Activity Templates

n Activity Template in the CommitCRM system is a file that contains a group of pre-programmed activities—such as Tasks, Appointments, or Tickets—that can be applied to different parts of the system, including Accounts, Assets, Contracts, and Sales Opportunities. Users can create Activity Templates for projects that their company commonly performs and which require a similar set of tasks, regardless of the client. Using the right template can get you and your team started on a project more quickly and efficiently, increasing productivity and streamlining your work.

Overview

What is an Activity Template?
Many IT companies provide services, such as network installation or server setup, that involve a standard set of steps. Rather than manually create the same steps over and over again for every new project, users can use the Activity Template features of Commit.

An Activity Template is an entity that contains a group of pre-programmed activities—such as Tasks, Appointments, or Tickets—that can be applied to different parts of the Commit system, including Accounts, Assets, Contracts, and Sales Opportunities. By applying an Activity Template to a specific project, all of the activities programmed into the template are automatically created for that project and placed into the Pending tab, saving the user valuable time.

Activity Templates can also be created for simpler projects, such as setting up a new laptop, and applied to the relevant Ticket or Asset.

How are Activity Templates created and applied?
Activity Templates can be created by selecting the “Activity Templates…” option from the Settings menu. Companies may choose to create Activity Templates in advance for specific projects, saving their employees time at the start of an actual project. For more information about creating Activity Templates, see the Creating New Activity Templates section of this manual.

To apply an Activity Template, users should go to the Pending tab of the entity to which they wish to apply the template (i.e., the Account, Asset, Contract, Ticket, or Opportunity) and click the New button. They should then select the “Apply Activity Template” option, which applies the template using a wizard. This wizard walks the user through creating all the activities pre-programmed in the template.

For more information on applying Activity Templates, see the Activating the Applying Templates section.

Activity Templates Examples

The following are examples of how Activity Templates can be used:

New PC Setup
Installing a new PC usually involves a few standard tasks, regardless of the client. In Commit, a new PC installation is generally managed under a ticket, which lists all the tasks needed to complete the project. Rather than have its employees spend time manually creating new tasks for every PC installed, a company can create an Activity Template for a Ticket that can be applied every time a new PC needs to be installed. When a user applies this template to a specific ticket, all the tasks automatically appear in the ticket's Pending tab. Before closing the ticket, the system alerts the user if any of these tasks has not been carried out.

Possible template activities include:

• Task: Build PC according to hardware specifications.
• Task: Install operating system.
• Task: Install antivirus software.
• Task: Test the system.

New Local Network Setup
A new network installation is a complicated project that usually requires a number of tickets, tasks, and appointments. In Commit, such a project is generally managed under a contract. In order to create these activities easily, you can use an Activity Template designed specifically for contracts. When the template is applied to a specific contract, the activities appear in the contract's Pending tab, showing all the work necessary to complete the job.

Possible template activities include:

• Appointment: On-site visit for general planning
• Ticket: Install network cables.
• Ticket: Set up and install switch.
• Ticket: Set up and install router.
• Ticket: Set up and install firewall.
• Task: Prepare audit document describing network components.

Monthly Service Contract
Monthly service contracts often require many types of activities, including tickets, appointments, and tasks, which need to be performed each month as part of an agreement. These activities are generally the same from client to client. A monthly service contract is most likely managed as a contract in the Commit system.

In order to easily create these activities (rather than create them manually for each client), you can create an Activity Template. When the template is applied to a specific contract, the activities appear in the contract's Pending tab, displaying all the work necessary to provide your services. In addition, you can link this template to the contract as the contract’s “default template,” meaning that the template is automatically applied when copying or renewing this contract. You can read more about this feature in the Default Activity Templates section.

Possible template activities include:

• Ticket: Remote login to the server to monitor the event logs—due 5 days after the contract’s Start Date.
• Appointment: preventive on-site visit for general maintenance and support, 15 days after the contract’s Start Date.
• Task: Call the customer and discuss open issues, 7 days before the contract’s End Date.

New Prospect Opportunity
Following up on prospective customers is an important part of running any business and can often determine whether you succeed in bringing in new clients or not. In order to properly monitor new prospects and perform effective follow-up, most companies have a standard set of follow-up tasks, which can be managed under an opportunity in the Commit system.

Because most follow-up involves a similar set of activities, regardless of the client, the easiest way to create a new opportunity is by applying an Activity Template. After a template is applied to a specific opportunity, all these activities appear in the opportunity's Pending tab, including phone calls which should take place, e-mails which should be sent, etc.

Possible template activities include:

• Task: Make initial phone call with prospective client, same day as the opportunity is opened.
• Task: Prepare and send proposal, same day as the opportunity is opened.
• Task: Follow up on proposal, 3 days after the opportunity’s Open Date.

Creating New Activity Templates

To create an Activity Template, go to Settings from the main menu and select the “Activity Templates” option. This opens the Activity Templates management window, where you can see a list of Activity Templates.

To create a new template, click on the New button at the top left-hand corner of this window, and the following window opens:

File:Commit activity templates new.gif

In this window you should enter the basic information about the Activity Template. All the fields in this window are mandatory. Below is an explanation of the fields in this window.

• Name: In this field you should enter a name that clearly identifies the cases in which the template should be used. The name should also make the template easy to identify in the Templates List. A template’s Name field must be unique. The system does not allow for two Activity Templates with the same name.

• Status: Activity Templates can be set as active or inactive. The Status is displayed in the Templates List. The system does not allow users to apply inactive Activity Templates.

• Type: The Type button determines which entity in the Commit system (Accounts, Assets, Contracts, Tickets, Opportunities) the Activity Template applies to. An “Account Activity Template” is a template that can be applied to Accounts; a “Ticket Activity Template” is a template that can be applied to Tickets, etc.
  
  The Type field is an important classification, as there are slight differences in the activities (and activity features) that may be assigned to each Activity Template Type.

After completing these fields, click the OK button. An Activity Template has now been created, and the template’s Details window appears:

File:Commit activity templates new details.gif

There are two tabs in this window. In the General tab, most of the basic information about the template appears. (This information was entered in the previous window.)

In the center of the General tab is the Entries List. This is an important section of an Activity Template. In Commit Activity Templates, the term “entry” is a general phrase that refers to a specific activity assigned to an Activity Template. An activity “entry” can be a Task, Appointment, or Ticket.

The Entries List displays a complete list of all the entries already assigned to the template.

File:Commit activity templates entries tab.gif

You can also create new entries from this window. To create a new entry, click the New button at the bottom-left corner of the Entries tab. A pop-up menu then appears from which you should choose to create a Task, Appointment, or Ticket entry.

Note: In Ticket and Opportunity Activity Templates, users are given the option of creating Task or Appointment entries only. The system does not allow for Ticket entries in either Ticket or Opportunity Activity Templates.

After choosing which type of entry to create, a Details window opens. This window varies according to the activity and template Type. The different activities and template Types are explained in detail in the following sections of this manual. In the Notes tab you may add details about the template, such as a more specific description of when the template should be used:

File:Commit activity templates notes tab.gif

These details are also displayed in the Activity Templates List. In addition, this tab contains some administrative information about the template, including the date the template was first created, who created the template, and when it was last updated.

Creating Activity Entries for Accounts

To create a new entry in an Account Activity Template, go to the Entries tab of the template and click on the New button in the bottom-left corner. A pop-up menu now appears where you can select “Task,” “Appointment,” or “Ticket.”

To edit an existing entry, simply select it from the Entries List in the General tab.

File:Commit activity templates new account menu.gif

After making your selection, a window opens, allowing you to enter detailed information about the newly created entry. Task, Appointment, and Ticket entries all have slightly different Detail windows. To learn more about these Detail windows, see the sections that immediately follow, or click on the appropriate link below.

1. Task entries for Account Activity Templates
2. Appointment entries for Account Activity Templates
3. Ticket entries for Account Activity Templates