CRM 2011 – Working with Activities from Process Forms

Roshan Mehta, 04 March 2013

Working with Activities has never been easier with the introduction of process-driven forms in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 UR12. Previously it took a number of clicks to create, read, update, and complete Activities while also managing the headache of multiple pop-up windows. With the new Activities control, users can perform these actions in less clicks from a single window, allowing them to track communications with customers in a timely manner.

Let’s assume I am covering for a colleague who has fallen sick and I need to get up to speed with the latest communications for an account called City Power & Light. I can simply open up the account form and click on the Activities link.

The screenshot above shows me three activities linked to the account. I can see key information such as the current status of the activity, who completed or modified the activity, and the date and time of the last action. Completed activities are colour coded with a light grey background.

Hovering over each activity allows me to perform additional actions. I can quickly complete activities, open the activity in a new window, or expand the activity to get more information whilst still on the account form.

The activities control also allows me to quickly add a new phone call or task to the account by clicking the Add Phone Call or Add Task buttons. The screenshots below show what the form looks like after selecting these options.

The new activities control is just one of the ways in which Microsoft has improved the user interface to increase the productivity of CRM users. Stay tuned for future posts outlining the new features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 UR12.