Simplesoft Solutions Blog

Planning and Training the Business Usage of Sage SalesLogix

April 18th, 2011 by Janetta

shutterstock_47340328

To prevent data inconsistencies in Sage SalesLogix we recommend you document the business rules around your usage of CRM.  We have created what we call a QCard (quick card) to record the practical application of Sage SalesLogix to your business processes.  For example, take the Account screen and teach your users how to make changes to pick lists as your relationship with this Account evolves.  Don’t you hate it when you receive mail or email from a company you have been doing business with for several years and they treat you like you are a brand new prospect.  Those kind of mistakes can be eliminated if you will tie the usage of Sage SalesLogix to your business processes.

If you need help converting business processes into action in Sage SalesLogix or you want to conduct some refresher training for your teams, give us a call at 937-885-1204 x3204.

Use this Link to a sample Qcard to document your own usage guidelines.

If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati/Dayton (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Comment on this Post

Sage Summit – Special Simplesoft Invite and Discount

March 3rd, 2011 by Janetta

Summit_11_Promo_205x136

I wanted to send out a special invite to all our clients to attend 2011 Sage Summit.  Being held July 12-15, 2011 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in Washington, DC.  As a Sage business partner,  we are able to offer our clients an additional discount (see below).  Don Menrisky, President and Managing Partner of Simplesoft Solutions, will be in attendance along with several of our consultants.  We will host a dinner event for our clients who attend Summit.  Look for more details after you register for the event.  See you there!

Use our special discount
code to save $200.*

Promo Code: PTOC10Register Today!

*$200 discount may not be combined with
other discounts or promotional rates.

Real value from the moment you arrive, including:

- Concrete knowledge and skills to help take full advantage of your use of Sage solutions

- Valuable information and real-world experiences from other organizations using Sage solutions

- Expert answers to specific product questions you’ve been wrestling with

- Technical direction on how best to implement and optimize your Sage solutions

- Trends, insight, and guidance from thought leaders in your industry

- Product roadmaps and insider knowledge on new features and enhancements

We encourage you to take a close look at the conference agenda. With all the labs, customer case studies, panel discussions, roundtables, and product deep dives, the challenge isn’t finding something relevant or attention- grabbing—it’s narrowing down your choices.

If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati/Dayton (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Comment on this Post

SalesLogix Spring Cleaning – End User Tasks

February 28th, 2011 by Janetta

shutterstock_48211747

Spring is a great time to involve all your users in help cleaning up Sage SalesLogix.  Let’s consider some basic cleaning tasks by major entity:

Accounts – Some key fields at the Account entity are Type, Subtype, Industry, and Status.  Clean up your pick lists for each, lock down the pick lists for each,  and create some administrative groups to push out to your users where these fields are blank.  Be very specific about what fields are to be completed, the name of the Account Group, and give them a target date for completion.  Along with the key fields above, you should also encourage general address, phone number, and web address information be completed and updated.  Create some positive press on the project by sending out emails with updates on who has completed the tasks and/or what % of the tasks has been completed.  Ex.  75% of our Accounts are complete!

Contacts – The key fields for Contacts are Status and email.  Again, create the groups with missing information and set a timeline for completion. 

Opportunities – The key fields for updating Opportunities are Status, Close Date, Probability, and Opportunity Value (which is done by making sure the products and pricing are current).  If you are serious about using SalesLogix for forecasting these fields must be kept up to date and your users should be conditioned to update these fields on a regular basis.

Activities – Encourage users to update their scheduled Activities that are way out of date range.  You could create groups for Activities 90 days old, 6 months old, and 12 months old then suggest they reconnect with these Prospects, etc. 

When making a fire people like to join you, when cleaning the ashes you are often alone”  African Proverb

Interested in more on this topic?  - join us for the next Heartland SalesLogix Users Group

If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati/Dayton (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Comment on this Post

SalesLogix LAN Quick Lookups Tips

December 23rd, 2010 by Janetta

There are so many ways to lookup information in Sage SalesLogix and I just want to point out a few of my favorite quick ways to find things while I am working.

1.  I use the % wildcard to look things up quite often.  This is very helpful when you don’t remember the exact spelling or you don’t remember the complete name of the company but you know one word.  For example, if I lookup under Account using %green, I am going to get:

SLX Wildcard Lookup

2.  Another lookup that I use frequently is looking some one (Contact) up by first name.  I use the Lookup>Contacts>First.

SLX First Name Lookup

3.  On any of the main screens, if the field caption raises up when you put your cursor on it, it is a lookup.  For example, the Main (phone) caption will allow you to look up someone by phone number.

Phone number lookup

These are examples of one value simple Lookups. SalesLogix also has advanced Lookups (multiple value lookups) and a full query builder for creating more complex queries.  I hope you learned at least one new quick tip to find Accounts and Contacts in SalesLogix.

If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati/Dayton (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Comment on this Post

Sage SalesLogix Heartland Users Group

November 29th, 2010 by Kyle

Sage SalesLogix Heartland Users Group

Sage SalesLogix Heartland Users Group Logo – Revealed!
It’s now official! The Sage SalesLogix Heartland Users Group logo has been voted on by the members and is now finalized. Thanks to all SalesLogix users who have participated and contributed feedback because you make all this happen.

What is the Heartland Users Group?
This regional Sage SalesLogix users group provides a unique experience for SalesLogix users, administrators, trainers, and developers to increase their knowledge and effective use of SalesLogix within their organizations. This group is run by the members, whose privileges include choosing topics as well as selecting their new name – Heartland SalesLogix User Group.

What can I expect attending the meetings?
Topics and Discussions Covered in just the first year…

  • Outlook integration options
  • Opportunity management and sales process
  • Data management and services including 3rd Party Tools (i.e. Inaport, Scribe, and Intelli CTi)
  • Business Analytics (i.e. QlikView, Visual Analyzer, Dashboards, and Crystal Reports)
  • Workflow and Notification Alerts (i.e. KnowledgeSync)
  • Strengthening user adoption

What is a typical agenda?

  • SalesLogix Customer Solution Spotlights
  • Sage SalesLogix user tips and tricks
  • Networking with other Sage SalesLogix users
  • Networking with all the Simplesoft Solutions employees
  • Free prizes and gifts (iPods and gift cards)
  • Food and fun!

Future Topics

  • Sales quoting automation
  • SalesLogix in the Cloud
  • Project management
  • Territory realignment and Teams/security
  • SpeedSearch

Who should attend?

  • Sales and Marketing
  • Management
  • SalesLogix Administrators and users
  • Internal training staff

Your opportunity to attend is coming up soon! The next Sage SalesLogix Heartland Users Group meeting is scheduled for December 7th and will be an open house hosted at Simplesoft Solutions Springboro, OH facilities. There will be learning sessions that attendees will need to be preregistered to confirm seating availability. Please register below for any sessions you would like to attend:

Register for Heartland Users Group meeting

If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati/Dayton (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

1 Comment - Click here to join the Discussion!

The Future of SalesLogix Mobile Part II: HTML 5 Client is Coming

November 15th, 2010 by Mike Pothast

Back in September, we published a blog providing you with a preview of OnTheGo, the SalesLogix mobile solution for iPhone and Android developed by the team at Net@Work. In that post, we also alluded to the fact that Sage would be addressing iPhone and Android platforms through the development of a shiny new HTML 5 browser based solution. Well we are happy to report that we’re getting increasingly closer to the release of that product, and thought you’d like a sneak peek!

The delivery of the HTML 5 client is expected before the end of the calendar year 2010, and should provide SalesLogix users with an effective, zero footprint model for accessing their data remotely. We’ve been able to test the look and feel of the new product on a variety of devices, including the iPad, and have been more than satisfied with the results. This new SalesLogix access point should be a welcome addition to the family of products, especially as Sage puts more focus on the web based client and more fully develops the SData strategy. (Click to expand the image)

There’s no word just yet on the pricing and licensing model, but we expect it to be in line with the current pricing.

For more information or for a demonstration of this exciting addition to the SalesLogix family, please feel free to contact us at 937-885-1204×3210, or email us at sales@simplesoft.net

If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati/Dayton (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Comment on this Post

Never underestimate the features of your SalesLogix Calendar!

October 26th, 2010 by Janetta

I was asked by a client for some help with all the calendar features in Sage SalesLogix.  We use a format called Quick Cards (Qcards) to document business processes for training of Sage SalesLogix,  so I thought I would share my work with everyone.  Attached are two Qcards for the Sage SalesLogix Calendar.  Download and distribute to your users.  Call on us for Sage SalesLogix training help and check out our free monthly SalesLogix training webinars called “CRM in Session.”

SLX Calendar Qcard 2010-04

If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati/Dayton (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Comment on this Post

Spell Check Notes in Sage SalesLogix Lan – Watch How!

September 7th, 2010 by Janetta

It is easy to spell check your notes in Sage SalesLogix Activities and Tickets by right clicking and choosing Spell Check. Watch the demonstration below by clicking into the screenshot.

Comment on this Post

The Future of SalesLogix Mobile – iPhone and Android

September 2nd, 2010 by Mike Pothast

So many of our customers have asked us recently about what’s available and what’s coming for the SalesLogix Mobile platform, that we thought we should provide that information in a more proactive format. So, here you have it!

With the ever changing landscape of mobile devices and platforms having made some tremendous strides over the last 2-3 years, the need for a SalesLogix Mobile Client that is compliant with the full range of today’s devices is greater than ever. Fortunately Sage has recognized this, and the Product Team is working diligently at the upcoming release, due in November/December. What can you expect? A full HTML 5 browser capable application, that will work on BlackBerry and Windows Mobile, as you have come to expect, as well as on the standard iPhone and Android browsers. We’ve seen a sneak peek of the product, and we don’t think you will be disappointed.

But what can organizations that are making the switch away from a BlackBerry culture do in the meantime to access their SalesLogix data from their mobile devices? Fortunately, the team at Net@Work has filled the mobile gap with new, device specific applications for SalesLogix v7.5.2 and SalesLogix Cloud. Available in the appropriate marketplaces for each device, OnTheGo (http://www.myonthego.com) allows SalesLogix users to access real-time data from their database for all critical parts of SalesLogix, as well as making calls, sending emails, creating notes, recording emails and full data editing controls. It’s as easy as pointing the application to your SalesLogix URL and logging in as you normally would at your desk. There’s even a free trial available for the Android platform that points to demonstration data.

Google estimated earlier this month that more than 200,000 Android devices were being activated daily, an increase of 100,000 devices per day since May of this year. That’s overwhelming growth, and far outpaces any other mobile platform on the market. Couple that with the iPhone, and you can account for well over 50% of the smartphones being sold today. We’re seeing more and more executives, customers and otherwise, making the move away from the trusty BlackBerry to newer, more functional devices that in the past have been looked over as true business tools. And we don’t foresee a change in this trend any time soon; in fact we’re counting on seeing exponentially more change in the coming years.

The point to all of this is that SalesLogix, much in the same way that it becoming browser agnostic, is becoming device agnostic. This will allow organizations the flexibility to operate multiple mobile device platforms, with little to no change in the way users access their CRM data on the go. And with very little implementation time or IT burden.

For more information on either of these great solutions, please feel free to contact us at 937-885-1204×3210, or email us at sales@simplesoft.net

If you would like to learn more tips or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati (OH), Charleston (WV), or Charlotte (NC) surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Ripley, WV Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
710 Random Rd.
Ripley, WV 25271
Phone: (304) 521-2387
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Charlotte, NC Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
3635 Eastover Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28211
Phone: (704) 910-3872
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Comment on this Post

Editing Activity and Calendar User Options in SalesLogix Web

June 16th, 2010 by Kyle

Sage SalesLogix provides the tools to allow you to modify some parts of the interface so that you can work in the way that suits your needs. The User Options allow you to set specific preferences for certain features such as General/Search, Group, Activity/Alarm, Calendar, Change Password, and Opportunities that appear when you start the Sage SalesLogix Web Client application. The settings that you select are recorded as being for the user who is logged on and are not visible to other Sage SalesLogix users.

To edit user options:

  1. Login as the proper user of the SalesLogix CRM system.
  2. On the top right status bar, click Options.
  3. Click the tab for the options you want to edit.
    • Click the Activity/Alarm tab to set options for the Activity Main View, follow-up activities, or Activity alarms.
    • Click the Calendar tab to set options for the Calendar view. You can determine the information that displays on your calendar, the default view, or the day start and end times.
  4. Click the Save button icon.

Sage SalesLogix Web CRM Options - Activities

Activity/Alarm Options
Activities, Alarms, and Reminders enable you to keep track of tasks in the Sage SalesLogix Web Client. The Activity/Alarms tab allows you to specify how and when Activities, Alarms, and Reminders will display.

To set Activity and alarm options:

  1. On the top right status bar, click Options.
  2. Click the Activity/Alarms tab.
  3. In the Show Activities for box, select the user whose Activities you want to display in the Activity Main View.
  4. From the Default View drop-down list, select the tab name for the type of Activities you want to display in the Activity Main View (for example, All Open).
  5. In the Time Frame drop-down list, select the time range of Activities you want to display in the Activities Main View.
  6. In the Default Follow-up Activity drop-down list, select the type of Activity to be scheduled as a follow up, after you complete an activity.
  7. In the Carry Over Notes drop-down list, select Yes if you want to carry over any existing notes.
  8. In the Carry Over Attachments drop-down list, select Yes if you want to carry over any existing attachments.
  9. In the Alarm Default Lead boxes, enter a number in the box and select Minute(s), Hour(s), or Day(s) from the drop-down list to determine the length of time the reminder should occur before the Activity Start Time.
  10. Click the Display Activity Reminders drop-down arrow and select Yes to display Activity Reminders or No to prevent Activity Reminders from displaying.
  11. Click the Display Alarms drop-down arrow and select Yes to display Activities with alarms in the Activity Reminders view or No to prevent Activities with alarms from displaying.
  12. Click the Display Confirmations drop-down arrow and select Yes to display Activity confirmations in the Activity Reminders view or No to prevent Activity confirmations from displaying.
  13. Click the Display Past Due drop-down arrow and select Yes to display past due Activities in the Activity Reminders view or No to prevent past due Activities from displaying.
  14. Click the Save button icon.

Sage SalesLogix Web CRM Options - Calendar

Calendar Options
The User Options view displays the settings for the logged on user. These options are only applicable for that specific user in the Web Client.

Calendar Options allow you to adjust the content and appearance of your calendar to accommodate the way you work. You can set the type of information that displays in Activities, the start and end of the work day, the default calendar view, default interval on the calendar, and whether or not completed Activities (history) items display. History items only display on the day and week calendars by default. You can also set the user whose calendar is displayed by default. The logged-on user is the default.

To set calendar options:

  1. On the top right status bar, click Options.
  2. Click the Calendar tab.
  3. In the Default Calendar View box, click the drop-down arrow and select the default calendar view you want to display when you open the Calendar view.
  4. In the Show History on Calendar box, click the drop-down arrow and select Yes to display history items or No to not display history items on the day view.
  5. In the View Calendar For box, click the Find button, select a user from the list, and then click OK.
  6. In the Show on Activities box, click the drop-down arrow and select the Activity information you want to display on the Calendar.
  7. In the Day Start box, click the drop-down arrow and select the time you want the Calendar to display as your start time.
  8. In the Day End box, click the drop-down arrow and select the time you want the Calendar to display as your end time.
  9. In the Default Interval box, click the drop-down arrow and select whether the calendar displays information in 15, 30 or 60 minute intervals.
  10. In the Default Activity Type box, click the drop-down arrow and select a default Activity type. This is the type of Activity that will be created when you double-click on any of the Calendar views.
  11. Click Save.

The above two tabs have been covered but there are other User Options as well such as General/Search, Group, Change Password, and Opportunities tabs that appear when you start the Sage SalesLogix Web Client application. Below is a brief description of those categories:

  • General/Search Options
    Use the General/Search tab to specify such settings as which view opens by default when you first log into Sage SalesLogix Web Client, and who to use as the default owner for any new records you create. You can also set options for using Mail Merge, although these will not be visible unless you selected the “Use ActiveMail” check box when you logged in.
  • Group Options
    The Group Options view display your personal preference settings for Main Views, Default Groups, and Grid Options such as auto resizing columns to prevent horizontal scrolling. These options only apply when the user is logged on to the Web Client.
  • Changing a Password
    You have the ability to change your password through the User Options in the Web Client. Once you have made the changes you want, you must log off and then log on again for the changes to take effect.
  • Opportunity Options
    Use the Opportunities tab to specify default attributes for any new opportunities that you enter into the Sage SalesLogix Web Client. The Opportunity Options view displays the settings for the user who is logged on. These options are only applicable for that specific user in the Web Client.

Editing User Options in Sage SalesLogix Web allows you to modify personal preferences so you can work in an environment that better suits your needs and allow each user to work as effectively as possible in the Sage SalesLogix customer relationship management (CRM) environment.

If you would like to learn more about Editing Activity and Calendar User Options or have another CRM article that you would like us to write about please contact Simplesoft Solutions, Inc. in one of our Cincinnati, OH or Chicago, IL surrounding area office locations:

Dayton, Ohio Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
550 N. Main St. Suite A
Springboro, OH 45066
Phone: (937) 885-1204 x 3204
Fax: (937) 885-3580
sales@simplesoft.net

Chicago, Illinois Office:
Simplesoft Solutions, Inc.
950 N. Rand Rd. #123
Wauconda, IL 60084

Comment on this Post

Simplesoft Solutions Bottom
Register | Log in