Updated · Originally published
Salespeople love mobile CRM. Rarely do they care how it is actually accomplished, they just know that when they can access information quickly on their phone or tablet, everyone is happier and deals close faster.
And there are certain people within your organization who will be very happy to know these technical tips from the ForgeXRM CRM team. This is what you need to know to make it all work.
1) Evolution of CRM for Phones
Prior to version 2011 there was no mobile application that would support Microsoft Dynamics CRM. CRM 2011 saw the introduction of Mobile Express form in CRM. The form is still available to support the CRM for Phone Express mobile app.
- Microsoft CRM 2011 led to the rise of ‘The CRM for Phone Express’
- With CRM 2013, there was an evolution of a different app known as ‘CRM for Phones’ which was better than its predecessor.
- With a New Layout, this was the future of Microsoft CRM.
2) Now the Dynamics 365 Mobile Application “Dynamics 365 for Phones”
There are several changes/improvements when you compare CRM for Phone Express App versus the Dynamics 365 for Phones.
- CRM for Phone Express does not have dashboards.
- Simple form load, read-only view showing only the fields that contain data.
- Absence of BPF’s and stages.
- Dynamics 365 for phones has dashboards.
- Pinned items on the Home reveal the default mobile.
- Business process flows are present.
Since the ‘CRM for Phones’ (MS CRM 2013) launch, there has been a great improvement in the app with each CRM update. The most recent being the unified interface and
Web-Resource/Iframes support. The July 2017 update has major changes that will be reflected with release of Microsoft Customer Engagement 9.0.
- Currently with CRM 2016 update -1, features like ‘Offline support’ and ‘Dashboards’ have been added for the first time.
- The main app is called the ‘Dynamics 365 for Phones’ by Microsoft.
- Available for iPhones via app-store (for windows phone go to Windows app store and for Android phones go to Play store)
3) Dynamics 365 Mobile Application Requirements
Microsoft Dynamics 365 on-premises deployments require Internet Facing Deployment (IFD) for users to access their data on their tablets/Phones. If you have your Microsoft Dynamics 365 website available over the internet but it is not using the Microsoft Dynamics 365 IFD configuration, it is not supported
- Tablet support requires Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Fall ‘13 or later, or Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 or later
- For on-premises deployments of Dynamics 365, the mobile apps require an of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Server that uses claims-based authentication
- If you have your Microsoft Dynamics 365 website available over the internet but it is not using the Microsoft Dynamics 365 IFD configuration, it is not supported !
Dynamics 365 for phones requires and can only connect to:
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 2015 Update 1 (online) or later (Windows Phone, iPhone, and Android)
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 (on-premises) or later (Windows Phone, iPhone, Android)
The Dynamics 365 for Phone is only supported for these devices:
4) Required Privileges in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Mobile
The ‘Dynamics 365 for Mobile’ privilege was known as ‘CRM for mobiles’ privilege in the earlier versions (CRM 2016 or earlier).
For CRM 2016 or earlier, the Privileges ‘CRM for mobile’ and CRM for phone express can be found under the ‘Business Management’ tab in the Privilege Related Privileges section of each of the security roles.
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 uses a security privilege, Dynamics 365 for mobile
- Go to Settings > Security > Security roles
- Choose a Security Role > Business Management tab
- In the Privacy Related Privileges section, verify that Dynamics 365 for mobile is set to Organization. If not, click Dynamics 365 for Mobile
- Click Save and Close to save the changes to the security role
- This privilege is pre-configured for Sales roles, but not other security roles
5) Things to know about Dynamics 365 for Phones/Tablets
- The quick create button (+) in the app uses the ‘Quick Create’ form, if available!
- Form rendering is done via the main form (with restricted fields) in sequence, on opening of an existing record
- Forms in Dynamics 365 for tablets are limited to 5 tabs (or 75 fields and 10 lists). This limit includes hidden fields
- Activity Feeds and Yammer are not supported in Dynamics 365 for tablets
6) Dynamics 365 for phones versus Dynamics 365 for tablets
There are a few differences between Dynamics 365 for phones and Dynamics 365 for tablets
- Simple lists are not available in Dynamics 365 for phones. Instead, use the command bar … and click Select View to change your view
- Duplicate detection is not available.
- The Open in browser feature is not available.
7) Configuring Dashboards
- Dashboard creation remains the same as the web client.
- The mobile Dashboards were introduced with CRM 2016 update 1.
- To make it available for mobile, navigate to settings > Customize the System > Dashboards > Select the Required Dashboard > Click on Properties > Check ‘Enable for mobile’
8) Limitations of the Dynamics 365 Mobile Application
- Iframe and web resource support is limited in the mobile application.
- Out-of-the-box related records filtering does not work in the mobile client.
- Some CRM JavaScript SDK methods are not supported.
- Default values for out-of-the-box fields do not get populated.
- Quick view forms are not supported.
- The default create form is the quick create form for the entity. So, the quick create form needs to be disabled for the entity to display the complete create form.
- Out-of-the-box duplicate detection rules also do not work in the mobile clients.
- jQuery is not supported. If it is embedded in any library, it will make the app crash.
- Tip – Avoid using the back button much; it is better to use the home button and then navigate to the required entity.
9) Recent Updates
These updates are available with Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement 9.0.
- Unified Interface, which provides key accessibility and responsive design benefits.
- Current users will not need to download an update from the app store; only a server update is required.
- New navigation – provides access to pinned records in Sales, Marketing, and more areas.
- Action can be taken on record without opening it (Delete, Assign, Close).
- iFrames and Web Resource support.
- iFrames and web resources in forms and dashboards added will be enabled for Phones as well.
10) Best practices for securing Dynamics 365 data on the app
- Data transmission. Dynamics 365 for tablets requires I.F.D., so when your organization’s mobile devices synchronize Dynamics 365 data with your online or on-premises Dynamics 365, the data is encrypted with Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
- Cached data. Dynamics 365 for phones and Dynamics 365 for tablets only cache records and lists that you’ve recently accessed in the app.
- Encrypting cached data. Cached data is not encrypted. Use BitLocker to encrypt the entire hard drive on a Windows 8 or later device. For Apple and Android devices, Windows Intune or a product from another company to encrypt the hard drive on the mobile device.
We certainly think that mobile CRM is the way to go, with rapid updates coming up with each release for the Dynamics 365 mobile application, which looks to provide a promising future to the Dynamics 365 platform.
Next Steps
Armed with this information, your technical team can get a head start on a successful roll-out of the Dynamics 365 Mobile Application. And the team at ForgeXRM CRM is happy to help.
If you are interested in evaluating Microsoft Dynamics 365 or need support or training for Dynamics 365 Mobile Applications, contact us.
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By Ryan Plourde, ForgeXRM,
