Overview

CRM.COM is a highly configurable system which can be set up according to your line of business, your company's and your customers' country of residence and generally allows you to optimise clientele by going global in a seamless way. The platform module is used to configure regional and administrative settings associated with the operation of the system, such as supported currencies, languages, date settings and tax rates.

Gaining Access to CRM.COM

In order to start using CRM.COM you need to obtain a licence. The licence will determine permissions granted to the organization using the software, such as the application areas and modules that can be accessed and the number of users, subscribers and rewards participants that can be active at the same time.

In the absence of a valid license key or details:

• System access is limited to super users.
• General users can only access Configuration > System Settings. 

For licensing purposes, the number of active users or reward participants and subscribers is measured per organisation. Depending on the type of licence, restrictions are applied if the allowed number is exceeded.

If your licence has expired and you have been provided with a new licence you can update it yourself. From the Organisation License detail area click on Update Licence and in the Licence Details provide the encrypted text provided by CRM.COM before you SUBMIT.

Setting up CRM.COM for the first time

In this section you will find information regarding the necessary settings to get you started, while also customising CRM.COM based on your business needs.

System Settings

System Settings

In system settings you can provide overall settings and restrictions such as:

• Contact details regarding your business. e.g. the owner of the system.
  
• Default Country to be used by the system during the creation of records if not supplied by the user.
• Default Home Page displayed after login, if no alternative is specified by the user. The 'Organisation's default page' is also an option. 
• Enable Hot Keys
  • New (CTRL+ALT+N): Summary and Data Entry page
  • Save (CTRL+ALT+S): Data Entry page
  • Edit (CTRL+ALT+E): Data Entry page
  • Back (CTRL+ALT+B): Data Entry page
  • Home (CTRL+ALT+H)
  • Close (CTRL+ALT+X): Modal windows
  • Cancel (CTRL+ALT+C): Data Entry page

• Enable Automatic Search: Enables the display of quick search results after the last keystroke.

  • delay time (msec): The period between the last keystroke and the display of search results.

• Time Zone: Defined as a combination of UTC (Universal Time Coordinated) offset and DST (Daylight Saving Time). The supported options are populated based on the Olson Time Zone IDs. UTC is the default. Time zone can only be set once and then becomes read-only.

System Restrictions

In this section you can provide overall settings and restrictions such as:

The Maximum number of records retrieved (through the UI or Web API) for Super Users and Normal Users on each call. The restriction does not apply to reports or printouts.

Allowed File Types can be used to define the file (type) extensions that are permitted to be uploaded to the system. 

Organisation Settings

Organisation Login Page

Here you can customise the login page by providing a Background Image, provide your own company Login Logo which will be used across the system, including reports and printouts, as well as provide the Contact Us Link and Legal & Privacy Link which are shown at the bottom of the landing page.

Organisation Information

Additional information with regard to the organisation is available here such as the Database Name and Database Type, Database Version Number, Application Version Number and the Industry.

Portal settings

If you will be integrating to a portal from where your customers will have access to their accounts, then you can configure the Portal logo and the Portal colour theme through the Portal Settings.

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Setting up Taxes

As part of CRM.COM Billing Module, Taxes are applied during the generation and posting of various financial transactions. Taxes are applied based on the product being included in a financial transaction and the location of the account owner. CRM.COM allows setting up various taxes which are applied during various billing processes and while posting financial transactions. The whole process is managed by CRM.COM so Taxes and tax rates must always be up-to-date. Refer to the Manual tax setup section  for further information.

An alternative solution is to use an online Tax Service which has the exact same responsibilities, i.e. identify and apply Taxes as well as keeping any Tax increase or decrease up-to-date.

Online taxation service

In case that you choose to tax products with an online taxation service then all other tax configuration in CRM.COM is ignored. To enable Online taxation service you need to enable it though Configuration > Finance > Setup Financial Transaction Settings > Taxation Settings. CRM.COM is already integrated with ONESOURCE Indirect Tax service which can be used. Enable online taxation service and provide the required information as supplied by Onesource Indirect Tax service.

Manual tax setup

Tax rates are applied to products during billing, depending on the customer's country of residence. Tax rates can also vary depending on the product (e.g., pharmaceutical or educational) and on location. Multiple rates can be defined and used across the software. Each rate can have more than one applicable value over non-overlapping periods. Multiple rates may be configured for the same period and applied to different products or applied to the same product based on location conditions (the account owner's billing address). 

To set up your tax model you need to configure the Tax Codes and Tax Rates Definition where you will define the generic business rules that will be applied when creating and maintaining Tax Rates. 

As part of the Tax Rate definition, you can create tax rates to Apply to Tax Exempt Account owners during billing, these are Accounts where Tax Exempt has been enabled.

Tax Codes

Tax Codes are used for grouping various tax rules and rates. A tax code can be used to identify the applied taxes across financial transactions and export this information to other financial systems.

When configuring taxes make sure you take into consideration the following fields and configure according to your business needs. 

• Tax Name: A unique tax name.
• Tax Code : Used to group tax rates applied during billing together. When Tax Rates are created, the Tax Code to which they apply must be selected. When creating new products in the system you can apply taxes on them by specifying a Tax code.
• Classification: Provides a business classification to all tax rates of the specified tax code. Exceptions can be specified for each code based on account classifications to exclude the account from being taxed during billing. E.G., a hospital could be in a classification excluded from taxes. Available values are:
  • VAT
  • Tax Exempt
  • Other

• Description: A brief description of the tax code.

Tax rates 

For each rate you need to define its Tax Code which can be used for financial reporting and is required when the same type of tax is different across locations.  E.g., Sales tax is 9.98% in Louisiana and 8.92% in Washington. Two different tax rates with the same tax code must be configured. Other important information is:

• Country (stated in the customer billing address) associated with the specific tax rate. Used when a multi-country business network is enabled in General Settings.
• Period Rates: Different periods can be defined for each tax rate as long as periods do not overlap (defined using From date (inclusive) and To date (exclusive)). You can set up the rate which will be applicable for each period.
• Location Conditions include a list of criteria that should be met in order for the tax rate to be applied. More than one tax rate can be defined for the same product and applied according to location conditions. The system determines the appropriate rate by matching the conditions to location information defined in the customer's billing address. Multiple sets of conditions can be specified and one or more should be met in order for the rate to be applied. Each condition set includes a value for one or more of the following: Country, District, and Area. The values that must be specified for each period rate are determined by the tax definition. 
• Applied on Products: Define the Product, Product Type, Product Family or Product Category that the rate should be applied to. On creating a product of product family or product type or product category which has a defined rate, the rate will be made available on the product and the user can enable or disable accordingly. There is also an option for the tax rate to be Applied on all products.

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Automating Address Registration

CRM.COM is integrated with 2 address registry systems to facilitate the accurate registration of addresses. 

• Melissa Data: The Melissa Data address registry provides worldwide address search and verification. The verification takes place either dynamically while users type-in addresses or manually upon user request. The following functions can be made available in the system and accessed when registering addresses from contacts, subscriptions, accounts and rewards participants:
  • Auto-suggestion of addresses while typing in an address field.
  • Quick or advanced searches in an address registry.
  • Verification of addresses based on registry information.
  • Look up based on postal code.
• Google Places: Google Places API is a service that returns information regarding geographic locations using HTTP requests. Once enabled and configured, matches are made available as the user types an address.

Melissa registry

Melissa registry offers a variety of options in regards to address taking. To use each of its features you will need to enable them through Address Registry Settings.

• Using Auto-Suggestion automatically provides possible address values while the user is typing. The system forwards the input to the address registry and the registry returns suggestions. Proposed addresses are presented in a pop-up. Once the user selects a suggested address, the remaining fields are automatically filled in, using information from the address registry system.
  If autosuggestion is enabled while typing an address, and the value corresponds to a single match in the Melissa Database, then it is applied automatically. If multiple matches are found, then the required address must be selected from the modal window.

• Using address registry Verification, addresses registered in CRM.COM are matched to addresses in an authoritative registry system (Melissa Data in this case). The checking process can be performed by the system when new or modified address information is saved or requested by the user. 
  Upon taking an address you can click on VERIFY ADDRESS and the system will forward the address fields and attempt to match them to those in Melissa Data. If there is no match for the address then the user is informed and can try again. Incorrect addresses can still be saved. The address can also be automatically verified once you save the address. The system will forward the address fields and attempt to match them to those in Melissa Data.  If there is no match for the address, then the user is informed and can try again. Addresses cannot be saved unless they are correct.

• Address registry Lookup is used to search the address registry system using 'Quick' or 'Advanced' searches.
  • To use quick search click on Quick Search to open the address modal and provide Full Address and click on Search. Any of the address fields can be entered and all matches will be returned. Separate each field with a comma (e.g., Elia Papakyriakou, Nicosia, Cyprus).
  • To use Advanced search address registry lookup, click on Advanced Search to open the address modal, provide the known fields and click on Search.
• Lookup based on Postal Code Settings is used to automatically retrieve U.S. city and state information using the ZIP code, based on address information present in an Address Registry System. The Express Postal Code process will also be available through the Web API.

Google places

To use the Google Places Autocomplete feature, a company must set it up in the system and also:

• Google Maps JavaScript API.
• Google Places API Web Service.

To use the feature simply type the address and select one of the suggested results.

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Setting up a Multi-Country Business Network Solution

The need for business to go global has been increasing rapidly over the years. Using CRM.COM you can expand your network over multiple countries while controlling everything from a single access point. In the following section are explanations of some main features that can be set up in the system to serve and manage customers from around the world.

Enable multi-country business network 

If your business network expands over multiple countries the first thing you need to do is to state it in the settings by enabling the option Enable multi-country business network

Configuring countries

Country definitions

Use the Countries option to configure which countries will be available for selection in the system. The default country set under System Settings is the one applied to new contacts and users.

For each registered country provide the Dialing Code, Currency, Language and Time Zone settings which will be registered in the system for customers residing in that country. 

 Supported countries

Once countries are configured you can select which of those countries will be available for selection by the users wherever required in the Supported Countries and/or Selected Countries. If you wish to make all countries available then select All System Countries.

Configuring currencies

Another major requirement when setting up a multi-country business is the multiple currencies. Use Currencies to configure supported currencies, to select a currency double-click on the currency code.

The default currency set under System Settings is used to express prices and rates for plans, usage service catalogs, reward offers and additive discounts. While person and company accounts are allowed to have one of the supported currencies, the system accounts always have the system's currency.

Unless specified otherwise when the account is created, the default currency is used. A currency must have an 'Effective' life cycle state and an exchange Rate to be used on an account (defined using Rate Period). The life cycle state of a currency is 'Not Effective' by default and can be toggled through the actions Set As Effective and Set As Not Effective in the Currencies page.  

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Setting up a multilingual environment

CRM.COM is an English based application, however this doesn't mean that it's only restricted for English speaking users. Glossary Terms allows you to translate all labels, instructions, tips, warnings, error messages, search modals, and dashboards into any language you wish.

Once the language translations are set in the system you can select for each user individually the language with which they will be viewing/using the system or you can set a language other than English as the default system language.

Throughout the system there are two types of languages:

• System Language: The language used for all labels, tips, warnings and error messages across CRM.COM, including the values of select boxes, radio buttons and other elements that consist of fixed values. 
• Native Language:  The language used for additional information displayed when the mouse is placed over labels.

Translating the system

The Glossary Utility is composed of a number of actions that can be used for the creation and maintenance of translated terms. 

62566436 that includes all CRM.COM terms (in English). Translate the terms using an external Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tool such as MateCat. Once the terms are translated, import them in CRM.COM by using the Add Language Translation action.  A glossary that has already been translated and uploaded can be kept up to date through the Export Glossary Translation and Import Glossary Translation actions. It is also possible to Delete Language Translations that are no longer necessary.

• Export Glossary Translation: The action is used to export translated glossary terms in the XLIFF format, in order to make corrections and additions. The three available export options (types) are
  1. All Terms (translated or not)

  2. Non-Translated Terms

  3. Translated Terms

     Using CAT tools to translate the Glossary Terms

     We recommend using the MateCat Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tool, directly available through the Chrome or Safari browser.

• Import Glossary Translation: The action is used to import translated glossary terms in the XLIFF format, in order to make corrections or amendments by adding or removing terms. The two available types are:
  1. Replace Existing Translation (to remove all current and add new translated terms)
  2. Amend Existing Translation (to add new or correct existing terms) 

From the Actions menu option you can: 

1. Add Language Translation: The action is used to add a new language, by selecting it and an XLIFF file that contains the translation. Once a new language is added, it becomes available the next time the user logs in.

2. Delete Language Translation: The action is used to delete a translated language.

3. Download XLIFF template: This action is used to download an XLIFF template to be translated. The English source values are automatically populated in the downloaded file. If 'Download Template Translated in English' is selected, then target values are also populated with English terms. If 'Download Template with No Translation' is selected, then the target values in the file are left empty.
   

   Using CAT tools to translate the Glossary Terms

   We recommend using the MateCat Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tool, directly available through the Chrome or Safari browser.

   Translated terms must be uploaded back into CRM.COM.  Refer to the Platform manual for further information. 

4. Import Custom Translated Terms: This process is responsible for importing and updating (replacing or amending the existing file) glossary terms that are already translated for a language.

Setting a language as the default system language

Once you have translated all CRM.COM terms, you can then set the language you would like to set as the Default System Language and the Default Native Language on this screen. 

Additionally, specify all the Supported Languages which will be made available on setting system and native languages to users or when selecting a contacts preferred language of communication.

Applying translated languages to users

Once the system is translated and the system supported languages are set, you can then define the System Language for each user, this is the language with which they will be using the system.

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Customising CRM.COM

You can set up the system to use settings such as date, time and holidays which are relevant to your country of residence. Numbering schemes on the other hand will allow you to determine how the records in the system will be numbered. For example, whether subscriptions will be numeric or alphanumeric whether they will have a prefix etc.

Setting up system formatting

Formatting settings define restrictions in data entry, such as:

• Date and time format
  
• Number formatting (including Decimal and thousand symbols and Number of decimal digits)
• The format of 'person' and 'company' contact details, addresses, phones numbers, demographics as well as product code

In the Contact Formatting Settings you can provide 2 types of formatting for each of the fields:

• Simple Formatting: Sets restrictions on the minimum and maximum number of characters.
• Advanced Formatting: Uses a regular expression to validate the field. The regular expression specifies the pattern that the value must follow to be accepted by the system.

Additionally for phones and addresses it is possible to create a different formatting rule which will be applied per type.

Address Formatting settings provide you the option to select between CRM.COM address format or an international format. See the difference between CRM.COM and international address format fields in the table below:

Product Formatting Settings allow you to provide a format which will be applicable on the Product Code. Product Code can be used to represent the product's SKU so it depends on the company's business rules whether the product code should be formatted in a specific way.

Setting up numbering schemes

CRM.COM uses an automatic numbering scheme to identify various entities (e.g., invoices). The configuration of the scheme determines the format of the sequence codes by specifying the Number Scheme Prefix and the Number of numerical digits. Information of the Latest Used Number in the sequence is available.

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Other Settings

Order-taking limitation based on customer location

Ensuring compatibility across releases

Compatibility settings ensure that features remain compatible across releases. You can enable or disable the following two features

• Legacy subscription actions : The following legacy subscription actions are replaced by 'Amend Services and Installed Items' subscription actions: 
  • Add Service
  • Remove Service
  • Add Installed Item
  • Remove Installed Item
  • Change Subscription Distributions
• Legacy WEB API Log Information: The following WEB API information included in the response of a WEB API will be made available if enabled.

  • created_by_unit (object as reference)

    • group_name

    • community_name

  • updated_by_unit (object as reference)

    • group_name

    • community_name

  • updated_by_user (object as reference)

    • person_name

    • email

  • created_by_user (object as reference)

    • person_name

    • email

Upload and reuse of attachments

Attachments are the files or URLs that can be attached on specific entities (e.g., a contract on a subscription) or to a central library (e.g., a policy agreement template that can be accessed and downloaded by all users).

Attachment Classifications group attachments of a similar business function. Classifications can be configured in the system and provided with every attachment. 

Users can upload attachments such as files or URLs to the Attachments Library. Attachments are organisation (not customer) specific and can be used by third-party systems that integrate with CRM.COM, such as a mobile app or web portals.

Note that attachments uploaded to CRM.COM are subject to restrictions which are set in the System Restrictions and found at Configuration > System Settings > Set up General Settings > Organisation Settings > System Restrictions.

More precisely you can set Upload Max File Size (KB) and the Allowed File Types (which can be uploaded to the system).

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Setting up metadata attributes

Metadata is a set of data that describes and gives information about other data. Metadata attributes cover the need to provide extra information on various CRM.COM entities which are not covered by the system already. For example you can use metadata attributes on a product to provide additional characteristics which are only relevant to the specific product, such as provide colour, size, and sleeve length for a shirt.

Multiple metadata attributes can exist in the system, and they can be used by multiple different entities.

Each Metadata attribute can have :

• The Key identifying the metadata attribute which must be unique
• The Label that will be displayed on screen
• The Data Type specifying whether the metadata is of  type Integer, Float, String, Boolean, Date
• A Value Set which is a set of values (information) that will be available when the attribute is used on an entity
• The Default Value that should be set when the attribute is used on an entity.

In order to provide a metadata attribute on an entity, it will first need to be defined as allowed through its entity's type. So taking products as an example, once you create a metadata attribute you then include the product in the Allowed Metadata Attributes of the Product Type definition where you can define whether the attribute is mandatory or not. On creating a product of that product type the user will be prompted to provide information on that attribute. For example, colour yellow.

Setting up usage zones

Usage Zone Types can be used to define the characteristics that classify and group usage detail records (UDRs).

Usage Zones are a set of characteristics which group usage services together in order to differentiate the behavior of the system in specific cases. Can be based on metadata attributes, and used in various modules as conditions.

For example, you can use a usage zone to classify UDRs of certain characteristics and then differentiate pricing of UDRs that belong to a usage zone or provide an additive discount if a UDR being billed belongs to a specific zone.

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Setting up reusable holidays, recurring day/time periods

Date/Time models are used to define periods in time which cover different time ranges over one or multiple days and which can be used in various entities of CRM.COM. For example, Price Plan tiered rates of usage services where different rates can be provided for peak hours and off peak hours based on the time of usage.  

They can be used to define:

• specific periods within a day e.g. peak hours, 
• specific periods for specific days. e.g. weekdays peak hours, weekends peak hours
• specific days. e.g. public holidays, religious holidays

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Managing Batch Processes

Batch processes are responsible for handling multiple records simultaneously, such as billing or deactivating all unpaid subscriptions, or sending notifications to customers. As the execution of batch processes requires server power it is possible to define the number of threads used in batch processes. If the thread number is not defined per process, you can set a default number according to the hardware that you are using, to avoid crashing of processes.

Set the Default Number of Threads for Batch Processes via Configuration > System Settings > Set up General Settings > Organisation Settings > System Restrictions section.

Setting up scheduler settings

Scheduler settings determine the rules applied when running batch processes through the scheduler engine. It includes a list of the application servers that are registered for the specific organisation and are 'Enabled' to run scheduled processes through the scheduler engine. All registered servers (which share the same ECENTER) are loaded automatically. Server registrations are created automatically whenever a user logs into the server using the specific credentials.

Through the Scheduler Enabled Application Servers you can 'Enable' or 'Disable' the scheduler for each application server and to define if the scheduler will be started automatically on certain servers. The default server used for each organisation must also be defined.

Use the Allowed Scheduler Processes, to define which application server will be responsible for running each process.  

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Batch Process Admin Board

The board offers a collective view of batch processes that have been executed or are in line for execution, including Recurring system processes (no need for user intervention) and user-defined processes (configured and triggered by the user). From each user defined process you can configure the logging method which will define whether logs kept will include only errors or both erroneous and successful processing. In the table below you can see a list of all the processes for which you can find information on the board.

Health monitoring utility

System Health Monitoring is a set of utilities that run automatically within CRM.COM in order to detect damaged system processes, or to identify processes that were misconfigured or not configured at all in the system, and by doing so to prevent any erroneous and unexpected system behaviour. More specifically it can identify batch processes which:

• Although recurring were not scheduled to be executed.
• Stopped executing or cannot be scheduled to be executed because of an error. For example, the application server's scheduler is 'Not Effective' and logs an error.

Use Email Notifications section to configure the notifications to be sent to users regarding errors, warnings, and updates by email.

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