CRM 8.1 Release Notes 🇺🇸

2022-06-24

In version 8.1, JustRelate CRM comes up with a modern, further revised interface, new and revised features as well as improved, cross-module performance.

A comprehensive overview of all new features and improvements can be found in the current Pisa­Sales Release Notes 8.1 (only available in German).

Modernized UI-Design

Usage of modern outline symbols thanks to FontAwesome5 support
  • Consistent symbol style throughout the application
  • Better recognizability of symbols
  • Designers have over 2000 symbols available in different styles that can be customized in the embedded font.
New presentation of the tabs in the mask area
  • The first-level tabs are now displayed in the same way as the main tabs. A white background indicates the active tab.
  • The new rounded display of the second level tabs on a gray bar provides a tidy mask layout. Header data and subforms/lists are clearly separated.
Improved presentation of elements in the forms area
  • Optimized display of form titles with larger buttons, e.g. to open the company cockpit or a pinboard.
  • Improved positioning of quick filters in sublists directly above the list. This makes it easier to see that they belong to the list.
  • Dimmed field underlines and removal of unnecessary border lines help to improve the overview in the mask and to bring the focus on the data.
Individually adjustable line height in lists
  • As part of the continuation of the list development, the manual adjustability of the row height has been enabled.
    If required, more lines can be displayed.
    In multiline fields, texts can be read completely without having to maximize the fields.

Enhancements of Chronos

Chronos is available on further masks and objects  
  • Persons
  • Objects
  • Service call
  • Service objects: For service objects, Chronos has been added to the master form. In the customer installation, it replaces the presentation of the Service File.
  • Documents: For documents, Chronos replaces the previous view in the  tab Usage.
Optimized Chronos filter functions
  • On the filter button, the colored filter symbol is now shown immediately if Chronos does not display all object assignments due to a set filter.
  • The default of the quick filter for a time period has been set to "-/+ 30 days" for practical reasons. This minimizes loading times after opening an object.
  • The filter conditions for activity type and classification can now be combined. The result is an AND link of both conditions. For example, it is possible to restrict only appointments with a sales classification. 
  • The previously technical locking of the activity filters no longer exists.

Mailbox

Folder support
  • The mailbox now synchronizes the folder structure maintained in the groupware.
  • In the mailbox, the folder structure is displayed in a new area that can be hidden and shown, and can be maintained directly in the mailbox.
  • The CRM system mailboxes, “Inbox” and “Sent”, located above the the new area, always offer the full view.
  • From within them, emails can be copied to any folder in order to classify them differently or “tag” them, next to assigning them to CRM contacts or service cases.
  • Emails as well as folders can be moved within the folder structure using drag and drop. It is not possible to move elements across folders, e.g. from a personal mailbox to a team mailbox.
  • In the structure, the currently active folder is highlighted in bold, and its path is also given in the headline.
  • The folder structure can be maintained via context menu functions (new folder, rename, or delete folder).
  • Folders are supported by all the connectors offered (EWS, Google, IMAP Connector).
CRM mailbox as an IMAP client
  • The CRM mailbox is now also able to fetch mail via IMAP.
  • As a result, it can integrate emails from any email server that supports IMAP, e.g. Groupwise or Tobit.
  • Thus, CRM mailboxes can be made available to the staff members of sales partners or subsidiaries who don’t use MS Exchange or Google Mail.
  • The Groupware user configuration also allows mixed operation, e.g. fetching emails via IMAP from a Google account and synchronizing appointments via the MS Exchange Connector.

Extended Google Connector

The Google Connector for server-driven automatic synchronization of appointments and emails using Google G Suite has been extended by important features used in the CRM.

  • Synchronization of the availability mark (free/blocked) of appointments.
  • Notification of external contacts. Invitations, changes and cancellations are now also sent to external appointment participants if the Groupware flag has been set for a participant of the CRM appointment.
  • Administrators have new variables available for configuring how the calendar access defined in Google should be transferred to appointments that are imported into the CRM.
  • Synchronization of conference data for supporting Google Meet video conferences.
Support for Google Meet
  • In an appointment, a function button for creating a Google Meet can be made available to users for which the Google Connector is active.
  • This function allows the user to synchronize the appointment with the connected Google Calendar.
  • After confirming, the participation URL is added to the CRM appointment, and the conference data is added to the notes field of the appointment.

Integration of third-party calendars

  • It is now possible to integrate third-party calendars such as individual Google or GMX calendars, external holiday or booking calendars.
  • The calendars can be either specified globally by an administrator and selected by the user, or they can be defined individually.
  • Selection of an ICS file; subscription by specifying an external link (URL); adding holidays with the help of an integrated holiday library („JollyDay“); country and state can be selected.
  • Appointments from third-party calendars are “virtual” appointments in the JustRelate CRM calendars (team or personal calendar). 
  • Like CRM appointments, third-party appointments are taken account of in conflict checks and date/time allocation as well as when looking for a common appointment.
  • This allows users to take account of their own or other staff members’ availability when planning appointments, e.g. in a subsidiary in a different state, or abroad.

Quick creation of follow-up activities

In activity forms, fields for taking down follow-up activities on the fly have been made available.

  • Users no longer need to use the function bar and the modal dialog for this. For example, you can create and also delegate follow-up activities with an appointment, a phone call, or an email in a single storage step.
  • The subject is set automatically, and important data such as the main participant or the assigned project are taken from the source task.

Extended GDPR functions

The GDPR functionality has been extended for more legal certainty, spam protection, and convenience.

  • Merging duplicates of persons now also takes account of their purpose of use.
  • The “check consent” GDPR function now checks the purpose of use only for contact persons subject to the GDPR, which comes down to all persons from EU member states, identified by their main address.
  • When creating consent emails, a check if such emails already exist is performed. This helps to prevent persons from receiving several such emails (spam). If applicable, the check presents a list for deselecting recipients who should not receive another consent email.

Further ergonomics improvements

  • Practice-oriented search for companies and persons, now with postal code and city in the quick finder menu.
  • Eureka search for documents, date of last change, now states when the document has been checked in last.
  • More space for displaying appointments in the team calendar, times off can now be hidden.
  • QuickViews in the main window and external views (e.g. team calendar) can be opened and closed separately.
  • Attachments of encrypted emails are now handled like embedded images and can thus be found and displayed in the CRM after importing them.
  • The option to remove the responsible person from the participant list of an appointment or phone call if they are replaced with someone else is now also available when changing the main participant.
  • Adhoc import of an appointment by drag/dropping an ICS file, likewise for the vCard of a person.
  • Internal service staff members can now plan visits/routes, create appointments and appointment series and delegate them to a responsible person.
  • The service call form has been redesigned, the “General" tab and fields for “Additional data” have been merged on a “master data” tab. All important fields and relations are now available under “General” / master data.

Administration

  • PostgreSQL database for cloud customers.
  • It is possible to use the browser’s locales for verifying the locale of a specific JustRelate CRM Web Client session.
  • New deletion job for removing files from the server’s temp folder to partly remedy recurring storage problems.

Technical specification

Tablet and Pocket App

Comprehensive information on new and revised features of the current App releases can also be found in the Release Notes for 8.1 (PDF, only available in German). Feel free to get in touch with your contact person at JustRelate as well.