Microsoft Dynamics CRM is built to be user friendly so that it makes operations streamlined and efficient while still being complex enough to handle your needs. Once you dive in and utilize Dynamics CRM, you will find any information about your clients and campaigns right at your fingertips.
Here are a few tips to help make the most out of the software and achieve a competitive advantage.
Using Filters
Microsoft Dynamics CRM reporting allows users to retrieve and display results quickly. They are built on a relational database compliant with modern tools for retrieving and analyzing data, allowing the reports to be customized as needed. Reports that return large data sets can be difficult to use and can cause performance issues. To limit that frustration, use data filters.
In addition to data filtering supported by Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, Microsoft Dynamics CRM supports data pre-filtering. Data pre-filtering can be used to:
- Make reports context-sensitive by narrowing the scope of a report to return data that is more relevant.
- Retrieve and display a result set faster because only relevant data is returned.
- Allow the report to be filtered using the Advanced Find feature.
To use a filter, go into a list view and click on the Filter icon in the ribbon. Arrows will appear by each column. You can do a simple filter by clicking A to Z, Z to A, or even choose if the column contains or does not contain data.
If you want to find out how many accounts are in the Manufacturing industry, just click the dropdown, choose “equals”, type in the word “Manufacturing”, click okay, and the list now contains all of your accounts that are in manufacturing. You can also drill down on any column you want to filter. This is a more intuitive way to supply a parameter to the report than using visible parameters on the report.
Using Activity Reports
Activities such as appointments, phone calls, tasks, and e-mails are core Microsoft Dynamics CRM functions and great indicators of how your users are interacting with your customers and how actively users are adopting Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Scheduling tasks and maintaining a history of activities between users and clients are critical steps for creating happy customer relationships. Microsoft Dynamics CRM includes pre-built activity reporting that can be filtered for specific cases, opportunities, users, and activity types. This provides an easy way for account, sales, and case managers to organize and prioritize task and activity information. It also serves as a great starting point for creating more detailed, customized activity reports.
For basic activity reporting, such as activity lists or viewing a count of activities by type or by user, consider using the out of the box views and charts. The report will gather Activity Feeds usage information for the selected month and produce the following statistics about the organization:
- Number of Accounts
- Number of Open Calls
- Number of Completed Calls
- Number of Sent Emails
- Summary number of calls per day
- Summary number of calls between a period of time
How to use Activity Reports:
1. Open Microsoft Dynamics CRM in your browser; go to Workplace > Reports
2. Select the “New” button from the ribbon at the top to open a new Report window
3. In the new Report window, Select “Existing File” for the Report Type
4. Select “Browse” to specify the path to the report.
5. Name the report
6. Click Save and Close
After the report has been uploaded, it should show in the Report: Available Reports view under Workplace > Reports. From here you can run the report by selecting it and clicking “Run Report” from the ribbon. The report will help you not only to catch up with the things going on within your organization but also understand how each team member is doing.
For a high level estimate of your investment in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, please use our FREE “Microsoft Dynamics CRM Quick Quote Tool”. This tool gives you a great starting point for assessing your potential investment in a World Class CRM Business Solution.
If you have additional questions or would like to learn more about what Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 can do for your company, please contact Turnkey Technologies, Inc. today to set up a Free Discovery Call or Trial at 636-237-2280 or email [email protected].
By Stephanie Manning & Michael Ramatowski at Turnkey Technologies, Inc. – Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri Microsoft Gold Certified Dynamics CRM & Microsoft Gold Certified Dynamics GP Partner.
