Customer Relationship Management

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Setup & Searching

This training is designed for office users using the QuickService CRM software.

It covers a CRM overview, Tasks, Activities, Notes, and work ticket and quote functions. Use the shortcut buttons below to skip ahead as needed.

The main CRM feature is a tab located in the customer section of QuickService. The CRM tab is designed for searching and working with Tasks. The screenshot below shows the CRM tab.

Think of a CRM Task as a goal. For example, a Task may be to sell a quoted job, schedule a PM visit, or collect an unpaid invoice. A Task is related to a customer. Each customer may have many Tasks to complete.

Tasks have Activities. An Activity is something done to complete the Task. For example, an Activity may be a phone call or email with the goal of selling a quoted job.

If the CRM tab is not visible on the Customer screen, go to Setup ➜ Preferences ➜ System Options ➜ Customers section.

Check the box to Show CRM Tab for Customer.

The CRM screen below shows details for one Task in the upper-left corner.

The upper-right corner shows information about a work ticket associated with this Task. A Task can be related to one work ticket, or to no work tickets.

The center of the screen lists all Activities for this Task. To see all Activities, check the box labeled Show Activities fir All Tasks.

The bottom of the screen lists contacts for this customer for easy reference.

Users can work with a list of Tasks by using the QuickService Search tab shown below.

The user first selects to search for CRM Tasks, and then enters other search criteria in the fields in the upper-left of the screen. In the screenshot below, the user searched for Tasks completed by employee ‘admin’.

To open up one Task, double-click it. The CRM tab screen will open with the selected Task open. This is shown in the second screenshot below.

After a user searches for a list of Tasks and to opens one up, the user can click the upper directional arrows in the screenshot below to scroll through the list of Tasks all belonging to this customer. On the previous Search screen, there were 4 Tasks assigned to Admin for Customer Mike Balak.

Clicking the lower directional arrows scrolls through all Tasks listed on the original Search screen. In the example below, there were 6 Tasks assigned to Admin. This feature is convenient if the user needs to call several different Customers in one day.

The second screenshot below shows 6 Tasks assigned to Admin, 4 of these are for Customer Mike Balak.

When using the directional arrows to scroll through the entire list of Tasks, the Customer record changes to match the Customer related to each Task. The Contact information changes on the bottom of the screen and users can click over on other tabs and view specific customer information.

In the screenshots below, the lower directional arrows are used to scroll between Tasks for different Customers. The Contact information on the bottom of the screen also changes. The top of the Task window displays the Customer & Location information.

Users can also view a list of Tasks from the Customer Tab. To view all a Customers Tasks, select the Customer tab, then select the Tasks tab in the center of the screen. The list of Tasks for the Customer are listed on the bottom-center of the screen.

Double-clicking a specific Task listed on the Customer screen opens the Task.

The Tasks for one Customer are also visible from the CRM screen by selecting the CRM Tasks tab in the center of the screen. This is shown in the second screenshot below. If the Tasks tabs are not available, go to Setup ➜ Preferences ➜ System Options ➜ Customers section. Check the boxes next to:

• Show CRM Tasks on Location Tab
• Show CRM Tasks on CRM Tab

Work Tickets & Quotes

A Task can also be associated with one specific Work Ticket or Quote. To link a Task with a Work Ticket or Quote, click the Assign to Work Ticket button on the right side of the screen.

Search for the correct Work Ticket. All Work Tickets listed for the same originally selected Customer. Double-click the correct Work Ticket.

The Work Ticket details section of the CRM screen shows the basic details of the related Work Ticket. Clicking the Add/View Work Ticket button on the right side of the screen opens that Work Ticket.

This feature is often used to sell quoted jobs, collect unpaid invoices, and schedule upcoming PMs.

The sequence of screenshots below shows:

A Task without a Work Ticket. The user clicks the Assign button on the right.
The Work Ticket search screen. The user double-clicks one.
The same Task now with a Work Ticket tied to it.
The actual Work Ticket after the user clicks Add/View Work Ticket.

To view Tasks directly from the Work Ticket screen, click on the More tab in the Action buttons on the right side of the window, click. Then click CRM Tasks.

The CRM Task pop-up window opens up listing all Tasks and Activities associated with that one Work Ticket. This layout and function of this screen is the same as using the customer CRM tab, except that the only Tasks and Activities here for the one Work Ticket.

From this screen, the Tasks and Activities listed can be edited, and new Tasks Activities can be created using the buttons on the right of the screen.

If a Work Ticket is tied to the Task, the Quick Distance button on the right of the Task screen takes the user directly to the Schedule Board with the Work Ticket highlighted in the bottom list of scheduled work tickets.

The scheduled Work Tickets already on the board are now-coded based on distance from the new, unscheduled Work Ticket. Their colors are not based on their Status.

This feature is frequently used in businesses with fast-paced scheduling & routing needs.

The Delete Task button allows users to delete a task.

Tasks

To create a new Task, open the correct Customer and select the CRM Task tab shown below, then click the Add Task button on the right of the screen. The new Task will default to the currently open Customer record.

Fill in details about the Task in the top-left section of the window after creating it; including things like Type, Priority, and Task Notes.

Click Save in the bottom-right corner once complete.

There are many different boxes and options in a Task. The list below explains some in more depth:

• Created Date Time: QuickService completes this based on the date and time the Task is created. It cannot be changed.
• Created By: QuickService completes this based on the user that creates the Task. It can’t be changed.
• Start Date: This is the original date the Task is scheduled. It cannot be changed after it is first saved.
• Start Time/End Time: This is used when a Task has a specific start time.
• Private: This field allows Task to only be seen by their creator, the person they are assigned to, and administrators. This may be useful when creating Tasks to collect unpaid invoices.
• Customer Notes: This field shows the Customer Notes from the Customer screen.
• Task Notes: This field is for users to make notes about the Task.
• Completed Date: QuickService sets this to the date the Task Status is changed to Complete. It cannot be changed.
• Completed By: QuickService selects the user who changed the Task Status to Complete. It cannot be changed.

The Task Type is a user defined code set up in the code tables. This field identifies the type of Task. Several examples are: Marketing, Quote, Customer Service, Complaint, Account Review, and Collections.

This field can be searched from the main Search screen. It cannot be changed by the user.

The Task Priority field is a user defined code set up in the code tables. This field identifies the importance of the Task. It is the same Priority codes used for Work Tickets.

This field can be searched from the main Search screen. It can be changed by the user.

Activities

To recap, a Task is a goal the user is trying to accomplish. This may be to sell a quoted job or collect an unpaid invoice. A Task is related to a customer.

Each Task has CRM Activities associated with it. An Activity is something a user does, like call or email the customer. Users complete Activities until a Task is completed.

CRM Activities are a trail of actions the user takes to accomplish a CRM Task. The purpose of Activities is to track the steps taken towards completing the Task.

Activities are completed using the Activity window. The user completes the Activity window information and the system records the activity record.

An open Activity is shown in the screenshot below.

Activities are used to change the Task. For example, an Activity is used to re-assign the Task to a new employee. An Activity is also used to mark a Task as successfully completed or Cancelled.

Task Status, dates, and assigned employees cannot be manually changed on the Tasks. An Activity must be used to change them.

To add a New Activity, click the New Activity button on the right side of the CRM screen. The new Activity window is shown in the second screenshot below.

Some Activity fields and functions:

• Activity Date & Activity Time: Assigned by the system and can’t be changed.
• Next Date: The Next Date in the Activity window automatically copies to the Task. The Activity updates the Next Date for the Task, so users know when to next address the Task. Some Result Codes automatically fill in the Next Date, and some Result Codes allow the user to manually assign the Next Date.
• Best Time: This box indicates the best time user should next work on the Task. The Best Time automatically copies to the Best Time field on the Task.
• Activity Notes: This box for users to enter notes about the Activity performed.
• Save and Exit: This button saves the existing activity and returns to the Task window.

The Activity Type field defines what type of Activity the user is taking. For example, an Activity Type might be an Email or Phone Call.

Activity Types are setup in the QuickService code tables, shown in the screenshot below.

Shortcuts to create new Activities are listed along the right of the CRM Tasks screen. They are listed below and shown in the third screenshot below:

• New Postcard: Opens an Activity window with the Activity Type automatically set as Postcard. Postcard Activities are typically used for marketing.
• New Letter: This option open an Activity window with Activity Type set as Letter.
• New Email: This option open an Activity window with Activity Type set as Email. An email window also opens for the user to send an email to the customer. After the user is done sending the email, they return to the Activity window and complete the Activity.
• Phone Call: This option opens an Activity window with Activity Type set as Phone. The user then completes the Activity.

The Auto Dialer feature allows users to dial a customer’s phone number by right-clicking the number they want to dial. An Activity window open with the Activity Type set as Phone. When the user is done with the phone call, the user completes the Activity.

The Auto Dialer feature uses your computer and internet connection to make the call. Contact an IT professional for assistance setting up this feature.

Using Activities to Change Tasks

CRM Activities are also used to change certain Task fields. This is to keep an accurate trail of who Completed, Cancelled or Re-assigned a Task to another employee.

The Task Status, who the Task is assigned to, Next Date, and Best Time can only be changed using Activities.

Using Activities to change Tasks is a more complicated function within the QuickService CRM. Details on how to skip using Activities to change Tasks are given near the end of this training.

After opening a Task and creating a new Activity, the user completes the Activity and records the results on the Activity screen.

The user assigns a Next Date and Best Time to the Activity, which changes the Task Next Date. These are the next date and time the user should perform an Activity towards completing the Task.

For example, a user completes a phone call Activity towards the Task of selling maintenance agreement. If the user is told to call back next week at 3pm, the Next Date and Time are 7 days from today at 3pm.

Once an Activity is saved it cannot be changed. To change the Next Date of a Task again, create a new Activity.

The Activity Result Code is an important part of the Activity window. It states the results of the Activity.

The Activity Result Code may change the Task Status and is used to assign the Task to another employee.

Result codes are set up in the code tables. The result code setup screen has the following parts:

• Result Code Id: Unique ID
• Result Code: Text description
• Automatically change Task Status to [select from list]
• Fill in Task Completed Date with today and Completed By User – [Yes or No]
• Fill in Next Date on Task – [enter number] of days from today’s date
• Allow user to complete Next Date field
• Fill in Activity Notes with [text entry]
• Allow user to change the Assigned To field

Several recommended Result Codes include: Task Reviewed, Task Completed, Task Re-Assigned, Task Cancelled, and Work Ticket Scheduled.

The Task Status includes 4 built-in codes that that can’t be changed. They are:

• Assigned: No Activities have been completed
• In Process: Activities have been completed
• Complete: Task has been completed
• Cancelled: Task has been cancelled

The Task Status cannot be manually changed. It is changed using Activities. To change the Task Status, change the Result Code in an Activity.

For example, if the Task is to successfully sell a quoted job, the user may create a phone call Activity to the customer to complete the Task. If the user successfully sells the quoted job, they change the Result Code to Task Complete, note in specific details, and close the Activity. This successfully closes the Task as well by changing the status to Complete.

The Assigned To field on Tasks indicates which employee is assigned to the Task. When a Task is first created, the Assigned To field defaults to the user that creates the task.

This field cannot be manually changed. It can be changed using Activities. An Activity Result Code can be set up to allow the user to re-assign the Task to a different employee.

To re-assign a Task, create a new Activity, select the Task Re-Assign Result Code and select another user in the Activity Assigned To box. This re-assigns the Task and creates a trail for management to follow if there is a problem with who the responsible for completing a specific Task.

Turning Off Activities

For some users, Activities are not needed and complicated. These users may only need to track CRM Tasks like selling a quote or scheduling a maintenance visit, and often have only 1 or 2 employees working on Tasks.

If so, Activity functions can be turned off the user can and manually change all Task fields. This is a much simpler, easier way to use the QuickService CRM.

Some companies have several employees using the CRM, or use it to collect unpaid invoices, manage customer complaints, or complete other sensitive Tasks. For these companies, using Activities with Tasks is recommended to maintain a log of which employees work on Tasks.

To turn off Activity functions, go to Setup ➜ Preferences ➜ System Options ➜ Customers section. Uncheck the box next to Use CRM Activities to Change Tasks.

The CRM Tasks screen with the Activity functions are turned off is pictured below.

All Tasks for this Customer are listed in the center of the screen. There is no Activities list tab.

The Task Status, Assigned employee, and Next Date can be directly changed by the user. When a Task is completed or cancelled, the user simply changes the Task Status. In the example below, the user made notes in the Task Notes field describing what was done on different dates.

There is no access to Activities below. New Activities can’t be created, even if the user wants to. Activity-related buttons along the right-side of the screen are gone.

All other CRM features like searching for Tasks, using directional arrows, viewing Customer Contacts, and attaching Tasks with work tickets or quotes work the same.

Additional Notes

The Additional Notes feature is another part of the QuickService CRM. Additional Notes are a separate notes field that have a date and subject attached to them. An Additional Note can be related to many different things like a Customer, Location, Work Ticket, Installed Equipment, Service Agreement, Installation Project, and more.

To create a new note, look for the Additional Notes button on the right side of the various screens. The Additional Notes button for a Location is shown below.

The bold Additional Notes button indicates that this Location already has at least 1 Additional Note.

A list of Additional Notes related to a Customer can be found by selecting the Additional Notes tab in the center of the screen. The notes listed are every note related to a Customer, including notes related to Invoices, Service Agreements, etc. for that Customer.

To turn this feature on, check the box in Setup ➜ Preferences ➜ System Options tab ➜ Customers section ➜ Show Additional Notes on Location Tab.

Pop-up messages are available in QuickService for both Customers and Work Tickets. The message pops up on the user’s screen when the Customer or Work Ticket is opened. This is may be to remind users of Customers with unpaid invoices that are not to be serviced, or Work Tickets that need a confirmation call before the technician is dispatched.

To create or edit pop-up messages, click the Pop-up Messages button on the right side of the Customer or Work Ticket screen.