CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is a strategy used by many companies and aimed at getting more information about their customers' needs and behaviors in order to improve their interactions, therefore reducing the company costs and increasing their profitability.

CRM is a simple customer relationship management tool which helps achieve these goals providing you with:

• a unique place for your customer database,

  CRM is a modern alternative to a spreadsheet used by many companies to store their customers' data. Unlike the spreadsheets CRM offers a multi-user access to the stored data, moreover it allows you to restrict access to some contacts making them private so that only the authorized people could view and edit them.

• several ways to add new contacts to your customer database,

  Add contacts one by one manually entering the available data, or import your contacts all at once from a .csv file, or even add contacts automatically creating a Website Contact Form.

• a simple way to arrange your contacts,

  Divide your contacts into types and add tags. It helps you create special marketing campaigns, track your contacts and simply facilitate the contact search process.

• a great opportunity to keep track of the potential sales,

  Create opportunities and link them with projects to organize the work and make the sale management easier and more effective.

• a possibility to bill your customers in seconds,

  Make an invoice for products and services provided and send it to your customers using the contact information stored in your customer database.

• an effective way to organize a common event for your customers,

  Use cases to plan and keep track of a common event: add tasks to manage your team work, store all the realated documentation in one place, track the work history.

• an easy and convenient way to call your customers right from a web browser,

  Use the VoIP functionality to receive incoming calls from your customers and make outgoing calls right from your portal.

To access the CRM module from any portal page, use the drop-down list in the top left corner of the page and select the corresponding option.

There's no doubt that it's very important to keep all information about clients in order, so that it can be quickly accessible and easily updated. The CRM module allows you to create your own customer database, whether your clients are big companies or single individuals.

To add a new contact to your customer database:

1. Click the Create button in the upper left corner and select one of two options: Person or Company.
2. Fill in the obligatory fields: First Name and Last Name for persons, Company Name for companies.
3. Select a Contact Type or leave the type not specified.
   The portal and CRM administrators can change the default contact types according to their company needs. Just click the Contact Types link in the Settings >> Contact settings section. For more details please refer to this article.
4. Enter any other available information: Email, Phone, Web Site/Social Networks, Address, Description.

   To enter some additional information customize user fields. To do that, first of all save the currently created contact. Otherwise all the entered information will be lost. Then expand the Settings >> Other settings section on the left side panel and click the User Fields link.

   For more details please refer to this article.

   This function is available for portal and CRM administrators only.
5. Select the Currency for this contact from the list of the available ones. The selected currency will be used in the invoices you create for this contact.
6. Add some existing Tags selecting them from the list or create a new one.
7. Upload a photo.

   To add/change a picture click the Change photo link below the image area. The Choose a profile photo window will open. If you wish to upload a picture from PC click the Browse button, locate a desired picture stored on your hard disk drive and double-click it to load.

   You can upload an image not larger than 200x300 pixels, otherwise resizing will take place. The maximum image size cannot exceed 1 MB.

   If you previously filled the social network user field in the contact profile the images from the social networks will be displayed in the Choose a profile photo window. Click the one you wish to use for a contact.

8. Assign a contact manager.

   By default, the contact you create is assigned to you. If you wish to appoint another manager for this contact, click the Add user link and select the necessary user. The selected user will be notified about a new contact assigned to him/her.

9. Make the contact available to other users.

   By default, the access to the newly created contact is granted to its managers only. Check the Allow access to the company/person for all CRM users box if you wish to grant access to all CRM users i.e. make the contact public. Specify the access type selecting the necessary option from the drop-down list:

   • for reading - to allow all users to view this contact (this option is selected by default),
   • for reading/writing - to allow all users to view and edit this contact.

   Public contacts are marked with the icon on their photos.

10. Click the Save button or use the Save and Create New Contact button to start creating a new contact right after saving the current one.

To add several contacts at once,

Make use of the Import contacts option. This option helps you move all your contacts from a .csv file to CRM module without efforts. To do that, just click the button to the right of the Create button, select the Import contacts option and follow the step by step instructions.

For more details please refer to this article.

To add contacts automatically,

Use the Website Contact Form. This option allows you to build a form that you can publish on your site. Your potential customers will be automatically added to your customer database when they contact you via the online form embedded on your web page. To do that, click the Website Contact Form link from the Settings list on the left side panel and follow the step by step instructions.

For more details please refer to this article.

Once your clients are manually created through the Create new company/person form, imported from a .csv file, or automatically added via Website Contact Form, they will be all included in the Contacts list of the CRM module.

To update the available contact information,

1. select the necessary contact from the Contacts list,
2. click the icon to the right of the contact name,
3. select the Edit contact option from the drop-down list,
4. make all the changes you need and click the Save Changes button.

To delete a contact, choose the corresponding option from the Actions drop-down list.

The Tasks section gives you a full overview of coming duties at a glance. Collaborating with a client you can create tasks for yourself or assign them to other colleagues.

To set a task:

1. Click the Create button in the upper left corner and select the Task option.
2. Enter a Title for your task.
3. Select an appropriate task Category from the drop-down list.
   The portal and CRM administrators can change the default task categories according to their company needs. Just click the Task Categories link in the Settings >> Other settings section. For more details please refer to this article.
4. Enter a contact you wish to link your task with.
5. Set a desired Due date: date and time.

   To do that, use one of the available options: Today, 3 days, Week, or select it from the calendar, or enter it manually in the following format dd/mm/yyyy.

6. Set a task reminder.

   By default, you will be informed about your task a day before its due date. If you want to change the reminder time, open the Alert drop-down list and select one of the available options: 5 minutes, 15 minutes, half an hour, an hour, 2 hours, a day. To switch the reminder off select the never option from the drop-down list.

7. Select the responsible person you wish to assign this task to from the Assigned to list.

   By default, the task is assigned to you. To change the responsible person just click the link with your name and select the user you need. Leave the Notify box checked if you wish the responsible person to be notified about the new task assign to him/her.

8. Enter a short Description.
9. Click the Save button.

It's also possible to create a task within an opportunity or a case.

1. open an appropriate opportunity/case page clicking its title,
2. switch to the Tasks tab below its title,
3. click the Create task link if there is no tasks or use the Create button in the upper left corner and select the Task option,
4. fill in the Create new task form,
5. click the Save button.

This task will be automatically linked to the selected opportunity/case.

To add the same task linked with different contacts make use of the Create New Task group operation,

1. open the Contacts list,
2. select the contacts you need checking the box to the left,
3. click the Create New Task button at the top of the Contacts list,
4. fill in the Create new task form,
5. click the Save button.

The tasks will be added to the Tasks list.

To learn more about Group Operations available in CRM please refer to this article.

If you need to edit a task,

1. select the task you need from the Tasks list,
2. click the icon to the right of the task title,
3. select the Edit task option from the Actions drop-down list,
4. make all the changes you need and click the Save Changes button.

Once the task is completed close it right in the Tasks list changing its status from Open to Closed. To do that, just click the arrow to the left of the task title and select the necessary status from the list.

To delete a task, choose the corresponding option from the Actions drop-down list.

An opportunity is used to keep track of the potential sales, their estimated due date, budget and success probability and help you manage your sales more easily and effectively.

To add an opportunity:

1. Click the Create button in the upper left corner and select the Opportunity option.
2. Enter a Title for your opportunity.
3. Enter an opportunity Contact - person or company - selecting it from your customer database.
4. Add a short Description.
5. Specify your opportunity Budget currency, amount and type.
6. Set the Estimated deal due date using the calendar.
7. Select a Responsible for your opportunity from the drop-down list.
8. Set an opportunity Stage using the drop-down list. The Success probability in percent will set accordingly.
   The portal and CRM administrators can change the default opportunity stages according to their company needs. Just click the Opportunity Stages link in the Settings >> Other settings section. For more details please refer to this article.
9. Enter other requested information, if available.

   To enter some additional information customize user fields. To do that, first of all save the currently created opportunity. Otherwise all the entered information will be lost. Then explore the Settings >> Other settings section on the left side panel and click the User Fields link.

   For more details please refer to this article.

   This function is available for portal and CRM administrators only.
10. Restrict access to your opportunity checking the corresponding box.

    By default, the access to the newly created opportunity is granted to all portal users. Check the Restrict access to the opportunity box and select the users you wish to grant the access to clicking the Add users link. The selected users will be notified about new opportunity added and will be able to view and edit it.

11. Click the Save button or use the Save and Create New Opportunity button to start creating a new opportunity right after saving the current one.

The created opportunity will be added to the Opportunities list. You can access it either from the Opportunities list clicking the corresponding link on the left side panel or clicking the client name in the Contacts list and switching to the Opportunities tab inside.

To organize the work on your opportunity more efficiently you can create a project. To do that,

1. select the opportunity you need in the Opportunities list,
2. click the icon to the right of the opportunity title,
3. select the Create project option from the drop-down list,
4. fill in the form and click the Save button.

Each time your customer relations take a step forward, the opportunity related to this client goes to a new stage. To change the opportunity stage,

1. open the opportunity overview page clicking its title,
2. select one of the available stages from the corresponding drop-down list.

To edit an opportunity,

1. select the opportunity you need in the Opportunities list,
2. click the icon to the right of the opportunity title,
3. select the Edit opportunity option from the drop-down list,
4. make all the changes you need and click the Save Changes button.

To delete an opportunity, choose the corresponding option from the Actions drop-down list.

The Invoices section allows you to create and manage invoices for the products and services provided.

To create an invoice:

1. Click the Create button in the upper left corner and select the Invoice option.
2. Check your Invoice number.

   By default, the invoice number is generated automatically using the INV prefix and the number in the ####### format starting from 0000001. But you can easily change it while creating an invoice. To do that, just click the Change format link next to the Invoice number field. Enter a necessary Prefix and the Start number.

   If you don't want the invoice number to be generated automatically, uncheck the automatically generated case. After that you will be able to enter any number you need manually.

   This option is available for portal and CRM administrators only.
3. Set the Invoice date selecting it from the calendar, or entering it manually in the following format dd/mm/yyyy.

   The Invoice date is the date the invoice is issued.

4. Select a Client you wish to create the invoice for using the search field.

   The system will use the billing address information stored on your customer database. If necessary, you can change it using the Edit billing address link which appears below the client name once it is selected.

5. Select a Consignee using the search field.

   If the Consignee coincides with the Client, just check the coincides with the client box and add the delivery address using the corresponding link which appears next to the Edit billing address link.

6. Link the invoice with one of the available opportunities.
7. Set a Due date using one of the available options to the right: Due on receipt, 15 days, 30 days or 45 days, or selecting it from the calendar, or entering it manually in the following format dd/mm/yyyy.

   The Due date is the date by which the invoice needs to be paid.

8. Select the Invoice language from the list of the available ones.
9. Select the Currency for your invoice. By default, the currency specified in the profile of the client is used. If the currency is not set in the client's profile, the default currency specified in the CRM settings is used. If necessary, you can select any other currency from the list of the available ones.

   If you select a currency that differs from the default currency specified in the CRM settings, the Exchange rate field is also displayed. Set the appropriate conversion rate and click the Save button.

   The portal and CRM administrators can change the default currency and set conversion rates for the currencies from the list in the Settings >> Currency settings section. For more details please refer to this article.
10. Enter a PO Number, if available.
11. Specify your payment Terms.

    If you wish to specify the general terms for all your future invoices, click the Set default link below the Terms field, enter your terms and click the Save button.

12. Enter Client Notes, if you want to express your gratitude to a customer for the purchase and/or to provide a special offer, for example, a 20% discount if the invoice is paid within 5 days.

    These notes will be displayed on your invoice and added to the message body if you send the invoice per ONLYOFFICE Mail.

13. Fill in the Products & Services section.

    List the services/products you provided for your client. You can select them from the list, if available, or create right there opening the Select item list and clicking the Create new item link.

    Enter the item Quantity and Discount, if applicable.

    Add the sale Tax or leave this field empty. You can select the tax to apply from the list, if already available, or create a new one right there opening the Tax list and clicking the Create new tax link.

    In the same way you can add as many services/products as you need.

14. Check the Subtotal and Total calculated automatically based on the information provided above.
15. Click the Add This Invoice button or use the Add and Create New Invoice button to start creating a new invoice right after saving the current one.

To specify your company information for the invoice, expand the Settings list at the left side panel, select the Invoice settings section and click the Organization profile link.

Here you can:

1. enter your company name,
2. add your company logo clicking the Change Logo button below the default image,
3. set your organization billing address filling in the Address section fields.

All this information will be placed and displayed on your invoices.

Once the invoice is created, it will be added to the invoice Drafts. As soon as the invoice is sent to your client, paid or rejected by him/her, you can change its status in the Invoices list.

1. check the invoice you need in the Invoices list,
2. click the Change Status button above,
3. select the appropriate status: Draft, Billed, Paid or Rejected.

To edit an invoice,

1. select the invoice you need in the Invoices list,
2. click the icon to the right of the invoice title,
3. select the Edit invoice option from the Actions drop-down list,
4. make all the changes you need and click the Save Changes button.

Using the Actions drop-down menu you can also download, print, send, duplicate or delete the selected invoice.

The Cases section is aimed to simplify event organization, seminar and meeting arrangement etc. with a group of customers.

To plan an event:

1. Click the Create button in the upper left corner and select the Case option.
2. Enter a Title for your Case.
3. Select your case Participant from the customer database.

   You can add as many participants as you wish using the search field. To delete a participant added by mistake, use the icon.

4. Add tags, if necessary, clicking the Add tag link and selecting one of the available tags or creating a new one.
5. Enter other requested information, if available.

   To enter some additional information customize user fields. To do that, first of all save the currently created case. Otherwise all the entered information will be lost. Then explore the Settings >> Other settings section on the left side panel and click the User Fields link.

   For more details please refer to this article.

   This function is available for portal and CRM administrators only.
6. Restrict access to your case checking the corresponding box.

   By default, the access to the newly created case is granted to all portal users. Check the Restrict access to the case box and select the users you wish to grant the access to clicking the Add users link. The selected users will be notified about new case created and will be able to view and edit it.

7. Click the Save button or use the Save and Create New Case button to start creating a new case right after saving the current one.

Once a case is created, you can schedule events, assign tasks, manage participants, store the related documentation.

For more information, please refer to this article.

To edit a case,

1. select the case you need in the Cases list,
2. click the icon to the right of the case title,
3. select the Edit case option from the drop-down list,
4. make all the changes you need and click the Save Changes button.

After your case took place you can close it in the system. To do that, just check the box to the left of the case title.

To delete a case, choose the corresponding option from the Actions drop-down list.

The VoIP feature allows you to receive incoming calls from your customers and make outgoing calls right from a web browser.

To use the IP telephony functionality, you need to sign up for a Twilio account and connect it to your portal specifying API credentials: Account SID and Auth token. They can be found at the Twilio Console page in the 'Account Summary' section.

Click the icon at the top of the page to go to your portal settings and open the Integration -> Third-Party Authorization section. Click the switcher next to the Twilio service, specify API credentials in the appropriate fields and click the Enable button.

Once you connect your Twilio account to the portal, you will be able to add and manage virtual numbers.

To add a virtual number,

1. In the CRM module, go to the Settings section on the left-side panel and click the VoIP Settings option.
2. Click the Buy phone number link.
3. In the Number purchase window, select the necessary number from the list of the available ones and press the Buy phone number button.

   If you already have some phone numbers purchased earlier in your Twilio account, you can use the Link purchased number option. In a new window, select one of the available Twilio virtual numbers and click the Link purchased number button.

When the first number is added to your CRM module, you can use the Buy phone number/Link purchased number link above the Virtual numbers and operators list to add some other numbers.

To set up the added virtual number,

1. In the Virtual numbers and operators list, select the number you want to set up.
2. Click the Outgoing calls switcher to enable the possibility to not only receive incoming calls but also make outgoing calls using this number.
3. Click the Call recording switcher to enable the possibility to record all incoming and outgoing calls for this number so that you will be able to listen to the necessary call recording later.
4. Click the arrow to the left of the necessary number to Add operators who should be able to use this virtual number. Check the necessary portal users in the list and click the Save button. Once operators are added, the VoIP icon will be available for them on the top of the page.

   You can also set up Outgoing calls and Call recording for each of the added operators separately using the switchers next to the operator's name. To remove an added operator from the virtual number operator list, click the Actions icon to the right of the operator's name and select the Delete option.

Use the Actions icon to the right of the necessary virtual number to Edit or Delete the number.

To learn more about common settings for all numbers and individual settings that you can apply to a separate number, please refer to this article.

To start accepting and making calls,

1. Click the VoIP icon on the top of the page. The VoIP client opens in a new window.
2. Choose the Online status next to your name.

The Browser option is selected by default, and currently, it is the only available option in the drop-down list, so you don't need to do anything else. Now you are ready to accept incoming calls.

If you receive an incoming call, you can Answer or Reject it using the corresponding buttons within the VoIP window.

If a person whose phone number is stored in your CRM customer base calls you, the contact name is displayed in this window. You can click it to open the customer profile in a new browser tab and easily find all the necessary information about the client that can be useful during the phone conversation.

To end the call, click the Disconnect button.

The button in the VoIP window allows to view the list of missed calls during the current session. If you want to call back to the person who called you, move the mouse cursor over the missed call icon in the list so that it turns into the icon and click it.

The operators who have been granted sufficient permissions can make outgoing calls. To make a call,

1. Click the button to open the dial pad.
   
2. Click the icon to open the list of all existing CRM contacts. To facilitate searching for a contact, you can enter the contact name, entirely or partially, in the search field above the contact list. Select the necessary CRM contact from the list.
   Alternatively, you can right-click the necessary contact in the complete list of Companies/Persons on the Contacts tab and choose the Make a VoIP call option in the context menu. Currently, you cannot call a contact from his/her profile page.

   The selected contact phone number will be displayed in the corresponding field.

   

   If the contact profile contains several phone numbers (mobile, work, home), click the arrow in the right part of the phone number field to choose the necessary number. To remove the number, click the icon.

   To call to the number that is not stored in your customer base, select the country code from the list and enter the phone number using the keypad or your PC keyboard.

3. Click the Call button.

If you call a contact stored in the CRM module, the link to the contact profile is displayed in this window, so that you can open the profile in a new browser tab.

If you make a call to a new number that is not stored in the CRM contacts or if you receive a call from such a number, this number will be automatically saved to your CRM contacts as a new contact. A new Outgoing or Incoming call event is also automatically added to the history for this contact.

All the incoming, outgoing and missed calls are displayed in the Calls section. Click the Calls link on the left-side panel to open the call list. It provides the following information about calls: date and time, agent (operator name), client (customer name stored in the CRM base), call duration and cost. If a call has been recorded, click the icon to playback the recording.

For more details on viewing the call list and adding information about calls to your customer database, please refer to this article.

To keep up with what everyone is doing you need to constantly monitor the sales progress. You can view reports on successfully closed opportunities, evaluate sales forecast, build sales funnel, receive detailed statistics on contacts, tasks, opportunities, invoices and VoIP calls by managers, as well as get summary reports for a specified period.

Make use of the online office Reports system that allows you to easily analyze your data and visualize the information using charts and tables.

To generate a report:

1. open the Reports list clicking the corresponding link on the left-side panel,
2. select the type of the report you wish to generate from the Reports list,
3. configure the available report parameters:
   • select the necessary Time period from the list,
   • select Managers whose productivity you wish to assess. Click the Add user link and check the necessary users in the list. Use the filter field at the top to facilitate the search. You can also check the necessary group or the Select All option to add the users from the selected group or all the portal users respectively. Сlick the Save button. If you want to delete a user added by mistake, place the mouse cursor over the needed user and click the icon.
4. click the Generate Report button.
   If you use different currencies for your opportunities and invoices and the exchange rates are not yet specified in the CRM settings, a new window opens where you will be prompted to set up the used currency exchange rates. For more details on how to set an exchange rate please refer to this article.

Once the report is generated, click the Open link at the bottom right corner to view the report. The file will open in the Spreadsheet Editor and you will be able to edit it, print or download if necessary.

• To print the report, click the Print icon at the top toolbar.
• To download the report, switch to the File tab at the top toolbar, select the Download as... option at the left sidebar and choose the necessary file format.

All the generated reports can be found in the Generated reports list (they are only accessible to the user who generated them). To manage your reports, move the mouse cursor over the necessary report in the list and use the icons next to the file:

• - to open the report using the Spreadsheet Editor.
• - to download the report as the .xlsx file.
• - to delete the report.

By default, all portal users can access the CRM module. There are 2 different access levels inside it: user and CRM administrator.

Being a user you may perform the following operations:

• view all content (except private one);
• create contact, task, case, opportunity with a possibility to restrict access to them;
• edit contact, task, case, opportunity having the corresponding access rights;

Being a CRM administrator you may perform the following operations:

• read and moderate all content;
• organize mass mailing;

  Please, refer to this article to learn how it can be done.

• generate reports;
• configure module settings;
  • set up the default currency used to calculate the Total amount for all CRM opportunities. This currency is also used to set prices in the Products & Services list,
  • export all data to a .csv file,
  • adjust contact temperature levels,
  • add new contact types and modify the existing ones,
  • make a list of products and services to provide which can be included into your invoices,
  • make a list of taxes which can be applied and used in your invoices,
  • create your organization profile: your company name, logo and address which will be placed to all your invoices,
  • add virtual numbers and adjust VoIP settings,
  • customize user fields to add some additional information,
  • create new categories of history events,
  • specify task categories,
  • set opportunity stages,
  • manage tags within the CRM Module,
  • create a Website Contact Form

But being a portal owner/full access administrator you can restrict access to the CRM for some users or even disable this module, if you don't need it at all. To do that,

1. click the Settings link at the left-side panel,
2. select the Portal Access Rights subsection,
3. go to the CRM section,
4. check the Users from list radio button,
5. select the users you wish to grant access to,

   To do that, use one of the available options;

   • use the Add user link if you wish to grant access to one or more people;
   • use the Add group link if you wish to grant access to all portal users, or to one or more groups.

To disable the CRM module just switch to the Modules & Tools subsection of the Common portal settings selecting the corresponding option on the left side panel, uncheck the CRM module in the Modules section and click the Save button.