In the first installment we discussed why it is so important for your CRM system to not only be integrated with Outlook but to be WELL integrated with Outlook. We also learned that I use both the client and the Salesforce.com client on a daily basis which puts me in a fairly unique position to be able to compare the effectiveness of each. Which brings us to…
Reason # 3, How Many Clicks Does It Take?
The majority of emails sent from Outlook during the work day are business related and therefore should be related to a record in CRM. The process to relate and send an email should be as simple and quick as possible so that CRM users will actually do it. I thought it would be interesting to see how many clicks it takes to track an email in Salesforce.com integration to Outlook and in Dynamics CRM Client for Outlook. For my experiment, I am tracking an email sent to two recipients, with one attachment, related to a CRM record (Case, Opportunity, etc.), in Outlook 2007.
The result is that it takes NINE click actions in Salesforce.com integration for Outlook versus as many as FIVE (and as few as THREE) in Client for Outlook. Fewer clicks = higher user adoption = better CRM results.
In Salesforce.com integration for Outlook:
[click] on the ‘Salesforce.com’ ribbon
[click] on the ‘Send and Add’ button
[double click] on the contact you want to associate the email to
[click] on the ‘Related To’ tab
[click] to drag the column border over so you can read the contents
[double click] to select the related CRM record
[click] on the Attachments tab
[click] the ‘Yes – add selections below…’ button to enable attachment saving
[click] the ‘Add to Salesforce.com’ button
In Dynamics CRM client for Outlook:
[click] the ‘Set Regarding’ button
[click] the type of record you want to relate the email to
[click] the lookup button after typing your search text
[double click] to select the record you want to relate the email to
[click] the ‘Send’ button on the email
If the Dynamics CRM record you are relating the email to is one of the last 7 you have used (as is often the case) then the number of clicks is reduced to 3:
[click] the ‘Set Regarding’ button
[click] to select the record you want to relate the email to
[click] the ‘Send’ button on the email
By–
