Set Your Default Start Page in CRM 2013

Roshan Mehta, 11 September 2013

In CRM 2013, users have the ability to set their default start page which is the first screen they see when they login to CRM. Each user can configure their start page through the Personal Options screen, but there are a number of different options available based on their job role.

The basic configuration allows users to select a start page based on a functional area – for example Sales, Service, Marketing or Settings. Based on the selected functional area, users can then decide on the data they want to see by default – for example a view, dashboard, or some other control such as the Calendar.

To access your Personal Options, click on the “cog” icon on the right-hand size of the navigation bar, and then click on Options.

At the top of the General tab, you will see two drop-down lists. These lists are used to define your default start page.

By default, both options are set to <Default based on user role>. We will discuss this later on in the post.

The options available for the Default Pane drop-down list include the different functional areas defined in your CRM system. For an out-of-the-box implementation, these are Sales, Service, Marketing, Settings, and Help. This list will differ as you customize your SiteMap by adding additional areas.

Selecting one of these options filters the Default Tab drop-down list. For example, I am a CRM administrator, so selecting Settings as my Default Pane will only allow me to select items that sit under the Settings area in CRM.

Next, let’s understand the <Default based on user role> options. I have created three users in CRM with the following security roles:

Each of these users have both the Default Pane and Default Tab set to <Default based on user role>. When they login to CRM, Frosty will be automatically navigated to the Sales: Dashboards page, Dusty will be navigated to the Marketing: Dashboards page, and Scoopy will be navigated to the Service: Dashboards page.

What happens when someone has multiple security roles? If I assign Frosty Stevens the Sales Manager, Marketing Manager, and Customer Service Representative roles, he will be navigated to the Sales: Dashboards screen. This is because the Sales module appears first in the SiteMap. If we customize the SiteMap so that Marketing is the first functional area, then Frosty will be navigated to Marketing: Dashboards.

This new feature will definitely speed up the user configuration time and will ensure that all users in your system can get to their important data without too many clicks.