Microsoft CRM Client for Outlook synchronizes the Outlook calendar and tasks with service activities, appointments and Tasks activities in the Microsoft CRM Service Calendar. Most users have Outlook opened and Outlook provides the reminder popup feature which is not available in the CRM web interface. Here are some productivity tools using Outlook features for MS CRM:

1. Popup reminder. An easy way to add a pop up reminder to QoS-IT (such as a reminder to bill & close case when all jobs are completed) is by a workflow that creates a reminder task. When Outlook synchronizes with CRM the CRM task will be in the Outlook To-Do List with pop up reminder 15 minutes before the task’s due date. In the workflow Add Step>Create Record and select the record as task. Click the Set Property page, place the curser in the Due Date field and set it to: 5 minutes (or any other time) after workflow execution time.

2. Excluding QoS-IT Jobs & Service Activities on Holidays – if you are scheduled for an holiday and you don’t wish to be assigned with QoS-IT jobs and service activities then open the Outlook calendar and set up an appointment for the days and time you are not available. Select the appointment again and click the Track In CRM button in the Outlook toolbar. A similar appointment record is created in MS CRM. QoS-IT will no allocate any job to a user if it conflicts with an existing appointment.

Note: The default setting for minimum time between synchronization is set in: Settings>Administration>System Settings>Outlook, Minimum time between synchronizations (default=15 minutes)