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:
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:
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.
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:
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.
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.
- Task entries for Account Activity Templates
- Appointment entries for Account Activity Templates
- Ticket entries for Account Activity Templates
Task Entries for Account Activity Templates
After selecting to create a Task entry for an Account Activity Template, the following window opens:
In this window you should enter the information the system can use to create the task when the template is applied.
Below is an explanation of the fields/buttons in this window.
Employee
Each task is the Commit system must be assigned to an employee. When assigning an employee to a Task entry in a template, you should select the employee who you want assigned to the task once the template is applied and a specific task is “created.”
You can choose the “Employee” from any of the following options:
- Account Manager: By selecting this option, the task will be assigned to the Account Manager of the account to which the template is applied. (The Account Manager is defined in the Account details window > General tab > Account Manager [“Acct Mgr.”] field).
- Specific Employee: When applying the template and creating the task, the employee specified in this option is assigned to the task. If the specified employee is no longer an active employee at the time the template is applied, the appointment is automatically assigned to the user applying the template. The system makes note of this change when applying the template.
- The user applying the template: By selecting this option, the task will be assigned to the user who actually applies the template to a specific asset.
- Shared: By selecting this option, the task will be set as “Shared,” rather than assigned to a specific employee, when the template is applied to a specific asset.
Task Date
Each task in the Commit system needs to be assigned a date. In an Account template, the Task Date is defined as a certain number of days before or after—or the day of—a reference date that is defined in the "Copy From" field.
The "Copy From" field allows the user to define the date to copy from as any of the following:
- The Account's Birthdate
- The date the template is applied
These choices appear in a drop-down menu from this field.
Users can then adjust the date to be a certain number of days earlier or later than this day.
For example, add a task at the account's birth date to send them a greeting card.
In addition, you can select the Move to next workday flag. This flag takes effect if the date that is calculated when applying the template falls out on a weekend. If this box is checked, the system automatically moves the Task Date to the next available business day.
For example, if according to the information you enter in the template the Task Date falls out on a Saturday (and Monday through Friday are defined as working days in your Commit Calendar), then Task Date is calculated to be the following Monday. If such a move is made, a comment is displayed when applying the template.
Note: In order to apply the template successfully, the information in field "Copy From" must be defined in the Account to which you wish to apply the template. If the reference date has not been entered into the Account, applying a template to it will fail.
Task Time
You can set the task Time as you wish. This field may also be edited when applying the template to a specific account.
Details Tab
In this tab you can enter a value to additional fields of the Task. These are the Task’s user-defined fields, which can be used as you wish. Setting the values in the template entries will set these values to the fields when the task is created from the template.
Note: If you've enabled Field3, Field4, and Field5 in your system, they will be displayed here as well.
Description
In this box you should enter a description of the task. When the template is applied to a specific account, this field appears as the Task Description. If you would like the Account/Contact information to be automatically added to this field when the template is applied, you can check the Add Account/Contact info box. Including this information in this field can be helpful when exporting the task to Outlook.
You can also specify whether the Account/Contact information should appear before or after the Task Description. To do so, check either the Before Description box or the After Description box.
Appointment Entries for Account Activity Templates
After choosing to create or edit an Appointment entry for a Asset Activity Template, the following window opens:
In this window you should enter the information the system can use to create the appointment when the template is applied.
Below is an explanation of the fields/buttons in this window.
Employee
Each appointment is the Commit system must be assigned to an employee. When assigning an employee to an Appointment entry in a template, you should select the employee who you want assigned to the appointment once the template is applied to a specific account and the appointment is “created.”
You can choose the “Employee” from any of the following options:
- Account Manager: By selecting this option, the appointment will be assigned to the Account Manager of the account to which the template is applied. (The Account Manager is defined in the Account details window > General tab > Account Manager [“Acct Mgr.”] field.
- Specific Employee: When applying the template and creating the appointment, the employee specified in this option is assigned to the appointment. If the specified employee is no longer an active employee at the time the template is applied, the appointment is automatically assigned to the user applying the template. The system makes note of this change when applying the template.
- The user applying the template: By selecting this option, the appointment will be assigned to the user who actually applies the template to a specific ticket.
- Shared: By selecting this option, the appointment will be set as “Shared,” rather than assigned to a specific employee, when the template is applied to a specific ticket.
Appointment Date
Each Appointment in the Commit system needs to be assigned a date. In an Account template, the Appointment Date is defined as a certain number of days before or after—or the day of—a reference date that is defined in the "Copy From" field.
The "Copy From" field allows the user to define the reference date to copy from as any of the following:
- The Account's Birthdate
- The current date when applying the template
These choices appear in a drop-down menu from this field.
Users can then adjust the date to be a certain number of days earlier or later than this day.
In addition, you can select the Move to next workday flag. This flag takes effect if the date that is calculated when applying the template falls out on a weekend. If this box is checked, the system automatically moves the Appointment Date to the next available business day.
For example, if according to the information you enter in the template the Appointment Date falls out on a Saturday (and Monday through Friday are defined as working days in your Commit Calendar), then Appointment Date is calculated to be the following Monday. If such a move is made, a comment is displayed when applying the template.
Note: In order to apply the template successfully, the information in field "Copy From" must be defined in the Account to which you wish to apply the template. If the "Copy From" has not been entered into the Account, applying a template to it will fail.
Appointment Time
You can set the appointment’s Time as you wish. This field may also be edited when applying the template to a specific account.
Details Tab
In this tab you can enter a value to additional fields of the Appointment. These are the appointment's user-defined fields, which can be used as you like. Setting the value in the template entry will set this value to the field when the task is created from the template.
Note: If you've enabled Field3, Field4, and Field5 in your system, they will be displayed here as well.
Appointment Color
These buttons allow the user to determine what color the Appointment appears in when it is shown on the Commit Calendar. You can choose from the following options:
- Employee Default Color: This option sets the color according to the color of the employee assigned to the Appointment. (The default color for Appointments can be defined for each employee in the Employee window.)
- Fixed Color: This option allows you to choose a specific color to be used for the Appointment once the template is applied to a ticket.
Description
In this box you should enter a description of the appointment. When the template is applied to a specific asset, this field appears as the Appointment Description. If you would like the Account information to be automatically added to this field when the template is applied, you can check the Add Account/Contact info box. Including this information in this field can be helpful when exporting the task to Outlook.
You can also specify whether the Account/Contact information should appear before or after the Appointment Description. To do so, check either the Before Description or After Description box.
Ticket Entries for Account Activity Templates
After choosing to create or edit a new Ticket Entry for the Asset Activity Template, the following window opens:
In this window you should enter the information the system can use to create the ticket when the template is applied to an account.
Below is an explanation of the fields, buttons, and tabs in this window
Ticket Manager
Every ticket in the Commit system needs to be assigned to an employee, called the Ticket Manager. In this window you should select who should be assigned as the Ticket Manager once the ticket is created.
Determining the employee can be done by using one of the following options:
- Account Manager: By selecting this option, the ticket will be assigned to the Account Manager of the account to which the template is applied. (The Account Manager is defined in the Account details window > General tab > Account Manager [“Acct Mgr.”] field.)
- Specific Employee: When applying the template and creating the ticket, the employee specified in this option is assigned to the ticket. If the specified employee is no longer an active employee at the time the template is applied, the ticket is automatically assigned to the user applying the template. The system makes note of this change when applying the template.
- The user applying the template: By selecting this option, the ticket will be assigned to the user who actually applies the template to a specific asset.
Ticket Due Date
You may choose to set a Ticket Due Date. The Ticket Due Date is defined as a certain number of days before or after—or the day of—a reference date that is defined in the "Copy From" field.
The "Copy From" field allows the user to define the date to copy from as any of the following:
- The Account's Birth date
- The current date when applying the template
These choices appear in a drop-down menu from this field.
Note: In order to apply the template successfully, the information in field "Copy From" must be defined in the Account to which you wish to apply the template. If the reference date has not been entered into the Account, applying a template to it will fail.
Ticket Due Time
The Ticket Due Time is optional and can be defined in the Time field, next to the Ticket Due Date.
General Tab
In the General tab you can define the values for the following ticket fields, which appear in the ticket's General tab:
- Type
- Status
- Priority
- Description
The Type, Status, and Priority fields all have default values, but the Description field is mandatory.
The values assigned to these fields determine the values that will be calculated when a ticket is created. For a full explanation of a ticket’s fields, consult here.
Details tab
In this area you can define the values for additional fields of the ticket, which appear in the ticket's Details tab:
- Cause, Source, Category
- Field1, Field2, Field3
- Show Ticket in Dispatcher
- Estimated Work Duration
- Status Ext. (Status Extension)
- Notes
Setting values to these fields in the template will determine the values which will applied to the ticket's data when creating the ticket. None of these fields are mandatory.
Resolution tab
In this field you can enter a ”Resolution” for the ticket that is automatically entered into a ticket's resolution field when the template is applied. Presetting this information can be useful when creating templates for common tickets that usually involve the same set of steps for resolving the issue. For example, you can create a Ticket entry for a maintenance job such as checking the server event log or checking the free space on the hard disk, and enter all the steps required to perform this job in the Resolution field.
Creating entries for the Resolution tab in a template saves time and improves the quality of your service in several ways:
- The technician will not need to spend time entering a resolution, as it will already be filled in.
- The pre-entered steps in the Resolution field can provide guidance to technicians, leaving less room for error.
- The technician can use the steps listed in the resolution as a checklist to make sure all the necessary work has been performed.