CRM

What is a contact?

A "contact" is someone who started as a lead (a potential customer) and was followed up by the sales team. They are now seriously interested in buying a vehicle and are actively engaging with the sales team.

A lead becomes a contact just before a final deal is agreed upon between the lead and the dealership. For example, if a lead wants to buy an Audi A8, the sales team follows up and the lead agrees to buy the vehicle at the negotiated price. Before the sales team creates a deal for the lead, the lead is converted into a contact.

Not all contacts may become customers, as some may leave the deal even right before signing the papers. Therefore, a contact or lead is not considered a customer until the deal is converted to a sale. Once a deal is converted to a sale, the contact becomes a customer of the dealership.

Accessing the Contacts Module

To view and manage contacts, go to the CRM section in the sidebar and click on Contacts. This opens the Contacts page, which lists all the contacts created or converted from leads.

Understanding the Contacts List

The main area displays a tabular list of all contacts with key details including:

• Contact Name
• Converted – Shows how the contact was created (e.g. from a Lead Conversion or manual creation)
• Description – A short note added during contact creation
• Added By – The user who created or converted the contact
• Created On – The date when the contact was created
• Mobile – Contact’s phone number
• Email – Contact’s email address

Managing Contacts

• To add a new contact, click the +Create button in the top-right corner.
• To edit an existing contact, click the pencil icon on the left of the contact row. Pencil icon appears when you hover mouse pointer over a row.
• You can search contacts using the search box at the top-right of the screen.
• The dropdown at the top-left allows you to filter between archived and active contacts.

Contact Origins

Contacts can be created in two ways:

• Manually by clicking the +Create button
• Automatically via lead conversion, system automation, or API integration

This module provides a centralized place to manage people your business interacts with, whether they came in through marketing funnels or were added manually.

A "Deal" contains all the details of a potential sale, such as which vehicle the contact wants to buy. It acts as a staging environment between a lead and a final sale.

When a lead is won and the customer finalizes the vehicle they want to buy, any additional features the customer wants to add to the vehicle (e.g., a new woofer system) are managed through Deals. Deals can be customized by the customer. Software user can keep adding features requested by the customer. For example, if customer wants new woofer system, then user can add amount charged for new woofer system in the customization section. All these additional charges are added to the quoted deal amount. Final deal amount including all charges for additional customization are carried to the sale.

Once everything is finalized, the deal is converted into a sale.

When a deal is created for a lead, the lead is automatically archived. This happens because once a lead is converted and a deal is created, it moves to the next stage of the sales process, making the lead no longer active.

Accessing the Deals Module

To view or manage deals, go to the CRM section in the sidebar and click on Deals. This opens the Deals View which lists all ongoing and past deals along with their details and status.

Purpose of the Deals Module

The Deals module acts as a staging system between a lead and a final sale. It helps users track vehicle-specific interest, ongoing negotiations, customizations, and progress toward conversion.

Deals List Overview

The main view displays a table containing the following columns:

• Deal Name – Usually generated using the contact and vehicle name
• Stage – Current position in the sales pipeline (e.g., New, Customisation, Paperwork, Sold, Lost)
• Contact Name – The interested buyer
• Vehicle – The vehicle attached to the deal
• Last Activity Note – Recent user interaction or update
• Deal Note – Manually entered internal comments or updates

Filtering and Date Ranges

At the top of the page, you can filter deals using two dropdowns:

• Status Filter: Choose between Not Archived or Archived deals
• Date Filter: Filter deals based on last activity date, such as:
  • Active Within 15 Days
  • Active Within 1 Month
  • Active Within 2 Months
  • ... up to 12 Months
  • Since Start – shows all deals

Stage Tabs

Just below the "Filter by" text, there are tabs to segment deals by their stage:

• All – Shows all deals regardless of stage
• New – Recently created deals not yet acted upon
• Customisation – Deals with custom features being finalized
• Paperwork – Deals in the document preparation phase
• Sold – Finalized and converted into a sale
• Lost – Dropped or failed deals

Managing Deals

• To add a new deal, click the +Create Deal button on the top right
• To edit a deal, click the pencil icon next to the Deal Name
• You can search by name using the search box beside the filters

Additional Notes

Each deal is linked to a specific contact, a lead and a specific vehicle. Customizations and add-ons discussed with the buyer can be tracked within the deal using the Deals Customization system. Once finalized, a deal can be converted to a Sale, completing the funnel from lead to transaction.

When a user either clicks on the +Create Deal button at the top right of the Deals page or clicks on the Edit (pencil) icon beside an existing deal in the list, then system opens a window in edit mode or add new mode depending upon the option used to open it.

Once a deal is created, users have the option to add all custom requests made by the buyer. The dealership can choose whether to charge for these customizations. Here’s how it works:

• For example, if a customer wants to replace the sound system with one of a different brand, the user can add the new sound system to the Customization Grid.
• All charges associated with customizing the vehicle are automatically added to the final sale price.

This feature ensures that all buyer-specific requests are accounted for, providing a transparent and accurate final price for the vehicle.

Activities are actions taken to engage and nurture a lead with the goal of closing a sale. Common activities include making calls, sending emails, or setting up meetings. Tracking these interactions helps manage the lead's journey effectively.

To create a new activity for a lead:

1. Go to the Activities tab in the Add Lead window or click on Create Activity in Activities page.
2. Click on the Create New Activity button.
3. This will open a new side window where you can enter activity details. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete and save the activity.

Explanation of Fields in the Activity Window

This window provides fields to configure the activity in detail:

• Type: Select the type of activity, such as a call, meeting, or email, from the dropdown menu.
• Start Time: Set the date and time for when the activity will begin. This helps schedule and track the activity accurately. If reminder is on then this time is considered as reminder time.
• End Time: This option pops up only in case of appointment. It defines when the appointment will end.
• Reminder: Refer to Activity Reminder section.
• Priority: Set the importance level of the activity, such as Normal, High, or Low. This helps prioritize tasks within the CRM.
• Completed: Mark "Yes" if the activity is already completed; otherwise, select "No."
• Location: Add a location for the activity if it takes place at a physical or specific location.
• Note: Use this field to add additional notes or details about the activity, such as objectives or specific instructions. First note can be added here. Once the activity is created you can add further notes in the Notes tab.

After filling out the fields, click Save to create or update the activity with the reminder, or Close to exit without saving changes.

Reminders can be added while creating a new activity or editing an existing one. To enable a reminder, select Yes in the Reminder dropdown menu. Choosing "Yes" will display additional fields to configure the reminder settings in detail. Below is an explanation of each field:

• Reminder: Choose "Yes" if you want to be reminded of this activity.
• Start Time: The reminder will be triggered on the date set in the Start Time field. The exact time of the reminder will depend on the settings selected in "Days Before or After" and "When".
• Days Before or After: Determines when the reminder should be sent in relation to the due date. For example, if you choose "1 day before," a reminder will be sent one day before the activity's start time.
• When: Sets the specific timing of the reminder relative to the start time. Options include "On Time," "5 minutes before," "1 hour before," etc. For instance, if you choose "1 hour before," the reminder will be sent exactly one hour before the set start time.
• Repeat: Choose "Yes" if this activity should have recurring reminders.
  • Repeat Type: Select the frequency of the recurrence, such as daily, weekly, or monthly.
  • Repeat Interval: Define the interval for the recurrence. For example, setting this to "2" with a daily frequency will repeat the reminder every two days.
  • Repeat Until: Specify the end date for the recurring reminders. Reminders will continue until this date.

Note: If the Start Time is set in the past, the reminder will not trigger. The system does not prevent you from entering a past date in the Start Time field.

The activity list shows all activities such as appointments, calls, or emails, based on selected filters.

Filters

The activity list has two types of filters:

1. Displayed at the top bar: These are primary filters where users can filter based on the following conditions:
   • Hide/Show Past Pending Activities: If "Show Past Pending" is selected, the grid shows all activities from the past that were not completed. "Hide Past Pending" is the opposite, hiding activities from previous dates from the current view.
   • Pending/Completed/All: Depending on the selection, the grid view filters activities. If "Completed" is selected, the "Show Past Pending" filter is overridden and does not work.
   • Date: Activities are loaded according to the selected date. Users can select a date from the calendar or click on the left and right arrows to move forward or backward by one day.
2. Activity type filters: These filters are shown as tabs. Each tab filters activities by their type. The "All" tab lists all types of activities, while other tabs filter the list as their names suggest (e.g., the "Appointments" tab lists appointments only).

Operations

Sprint 19 introduced a quick action menu in the list. All necessary operations can be performed from the quick menu. Hovering the mouse over the list pops up a quick action button. Clicking on that button will show a quick action menu. The following details all available options in the quick menu:

1. Mark as Completed: The current activity is flagged as completed and removed from the list.
2. Complete and Add New: Marks the selected activity as completed instantly and opens a new activity window with the current contact selected.
3. Edit: Opens the current activity in edit mode. Users can modify the activity as required.
4. Postpone for <Weekday>: Instantly postpones the current activity to the next weekday.

Additionally, a quick note handle has been added. Hovering on the list shows a "+" button in the notes column. A quick note can be added by clicking on this button.