windows 7 and CRM

If you haven't seen all the media that Microsoft is putting out around Windows 7, I'm telling you about it now. I've been using Windows 7 for a little while now and it is great, head and shoulders better than Vista. If you are on a Vista machine, I completely recommend upgrading to Windows 7 ASAP. If you're on XP, I still recommend upgrading, just make sure you have enough time because it esssentially will be like doing a full reinstall.

Check out Windows 7 here. And if you want to see some of the features, here are some videos from Microsoft's website on them.

One other comment regarding any fear people have about upgrading. Vista has taken the brunt of most of the big changes and now Windows 7 just makes all of the difficult stuff seem easy. All of the driver incompatibilities, Vista went through it, Windows 7 will use the same drivers for the most part so it's set for most/all software and hardware. Most of the complaints I had about Vista were virtually gone immediately after the upgrade to Windows 7.

Oh, and CRM totally works on Windows 7, since IE8 works with CRM Windows 7 just had to be able to run IE8.

Anyway, if you haven't had a chance to play with it, get yourself ready for Oct 22.

Acticle by David

crm and outlook reminder for appointement tutorial

Display pop-up reminders automatically

To display Outlook pop-up reminders automatically, create the task, e-mail, or appointment in Outlook with Microsoft CRM client for Outlook installed. Set the reminder, and then save the activity as a Microsoft CRM activity. (In Outlook, on the activity form, on the CRM toolbar, click Track in CRM, and then click Regarding to select a parent record.)

When Microsoft CRM synchronizes with Outlook through Microsoft CRM client for Outlook, appointments and service activities that you created in Microsoft CRM have 15-minute reminders set automatically by Outlook based on the due date. You cannot change these reminders or update them, even if you update the due date. In contrast, tasks and e-mail messages that you create directly in Microsoft CRM never have Outlook reminders.

Create appointments for activities that don’t have reminders
For other activities that won’t work with the previous procedure, such as phone calls, you can create a follow-up appointment in Microsoft CRM that refers to completing the activity. After you synchronize with Outlook, the appointment appears in Outlook with a 15-minute reminder set. The new appointment is associated automatically with the original activity.
Follow these steps to create a follow-up appointment with an Outlook reminder:

1. In Microsoft CRM, in the open activity, on the Actions toolbar, click Follow Up. The Form Assistant pane opens.
2. In the Activity List, select Appointment.
3. Enter a Subject.
4. With the calendar controls, select the start time and end time you want.
5. In the Assign To list, select the person to receive the reminder, and then complete the related activity.
6. Click Save. Microsoft CRM creates a follow-up appointment for the owner of the original activity. After synchronization, Outlook will display a reminder for the appointment.

Yan Desjardins | Crm specialist

CRM demo & tutorial available

Greets,

I simply wanted to share this great ressource of learning with you dear CRM users.

http://www.democrmonline.com/Overview/
http://www.democrmonline.com/Salesreview/
http://www.democrmonline.com/marketing/
http://www.democrmonline.com/AccountContacts/
http://www.democrmonline.com/DataMigration/

Happy learning !

yan Desjardins | CRM specialist

How to fix the missing Microsoft Indexing service (CiSvc) in Windows Vista

Sometimes Windows vista users who attempt to use CRM dynamic 4.0 will have an error message from the microsoft indexing service CiSvc in Windows Vista.

here is the resolution :

1.Click the Start button or Windows key on your keyboard to access the Windows Start Menu.
2.Locate and click Control Panel on the side bar.
3.Select Classic view on the top left of the screen to bring up more advanced options.
4.Locate and double click the Programs and Features icon.
5.Under the Tasks heading, locate and click Turn Windows Features on or off.

6.A User Account Control window may appear. Click Continue to allow modifications to occur.

7.Checkmark the folder called Indexing Service and then click Continue. 8.Vista will configure the service and close the window once the CiSvc service is installed.

Happy CRM.

Yan Desjardins | Crm specialist.

Error message while track in CRM: the text entered exceeds the maximum length

Sometimes after installing the CRM outlook plugin supplied from microsoft , each time somebady will click Track on CRM will result in this error message :

the text entered exceeds the maximum length

here is the solution :

Solution:
( must use a system administrator liscense to login with ful access to permissions )
1.0 Go to customization email
2.0 attributes
3.0 on messageID attribute change the length for more then 100 (I changed to 256)
4.0 save & publish new setting
5.0 close your outlook
6.0 open your outlook and click track on CRM.

best regards,

installed plugin , cannot continue with outlook config

After several CRM installation i saw some case where we go with the whole
computer install without any problem and when you go back to microsoft outlook
you cannot continue the setup as the CRM pop up from the addin dont show up.

here is the way to resolve this issue :

1.0 open microsoft outlook
2.0 open the tool tab at the top of outlook
3.0 click on trust center
4.0 click on the addin
5.0 whitelist the CRM for outlook plugin
6.0 close outlook
7.0 open outlook
8.0 finish your setting and enjoy the power of CRM plugin for outlook

Best regards,

yan desjardins | crm tech

crm 4.0 outlook plugin installation guide

After several CRM dynamic 4.0 installation.I choosed to make a blog about outlook CRM plugin installation Here my guide :

part 1 Computer setup

1.0 Download Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Outlook client (HERE) and save it to your desktop.
2.0 Create a folder on your desktop and name it CRM Client. (See crm2.jpg)
2.1 download : http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=60C4A6CC-59D7-416E-9F44-0AE8FF249768&displaylang=en
3.0 Drag and drop the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Outlook client into the folder that you created in step 2.
4.0 Go inside the folder and double click on the file. Accept the Windows security warning by clicking Run
5.0 A pop-up window will appear asking you where to extract the file. Choose the default location and press OK.
6.0 To start the installation, double click on the icon entitled setup client.
Depending on your version of windows, a pop-up window may appear asking for installation privileges. Click Continue to proceed with the installation.
7.0 CRM will create some temporary files and then you will be prompted to choose your installation type. You may select Install Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook (Recommended) or Install Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook with Offline access as per the recommendations of your CRM administrator and plan type.

Once you have chosen your install type, read and accept the EULA to continue with the installation. (See crm9.jpg)

8.0 The setup wizard will then run a quick scan on required components to install CRM successfully. In most cases, you will be required to install additional components. Click Install and allow the application to download and install the additional required components.
If the installation is successful all the components will receive a green check mark. Click Next only if all components installed successfully.
Note: If any component fails to install, click the “back” button and retry again. If this still does not work, contact your system administrator and do not attempt to continue the installation.
The setup wizard will now ask you where you would like to install the CRM application. Choose the location or accept the default and click Next. (See crm12.jpg)
A system requirements window will now validate your installed services/features. Click Next only if all services/features have a green checkmark. If any service or feature has failed to install, contact your local administrator to address the problems and then click Back to rerun the system requirements verification. (See crm13.jpg)

Part 2 Outlook setup

1.0 After the successful installation of the CRM client you will now need to have it configured to work in Outlook. To do so, open and login to Outlook. You should immediately notice a new tab in the taskbar called Configure Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook. Click on this tab to commence with the configuration.
2. You will now be presented with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Configuration Wizard. Click Next to continue with the installation.
3. A warning box will appear telling you to close Outlook to continue. Click OK and proceed with closing Outlook.
4. You will now be asked where you will sign into the CRM. Select the radio button An online service provider and then click Next.
5. You will be asked to enter the web address of your CRM installation.If you have administrative privileges (or the assistance from a user with administrative access), login via your hosted control panel:
6. A pop-up box will appear asking for your username and password. Enter your email address and password that you would use to access your Exchange/POP mail, SharePoint site, Webmail or the hosted control panel. Once satisfied, click OK.
7. The wizard will ask for your confirmation via the Customer Experience Improvement Program tick the box to indicate your participation or leave it blank if you decline. Once satisfied, click Next
8. The wizard will now do a final System Requirements validation. Proceed to correct any errors that are not green check marked and click Next.
9. CRM will now configure. If successful, you should receive a Configuration Complete screen. Press Finish.
10. You can now open Outlook. You will be asked for your username and password and CRM will now start initializing in the background.
11. Once synchronization is complete, a new CRM toolbar will appear. You can start using CRM right away.

If you require any assistance of if you have any issue please contact me.