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Overview

Activities are small tasks or actions that are either stand-alone or must be completed as part of a larger project. Activities are assigned to an 'owner', are designated a time by which they must be completed and can be part of other CRM.COM processes such as Subscriptions, Jobs, Service Requests and Leads.

Major features

  • Through planned activities, resources required to complete the task can be booked
  • Billing of services offered through activities can be billed as long as the activity is part of a billable job
  • Automatically scheduling of activities through workflows for completing jobs subscriptions leads and service requests

 

Setting Up Activities

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 Configuration > CRM > Application > Activities

Statuses 

Used to label activities life cycle states (used to progress an activity) in a way that is meaningful to your organisation. 

Categories 

Used to provide a business classification to the activity such as, installation or maintenance. These classifications provide the user with input on how to handle the activity, and can also be used by the business to analyse the type of activities they receive.

Cancellation Reasons

Used to define the reason that an activity was cancelled and which can be used for business analysis

Types

Types are used to determine the operational characteristics of activities. The users which will be authorized to create activities of each type are designated by the 'Allowed Organisational Unit'.

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Type fields

The table describes the sections of Activity Type Data Entry page, and explains how the fields in the page are used.

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Services which can be used in activities of this type . Services added to an activity must be One-Time services and are used during billing to charge the customer for the duration the service was offered. For example, the service could be the installation of a modem for which the customer will be charged for the time the installer took to install.

  • Product: classified as a One-Time Service
  • Classification: Define whether it is mandatory to define the service on the activity in order to be allowed to close it, or optional.
  • Minimum Time Spent: Define the minimum time that should be spent on each specified service, measured in hours, days, weeks or months. Upon activity completion, the system validates the time that was spent on a service against the specified minimum time.
  • Time Spent Logging Method: It determines if the time spent on each activity service should be:
    • Fixed: The minimum time spent is automatically set on each activity service and cannot be modified by users, or 
    • Flexible: The time spent is set by the User.
  • Automatically Applied: Enable if you would like the service to be automatically added to the activity as soon as it is created

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Allowed Statuses

 

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Status Transitions

Defines the possible progression of status from each selected activity status. The next possible status depends on the current status of the activity , the type of the activity and on the user's or unit's authorisation.

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Status: The initial status of the entity. There can only be one initial status and it must be included if allowed statuses are defined.

Status Transitions: A list of statuses which the user can change to from the current status and the units or users allowed to make the transition. 

 

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Business definitions

 Activity definitions are business rules which are used to define allowed entities to be added on activities.  There can only be one active definition at a time.

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Business definition fields

The table describes the sections of Activity Definitions Data Entry page, and explains how the fields in the page are used.

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Defines the activity types that can be selected by users when creating a new activity.

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Defines the cancellation reasons that can be selected when cancelling activities and specifies the default cancellation reason.

 

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Related configuration areas

The following modules are related to  and may be configured for the  module to operate at its full capacity.

Manual LinkAreaDecsription
Resource SchedulingResource Scheduling Business DefinitionProvide the rules regarding activity services and resource requests. For example, whether a resource request is mandatory for certain activity types and whether resources require confirmation.
Price PlansPrice PlansDefine the products and the correct price rate types for the activity services to be billed.
ProductsProductsCreate the products that will be used as services on the activities.
JobsJob TypesCreate job types defining related activity types and services, to use activities as tasks for jobs and bill them.

 

Using Activities

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CRM > Activities > Manage Activities

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Activity fields

The table describes the sections of  Activities Data Entry page, and explains how the fields in the page are used

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The significant dates of the activity which include the following:

The dates and time frames that are relevant to the request:

Start Date: The date on which the activity was first saved.

Expected Completion Date: The difference between the start date and expected completion date. It is editable and measured in minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years.

Actual Completion Date: The date on which the activity life cycle state is set to 'Completed'.

Time to Completion: The time left up to the expected completion date. This information is dynamically calculated and updated based on the current date and the expected completion date.

Estimated Completion Time: The difference between the start date and expected completion date.

Time Overdue: The time past the expected completion date, calculated dynamically based on the expected completion date and the current date.

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The services that are provided as part of the activity and the time spent on each one, measured in minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years.

  • Only one-time services can be specified, which should be included in the list of 'allowed' services as specified in the related activity type.
  • Services can be defined as optional or mandatory through the Activity Types.
  • All Services have a 'billing directive', which is always set to 'To Be Billed' if the activity is performed for a job with a type defined as 'Billable'.
  • Services might be added automatically if so configured in the associated activity type.

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Life Cycle State: A read-only field that shows the progression of steps of an activity from the time it is created until it is completed. The state is updated by the system upon status change. The available values are:

    • Pending
    • In Progress
    • Completed
    • Cancelled

Shared Notes: Use this section to record information regarding the activity. Every time the notes are updated the time and the name of the agent are registered.

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The unit and/or user responsible for dealing with the activity

The user field may be left empty, in which case users from the defined unit will be able to accept the activity. Refer to the Accepting Activity Action.

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Actions: Used when further handling is required to complete an activity without having to leave the activity page. For example, an agent can check for the coverage of a malfunctioning Roku box and plan a job for a replacement through the same page.

  • Start Progress
  • Cancel Activity
  • Complete Activity

View History: A link that provides additional information related to the activity.

  • Communications: A list of all the communications with this activity defined in the 'Referring To' field.
  • Approval Requests: A list of Approval Requests associated with the activity

 

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Creating and processing 

Note

Actions are subject to validations which take place before an action is initiated (prerequisite) or after it is submitted (postcondition).

Selecting and creating an activity

Navigate to Activities and specify the criteria that match the  Activity you are interested in, or click on NEW from the Actions Menu to create a new . Proceed by providing the mandatory information as defined in the table above before you SUBMIT.

Modifying an activity

Use EDIT from the Actions Menu to enter edit mode.

While activities that are assigned to a unit and are pending acceptance by a user can be modified, the 'Assigned to User' can only be set through the Accept action.  Refer to Accepting an Activity.

 

Prerequisites

Life cycle state must be 'Pending' or 'In Progress'

Once an activity is created the related contact, account and activity type cannot be changed.

 

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New activities are assigned to a unit or a user.  Activities assigned to a unit can be accepted by a unit member, by using the Accept action from the Actions Menu in the Data Entry page.  For example, an activity regarding an installation is assigned to the Installers department and then accepted by a specific installer. 

Preconditions

Users must be authorised to accept an activity ('Accept Activity' action is enabled in their security profile) and they must be a member of a unit to which the activity is assigned to or a member of a unit in the same group.

If approval requests are set up in the system and the activity requires an approval , then the activity must first be approved by a user defined in the approval before the activity can be accepted.

 

Starting progress of an activity

In order to start processing an activity and deliver services the activity must be progressed through the Start Progress action available through the action panel's actions. Select one of the available statuses which represent the 'In Progress' life cycle state.
The action will change the life cycle state from 'Pending' to 'In Progress'. Once the action is executed, EDIT is required to start working on the Job.

Prerequisites

 Existing life cycle state is 'Pending'.

Postconditions

If "Conditions Forcing Resource Requests on Activity Services" in the Resource Scheduling definition, are met then, the activity won't be able to be saved unless an "Accepted" or "Pending" resource requests is present.

 

Completing an activity

Change the life cycle state of an activity to 'Completed' by using Complete Activity action from the Actions Panel , indicating that the activity is completed.

Prerequisites

Life cycle state is 'In Progress'

Postconditions

 Submitted Resource Requests should not be pending

All services defined as mandatory by the activity type should be present and the time spent should be specified for each service that was added to the activity

 

Canceling an activity

Cancel an activity to restrict further modifications, using Cancel Activity action available from the Action Panel. A cancellation reason must be provided for activities that are being cancelled which can be used for business analysis.

Prerequisites

The activity should not have a 'Completed' life cycle state

Postconditions

Any Resource Requests that were submitted against services of that activity should be rejected or cancelled.

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Communicating an activity

Customers and agents remain in contact throughout the processing of the activity. Pre-configured communication templates can be used to trigger messages when the life cycle state of an activity is modified.
An activity can also be manually communicated by using the 
Communicate Activity action available through the Actions Menu. You can use tags related to activities (text that is automatically replaced by values specific to selected records) when creating communications. Tags are available for selection by typing '#'. Refer to the Communications manual for a complete list of job tags.

Billing an activity for offered services

Services offered to a customer through an activity can be charged, provided the activity is created as part of a a job whose type is defined as 'Billable' and is already completed. The billable information of each activity consists of the services that were provided and the time spent on it.

The billing engine will check Price Plans for the rate of the activity services and will bill the job based on the time spent (duration) to complete the service. There are only two types of Price Pln rate models that can be used for defining prices on one-time services added on activities.

Flat rate, duration based

Applies a single fixed price based on the duration of the services, which starts from a base rate and changes as the duration that was required to provide the service increases. Multiple flat levels are supported.

Tiered rate, duration based

Applies a price which starts from a base rate and progressively changes as the duration that was required to provide the Service increases. Multiple tiered levels are supported.

 

Prerequisites

The activity life cycle state is set to 'Completed'.

The rates for each service are specified in the price plan which is selected in the job billing terms. 

The Price Plan rates for activities are configured using the following Price Plan rates:

  • Flat rate, duration based
  • Tiered rate, duration based.

 

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Applying business flows on activities

Booking resources to complete an activity service

Activities consist of tasks that need to be completed by a designated user that will need to take action. Through CRM.COM Resource Scheduling the necessary resource(s) to complete the task can be booked by inputting the responsible department/Unit, the service that must be completed, and the date / time on which the task is expected to be completed.

If an activity must use a service in order to be completed, it is possible to automatically add the service on the activity by defining it as mandatory on the Activity Type

Once creating an activity and adding a service you have the option to Request Resource through the 'Services to be Provided' section of the activity as shown in the figure below

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Once you click on Request Resource link the  Resource Availability modal will open allowing you to search for an available resource and place a request. Refer to Resource Scheduling for more information on how to request a resource to complete the service on your activity

 

Approving an activity

Activities can be set up to require approval from a specific user before they are further processed. This is done by setting up Approval Definitions and triggering Workflow Rules

For more information on Approval Requests refer to /wiki/spaces/WIP/pages/10008784.

 

Applying workflows on an activity

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  • Use Alerts to email or SMS users, when a specific value is entered in a activity field
  • Assign high priority activities to a specific user 

 For more information on workflow automation refer to Workflows.

Scheduling an activity through other modules

Activities can be perceived as small tasks required to complete a bigger one, which in CRM.COM can be:

  • Job, which could take the form of a small project 
  • Service Request, which could take the form of a number of tasks that must be performed to complete a customer's Request for Service
  • Lead which will be used to win potential customers.
  • Subscription which could take the form of an installation visit

There are three ways to schedule activities:

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When the activity is scheduled through the 'Schedule an Activity' action from the respective entity's page then the following validation takes place:

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Prerequisites

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The activity types which can be used for activities performed for the job are filtered based on the 'Allowed' activity types specified on the job type.  

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The activity types which can be used for activities performed for the service request are filtered based on the 'Allowed' activity types specified on the service request type.

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Overview

Activities are small tasks or actions that are either stand-alone or must be completed as part of a larger project.  They can be a part of other CRM.COM processes such as subscriptions, jobs, service requests and leads.

Activities are assigned to an 'owner', a specific user who is responsible for completing them and are designated a time by which they must be completed.

Activities functionality

  • Resources required to complete a task can be booked through planned activities
  • Services offered through activities which are part of a billable job can be billed 
  • Activities for completing jobs, subscriptions, leads and service requests can be scheduled automatically through workflows

 

Setting Up Activities

Info
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 Configuration > CRM Application > Activities

Statuses - Label the life cycle states of activities in a way that is meaningful to an organization.  Statuses are modified in order to progress an activity. 

Categories - Provide a business classification such as 'Installation' or 'Maintenance'. These classifications provide the user with input on how to handle the activity and can be used by the business to analyze activity requests.

Cancellation Reasons - Used for business analysis.

Types

Types are used to determine the operational characteristics of activities.  The 'Allowed Organisational Unit' designates users authorized to create activities of each type.

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Type fields

The table describes the sections of Activity Type Data Entry page and explains how the fields in the page are used.

 Mandatory   Configurable

Main Information
Estimated Completion Time: How long an activity is expected to take before it is completed (measured in minutes, hours, days, weeks and months).
Allowed Attributes
Services

One-time services (such as the installation of a modem) are added to an activity and are billed based on their duration (the time the installation took).

  • Product: Classified as a one-time service.
  • Classification: Define whether it is 'mandatory' or 'optional' to define the service on the activity in order to be allowed to close it.
  • Minimum Time Spent: Define foreach service (in hours, days, weeks or months). When the activity is completed, the system validates the time spent on the services against the specified minimum.
  • Time Spent Logging Method: Whether the time spent on each activity service should be:
    • Fixed: Automatically set on each activity service and not modified by the user, or 
    • Flexible: Set by the user.
  • Automatically Applied: Enable to automatically add the service to the activity as soon as it is created.

Statuses

 

 Allowed Statuses (for activities of each type)

Default Status on Create (such as 'Open' or 'Pending'; activity must be in a 'Pending' life cycle state)

Default Status on Start Progress (such as 'Approved' or 'In Progress'; activity must be in an 'In Progress' life cycle state)

Default Status on Complete (activity must be in a 'Completed' life cycle state)

Default Status on Cancel (activity must be in a 'Cancelled' life cycle state) 

CategoriesThe categories that can be used in activities of this type.

Status Transitions

Defines the possible progression of each activity status. The next possible status depends on the current status of the activity, the type of the activity and the authorization of the user or unit.

Status: A single initial status which must be included in allowed statuses

Status Transitions: A list of statuses to which the user can transition from the current status and the units or users allowed to make the transition. 

 

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Business definitions

Activity definitions are business rules that define allowed activity types and cancellation reasons.  There can only be one active definition at a time.

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Business definition fields

The table describes the sections of Activity Definitions Data Entry page and explains how the fields in the page are used.

 Mandatory   Configurable

Allowed Types

Defines the activity types that can be selected by users when creating a new activity.

Allowed Cancellation Reasons

Defines reasons that can be selected when canceling activities and specifies a default.

 

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Related configuration areas

The following optional modules are related to activities and can be configured for the activities module to operate at its full capacity.

Manual LinkAreaDescription
Resource SchedulingResource Scheduling Business DefinitionProvide rules regarding activity services and resource requests. For example, whether a resource request is mandatory for a certain activity type and whether resources require confirmation.
Price PlansPrice PlansDefine the products and price rate types used to bill activity services.
ProductsProductsCreate the products that will be used as services on activities.
JobsJob Types

Create job types through which activities will be added to a job and billed.

 

 

Using Activities

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CRM > Activities > Manage Activities

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Activity fields

The table describes the sections of Activities Data Entry page and explains how the fields in the page are used.

 Mandatory   Configurable

Main Information
The details of the customer that reported the issue. 
Contacts cannot be changed once the request is saved but their details can be updated.
Activity Information

Type: Determines the attributes available for activities (and their default values) and the automation of agent-customer communications.

Performed For: The unique ID of the entity (subscription, job, service request or lead) for which the activity takes place.

Category: A label that describes the purpose of the activity (e.g., 'Technical Issue' or 'Installation'). 

Key Dates

The dates and time frames that are relevant to the request:

Start Date: Date/time on which the activity was first saved.

Estimated Completion Time: The difference between the start date and expected completion date. How long until the activity is completed.

Time to Completion: Time left up to the expected completion date, calculated dynamically and updated based on the current and expected completion date.

Expected Completion Date:  Date/time calculated as the difference between the start and expected completion date (editable).

Time Overdue: The time past the expected completion date, calculated dynamically based on the expected completion and current date.

Actual Completion Date: Date/time on which the life cycle state of the activity is set to 'Completed'.

Services To Be Provided

Product: One-time services provided as part of the activity (should be included in the list of 'allowed' services of the activity type).

Time spent on each service (measured in minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years).

  • Services can be defined as 'Optional' or 'Mandatory' through activity types.
  • All services have a 'billing directive'.   The directive for activities performed for a job type defined as 'Billable' is always set to 'To Be Billed'.
  • Services can be added automatically, subject to the configuration of the activity type.
Action Panel
Status & Notes

Status: Determines the life cycle state of the activity and allows the user to progress the activity.

Life Cycle State: A read-only field that reflects the progression of steps of an activity from the time it is created until it is completed. The state is updated by the system when the status changes. The available values are:

    • Pending
    • In Progress
    • Completed
    • Cancelled

Shared Notes: Use this section to record information regarding the activity. Every time the notes are updated the time and the name of the agent is registered.

Owned by Group:  Refers to the group that is responsible for executing the activity. The group defaults to that of the currently signed in user or is automatically set based on the geographical area of the contact. Refer to Groups for more information.

Assignments

The unit and/or user responsible for dealing with the activity.

The user field may be left empty and users from the defined unit will be able to accept the activity. Refer to the Accepting an activity action.

Activity Actions

Actions: Used when further handling is required to complete an activity without having to leave the activity page. E.g., an agent can check for the coverage of a malfunctioning Roku box and plan a job for its replacement through the same page.

  • Start Progress
  • Cancel Activity
  • Complete Activity
  • Communicate Activity
  • Set Privacy Level

View History: A link that provides additional information related to the activity.

  • Communications: A list of the communications with the specific activity defined in the 'Referring To' field.
  • Approval Requests: A list of requests associated with the activity.

 

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Creating and processing 

Note

Validations take place before an action is initiated (prerequisite) or after it is submitted (postcondition).

Selecting and creating an activity

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Specify the criteria that match the activity you are interested in or click NEW from the Actions menu to create a new activity.  Provide the information defined as mandatory before you SUBMIT.

Modifying an activity

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Use EDIT from the Actions menu to enter edit mode.

Activities that are already assigned to a unit and are pending user acceptance can be modified (edited). The 'Assigned to User' field can only be set through the Accept action. Refer to 'Accepting an activity'.

Prerequisites

Life cycle state must be 'Pending' or 'In Progress'.

Once an activity is created the contact, account and activity type cannot be changed.

 

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Accepting an activity

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New activities are assigned to a unit or a user.  A unit member can accept activities assigned to a unit by using Accept from the Actions menu on the Data Entry page.  For example, an installation activity is assigned to the installer's department and then accepted by a specific installer. 

Prerequisites

Users must be authorized to accept an activity ('Accept Activity' action must be enabled in their security profile) and be a member of a unit to which the activity is assigned or a member of a unit in the same group.

If approval requests are set up in the system, activities that require approval must be approved (by an authorized user) before being accepted.


 

Starting the progress of an activity

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Use Start Progress available from the Action panel to start processing an activity and enable the delivery of associated services.

Select any of the available statuses which represent an 'In Progress' life cycle state, updating the life cycle state of the activity from 'Pending' to 'In Progress'. 

Use EDIT to start working on the activity.

Prerequisites

Life cycle state must be 'Pending'.

Postconditions

If 'Conditions Forcing Resource Requests on Activity Services' in the resource scheduling definition are met, 'Accepted' or 'Pending' resource requests must be present in order to be able to save the activity.

 

Completing an activity

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Change the life cycle state of an activity to 'Completed' by using Complete Activity from the Actions panel, indicating that the activity is finished.

Prerequisites

Life cycle state must be 'In Progress'.

Postconditions

Submitted Resource Requests should not be pending.

  • All of the activity type's 'Mandatory' services should be present on the activity.
  • The time spent on each added service should be specified.

 

Canceling an activity

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Use Cancel Activity available from the Actions panel to disable further modifications.  A cancellation reason must be supplied for business analysis purposes.

Prerequisites

Life cycle state must not be 'Completed'.

Postconditions

Resource Requests that were submitted against activity services should be rejected or canceled.


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Communicating an activity

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Customers and agents remain in contact throughout the processing of an activity. Pre-configured communication templates can be used to trigger messages when the life cycle state of an activity is modified.
An activity can also be communicated by using 
Communicate Activity available through the Action panel. You can use tags related to activities (text that is automatically replaced by values specific to selected records) when creating communications. Tags are available for selection by typing '#'. Refer to the Communications manual for a complete list of job tags.


Billing activity services 

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Services provided through an activity that is part of a billable (type) job can be charged. The list of services provided and the time spent on each is required information.

The billing engine refers to the Price Plan for the rate of each service and bills the job based on how long it took to complete.  The two types of price plan rate models used for one-time services are:

Flat rate, duration based

A single fixed price based on the duration of the service, starting from a base rate and adjusted as the duration of the service provided increases, according to preset tiers.

Tiered rate, duration based

A price starting from a base rate, which can be progressively adjusted as the duration required to provide the service increases, according to preset tiers.  Each tier defines a duration range and the rate for the product within that range.

 

Prerequisites

Life cycle state must be 'Completed'.

All applicable rates are specified in the price plan selected in the job billing terms. 

The price plan rates for activity services must be configured using 'Flat' and 'Tiered' duration based rates.

 

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Applying business flows on activities

Booking resources to complete an activity service

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Activities consist of tasks that must be completed by a designated user.

The resources necessary to complete a task can be booked through CRM.COM Resource Scheduling.  Supply the service to be provided, the responsible department/unit and the date/time on which the task should be completed.

Services that are necessary to complete an activity can be defined as mandatory on the activity type and added automatically.

Resources can be requested when adding a service for an activity through the 'Services to be Provided' section, as shown in the figure below:

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Clicking the Request Resource link opens the Resource Availability modal, allowing you to search available resources and place a request. Refer to Resource Scheduling for more information.


Approving an activity


Activities can be set up to require approval from a specific user before they are processed further, by setting up approval definitions and triggering workflow rules.  Refer to Managing Approval Requests for more information.

Applying workflows on an activity


Processes can be automated by using Workflows.  For example, you can use alerts to contact users when a specific value is entered in an activity field or to assign high priority activities to a specific user.  Refer to Workflows for more information. 

Scheduling an activity through other modules

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In addition to stand-alone tasks or actions, activities can be a part of larger projects and CRM.COM processes, such as:

  • Small project on jobs
  • A number of tasks that must be performed to complete a customer's request for service.
  • Actions required to follow leads on potential customers.
  • An installation visit for a subscription.

Activities can be scheduled: 

  • Through the activities page by adding the related entity in the 'Performed For' tab.
  • Through the entity (Jobs, Service Requests, Leads) page by using the Schedule an Activity action (not available for Subscriptions).
  • Automatically, by configuring Workflow Rules that trigger the scheduling of activities when certain events occur in the system.

Prerequisites

The activity types for activities scheduled through the Schedule an Activity action on the jobs, service requests or leads entity page are filtered based on each entity's 'Allowed' activity types.

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Activity Analytics

Segmenting activities

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You can group activities Activities with common business characteristics can be grouped together. Use the resulting lists in system business processes for the identification of customers or for simple statistical calculations. 

For more information on segmentation and how you can create activity creating lists refer to Segmentation.

Dashboards 

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Dashboards make information regarding the key performance indicators of the progress of the activity activities available from a single integrated view. Dashboards  Dashboards are made up of components such as charts and summary tables. Refer to Dashboards for information on their use and set-up. 

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Activity dashboard components

Completed activities per

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type and

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month

The component displays the activities which the activities that were completed within each of in the last 12 months, in a vertical stacked bar chart , and grouped by activity type and month.  The results can be filtered by activity type. 

New activities per

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type and

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month 

The component displays the activities whose processing was planned to start on a specific date activities that were started in the last 12 months, in a vertical stacked bar chart , and grouped by activity type and month.  The results can be filtered by activity type. 

Overdue activities per

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type

The component displays the activities activities whose processing completion is overdue , i.e. the requests included in the component (activities that are not a 'Completed' state and are past their expected completion date).  The results are displayed in a stacked bar chart, grouped by activity type and predefined period buckets (the difference between the current and expected completion date), and can be filtered by activity type.  

Pending activities per

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type

The component displays pending activities, i.e. those not displays activities that are not in a 'Completed' state, in a pie chart, grouped by activity type.  The results can be filtered by activity type. 

Activity summary

The component displays the pending activities, i.e. those not activities assigned to the logged in user that are not in a 'Completed' state, that are assigned to the logged in user, in  in a summary table.  The results are sorted on expected completion date, starting from the date closest to the current date, and can be filtered by activity type. 

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Chargeable activities 

Panel
nameblue
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titleCreating chargeable Activities

Scenario 1

  • Company ZX accepts subscription orders from customers calling in the call centreits call center.
  • Customers can request to have the equipment delivered and installed at their location for an extra charge (€10 for delivery and €25/hour for the installation) , in which case the booking takes place when the order is placed.
  • Installers will visit the customers at a prearranged time, deliver and install the equipment.
  • and book the appointment when placing the order.
  • Customers are charged and billed for the delivery and installation on the same day it is completed.
  • Customers start getting charged for their subscription at the beginning of the coming month following the installation.


Solution

Configuration
The basic configuration is specific to the requirements of the above business example. Additional required configurations which are not related to the solution are omitted (e.g., Job Statuses or the full configuration of a Job Type).requirement should be as follows (additional required configurations such as for job statuses and types are omitted):

 

Activities

Activity Statuses (Life Cycle State)Activity TypeActivity Definitions
  • To be approved (Pending)
  • In progress (In Progress)
  • Closed (Completed)
  • Cancelled (Cancelled)
  • Installations
    • Estimated completion time: 1 hour
    • Allowed Statuses: all All statuses with 'To Be Approved' as default
    • Allowed Categories: all All under Installations
    • Allowed Services:
      • Installation (mandatory and automatically applied)
      • Delivery (optional)
    • Allowed Organisational Units:
      • Installation Team 1
      • Installation Team 2
  • Create and activate an Activities Definition adding:The created Activity Typesactivity definition, adding the created activity types.

 

 

Products

Product Type: One-Time time ServicesProducts
  • Classification: Service
  • Service Type: One-Timetime
  • Composition Method: Flat
  • Used for Provisioning: No
  • Of Product Type: One-Time Servicestime services
  • Installation Serviceservice
  • Delivery Serviceservice

 

Jobs

Job Type

New Subscription - Installation

    • Allowed Activity Types: 
      • Installation Service
        • Classification: Mandatory
        • Billing Directive: Billable
    • Allowed Expenses
      • Delivery Service

 

Price Plans

One-Time Services
  • Installation Service
    • Price Plan Rate: Flat Rate, Duration Based €25/hour
  • Delivery Service
    • Price Plan Rate: Flat Rate, Quantity Based: €10

 

Network Management

Units
  • Call Centre Agentscenter agents
  • Installers


Resource Scheduling

Resource Scheduling DefinitionResource Plans
  • Automation Settings:
    • Conditions forcing Resource Requests on Activity Servicesresource requests on activity services:
      • Activity Type: Installation
      • Product: Installation Serviceservice
      • Activity Life Cycle Status: In Progress
  • Create a Resource Plan
    • Unit: Installers
    • Service: Installation Serviceservice
    • Slots: Hourly slots from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 18:00
      (Resource plans should be created on a weekly .basis)

 

Communications

Communication Templates
  • Activity Completion
  • Job Completion
  • Bill



User Process

New Job

  1. Create a new Job (For more information on Jobs visit the Jobs manual)job
    1. Type: New Subscription subscription - Installationinstallation
    2. Expenses: Delivery Serviceservice
    3. Allowed Activity Types / Services: Installation Activity activity with Installation Serviceinstallation service.
       

Schedule Activitythe activity

  1. Schedule an Activity activity through the Job job or create a new Activity activity through the Activity activity page and relate to the Job job through 'Performed For'.
    1. Type: Installation
    2. Assign to Unit: Installers
    3. Service: Installation Serviceservice.
       

Assign Resources resources to the Activityactivity

  1. Request a resource while scheduling the Activity activity through the Installation Serviceinstallation service.
     

Accept Activitythe activity

  1. Installers should visit the Activities activities page.
  2. Search using:
    1. Assigned to Unit: Installers
    2. Life Cycle State: Pending
    3. Type: Installation
  3. Accept the Activity.
     

Start Progress and Complete Activities

Installer should

progress and complete the activity

The installer should:

  1.  'Start Progress of the Activity' at the beginning of the day.
  2. Once done, the Installer should update  Update 'Installation Service Time Spent'.
  3. Installer should then  'Complete the Activity'.
     

Complete and Bill bill the Jobjob

  1. Provided the installation was successful, the related Job job should be completed.
  2. Once 'Completed', the Job job should be billed.
  3. The Bill bill will include:
    1. Delivery Service: Fixed amount €10 from the Job Expenses
    2. Installation Service: €25 * 2 hours spent , i.e., €25 * 2 = €50 from the Activity Installation Service.
       

Communicate Bill

Send an Email to

Keep the customer updated  

  1. Email the customer regarding the activity and the time spent on the nstallationinstallation.
  2. Send an Email to the customer regarding the job, the installed hardware and the new subscription that was created.
  3. Send an Email to the customer providing information on the installation billing.
Note

You can also set up Event Based Communications to automatically send an email or message to Set up event-based communications to automatically notify the customer upon activity and job completion.

Note
titleNotes
  • If you are using a previous release, view CRM.COM Release Changes.
  • Use the WEB API to create and manage activities from an external system, such as a customer portal. View the Activities WEB API for a complete comprehensive list of available actions available through the WEB API.

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Glossary  

CRM.COM TermDefinition
JobA small project initiated by the operator for customers, involving the delivery and billing of services, products and activities. Customer requests and orders, such as that for a new subscription, can be initiated and registered through a job.
Service RequestUsed Request used to register problems that customers experience with their products and subscriptions and to check whether products are under warranty.
SubscriptionA selection of customer services billed on a recurring, usage or one-time basis.
LeadA potential opportunity for additional business. 
Resource SchedulingActions and methodology used by an organisation organization to efficiently allocate resources, plan their availability, request them for specific tasks and control their consumption , through business rules.
One Time -time ServiceA service provided and service (usually requested by the customer), which is provided and billed once, based on duration.
Price PlanA The set of rates at which a company offers goods and services to customers.  its products.  The plans are used by the billing engine to charge customer accounts receivables for purchases. Every billable product that is added to a subscription, job or activity must belong to at least one price plan. 

 

 

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