How can I seperate scheduled calls, meetings and tasks from 'background' issues?

Hi! 

We currently are using SugarCRM Enterprise for sales, account management and customer support. 

We are a B2B software provider. I'd like to optimise my Sugar experience for my personal role.

We work in such a way that I convert leads to new bussiness and at the same time I am responsible for the account management and renewal of their contracts. 

I use the Sugar calendar quite a lot for scheduled meetings, calls and tasks, and that works like a charm. However, I can't seem to create an overview or workflow for myself where I can view and keep track of current 'issues' for specific accounts (wheter that be a client or lead), WITHOUT planning a call, meeting or task purely as a reminder for myself (so not as an appointment, for what it is actually intended). 

This clogs my calendar and is highly annoying. I'd like a separation between my calendar with only real planned meetings, tasks and calls on one hand, and on the other hand an overview of accounts where there is an issue or that needs focus on the background. 

Can someone help me to create this? Maybe share some tips? 

Thanks massively in advance!

Kind regards,


Ronnie 

Parents
  • Hi Ronnie,

    Yea, thats annoying.
    And workflow wont work: we tried it out for ourselves some years ago

    But the good news is that no need to create anything custom.
    Because having both - overview of 'issues' and list of future todos in two hands is possible in Sugar with two addons

    Overview future efforts in one hand:
    Need ToDo Viewer (https://integroscrm.com/need-todo-viewer/) provides user with capability to configure feeds and overview all the planned efforts in a form of prioterized feed (both'n'separately - regular activities and just dates to control, e.g. licenses expiration dates, keeping your calendar clean from other activities but regular) per portfolio of Accounts/Leads/Contacts/ect as well as provide structure of such planned efforts.

    Overview and manage key events in other hand (prior performing any actions):
    TimeLine Viewer (https://integroscrm.com/timeline-viewer/) provides collecting key events that matter in terms of relationships (you call them 'issues') keeping your focused on them
    And it works for tracking per portfolio or records, e.g. Accounts.

    Drop me a line at dmytro.chupylka@integroscrm.com or skype me chupilka_dima and lets find time for demo this week

    All the best,

    Dmytro Chupylka
    VP consulting for Integros

    Best Regards,
    Dmytro Chupylka

    integroscrm.com
    We make work in Sugar CRM system faster, more convenient and efficient

  • If it is only for one Module (Accounts), why don't you define a custom reminder_date in studio for Accounts and then define a dashlet on the home page or where else which lists all Accounts sorted by the reminder_date? And by the way you could add another checkbox or dropdown which definies that there is an urgency or even the grad of urgency.

    Just try to customize your daily workflow by some new fields.  

    Harald Kuske
    Principal Solution Architect – Professional Services, EMEA
    hkuske@sugarcrm.com
    SugarCRM Deutschland GmbH

  • Hi Ronnie van der Linden,

    However, I can't seem to create an overview or workflow for myself where I can view and keep track of current 'issues' for specific accounts (wheter that be a client or lead), WITHOUT planning a call, meeting or task purely as a reminder for myself (so not as an appointment, for what it is actually intended). 

    As simple as it is: Cases!

    This module is not only for Support, its functionality includes every type of "request" handling and keeping track of it. No matter if your company is using caes or not (your admin should be able to define at least a case type for "customer sales / accounting issue" to separate it from other support team issues) log every issue/request/whatever as a case.

    Now go ahead and use listview dashlets to keep track of it.

    Ask the admin for a date o date time field to add a "due date" (if you have enterprise it can be made visible only to you via role based views)

    Costs: 10 to 30 min of work for the admin

    Benefit: a happy sales guy

    ps.: Let me know if you need more input on this

    Bests

    Björn Canales Pfisterer

    Technical Support Manager

    provalida GmbH

  • Hello Björn, 

    I can't thank you enough. After some adjustments, I can fully use cases for my account management and stuff that is happening on the background! This finally seperates my agenda and cases that need attention. Life saver!

    One question regarding the cases module: I need to let the admin add a 'due date' option. Would this give me a pop up / reminder? Or is it just another way to filter? 

    Thank you! 

  • Hi Ronnie van der Linden,

    I'm happy that this out-of-the box solution is working for you :-)

    unfortunately, the pop-up notification only works with activities (meetings, calls etc.) but not for cases.

    Personally, I have some listview dashlets on a Cases dashboard that are sorting the records by type, time etc.

    In case of you need an extra reminder, a SugarBMP (former advanced workflow) can send you an email but this requires SugarCRM Enterprise

    ps.: don't forget to mark this thread as solved once all your questions have been answerd ;-)

    Bests

    Björn Canales Pfisterer

    Technical Support Manager

    provalida GmbH

  • Totally agree with Björn, and glad to hear that case due date for cases works for you on the early stage of Sugar usage!

    However, considering the list of responsibilities mentioned ("convert leads to new bussiness and at the same time I am responsible for the account management and renewal of their contracts")  there should be quite a number of dates to control and a lot of events to stay aware of and manage via numerous Sugar subpanels and objects.


    As I've said, workflow hardly works, because its quite an exhausting user experience of creating cases for ourselves, because its similar to creating new task for yourself to make each step in 5-miles journey. 

    So please keep in mind that as soon as you get tired and "bottleneck" in Sugar usage appear, the systemic solution for solving this challenge already exists.

    All the best, 

    Dmytro

    Integros

     

    Best Regards,
    Dmytro Chupylka

    integroscrm.com
    We make work in Sugar CRM system faster, more convenient and efficient

Reply
  • Totally agree with Björn, and glad to hear that case due date for cases works for you on the early stage of Sugar usage!

    However, considering the list of responsibilities mentioned ("convert leads to new bussiness and at the same time I am responsible for the account management and renewal of their contracts")  there should be quite a number of dates to control and a lot of events to stay aware of and manage via numerous Sugar subpanels and objects.


    As I've said, workflow hardly works, because its quite an exhausting user experience of creating cases for ourselves, because its similar to creating new task for yourself to make each step in 5-miles journey. 

    So please keep in mind that as soon as you get tired and "bottleneck" in Sugar usage appear, the systemic solution for solving this challenge already exists.

    All the best, 

    Dmytro

    Integros

     

    Best Regards,
    Dmytro Chupylka

    integroscrm.com
    We make work in Sugar CRM system faster, more convenient and efficient

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