Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online can be intimidating to new users. It is such a powerful platform with a plethora of features that getting newcomers to adopt it can sometimes be an uphill battle.
Collaboration is a key ally for battling this resistance. Getting every single user to a high level of proficiency with the system immediately is unrealistic. However, getting a smaller number of users to a higher skill level, let’s call them “power users”, can be extremely beneficial.
Power Users Rule
In the early phases of training, we at xRM to emphasize simple shortcuts and features that will make a user’s life a little easier. Power users can make use of these shortcuts and lesser-known features, share them with their coworkers, all without ever needing administrative credentials. This helps those end users who may be reluctant to adopt CRM Online to see how much time they can save and can even get them excited about working with the system.
One of the features we love is the Share charm that can be found in a couple of different places. We’ll look at how to use the Share feature in a sales pipeline first.
Making Sense of the Noise
Oftentimes a complete list of your CRM data can be overwhelming. How do we know which opportunities to target without opening each one?
That’s precisely why CRM Online has features such as views and charts—they help to cut through the noise. But we don’t need to rely on all of our end users to know how to create their own views and charts right off the bat. A power user can create and share them with the necessary team members.
Step 1
We’ll start by creating a new view using Advanced Find. It should be noted that a system administrator could create a system view that is available to all users that have access to the given entity, opportunities in this example. However, sharing personal views can be done by anyone. Advanced Find can be found by clicking the button to the right of the global search feature in the top-right corner of the browser.
Step 2
Once the Advanced Find window opens, we specify the criteria for our view. We want something that helps users prioritize top opportunities that are expected to close in the near future. Below is an example of a view that filters opportunities down to open records with an estimated close date in the next three weeks, with an estimated revenue equal to or greater than $10,000. Now, it’s time to share this view with a team member. We can click on the Saved Views button in the ribbon of the Advanced Find window.
Step 3
We should then see a list of all of our shared views. We can select the one we’d like to share, and then click the Share button in the ribbon.
Step 4
The Share saved view button opens. Just click on Add User/Team and search for users or teams to share this view with, and then specify the permissions we want to grant them. In this example we are sharing our view with Jane Doe, and we’re giving her permissions to open and share this view with other users. We can share this view with multiple users or teams at once if we so choose.
Step 5
Once the Share button is clicked, the user will find the view listed in their personal views. Just click the dropdown arrow on your View and scroll to the bottom section of “My Views”.
Share Charts Too
Sharing charts works very similarly. Notice below that I’ve already created a personal chart called, “Est. Revenue by Est. Close Date”. It’s broken down by opportunity rating. It can be accessed by clicking on the chart bar on the far right side of the browser window. We can click the More Commands button, which looks like an ellipsis (three dots), and then click the Share button.
We are then given the same ability to choose which users and teams we’d like to share this chart with, and which permissions we’d like to give them.
Views and Charts Help You Zero in on What Matters
Once we’ve shared these tools, users can easily cut through the noise of the data and zero in on the opportunities that they should prioritize. This is how we help users see the value of CRM Online, and drive user adoption.
If you would like to learn more tips, tricks, and tutorials for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, please check out our xRM blog and our Success Portal, a library of over 400 educational Dynamics CRM videos.
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