Within this screen on you can view all names, address & contact information relating to the customer record.
Options for the Title against the CRM record pull from Customer Titles found within the General tab of CRM Parameters.
When amending a CRM record or completing the Customer tab for a new record certain fields will be marked either * or + these respectively mean mandatory and recommended. If the field is marked as mandatory (*) that means that this field must be filled in, whereas recommended (+) means that if this field is not completed the system will prompt the user – for instance whilst completing a workshop booking for a customer who doesn’t have the recommended fields completed. (The mandatory/recommended fields pull from what is set in the CRM Parameters > Customer Validation).
If the Post Code Lookup is enabled and the Post Code field has been marked as Preferred in the validation parameters, the address and the postcode fields are greyed out (restricted) forcing the user to select the search icon button next to the Post Code field – this will display all addresses for selection based upon the Post Code entered.
When viewing the Customer tab via CRM Enquiry, a map icon appears alongside the Post Code field. This is only visible if the ‘Map Search Parameter’ is enabled, this will allow the users to click through to see the address via either Road, Aerial or Hybrid view.
Whilst in amend mode, an option appears next to the postcode field to record MPS information against the customer. MPS refers to the Mailing Preference Service – a service that individuals or business can subscribe to in an attempt to prevent ‘junk’ mail being sent to their address. If a customer is MPS registered, selection of this box allows their information to easily be suppressed from selections carried out on the system to generate mailshots.
Once email addresses have been entered and the record saved, these entries take the form of hyperlinks – selection of them on the CRM record takes users through to their email program automatically populating the ‘To’ field on the email with the email address from the CRM record.
The Associations field is used to group CRM records. This is particularly useful if the CRM record is for a driver of a fleet vehicle, and provides the basis for effective management of fleet or large company operators.
Up to three telephone numbers and one fax number can be stored against each CRM record within the section displaying on the bottom left hand side of the screen. Next to the telephone number an extension number can be recorded.
The square box next to the Extension number is used to record TPS (Telephone Preference Service) Registration – tick this field if the customer has a TPS registered telephone number.
Any telephone number (Landline/Mobile) stored within the mobile field can be used for SMS messaging – the mobile icon appears next to the number when the record is saved.
To send an SMS message from the system, click on this icon . The system displays a new window that is used to type the detail of the text message to the customer, this may be up to 136 characters long.
An Occupation can be completed, if known, along with a Job Title. The Contact Name field becomes mandatory if a CRM record for a business is being created whereby the Company Name field in the address block is populated.
The Dear Name field defaults to the Title and Surname of the customer upon the saving of the record, this is utilised when raising letters through CRM, Personal Notes may also be added if required.
The Interests section appears as a link field – the title of this field is driven by the parameter for the Customer User Definable Field, this is setup within CRM Parameters > General drop down.
The ‘Created By’ displays the detail of the user who created the record in the first instance, along with the date and time that the activity took place. The ‘Amended By’ section is updated with the system time stamp from the most recent amendment.
The Introduction Source is a mandatory field and must be completed upon creation of a new CRM record, the available options for selection of the field are set in Parameters > Introduction Sources, this can be used for further marketing analysis.
The Account Name field allows the user to link a Sales Ledger master account to the CRM record which will then pull through as a default account when Parts or Workshop departments charge invoices through to the customer.
Customer Type, this fields can be populated by the options set with the ‘Customer Type Descriptions’ set in the Parameters found in CRM > Parameters > Dealer Parameters > General Drop-Down, used to allow dealerships to target specific customer groups.
The CRM record must be attached to a department within the company structure of the system before it can be saved. By default Pinewood DMS will automatically populate the Department field with the department that the user is logged into. To change a department, click in the link field.
The Dealer Distance value calculation is based on longitude and latitude positions which are generated from post code data (In the event that a post code cannot be populated, or a longitude or latitude position cannot be found, the distance will be hidden from the screen).
The final field available on the Customer tab is the Notes field, which appears on the bottom right hand side of the screen: This field provides users with the opportunity to record any information regarding the customer that they desire. Entries here will be visible to the service department when a workshop booking is being raised against the CRM record, so this field should be completed with this information in mind.
Once the record has been completed as required, select the “Save” button at the bottom of the screen to confirm the changes made. The “Cancel” option can be used to cancel any changes made.
The Amendments Audit button can also be used to view any amendments that have been made to a customer record by clicking the button any amendments will be displayed on screen showing the details of the fields that have been amended and by which user.