDPR, Linked Companies and Sales Orders.

2.1. Activity

See section Activities > Recording Activities within this guide, for full details on the Activities functionality.

The Activity tab displays the key activities recorded within the Company in an historical timeline.

Each activity recorded is then displayed against the specific entity record it relates to and its associated hierarchical context.

Memos can be launched directly from and will be recorded to the Activity tab. See Memos section below.

2.2. Summary

The Summary tab has now been removed on all entities and the Summary field has been added to the Details tab.

2.3. Details

The Details tab records specific information relating to the Company.

The fields and their expected contents are listed below:

• Company Name – Name of the Company – Mandatory.
• Source – Dropdown list of where the Company originally came from – Not Mandatory.
• Sector – Dropdown list of which industry the company is associated with – Not Mandatory.
• Prospect Currency – Dropdown of available currencies where the Company Type is set to Prospect Customer. The currencies displayed are based on those setup in Sage 200 Maintain Currencies. -Mandatory if displayed.
• Company Type – To identify the type of company record it is – Mandatory.

Note: It is advisable to Not select Customer or Supplier. These types of Companies can either be created using the Migrate Contacts menu item, automatically created if created directly in Sage 200 or via the Convert To button under the Account tab.

Note:  Although possible in this version, it is advisable to Not change the Company Type once the record has been saved.

• Status – Whether the Company is an Active or Inactive record. This field does not ‘sync’ with the SL / PL Account status field – Mandatory.
• Account Type – A dropdown list that allows the user to further qualify the Type of Company it is. – Not Mandatory.
• Territory – Dropdown List of Territories maintained in, (see section Company Maintenance > Territories in Sicon CRM Administrator Guide).

• Account Manager – List of Users as setup in the Maintain Employees Section, (See section Employees > Maintain Employees in the Sicon CRM Administrator Guide). This field defaults to the Employee creating the Company – Mandatory.

• Telephone Number – This will become the default number set for any new contacts created for the company. This will also become the main number of the SL or PL account when converted.
• Fax Number – This will become the fax number of the SL or PL account when converted.
• Email Address – This will become the default email address set for any new contacts created for the company.
• Website – The URL of the company’s website.

Company Header – The header is always displayed regardless of which tab you are on. This shows some basic information regarding the Company. The Header is read only.

The Header is also where the user enables subscribing themselves or their team to notifications on any new activities (Opportunities, Cases, Tasks, etc). They can do this by clicking on the bell icon, (See the Notifications section in this Guide).

Company Footer – In the Footer, the user can Save, create a New Opportunity, New Task, New Case, New E-mail or New Memo and view the Change History relating to the specific Company (field value changes).

It is also possible to create New Quotes, New Pro forma, New Sales Orders or New Sales Returns in the context of the company.

Change Company Status – Hide Inactive Companies for create New, Edit, Delete

Within Sicon System, a user can be granted access to be able to alter the Company status field as either Active or Inactive. If set to Active the user can Edit the Company and all related sub records (depending on other permissions granted).

If the Company status is set to Inactive, the user can only view the Company record and all related sub records (regardless of other permissions granted).

However, where a user has been granted permission to be able to alter the Company Status, this field remains editable. This means the user can set the record back to being Active and can subsequently edit the record and related sub records (depending on other permissions granted).

Allows the user to change the Company Status (Active / Inactive). If set to Inactive, this will make the Company and all its related records View Only.

If the Company Status is changed from Active to Inactive a warning message will be displayed advising the user that any Open Cases, Opportunities or Tasks will also be set as Inactive.

Note – This does not delete the records.

Company Details view when Company Status is Set to Inactive:

Case List view when Company Status is set to Inactive:

If the user does not have the permission set in Sicon System Admin they will not be able to set the Company Status to Active and therefore cannot enable the Company.

Collapsible Summaries

The Summary Tab on each entity has been removed and added to the details tab. In order to manage the space effectively the Summary, Description and Custom fields have been made collapsible.

Company details before collapsing sections.

Clicking on the small arrows pointing UP next to each section will collapse the section.

Clicking on the small arrows pointing DOWN next to each section will expand the section.

Default Company Type

It is now possible to set a default Company Type.

Once the Company is saved, the Company Type cannot be changed to ensure that users convert a Company correctly using the Sicon CRM options and not simply changing the Company Type from the main Company Details screen.

If a Prospect Customer has a Quote or Opportunity assigned, the Currency field is locked down.

All Quotes or Opportunities must be deleted before the Currency field becomes editable once more.

2.4. Analysis Codes

The Analysis Codes tab stores additional information which can be gathered regarding the Company.

Analysis Codes are setup in the Company Analysis Codes Section, (See section Company Maintenance > Company Analysis Codes in Sicon CRM System Administrator Guide).

2.5. Addresses

The Addresses tab allows the creation of multiple addresses and to define the primary address. Where a Company Address is linked to the address of its corresponding Account, this is identified with a link symbol. If the user has the necessary permissions, updating the address here will update the address of the SL or PL Account.

If the ‘Loqate’ add-on is enabled, it is possible to search by postcode and select the address, which will then automatically populate the address fields.

2.6. People

The People tab allows the creation of multiple contacts and to define the primary contact. Where a Company contact is linked to the contact of its corresponding account, this is identified with a link symbol. If the user has the necessary permissions, updating the contact here will update the contact of the SL or PL Account.

The People tab includes the ability to filter them via a free text search against the First Name and Last Name. This is helpful where companies have a large number of contacts.

2.7. Account

Prospect Customer

When a Company is displayed as a Prospect Customer it is possible to see the Quotes and for the user to be able to create New, Edit, View or Print a Quote.

The Prospect Customer uses the Prospect Account as setup in Sage 200. It is not possible to Convert the Quote to an Order until the Prospect Customer is converted to an actual SL account.

When a company record is not linked to an SL or PL account the Account tab displays a button (Convert to Customer Account / Supplier Account) which when clicked allows the user to populate the company with an Account Code. When saved this will create the account and create a link between the two.

Note: The Convert button is only available if the Company is set to a Company Type of Prospect Customer or Prospect Supplier.

Information held on the Company record that is common to both the Company and Account are automatically copied over.

The Company Type is then automatically set to Customer or Supplier.

Important Information: At this time you must ensure that if a company already exists in CRM and then needs to be converted into Sage 200. The user must use the Convert To button from CRM and not simply create a new account in Sage 200. If you do, this will result in a duplicate record being created (an account added directly to Sage 200 will automatically create the corresponding Company in CRM).

Note: It is now possible to Merge company records (see section Companies Utilities Menu > Merge Companies within Sicon CRM System Administrator Guide).

Once the Company is saved, the Company Type cannot be changed to ensure that users convert a Company correctly using the Sicon CRM options and not simply changing the Company Type from the main Company Details screen.

Any Opportunity Currency is set according to the Prospect Customer currency.

Any Quote Currency is set according to the Prospect Customer currency.

This ensures that the Prospect Customer cannot have a Currency which accidentally has an Opportunity or Quote with a differing Currency.

In turn, this means that when a Prospect Customer is converted to a Sales Ledger and then a Quote is converted to an Order, there is no disparity.

Linked Customers

Once the Company is linked to an Account, information relating to that account is displayed:

Account Code, Account Balance, Credit Limit, Account Status, On / Off Hold, Ability to Change Status of the Account and Unlink Account.

Displayed below on the left is a table showing the Turnover By Year, and on the right side of the screen displays five more tabs: Turnover, Quotes, Proformas, Sales Order and Sales Order Item.

Within the Turnover, Quotes and Proformas tabs the user has the ability to manage these by using the New, Convert, Edit, Delete, View and Print buttons.

In the Turnover tab the graphics can be expanded using the full screen icons to the bottom right of each graphic, which will create a pop-out view.

Within the Sales Orders tab the user has the ability to manage Orders by using New Order, New Return, Edit, View and Print buttons.

Note: It is not possible to link more than one company to a Sales Ledger Account. If attempted the following message is displayed:

The Sales Order Items tab shows stock items or free text lines of the Orders displayed in the Sales Orders tab.

Customer / Supplier Account Creation Task

Where a user does not have access to the Enter New Customer Account or Enter New Supplier Account functions in Sage System Admin as below, the user can instead request for the Account to be created in CRM which will schedule a task for a given Team / User.

To do this, the default Team and / or User needs to be setup, (See section Sicon CRM Settings > Tasks in Sicon CRM System Administrator Guide).

Once set, if a user who does not have permission to create an account clicks on the Convert to Customer / Supplier button, a task is automatically opened, instead of being presented with the screen to fill in the Account Number.

The Team and User are automatically populated with the Team and User set in the CRM settings. Once saved, the task is also sent as an Outlook invite and set in the user’s calendar.

The assigned Team / User as set in the CRM Settings can then go to the Company and convert the Company to an Account.

Permissions

As with being able to create New or Convert to a New Account, in order for the user to be able create New, Edit, View, Delete, Print Quotes, Orders, Proformas or Returns, they must have been given the appropriate permissions in Sage 200 System Admin.

Account Status

It is possible to give a user permission to change the Account Status of a linked record (placing it On or Off Hold).

The permission is set in the Sage 200 System Admin.

This is not the same setting as the Sicon CRM Company Status

From the Company Account Tab the SL / PL Analysis codes are displayed

Account Enquiry

From the Company Account Tab select Account Enquiry. Access to this button is managed within Sage System Admin.

View / Edit Sales / Purchase Ledger Analysis Codes

The Analysis Codes can be amended in the Company Account tab which will then update in Sage 200 SL/ PL details.

Changing the Value from Jim Branning to Peter Bellamy updates the Analysis Code Value on the Trading Tab in Sage 200 SL Account.

The update is bi-directional.

2.8. Tasks

The Tasks tab displays tasks specifically relating to this Company and its sub entities. Outstanding tasks are identified by a red circle with a number within it. See Tasks section below.

From here Tasks can be managed with New, Edit, View or Delete, (See section Sicon System Admin in Sicon System Administrator Guide for details on permissions).

2.9. Cases

The Cases tab displays a list of all Cases that are attached to this Company and its sub entities. Outstanding Cases are identified by a red circle with a number within it. See Cases Section below.

From here Cases can be managed with New, Edit, View or Delete, (See section Sicon System Admin in Sicon System Administrator Guide for details on permissions).

2.10. Opportunities

The Opportunities tab displays a list of all Opportunities that are attached to this Company and its sub entities. Outstanding Opportunities are identified by a red circle with a number within it. See Opportunities Section below.

From here Opportunities can be managed with New, Edit, View or Delete, (See section Sicon System Admin in Sicon System Administrator Guide for details on permissions).

2.11. Emails

The E-Mails tab displays a list of all Emails that are attached to this Company and its associated entities. From here Emails can be managed with New, Edit, View or Delete, (See section Sicon System Admin in Sicon System Administrator Guide for details on permissions).

Emails can be dragged and dropped from Outlook onto this tab – The Direction column will be marked as In.

New Emails can be created from this tab – The Direction column will be marked as ‘Out’. These emails are created using the internal email editor:

2.12. Attachments

The Attachments tab displays files and folders, or links to files and folders, can be added to a Company.

From here Attachments can be managed with New, Edit, View or Delete. New Attachments links to files or folders ‘in context’ can be created from this tab, (See section the Sicon System Admin in Sicon System Administrator Guide for details on permissions).

Files and folders can also be dragged and dropped here. All are held in the context of the company and its associated entities. Outlook .msg files can also be attached here.

2.13. Memos

The Memo tab provides a simple method of recording additional information. Memos can have a ‘Type’ which can then be related to a specific entity (such as the company), (See Sicon CRM System Administrator Guide, Maintenance > Memo Types).

Memos can be managed with New, Edit, View or Delete. New Memos ‘in context’ can be created from this tab, (See section Sicon System Admin in Sicon System Administrator Guide for details on permissions).

When added, a Memo is recorded not only under its own Memo tab but also under the Activity tab.

Memos can be edited and flagged as active or inactive. If they are flagged as active and the user has subscribed themselves, they will appear in the Notifications Board at the bottom of the screen, (for more information please refer to Notifications section within this user guide).

Clicking a pop-up box will display all the notifications that the user is subscribed to:

Memos are limited to a maximum of 3,000 characters.

2.14. GDPR Analysis Codes

GDPR Analysis Codes are available under the GDPR tab.

In this instance additional GDPR Analysis Codes have been created in addition to the system Marketing Opt Out. The GDPR Analysis Codes have been created as dropdown lists and the Phone Marketing option set as Mandatory and marked accordingly (shaded in red). The user must populate this field before any changes to the record can be saved.

The GDPR Attachments table gives the user the ability to store files, folders or links to information that is pertinent to the GDPR questions. Files and folders can also be dragged and dropped here.

2.15. Linked Companies

From the Company entity the Linked Companies are displayed within the Linked Companies tab.

In this example the link is initiated from the Company Abbey Retail (the Source Company) and Linked to Company Airport Catering Services (the Target Company). The Link Type is specified as Holding Company, so Airport Catering Services is the Holding Company for Abbey Retail, (See Company Link Types in Sicon CRM Administrator Guide).

When viewing the Airport Catering company record on the Linked Companies tab, the user can see the flip side of the relationship is automatically set. So, Abbey Retail is showing as a Subsidiary Company of Airport Catering:

Note – A Company Link does not have any effect on the End User field for Opportunities or for SOP Documents.

2.16. Sales Orders

The Sales Orders tab displays a similar list view to the Sage 200 Sales Order List. The main difference is that all actions and displays are shown in the context of the Company they are linked to.

Where other Sicon add-ons are installed, additional tabs or buttons will be displayed, such as here where Contracts are installed.

3. People

Under the People tab the user can perform a Person Search or create a New Person.

3.1. Person Search

People can be searched by a series of standard, custom and analysis code fields.

The search list fields are displayed as columns in the matching results:

Note: Not all fields are displayed in the search filters or columns.

Columns on the search list can be moved left or right.

From the list view (subject to security permissions as defined in Sicon System Admin) it is possible to:

• Create New Person, Edit, View, Delete people.
• Create a New Opportunity, New Task, New Case or New E-mail ‘in context’ of the Person.
• Using the New… button on the footer of the search Screen allows the user to create: New Quotation, New Pro Forma, New Sales Orders and New Sales Returns in the context of the company.
• Create a New Supplier Account or New Customer.

Note: Creating a New Account or Supplier whilst highlighting a Person in the list view does Not create the Account in the context of the Person’s associated company.

3.2. New Person

A Person can be created from various locations such the Person Search screen or the New Person menu item or Company People tab.

A Person must be created in the context of a company. A new Person requires the user to complete certain fields on the Details tab.

4. Person Tabs

When a Person record is opened the user can go through different tabs to get the desired information, these tabs are: Activity, Summary, Details, Analysis Codes, Addresses, Tasks, Cases, Opportunities, E-Mails, Attachments, Memos, GDPR.

4.1. Activity

See section Activities > Recording Activities within this guide, for full details on the Activities functionality.

The Person Activity tab displays the key activities recorded against the Person in an historical timeline.

Each activity recorded is then displayed against the specific entity record it relates to and its associated hierarchical context.

Memos can be launched directly from and will be recorded to the Activities tab.

4.2. Summary

The Summary tab displays primary static data relating to the Person (Note: This is read only):

4.3. Details

The Details tab records specific information relating to the Person. This contains standard fields such as Last Name and custom fields such as Likes Tennis.

The fields and their expected contents are listed below:

• Salutation – Dropdown list of formal addressing of the Person.
• First Name – The First name of the Person – Free text.
• Last Name – The Last name of the Person – Free text.
• Job Title – Job role of the Person relating to the Company – Free Text.
• Job Department – Department the Person relating to the Company works in – Free Text.
• External Reference – Not for general use – Free Text.
• Gender – Gender of the Person – Dropdown list.
• Company Name – Name of the Company – Mandatory field that is automatically populated if the Person record is created in context of a company.
• Source – Where the Person originally came from – Dropdown list.
• Status – Whether the Person is an active or inactive employee of the company.
• Telephone Number – This is automatically populated with the telephone number of the company when the person is created in context. This will also become the main number of the contact of the SL or PL account when a company record is converted to a Sales Ledger or Purchase Ledger record.
• Mobile Number – This will become the mobile number of the contact on the SL or PL account when converted.

Person Header – The header is always displayed regardless of which tab you are on. This shows some basic information regarding the Person and is read only.

It is also where the user enables subscribing themselves or their team to notifications on any new activities (Opportunities, Cases, Tasks etc). They can do this by clicking on the bell icon. (See section Notifications > Managing Notifications).

Person Footer – In the Footer, the user can Save, create a New Opportunity, New Task, New Case, New E-mail, or New Memo and view the Change History relating to the specific Person (field value changes).

4.4. Analysis Codes

The Analysis Codes tab stores additional information based on the Analysis codes setup in the People > Maintenance > Person Analysis Codes:

4.5. Addresses

The Addresses tab allows the creation of multiple addresses and to define the default primary Address.

It is possible to select an existing address in the context of the company the contact is linked to using the button Add Existing:

If the ‘Loquate’ add-on is enabled, it is possible to search by postcode and select the address, which will then automatically populate the address fields.

4.6. Tasks

The Tasks tab displays tasks specifically relating to this Person and its sub entities. Outstanding tasks are identified by a red circle with a number within it.

From here Tasks can be managed with New, Edit, View or Delete, (See section Sicon System Admin in Sicon System Administrator Guide for details on permissions).

4.7. Cases

The Cases tab displays a list of all Cases that are attached to this Person and its sub entities. Outstanding Cases are identified by a red circle with a number within it.

From here Cases can be managed with New, Edit, View or Delete:

4.8. Opportunities

The Opportunities tab displays a list of all Opportunities that are attached to this Person and its sub entities. Outstanding Opportunities are identified by a red circle with a number within it.

From here Opportunities can be managed with New, Edit, View or Delete, (See section Sicon System Admin in Sicon System Administrator Guide for details on permissions).

4.9. Emails

The E-Mails tab displays a list of all emails that are attached to this Person and its associated entities. Emails can be managed with New, Edit, View or Delete.

Emails can be dragged and dropped from Outlook onto this tab – The Direction column will be marked as In.

New Emails ‘in context’ can be created from this tab – The Direction column will be marked as Out. These emails are created using the internal email editor:

4.10. Attachments

The Attachments tab displays files and folders, or links to files and folders, can be added to a Person.

Files and folders can be dragged and dropped here. All are held in the context of the Person and its sub entities.

4.11. Memos

The Memo tab provides a simple method of recording additional information. Memos can have a ‘Type’ and be associated with a particular entity and therefore can be used more specifically than before.

Alternatively, they can continue to be used in a more general fashion.

Memos are limited to a maximum of 3,000 characters and are recorded to the Activity tab as well as the Memos tab.

4.12. GDPR Analysis Codes

GDPR Analysis codes are available under the GDPR tab.

In this instance the additional GDPR analysis codes have been created in addition to the system Marketing Opt Out. The GDPR Analysis codes have been created as dropdown lists and the Phone Marketing option set as Mandatory and marked accordingly (shaded in red). The user must populate this field before any changes to the record can be saved.

The GDPR Attachments table gives the user the ability to store files, folders or links to information that is pertinent to the GDPR questions. Files and folders can also be dragged and dropped here.

Please Note: GDPR settings stored against a Person record override their associated company record.

5. Cases

Cases allow the user to log customer service issues.

5.1. Case Search

Cases can be searched by certain standard fields, Analysis Codes and custom case fields which can be added to both the search fields and the columns displayed.

From the list view:

• A graphic is displayed showing Cases by Stage.
• A list is displayed which consists of pre-defined system fields, custom fields and Analysis Codes where columns can be moved left or right.
• Filters which consist of pre-defined system fields, custom fields and Analysis Codes.
• New Cases can be managed with New, Edit, View or Delete, depending on permissions set in Sicon System admin.
• When highlighting the Case in the list view a Task or an Email can be created ‘in context’ of the case.

5.2. New Case

A case can be created from various locations such as from the Cases dashboard, the Case search screen, or the Case tabs from Company or person.

The System will only allow the user to save the Case when it is associated with a Company and / or Person.

A new Case requires the user to complete the Summary and Details fields.

Fields specified as mandatory for Analysis Codes or custom fields must also be populated. A message will appear identifying those fields that still require populating when attempting to save the Case:

Once the case has been created the Summary and Description fields are displayed on their own tab.

6. Case Tabs

When a Case is opened the user can go through different tabs to get the desired information, these tabs are: Activity, Summary, Details, Analysis Codes, Tasks, Memos, E-Mails, Attachments, Case Links, Quotes & Orders and Tracking.

6.1. Activity

See section Activities > Recording Activities within this guide, for full details on the Activities functionality.

The Case Activity tab displays the key activities recorded within the Case in an historical timeline (e.g. A new Task, Memo or Tracking Note).

Tracking Notes can be launched directly from and recorded to the Activities tab.

6.2. Summary

The Case Summary tab is automatically populated with certain data entered into the Case Details tab when the Case is initially created. This consists of the Header (which is read only) and the Summary and Description fields (which are editable).

6.3. Details

The Details tab records the specific information relating to the Case. This contains standard and custom case fields.

The fields and their expected contents are listed below:

• Summary tab – Brief description of the issue – Mandatory.
• Details tab – Further description on the Case – Not Mandatory.
• Company – Company the case is associated with – Mandatory.
• Person – Person the case is associated with – Mandatory.
• Assigned Employee and Team – defaults to the Employee and Team who is creating the case – Mandatory.
• Case Type – To identify the type of case this relates to. This becomes important as the case type is used to identify what type of case is used in the in the Quality Control and Credit Control Dashboards (as described below). – Mandatory.
• Stage – The point in the process the case currently sits – Mandatory.
• Severity – How important the case is – Mandatory.
• Due Date – The date the Case is expected to be completed by – Not Mandatory.
• SLA – The period of time that can elapse prior to the case being identified as being overdue based on its Due Date – Not Mandatory – SLAs have no further functionality at this time.

Note: No workflow or escalation rules are available at this time.

Case Header – The header is always displayed regardless of which tab you are on. This shows some basic information regarding the Case.

Case Footer – In the Footer, the user can Save, Create a New Task, New E-mail or New Tracking and View the Change History relating to the specific case. It is also possible for a user to Create Follow Up Case which creates a link between one Case and another.

6.4. Analysis Codes

The Analysis Codes tab stores additional information based on the Analysis codes setup in menu option of Sicon CRM > Cases > Maintenance > Analysis Codes.

6.5. Tasks

The Tasks tab displays tasks specifically relating to this case. Outstanding tasks are identified by a red circle with a number within it.

From here Tasks can be managed with Edit, View or Delete tasks. New Tasks and new Emails ‘in context’ can be created from this tab.

6.6. Memos

The Memo tab provides a simple method of recording additional information. Memos can have a ‘Type’ and be associated with a particular entity, therefore can be used more specifically than before.

Alternatively, they can continue to be used in a more general fashion.

Memos are limited to a maximum of 3,000 characters and are recorded to the Activity tab as well as the Memos tab. Memos can be especially useful for cases where detailed explanations may be required for which there is not an appropriate sized field.

6.7. Emails

The E-Mails tab displays a list of all emails that are attached to this Case and its associated entities. Emails can be managed with Edit, View or Delete, depending on permissions specified in Sicon System Admin.

Emails can be dragged and dropped from Outlook onto this tab – The Direction column will be marked as In.

New Emails ‘in context’ can be created from this tab – The Direction column will be marked as Out. These emails are created using the internal email editor.

Emails can also be created by selecting an available template, (See section Sicon CRM Settings > Email Templates in System Administrator Guide).

6.8. Attachments

The Attachments tab displays files and folders, or links to files and folders, can be added to a Case.

Files and folders can also be dragged and dropped here. All are held in the context of the specific Case.

6.9. Case Links

Cases can currently be linked to the following areas of Sage 200:

Depending on the type selected the view will change.

If the link is simply an Order, only the Order number field is displayed.

If the Case Link Type is a Sales Order Line, the Order Lines are displayed relating to that order number.

Clicking on the hyperlink will take you to the area within Sage it is associated with.

Important Information: Currently, if a case is linked to an Order line, the case is not shown at the Order header Level. The user selects a single Line item to see any cases relating to it. E.g. Link is created to Order Line AB Built in Cooker for Order Number 5152.

Clicking on the link does not take the user to the Order Line, it takes the user to the Order header.

Against the Order, no details are shown on the Cases tab.

Clicking on the Order Line shows the Cases tab with the linked Case.

Where a Case is linked to an Order itself instead of the line, the case will be shown on the Cases tab of that Order.

Case Links now include Quotes, Quote Lines, Proformas and Proforma Lines.

Add Quotes, Quote Lines, Proformas and Proforma Lines as options when creating a Case Link.

Note: At this time, unlike the other Case Link options, The links are not displayed from the Cases Tab in the context of the Quotes or Proformas.

Order:

Quote:

6.10. Quotes & Orders

This screen is split between a list of Quotes, Orders, Proformas and Returns and when one is highlighted, the item lines relates to that one.

New Quotes, Orders, Proformas and Returns can be created from a case and will be displayed on the Quotes & Orders tab.

In the below scenario, a Quote has been created in the context of a case.

Clicking on the hyperlink of the quote does not display the linked case as there is no Cases tab to display it on.

Where an SOP document is created in the context of a Case, the Opportunity field is not displayed.

It is still possible to assign the SOP Document to an Account Manager and End User.

The Account Manager field is automatically populated with the account manager of the company the document is for. The End User field can be manually populated.

Creating an Order / Return from a Case

Where an Order or Return is created from a Case, the Case should be listed on the Cases tab of the Order or Return.

1. Go to Case (e.g. Case 25).

2. Click on the Quotes & Orders tab.

3. Click on New Order / New Return.

4. Complete Order / Return and Save.

5. The Order / Return is Displayed on the Quotes & Orders tab of the Case with a hyperlink.

6. Clicking the hyperlink takes the user to the Order / Return and the Cases tab is shown with a red circle with a number in it.

7. Click on the CRM Cases tab and the Case is displayed.

Creating a Case from an Order / Return

1. Go to Order / Return (e.g. Order 5156).

2. Click on CRM Cases tab.

3. Click New.

4. New Case screen is displayed and a New Case Link is added.

5. Save Case.

6. Click on Case Links tab.

7. The Order / Return is displayed on the Case Links tab.

8. The Order / Return can now be accessed through clicking on the hyperlink.

Where a Case is created from an Order or a Return, on the CRM Cases tab, the Order or Return should be displayed against the Case.

Creating documents in the context of a Case does not create an activity on the activity tab of the case.

6.11. Tracking

The Tracking tab allows the user to record notes as the Case progresses.

Case Tracking Notes are added to the Case Activity tab.

6.12. Copy Case

It is now possible to Copy a Case.

From the list view, select the Case you wish to copy.

Click on the Copy button. A new case is created with the same details populated.

Existing Case

Copy Case

When copied the following information is replicated: Summary, Description, other Standard fields, Custom Fields and Analysis Codes.

No other information is replicated (e.g. Activities, Tasks, Memos, Case Links, Tracking notes etc).

Analysis Codes are copied.

Activity is not copied (although the creation of the company will be logged).

Standard and Custom fields are copied.

Analysis Codes are copied.

Sub entity information is not copied.

Copy of Case / Opportunity is displayed.

7. Tasks

A Task is a Calendar action (Complete or Open).

Tasks in Sicon CRM are displayed as appointments in the Outlook Calendar.

7.1. Task Search

Tasks can be searched by a series of Standard Fields, Custom Fields and Analysis Codes.

Certain Standard Fields and any Custom Fields and Analysis Codes will be displayed in the search list columns and filters.

From the list view:

• Columns can be moved left or right.
• Tasks can be managed with New, Edit, View, Delete buttons from the Task search list.
• Emails can be created in the context of a task from the Task search list.

7.2. New Task

A Task can be created from various locations such as the Main Menu, Dashboards, Task search screen, or the Tasks tabs from Company, Person, Opportunity, Case etc.

A Task requires the user to complete the Summary, Type and Stage fields.

If a Task is created ‘in context’ (i.e. under the tab of a Company or Person, Case or Opportunity), the Company and Person fields are populated. If the case is created ‘out of context’, then the context must manually be set.

Tasks can be created in the context of a Case, Opportunity or Tender. However, it is not possible to create a blank task and then set the context of the Opportunity, Case etc as there are no fields displayed to do so.

It is not possible to assign a Task to more than one Company, Person, Case, Opportunity, etc.

It is not possible to assign a Task to more than one User or Team.

A Task can be created out of context where no Company, Person, Case, Opportunity, etc need to be set.

Task Header – The header is always displayed regardless of which tab you are on. This shows some basic information regarding the Task. The Header information is read only.

Task Footer – In the Footer, the user can Save, create a New Task or New Email and view the Change History relating to the specific Task.

Note: If a task has been created in the context of another entity, another button will be displayed which allows the user to open the entity that task is related to. In this instance the task is related to an Opportunity, so the button displayed is Open Related Opportunity.

Note: If a Task has been created with no relation to an entity, it is not possible to edit the task to have a relation with one. However, the Company and Person can always be edited to a Task.

So, if the user wishes to create a task for an opportunity, they must go to the Opportunity Task tab and click New Task.

8. Task Tabs

When a Task is opened the user can go through different tabs to get the desired information, these tabs are: Activity, Summary, Details, E-Mails, Attachments and Tracking.

8.1. Activity

See section Activities > Recording Activities within this guide, for full details on the Activities functionality.

The Task Activity tab displays the key activities recorded within the Task in an historical timeline.

8.2. Summary

The Task Summary tab is automatically populated with certain data entered into the Task Details tab when the Task was originally created. This consists of the Header (which is read only) and the Summary and Description fields (which are editable).

8.3. Details

The Details tab records the specific information relating to the Task. This contains standard fields only, as currently Tasks do not have custom fields.

The fields and their expected contents are listed below:

• Summary – Brief description of the Task – Mandatory.
• Description – Further Detail on the Task – Not Mandatory.
• Company & Person – to whom the case is associated with (because this may be a task purely associated with the User or their Team) – Not Mandatory.
• Assigned Employee and Team (defaults to the Employee and Team who is creating the Task) – Not Mandatory.
• Task Type – A Task Type can be linked to a specific entity (in which case it is only available in the context of that entity – Mandatory.
• Stage – The point the Task currently sits – Mandatory.
• Priority – How important the Task is – Not Mandatory.
• Location – The user can add an address which would then synchronise with the location field in Outlook – Not Mandatory.
• Due / Start Date – The date the Task is scheduled to Start – Automatically defaults to the current date and time – Not Mandatory.
• End Date – The date the Task is scheduled to Finish – Automatically defaults to the current date and time plus 30 mins – Not Mandatory.
• Reminder Type – The amount of time before or after the due date that the user wishes to be reminded by (e.g. 10 minutes before the appointment is scheduled to begin). – Not Mandatory.
• Reminder Time – As set by the Reminder Type. – Not Mandatory.

8.4. Analysis Codes

The Analysis Codes tab stores additional information based on the Analysis Codes setup. Task Analysis Codes are available to the Task search list and filters.

8.5. Memos

The Memo tab provides a simple method of recording additional information. Memos can have a ‘Type’ and be associated with a particular entity, therefore can be used more specifically than before.

Alternatively, they can continue to be used in a more general fashion.

Memos are limited to a maximum of 3,000 characters and are recorded to the Activity tab as well as the Memos tab. Memos can be especially useful for Tasks where a user may wish to create a comment without having to create a whole task. In this scenario a Memo Type called History has been created.

In this instance the memo is a completed memo so the active field is blank, and it will not show up on the Task Memos tab as an outstanding memo, but the Task itself remains open. Pressing the Toggle Active button toggles the Active field between ‘Yes’ and a blank field, representing not active.

8.6. Emails

The E-Mails tab displays a list of all emails that are attached to this Task and its associated entities. The emails can be managed with Edit, View or Delete depending on permissions set in the Sicon System Admin section.

Emails can be dragged and dropped from Outlook onto this tab – The Direction column will be marked as In.

New Emails ‘in context’ can be created from this tab – The Direction column will be marked as Out. These emails are created using the internal email editor.

Emails can also be created by selecting an available template related to the Task entity.

8.7. Attachments

The Attachments tab displays files and folders, or links to files and folders, can be added to a Task.

Files and folders can also be dragged and dropped here.

8.8. Change History

The user can change the history of a task by what details have been modified, by whom and when are logged. These can be viewed by clicking the Change History button.

Unlike the Activity tab, Change History records at a field level on the specific record does not record items such as sending an email in the context of the record.

8.9. On Screen Reminders

Where a Task has been assigned and has been given a Reminder Type and date / time, a pop-up screen will be displayed showing all tasks that meet the reminder criteria.

The reminder can be managed with Dismiss All, Open, Dismiss, Snooze and Snooze All.

8.10. Follow Up Tasks

From within a Task, it is possible to Create a Follow Up Task. This behaves the same as any other task, however, a follow up task becomes part of a thread of tasks and is denoted by a button with chevrons in the Footer which allows the user to move forwards and backwards through the thread of tasks.

8.11. Tracking

This section allows the user to effectively progress the Task rather than continuously updating the details of the task.

Task Tracking Notes are added to the Task Activity tab.

8.12. Scheduling a Task / Outlook integration

Tasks can be scheduled to a user, doing this will automatically email that user and logs as an appointment in the user’s calendar. For example, a Task is scheduled against Hayley Bass who is a contact of Abbey Retail Ltd. The task is assigned to an Employee (who has been setup in the Employees section within the Sicon CRM main menu – see Maintain Employees).

The appointment is given a start and end date / time and a reminder date / time.

The task is automatically sent as a calendar invite to the user’s email address and added to the user’s calendar as a tentative appointment, for them to accept or decline.

An appointment reminder of the Task is given in Outlook.

The Task is shown against the contact’s record and where there are outstanding tasks, the Task tab displays a number in a red circle identifying how many there are:

The task is also displayed in the employee’s dashboards.

8.13. Quick Task

It is now possible to add a Quick Task which allows the user to create a Task that is immediately set to the Task Type selected and its Closed Stage.

From the relevant entity search list view or from the Task Tab Right Click on New Task.

A list of the available Task Types is presented and from those types of tasks the user can select the Closed stage.

Quick Task of Type Phone Call set as complete:

The completed task is entered.

Quick Tasks do not generate an Outlook appointment.

9. Opportunities

Opportunities are the potential to win business, whereas a quote is simply one of many documents that may relate to an opportunity.

9.1. Opportunity Search

Opportunities can be searched by certain standard fields, custom fields or Analysis Codes.

Those fields are then displayed against the search List columns and filters:

• Columns can be moved left or right.
• Opportunities can be opened in View mode (no data can be added or altered) and Edit mode.
• An Opportunity cannot be created (out of context).
• When highlighting the Opportunity in the list view a Task or an Email can be created ‘in context’ of the Opportunity.

A series of graphics displaying Opportunities by Stage and key overall information, Opportunity Forecast etc.

9.2. New Opportunity

An Opportunity can be created from various locations such as a sales dashboard, the Opportunity search screen, or the Opportunities tab from Company or Person.

An opportunity cannot be created ‘out of context’. It must be associated with a Company record of Type Customer or Prospect Customer.

A new Opportunity requires the user to complete the Summary and Details tabs.

Summary Tab

• Summary – Brief description of the Opportunity – Mandatory.
• Description – Further Detail on the Opportunity – Not Mandatory.

 Details Tab

The fields and their expected contents are listed below:

• Company – to which Company the Opportunity is linked to – Mandatory.
• Person – to which Person the Opportunity is linked to – Not Mandatory.
• Assigned Employee and Team – defaults to the Employee and Team who is creating the Opportunity – Not Mandatory.
• Stage – Identifying the perceived point in the Sales Process the opportunity is currently sat and its associated likelihood of being won – Mandatory.
• Expected Order date –The date the user expects the Opportunity to convert to won – Not Mandatory.
• Expected Invoice date –The date the user expects the Opportunity to be actually paid for – Not Mandatory.
• Currency – The currency specified against the Company. (Note: The currency cannot be altered if the Company is linked to an Account) – Mandatory.
• Classification – Identifying the perceived quality of the Opportunity and its associated likelihood of being won – Not Mandatory.
• Probability – The % likelihood of the opportunity being won. This can be either manually entered or calculated based upon the probabilities associated with the settings on the Classification and Stage field – Not Mandatory.
• Opportunity Value – The estimated value of the sales enquiry. This value can either be set manually or automatically set by the total quote value if a quote has been created in the context of the opportunity – Not Mandatory.
• Forecast Value – The weighted value of the opportunity – As calculated by the Opportunity value (£) x Probability (%) – Automatically calculated.
• Cost Value – The estimated costs expected to be incurred in winning the opportunity. This can be either entered manually or automatically calculated from the sum of the costs of the individual lines of the Quote / Order – Automatically calculated.
• Margin Value (£) – Opportunity Value (£) minus Cost Value (£) – Automatically calculated.
• Margin % – Margin Value as expressed as a percentage – Automatically calculated.
• Outcome – Effectively the end result after the opportunity has been processed to completion (won or lost). The Outcome field does not have any automatic effect other than to set the Opportunity as Closed – Not Mandatory.

• Tender – The business may have multiple opportunities that all relate to a specific project. In these circumstances only one of those opportunities can be realised. To ensure the pipeline is not overstated a Tender can be created, multiple opportunities assigned but the Tender only has one primary opportunity which is used as the value. An opportunity can be linked to a Tender from the Tender dropdown list.

• End User Company – This is where the opportunity is for an intermediary business where there is an End Customer (for example a Business Partner to their customer). See End User section below.

• End User Person – Contact of the End User Company.

End Users are ‘Customers’ who do not buy directly and do not have an actual SL Account.

The purpose of the End User functionality is to identify the relationship between the company providing the goods: the Customer, who is buying the goods; and the End User, the person or company who ultimately ends up with the goods.

Example:

1. Sicon has a Customer and sells its products to – Abbey Retail.
2. Abbey Retail has a Customer and sells its products to – John Smith.
3. John Smith is the Customer of Abbey Retail and the End User of Sicon’s products.

Sicon wish to record the details of the End Users who have purchased their products (e.g. for warranty or servicing purposes).

A Customer and End User record are both stored as Companies in Sicon CRM.

Note – Regardless of whether the Customer is Linked to the End User record or not, All End User records are displayed from the End User Selection Box:

However, if an End User is selected and they do not have a Link in the Linked Companies tab, it will automatically add one.

A link is created clicking the New button.

Then the user can select who the End User company is and what the Link Type is, seen in the images below.

The link is then created and available for selection for an Opportunity or SOP document.

Campaign – A dropdown list of marketing Campaigns that have been created in the Campaigns section of Sicon CRM, (See section Sicon CRM Settings > Campaigns in Sicon CRM Administrator guide). This allows the user to be able to report on the effectiveness of e-marketing campaigns by associating them to the opportunity.

Opportunity Header – The header is always displayed regardless of which tab you are on. This shows some basic information regarding the Opportunity.

Opportunity Footer – In the Footer, the user can Save, Create a New Task or New E-mail and view the Change History relating to the specific Opportunity.

10. Opportunity Tabs

When an Opportunity is opened the user can go through different tabs to get the desired information, these tabs are: Activity, Summary, Details, Analysis Codes, Tasks, Memos, E-Mails, Attachments, Memos, Quotes & Orders and Tracking.

10.1. Activity

See section Activities > Recording Activities within this guide, for full details on the Activities functionality.

The Opportunity Activity tab displays the key activities recorded within the Opportunity in an historical timeline.

From each Activity entry, it is possible to hyperlink to the entities that it is linked to.

Tracking Notes can be launched directly from and will be recorded to the Activity tab.

10.2. Summary

The Opportunity Summary tab is automatically populated with certain data entered into the Opportunity Details tab when the Opportunity was originally created. This consists of the Header (which are read only) and the actual Summary and Description fields (which are editable).

10.3. Details

The Details tab records the specific information relating to the Opportunity. This contains standard and custom Opportunity fields. See Opportunities > New Opportunities within this guide.

10.4. Analysis Codes

The Analysis Codes tab stores additional unique information which can be gathered using Analysis codes which are held within their own tab. Opportunity Analysis codes are available to the Task search list and filters.

10.5. Memos

The Memo tab provides a simple method of recording additional information. Memos can have a ‘Type’ and be associated with a particular entity and therefore can be used more specifically than before.

Alternatively, they can continue to be used in a more general fashion.

Memos are limited to a maximum of 3,000 characters and are recorded to the Activity tab as well as the Memos tab. Memos can be especially useful for cases where detailed explanations may be required for which there is not an appropriate sized field.

10.6. Tasks

The Tasks tab displays tasks specifically relating to this Opportunity. Outstanding tasks are identified by a red circle with a number within it. The Tasks can be managed with Edit, View or Delete. New Tasks and New Emails ‘in context’ can be created from this tab.

10.7. Emails

The E-Mails tab displays a list of all emails that are attached to this Opportunity and its associated entities. The emails can be managed with Edit, View or Delete.

Emails can be dragged and dropped from Outlook onto this tab – The Direction column will be marked as In.

New Emails ‘in context’ can be created from this tab – The Direction column will be marked as Out. These emails are created using the internal email editor.

Emails can also be created by selecting an available template, (See section Sicon System Admin > Email Templates in Sicon CRM Administrator Guide).

10.8. Attachments

The Attachments tab displays files and folders, or links to files and folders, can be added to an Opportunity.

Files and folders can also be dragged and dropped here. All are held in the context of the specific Opportunity.

10.9. Quotes & Orders

This screen is split between a list of Quotes, Orders, Proformas and Returns and when highlighted, the item lines relating to it.

New Quotes, Order, Proformas and Returns can be created ‘in context’ of an Opportunity.

Creating an SOP document from an Opportunity

Opening an SOP document from an Opportunity will display the Header with additional fields for Account Manager, Opportunity Reference and End User.

The Account Manager field is automatically populated with the Account Manager of the Company the document is for and not the Assigned Employee of the Opportunity.

When creating a document in the context of an Opportunity the Opportunity Reference number is automatically populated and cannot be amended.

An End User can also be selected. The End User of the Opportunity does not automatically populate the End User field of the SOP document being created.

Depending on the document type, it is possible to Convert, Print, Edit, View or Delete.

The End User selection box displays all Companies that are of a Type: End User.

It is not restricted to Linked Companies. However, if an end user record is selected that is not in the Company Links, it will be added.

These then follow the Standard Sage 200 processes.

Convert

Quotes and Proformas can be converted provided that the Company has been converted to a Sales Ledger Account. The Conversion process is faster than in SOP as it avoids several confirmation steps.

Print

When an SOP document is selected to be printed it will display one document to be printed. The user cannot select any of the filters.

Note: Creating documents in the context of an Opportunity does not create an activity on the Activity tab of the Opportunity.

From an SOP document it is possible to open the Opportunity or the End User record linked to it by clicking on the icon next to those fields.

10.10. Tracking

The Tracking tab allows the user to record notes as the Opportunity progresses.

Opportunity Tracking Notes are added to the Opportunity Activity tab.

10.11. Copy Opportunity

It is now possible to Copy an Opportunity.

From the list view, select the Opportunity you wish to copy.

Click on the Copy button. A new Opportunity is created with the same details populated.

Existing Opportunity

Copy Opportunity

When copied the following information is replicated: Summary, Description, Company and Person Name, Assigned Employee and Team, Stage and Created Date, Custom Fields and Analysis Codes.

No other information is replicated (e.g. Activities, Tasks, Memos, Case Links, Tracking notes etc).

11. Tenders

The business may have multiple opportunities that all relate to a specific project. In these circumstances only one of those opportunities can be realised. To ensure the business’s pipeline is not overstated a Tender can be created with multiple opportunities assigned to it, but the Tender only has one primary opportunity which is used as the value. An opportunity can be linked to a Tender from the Tender dropdown list on the Opportunity Details tab.

11.1. Tender Search

Tenders can be searched by a series of standard fields.

From the list view:

• A graphic displaying Tenders by Stage.
• A list view of key information relating to the Tender. Columns can be moved left or right.
• Tenders can be opened in View mode (no data can be added or altered) and Edit mode.
• A Tender has no context.
• When highlighting the Tender in the list view the user can create a Task ‘in context’ of the Tender.

Tender Header – The header is always displayed regardless of which tab you are on. This shows some basic information regarding the Tender.

Tender Footer – In the Footer, the user can Save, create a New Opportunity, New Task ‘in context’ or New Tracking Note and view the Change History relating to the specific Tender.

11.2. New Tender

A Tender can be created from various locations such as the Tender search screen, or the New Tender menu item.

A Tender does not have context as such. It does not need to be associated with any other entity.

A new Tender requires the user to complete the Summary field and the basic information on the Details tab.

The Tender Reference is automatically assigned at the point of saving the new Tender.

The primary Opportunity information is only populated when a new Opportunity is created from the Opportunities tab and flagged as primary.

• Stage – Identifying the perceived point in the Tender Process the Tender is currently sat.
• Due Date / Time – When the Tender is expected to be awarded.

12. Tender Tabs

When a Tener is opened the user can go through different tabs to get the desired information, these tabs are: Activity, Summary, Details, Opportunities, Attachments and Tracking.

12.1. Activity

See section Activities > Recording Activities within this guide, for full details on the Activities functionality.

The Tender Activity tab display the key activities recorded within the Tender in an historical timeline.

12.2. Summary

The Tender Summary tab is automatically populated with certain data entered into the Summary and Details tabs when the Tender was originally created. This consists of the Header (which is read only) and the Summary field (which is editable).

Details of the primary Opportunity linked to the Tender are also displayed here (which is read only).

12.3. Details

The Details tab records the specific information relating to the Tender. Tenders do not have Analysis Codes or custom fields.

12.4. Opportunities

The Opportunities tab displays a list of all Opportunities that are attached to this Tender. Active Opportunities are identified by a red circle with a number within it. The Opportunities can be managed with Edit, View or Delete.

New Opportunities ‘in context’ of the Tender can be created from this tab.

The primary Opportunity for the Tender can be flagged here.

The Opportunity that was finally awarded the Tender can be flagged here using the Mark As Won button.

When an Opportunity is ‘Marked as Won’ a Won / Lost Outcomes box is displayed. This allows the user to finalise:

• What Outcome the Opportunity that has Won should be set to.
• What Outcome the Opportunities that have been Lost should be set to.
• What Stage the Tender should be set to.

Clicking Save will update the Activity tab that the Tender has been closed.  It will also update the Details tab with the Closed Date and who it is closed by.

The Outcomes of the associated Opportunities are automatically updated and closed with only one opportunity having been won.

Note: Neither the Opportunity Stage nor the Probability are updated so the user may want to do this manually.

12.5. Tasks

The Tasks tab displays tasks specifically relating to this Tender. Outstanding tasks are identified by a red circle with a number within it. The tasks can be managed with Edit, View or Delete. New Tasks ‘in context’ can be created from this tab.

12.6. Memos

The Memo tab provides a simple method of recording additional information. Memos can have a ‘Type’ and be associated with a particular entity and therefore can be used more specifically than before.

Alternatively, they can continue to be used in a more general fashion.

Memos are limited to a maximum of 3,000 characters and are recorded to the Activity tab as well as the Memos tab.

12.7. Attachments

The Attachments tab displays files and folders, or links to files and folders, can be added to a Tender.

Files and folders can also be dragged and dropped here. All are held in the context of the specific Tender.

12.8. Tracking

The Tracking tab allows the user to record notes as the Tender progresses. Tracking Notes cannot be edited once saved.

Tender Tracking Notes are added to the Tender Activity tab.

13. Dashboards

There are a series of dashboards provided.

From each of these Dashboards the user can create New, Edit, View or Delete (depending on permissions set in the Sicon CRM System Admin).

13.1. My Sales

The My Sales Dashboard is specifically filtered for the logged on user to display their Tasks, Cases and Opportunities where the Stage is not one designated as a Closed Stage, (See each Maintenance section for each entity in Sicon CRM Administrator Guide).

Each dashboard panel can be popped out to display in its own window, this can be maximised to full screen if required.

Forecast by Month

This dashboard panel displays the Individual Monthly Target of the User as a line with the current monthly Opportunity, Orders and Invoices as comparison, (See Maintain Employee section in the Sicon CRM Administrator Guide).

There is no means to filter this dashboard by other users. This can be done using the Team Sales Dashboard.

Opportunities, Sales Orders and Invoice values are displayed according to their document date and who they are assigned to.

Clicking on the columns provides a drill down to more detail relating to Opportunities, Orders and Invoices for the relevant month.

13.2. Team Sales

The Team Sales Dashboard displays exactly the same information but filtered by Team.

The Team defaults to the logged on User’s Team, however, that Team can then be changed to show details of another team. The information can be further filtered by specifying an individual user within that Team.

Cases, Opportunities, Tasks and Forecast information are displayed based upon the filters applied.

Forecast by Month

This dashboard panel displays the individual and combined monthly target of the Users of that Team.

Opportunities, Sales Orders and Invoice Values are displayed according to their document date and who they are assigned to.

13.3. Other Dashboards

There are various other dashboards that follow similar principles. The information for the Credit Control and Quality Control Dashboards are restricted to a specific type of Case, (See Dashboard section in the Sicon CRM Administrator Guide).

Tasks relating to those Dashboards are filtered by either the logged on User or the Team selected. They are not limited in anyway by the Case Type.

13.4. My Calendar / Team Calendar

The Calendars display Tasks, Cases and Opportunities filtered by either the logged on user or the Team selected.

The information displayed is limited and cannot be altered.

The user cannot hyperlink to the displayed item.

New Tasks, Cases or Opportunities cannot be created from the Calendar.

14. Card Lists

Card Lists is a tool that helps organize your records into a series of ‘Buckets’ held within a Card List. Card Lists shows the user what is being worked on, who is working on what, and where something currently is within a process.

Card Lists allows users to see records (such as Cases, Opportunities, etc) in multiple ways at the same time using ‘Buckets’. For example, the user can see a Case in the Closed Cases Bucket, filtered by the Stage ‘Closed’. Open Cases Buckets are filtered by Stage ‘Open’ and the Complaints Bucket are filtered by description of the Complaint.

Cards allows speed of access to Edit & View a record and upon saving will display the record in alternate Buckets depending on their design.

Buckets are based upon SQL queries and therefore highly customisable.

There are three types of Cards:

• Card Lists – The section where the user can access all custom Card Lists.
• My Card Lists – pre-filters any Buckets to only show information for the logged in user.
• Team Card Lists – pre-filters any Buckets to only show information for the logged in user’s Team. The filter can be altered to display the same information for other teams, or for individual users of those teams.

In addition, Cards Lists can be filtered using a Free Text Filter.

There are no predefined Card Lists. The SQL query must be written to display the individual Buckets (see Sicon CRM Administrator guide for details on configuration).

14.1. Card Lists

The Cards List menu option has no predefined filters other than those written into the SQL query or set using the My Card Lists or Team Card Lists.

14.2. My Card Lists

The My Card Lists has a predefined filter for the logged on user. It is not possible to change the user this list is filtered by.

It is advised not to add any filters for Employee ID or Team ID in your SQL query.

14.3. Team Card Lists

The Team Card Lists has a predefined filter for Teams and defaults to the logged on User’s Team. However, that Team can then be changed to show details of another team.

The information can be further filtered by specifying a user within that Team.

It is advised not to add any filters for Employee ID or Team ID in your SQL query.

15. Activity

Every record created has an Activity tab which is automatically populated with entries opened or closed (e.g. the opening of a new case or the closing of an opportunity).

15.1. Recording Activities

Entries in the Activity tab should not be mistaken for recorded Tasks.

The Activity tab displays the key activities recorded within the entity record in an historical timeline.

Each activity recorded is then displayed against the specific entity record it relates to and its associated hierarchical context. So, if a new Task for a new Opportunity is created for Pete Smith of Abbey Retail Ltd, a new Activity will be recorded against all four entities.

From the activity recorded, the user can hyperlink to the relevant entity record (e.g. from a Task recorded in the context of an Opportunity, Company and Person, the user can hyperlink to any of those specific records).

Against a Company or Person a new Memo can be recorded which automatically updates the Activity tab.

Against a Case, Task or Opportunity, Tracking Notes are also added to the Activity tab.

16. Notifications

A user can subscribe to a record which will then notify them of any changes made to it.

16.1. Managing Notifications

A User can Subscribe My Team / Unsubscribe Myself to a particular record and any activity updates associated with that record. This can be done by clicking on the bell icon displayed at the top right corner of the Record Header.

Where an Activity is recorded a Notification Icon with a number will be displayed in the bottom right of the Sage 200 desktop screen.

If the user clicks on the word Notifications, a screen will be displayed showing all active notifications for records that the user is currently subscribed to.

The user can then Open or Dismiss the individual notifications or Dismiss All notifications.

If the user chooses to open a notification it will take them to the record in View mode.

A notification is created when an Activity is recorded.

17. Sicon CRM Desktop Tray

The Sicon CRM Desktop Tray is enabled when the user logs into Sage 200 within the normal Windows Sys tray.

Right clicking on the CRM icon provides a shortcut to find screens and new screens. These follow the same process as using the standard menu items.

In addition, a Recent list is displayed showing the most recent records a user has been working on and allows them to hyperlink directly to that record.

The user can also enable the CRM E-mail Drop Panel and enable Hotkeys.

The user can drag an email from their Outlook inbox and drop it onto the Email Drop icon.

This will open a filing screen which will allow the user to select the record it relates to. If the email address is recognised, the Company and Contact name will automatically be populated.

Saving the email will open the Sicon Email Editor to allow the user to define the Type and Description of the email.

Saving the email will attach it to the E-mails tab of the associated entities.

The email can then be viewed or edited.

It is also possible to enable Hotkeys to launch New or Find actions through Keyboard strokes.

18. Reports

There are a series of standard reports that are provided out of the box for CRM users. These reports can be modified or new ones created using the standard Sage 200 Report Designer. Sicon do not provide report designer training.

These reports are created using the standard Sage 200 Report Designer so additional reports can be written by anyone familiar with it.

19. Workflow

It is now possible to create a simple Workflow for Cases, Opportunities, more information will be available soon.

20. Campaigns / Mailchimp integration

Campaigns and Mailchimp Integration, along with Mailchimp prices are covered in the Sicon CRM System Administrator Guide.

21. Mobile CRM

Sicon CRM Mobile has replaced App with a mobile view of the Web. It has been optimised for working on smaller mobile screens and therefore does have certain display differences from the standard web view. More information will be available soon.

22. Release Notes

The release notes page shows which release of the system includes new features or issues resolved.

At the release of Sicon v21 we announced that going forward, we will only be supporting Sage 200c and as such we are able to drop the year from our version numbers. We moved from 201.201.0.0 to 210.0.0.

New features detailed in the Release Notes relating to Pre-Release versions will not be detailed in the current Help and User Guide until the end of development phase.

23. Help and User Guide Archive

23.1. Sicon CRM Desktop User Guide v22

Sicon CRM Desktop User Guide v22

24. New Features & Important Information