Quickly Create Phone Call Activities in Dynamics CRM 2011 Polaris

Roshan Mehta, 14 February 2013

I have previously blogged about the great new Skype Integration as part of Dynamics CRM 2011 and realized that I was missing a very important feature of the integration. In older versions of CRM, I have heard from clients first-hand about the annoyance of multiple clicks and pop-ups when creating activities for customers. With the release of new process-driven forms and Skype integration, you can let CRM do all the hard work for you!

To demonstrate, I have opened up a Contact record and clicked on their Business Phone number to initiate a Skype call. Clicking on the phone number automatically gives focus to activities area, allowing me to quickly input details of the phone call.

CRM fills in the other necessary information for me, such as the direction of the phone call (outgoing) and who the call was made with. I can also select the option for leaving a voice mail if the customer did not pick up.

It is these little improvements that can hugely increase productivity for those of you who are following up with clients on a daily basis. I look forward to bringing you more productivity enhancements for Dynamics CRM 2011.