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February 2nd, 2016 by Paul
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Over the last few years, installations of Infor CRM have been shifting from On-premise into the operating cost bucket (CAPEX to OPEX). We do see more new deployments launched in the Cloud (SaaS – Software as a Service) than ever before. However, this trend is not universal to all customers because on premise has not gone away. Infor CRM is one of the few solutions available in both On-premise and Cloud. Infor CRM is flexible and with its single tenancy model in the Cloud, a database can be moved either direction. One strong advantage to the On-premise story is that integration is a bit easier behind the firewall. At Simplesoft our deployment pros have installed Infor CRM in many different ways including DMZ, with various proxies, Windows Authentication, and security ports like SSL for encryption and even with front end servers for the load balancing of web servers, etc. Bottom line: We find ways to make the Infor CRM installation work successfully and can think outside the box. Today’s article provides some tips and hints to prepare for a successful On-premise installation. 1. Prepare the hardware platform / provision the servers Starting with the compatibility guide, a customer can get a feel for the hardware needs, operating systems, and database editions and versions for the latest editions of Infor CRM. There are many factors that make up the final configuration recommendations. For example, the number of users can have a huge impact on how many servers are required for high demand setups or even how much data and which technologies need integrated. 2. Download the software needed and have the licenses ready Infor offers a great portal for the management of items like licenses, software, patches, knowledgebase articles, and how to references via documentation. The software and patches can be downloaded from the Xtreme Portal for installation. The exact files and steps will depend on the version of Infor CRM that is needed. We are happy to guide customers in all aspects of the software. 3. Prepare for the configurations Here are few of the basics that need to be prepared before the installation to maximize the results:
These steps will help avoid issues in the installation process. 4. Consider the prerequisites With each version of any software there are various components that, when installed properly, make the general software install go smoother and reduce waiting time.
5. Installation and configuration The installation varies for the version of the software and how many servers are needed for a particular configuration or security requirements. A 200 user setup is different than a 10 user setup. We are experienced at many complex configurations. 6. QA the results Follow the standard Simplesoft quality checks to ensure the software is installed, services running, and features configured properly for optimized results. With any enterprise tool there are potential pitfalls with the preparation and installation steps. With the guidance of Simplesoft Solutions, you can avoid a long deployment cycle and will have your users in the tool faster than without us. Take our tips into consideration for long term success and getting things installed right from the beginning. Mentally, the only players who survive in the pros are the ones able to manage all their responsibilities. If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events. Comments Off on 6 Tips for a Successful On-Premise Launch of Infor CRM
January 25th, 2016 by Janetta
![]() “Necessity is the Mother of all Invention.” – Albert Einstein This short post is an example of the quote above. We had a need to create a company Marketing Calendar in Infor CRM so everyone on our team would know when Web Training Events and Public Demos were scheduled so they could mention on the phone during their interactions. We decided to setup a new Infor CRM User called “Marketing.” Setting Up a “Marketing User” allowed us to create activities such as Training or Demo events logged in as this Marketing user. Other Infor CRM Users can see these Marketing Activities by viewing the Marketing Users’ calendar. Alternatively, if you want all your users to be aware of the events you can add “Everyone” as a member of the activity when it is scheduled. Your decision on how to make the Marketing events viewable to your users would depend on your environment and the necessity of your users to be aware of the events.
If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events. Comments Off on A Simple Way to Create a Corporate Event or Marketing Calendar in Infor CRM
October 21st, 2014 by Teri Unger
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Last week we had a training session during the Heartland Users Group event that involved implementing a custom sales process and using it to create a custom web dashboard. Infor CRM™ (Saleslogix) allows custom processes to be created with as many tasks for each stage that is required to fulfill the sales process defined by your company. We, at Simplesoft, are not an advocate of a particular sales process, but we do enable you to utilize any sales process by showing you how to use the Saleslogix tools.
Initiate the process by defining your goals for each Stage and Step in the process. Does the sales rep need to send a standard email then follow-up with a phone call 2 days later? You can schedule that in Saleslogix and it takes the guesswork out of the task. Include a template with a rollover activity set up directly in the process. The user just selects the contact; the rest is done for them. What has just happened? You have regulated the communications to the customer. The history is recorded in Saleslogix. Everyone that touches that account knows which contact has received what communication, and what steps are next. In other words, control. If you do not have a user-friendly sales process then your processes are only as good as your salesperson. And this is just ONE step in a sales process. Enter those processes into the Saleslogix tool in the Architect or the LAN client. Create as many as you need to fulfill your sales strategy. Release the Sales Process to users. Here is a sample sales process with Stages and Steps: Measure and refine. On the other end of the process is measurement. Setting a process in place with specific steps is critical but measuring the success of that process is essential for improving. You can measure the Saleslogix sales process with the Web Dashboards. The web dashboard is a tool that utilizes filters. As you build a dashboard widget you choose filters to either group or define the widget display. With a custom process you have to create a new filter for the dashboard so that the web client will display it on the dashboard widgets. There are a few steps and we recommend you open the standard (Stages) filter under the Saleslogix Entities to review the settings. Notice: This is not a recommended task for everyone. This is written for experienced developers.
If you are interested in more information on Web Dashboard and Sales Processes, please contact us and we will be glad to assist you. The information included in this blog is not intended to be a complete step-by-step process as each dashboard and sales process is unique to each business. If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events. Comments Off on Infor CRM formerly Saleslogix Sales Processes and Web Dashboards
September 25th, 2014 by Paul
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This article is written to help Saleslogix customers to take corrective actions for a known data related issue that applies to the web client only upon Opportunity creation. We have found the issue is not consistent from one implementation to another, but wanted to make this available for immediate impact. When you are planning to move from a v7.5.x Saleslogix to v8.x/v8.1.x, here is a set of proactive steps to ensure one less issue for the users of Saleslogix. Our goal is to always maximize the experience of the end user. Note: This correction helps to avoid an error message while inserting opportunities. The error message description encountered would be like below: We’re sorry, your request could not be completed. When you receive an error in the browser like the one above it is always a good idea to find the matching Windows Event viewer entry for the more complete information on the issue. Once the issue is determined to be the Account Partner Picklist issue then follow the steps below for the potential issue resolution. 1. How to find the records that may need updated. In SQL Server Enterprise Manager, on the Tools menu, click SQL Query Analyzer to run SQL Query Analyzer connected to the Saleslogix database. Note: The SQL can be ran in the Execute SQL in the Administrator as well. 2. Run the following select statement to identify the potential records for correction. select * from sysdba.picklist where text = ‘Account Partner’ Note: If more than one row is returned from the above query, remove the extra listings through Pick list Manager and rerun the previous query. You may need to drop the table owner reference, sysdba.picklist vs. picklist, depending on how the statement is being ran. 3. If duplicate records exist, then open the Saleslogix administrator and go to Manage | Pick lists and remove any duplicate pick lists. Note: If the result set has the itemid as ‘kSYST0000346’, there is nothing more to do. If the Itemid is another value then, save the current itemid value and run the following SQL statements. Maybe copy to a notepad file or similar tool. 4. Run the following update statements, be sure to replace Itemid and PicklistID with the saved ItemID value. update sysdba.Picklist set ItemId = ‘kSYST0000346’ where ItemId = ‘<Retained ItemID>’ update sysdba.Picklist set PicklistId = ‘kSYST0000346’ where PicklistId = ‘<Retained ItemID>’ 5. Verify the results of the changes, by running the SQL statements below. select * from sysdba.picklist where text = ‘kSYST0000346’ select * from sysdba.picklist where PicklistID = ‘kSYST0000346’ Note: The first query should return 1 row, and the second query should return all the values/items from your Account Partner pick list. 6. Validate in the web client that the insert opportunity feature does not produce an error. Ask the user who initially ran into the issue to confirm the problem or business analyst as needed. 7. Communicate the results Let people know the problem was corrected. In the unlikely case the problem persists, contact your Saleslogix implementation partner or Saleslogix support if you have an active business care plan. When you take the time to proactively check and ensure that your end users will not hit data issues it is like fixing a leaky faucet – ultimately it will help you save energy, water, and money. For IT, you are adding value to your environment and helping your systems to run smoothly. The key is to work with a Saleslogix business partner who has the insight and experience to help provide answers and solve problems. I like to encourage people to realize that any action is a good action if it’s proactive and there is positive intent behind it. — Quote by Michael J. Fox For more Saleslogix tips and tricks, stay tuned to our blog! If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events. Comments Off on Proactive Data Corrections for Inserting Opportunities
March 10th, 2014 by Teri Unger
![]() Swiftpage has released a new update for Saleslogix v8.0. This update addresses issues in several areas of the Windows Client. Resolved areas include several fixes to Groups and the Query Builder, Calendar & Activity views and Outlook Integration. Defect 13094308, when highlighting a record in the Opportunity List View and the text becomes white, has been resolved in this update. As with all updates, it addresses reported defects and should be evaluated for application to your environment. The summary of each update is listed below: SNC Update 16 SNC update 16 also contains the fixes from SNC updates 13, 10, and 08. Prerequisites of SNC updates 02, 03, and 09.
If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Also, 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. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events.
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March 5th, 2014 by Teri Unger
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Web Core Update 06 also contains the cumulative releases from Web Core updates 1-5
We recommend and encourage you to review the update documents to keep abreast of all defects and issues that have been corrected. Contact Simplesoft Solutions to discuss an upgrade for Saleslogix, and to review any new features or updates with Saleslogix v8.0. If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Also, 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. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events. Comments Off on Saleslogix v8.0 Web Core 06 Update
February 28th, 2014 by Teri Unger
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The summary of each update is listed below: SNC Update 06 SNC update 06 also contains the fixes from SNC update 01
SNC Update 07
SNC Updates 08 and 05 have been replaced by SNC Update 09 SNC Update 09 SNC Update 09 has prerequisites for installation. SNC Updates 02 and 03 must be installed prior to installing SNC Update 09.
SNC Update 10 has been replaced by SNC Update 13 SNC Update 13 SNC Update 13 has prerequisites for installation. SNC Updates 02, 03, and 09 must be installed prior to installing SNC Update 13.
SNC Update 14 SNC Update 14 has prerequisites for installation. SNC Updates 02, 03, and 09 must be installed prior to installing SNC Update 14.
We recommend and encourage you to review the update documents to keep abreast of all defects and issues that have been corrected. Contact Simplesoft Solutions to discuss an upgrade for Saleslogix, and to review any new features or updates with Saleslogix v8.0. If you would like to discuss upgrading your system, or to see a free demonstration, please contact Simplesoft Solutions. Also, 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. Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events. Comments Off on New Saleslogix v8.0 SNC Updates!
November 14th, 2013 by Paul
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As Saleslogix continues to change, evolve and improve with each release, in order to be competitive and to keep the Saleslogix platform strong, Saleslogix will continue to add new product capabilities to meet the current needs of the market. For example, the new mobile client continues to set the pace in the market for high adoption rates and sales excellence. The focus is also on putting data where it is needed and bubbling up just the right amount of data with groups, dashboards and advanced analytics tools. This, too, continues to set Saleslogix apart from the rest. With 8.1, adding new features like “multiple contacts per activity,” a top feature request for a number of years, it becomes harder for Saleslogix to support previous releases. This especially impacts changes related to uncontrollable industry factors. These uncontrollable industry factors include things that continue to change and evolve, such as: operating systems, desktop apps, hardware, security, browser architecture and database technology. Saleslogix works hard to limit the platform changes, and impact to overall cost of ownership, but to keep up with the fast pace of the industry they are sometimes forced to change how we are used to doing things. Due to the ever-changing IT environment and market, Saleslogix needs to focus their top resources on 7.5.4, 8.0 and the eminent release of 8.1. And, therefore Saleslogix is announcing that Saleslogix versions 7.5.0 thru 7.5.3 are moving to Critical Fix Only Status. What does Critical Fix Only Status mean for you? Customers using Saleslogix v7.5.0 thru v7.5.3 can still expect fixes for security issues and data loss issues. Other issues, however, will not follow the usual escalation path nor will they be escalated for advanced troubleshooting. Additionally, Service Level Agreement resolution times will no longer apply. No official product retirement date has yet been announced from Saleslogix. Customers with active support plans for Saleslogix v7.5.0 thru v7.5.3 will continue to receive support until their contract expires. Saleslogix strongly encourages customers and partners to learn more about Saleslogix v8.0 and explore upgrade options to this current release. Stay tuned to the Saleslogix Community and this blog as we will be announcing more about Saleslogix v8.1 in the coming weeks. “Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal.” Remember to check our CALENDAR and register for free training, demo sessions, and the Heartland Saleslogix Users Group Events. Comments Off on Saleslogix v8.1 Nears As Older Versions Prepare for Sunsetting
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