Mar
22
2012
Module Menu Page in SugarCRM

Quickly navigate to a specific module in a categorized, list view module page.

Earlier this week I watched one of Epicom’s engineers demo some of the projects he completed for a client. The client’s system was very sophisticated and it involved several custom modules, workflows, and integrations that were necessary for the company to run its business. With the customization came the addition of several custom modules. It became difficult for the client to navigate through the large drop down list of modules.

Background:
In a SugarCRM system, users can determine what modules (or tabs) they wish to display at the top of their account.

Users can modify which modules appear by accessing the user settings menu. Under the Advanced tab in user settings, you can adjust how many modules (tabs) display at one time. The maximum number of tabs that can display is ten.

The remaining modules appear in a drop down button next to the tabs. When a user hovers over this arrow, an entire list of all of your modules display.

The Problem:
For users that have dozens of custom modules, this list can be difficult and time consuming to sort through.

The Solution:
Epicom built a module menu page which lists each module in the CRM system. It also categorizes them based on department or functional area in the business.

From this menu page, a user can directly access any module of choice by clicking on the module name.

For more information on the module menu page, email info@epicom.com.

Mar
12
2012
Using SugarCRM to Manage our SXSW Skeeball Tournament

Epicom participated in the SXSW Startup crawl this past Thursday. We hosted a Skeeball Tournament at our office during the event and used our SugarCRM system to record scores and display the top scorers on a leader board. Towards the end of the tournament, we notified the top ten scorers that they had made it to the playoffs. We notified them via text message which was sent from our SugarCRM system using our Twilio SMS integration.

Here’s how we did it:
First we built a landing page with a web to lead form so that guests could register as they entered the party. The form asked for their name and mobile number, which would be used to communicate with them later on in the tournament.

The web to lead form pushed guest’s information into our SugarCRM system. We created a custom module called “Skeeball” to store these records.

As each guest played a round of skeeball, their score was recorded into the CRM system from an iPad. We developed a public facing website that displayed a leaderboard of the Skeeball Tournament.


The leaderboard pulled the top scores from each record in the Skeeball module and displayed them in the chart. After a few hours of free play, we triggered the CRM system to send a SMS text message to the ten players with the highest score. The players were instructed to send a text message back confirming that they would be able to participate in the final round.

The event was a huge success and our team and guests had a lot of fun. Our motivation for throwing this party was to network with local companies, recruit new employees, and to be a part of the SXSW Interactive festivities. What made the event even more worthwhile is that we were able to do all of those things while incorporating our expertise with CRM in a fun and refreshing way. The energy and creativity of our engineering team is why we are capable of executing complex CRM projects. SugarCRM can be used as a framework and can be customized to do anything… even manage a Skeeball Tournament.

For more info about the SMS text message integration or about Epicom, email info@epicom.com

Mar
7
2012
Epicom Prepares for 2012 SXSW Startup Crawl

Epicom is participating in this year’s SXSW Startup Crawl on March 8. The Third Annual Startup Crawl is organized by Capital Factory and brings together more than 20 start-ups in the Austin metro area. This is an interactive event from 4pm-10pm where guests can enjoy beer, snacks, games and contests with local start-up businesses. This is the first year that the Startup Crawl will be an official SXSW event. So far over 4,000 RSVPs have been confirmed.

This will be Epicom’s first year participating in this kick off event and we couldn’t be more excited. Not only will this be a fun way to interact with customers, but it is also a great way to recruit additional employees, meet potential clients and customers, and get to know other new and innovative companies. We also get a chance to show off our new office!

Epicom is a consulting, custom development, and integrations technology firm focus on implementing and deploying Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems. Our core values are to help other businesses be successful through the use of technology and to have fun while doing so. Hosting our own event during SXSW Interactive signifies the growth we’ve seen in our own company and the growth within the CRM industry.

A key factor in participating in the Startup Crawl is to stand out. What better way to make a lasting impression and get people engaged than a friendly skeeball competition? In order to participate, attendees must register in our CRM system so we may keep track of their skeeball score. They will also be asked to follow us on Twitter so we may tweet at the winner’s of the tournament. Two Amazon.com gift cards will be will be awarded to the two highest scorers.

It’s not a party without some lively spirits. Keep in mind this is a fun and interactive festival. Epicom will be providing kegs of local beer for our guests. In addition to the skeeball competition, we also have a Nurf gun station, a ping pong table, and our in-office pinball machine.

Registered guests are welcome to come on by, have a beer, meet the team, and play a round of skeeball! To register for the Startup Crawl, click here. Looking forward to kicking off SXSW interactive with a great group of neighboring start-ups.

Feb
13
2012
Epicom Expands to New Downtown Location

Epicom is please to announce our expansion and move to a larger location.

After eight months of searching and four months of construction, Epicom has finally settled into its new downtown Austin office. The space was custom designed to fit the company culture and growth plans. The open floor plan and industrial look inspires the creativity, collaboration, and innovation needed for a growing tech firm.

We toured over 30 spaces during the search for our new office. The process was long and it seemed that we would have to compromise on our list of requirements. Each member of the team was involved in the process and everyone’s opinion was welcomed. Some of the requirements we had were:

  • Proximity to downtown, restaurants, and bus stops.
  • Open floor plan.
  • Industrial and modern design (not a corporate/walled office layout).
  • Windows and a lot of natural light.
  • Space for a break room and  a skee ball table.
  • A kitchen where we could all eat lunch together and not at our desk.
  • A bigger conference room so that we could still have company-wide meetings.

After months of looking we found a place that was perfectly located in the heart of downtown. It had high ceilings, exposed cement block walls, cement columns, and exposed duct work. It was in desperate need of some TLC, but we were up for the challenge. We worked with a contractor and an architect and designed and built the space just for us. Once the plans were finalized in November, we began construction on our new office.

We left the cement columns exposed and kept some of the cement flooring in its deconstructed state. The building had history and we only wanted to add to it, not take it away. As the framing and carpet went in, and paint was placed on the walls, the office began to take shape and feel like our new home.

As a team we are both excited and motivated by Epicom’s growth and it’s a tremendous feeling of accomplishment to see that our work has directly impacted the company.

Our new office is located at:
211 E. 7th Street Suite 110
Austin, Texas 78701

Check out our new space before and after construction in the image below, or feel free to come by and visit the whole team!

Watch the quick video tour of our space on move in day!

Jan
24
2012
Whiteboard for SugarCRM

Organize projects in SugarCRM as you would on your conference room whiteboard, but with greater ease and accuracy.

How can you live out of your CRM system if your business planning and project management is still done on the conference room whiteboard?

One of our clients wanted to move their entire business process into their SugarCRM system. This included time tracking of employee hours/wages and project scheduling. The company is in the construction industry and has several active work sites to manage. Each week they map out what workers are assigned to each job site and would outline this on a large whiteboard in their office.

The company also coordinates what equipment and machinery goes to each job site. The machinery is hundreds of thousands of dollars and the company only has a set number of machines available. Accurately assigning out these machines and delivering them to the sites is extremely critical to staying on budget and on time.

The Issue:
The problem with the project schedule existing solely on a tangible whiteboard was that it was only visible to those that came by the office. As a result, some of the workers and project managers were limited to knowing details of the projects they were assigned to. Also, they may be misinformed if a change was made on the whiteboard mid-week.

Additionally, there were multiple projects going on at once and it was difficult to manage each piece of equipment. There was no way to prevent human error and double booking equipment and workers on different job sites was an issue the company needed to address.

The Solution:
Epicom customized our client’s SugarCRM system and added a whiteboard feature. By designing the whiteboard module to have a drag and drop interface, the new module imitates the functionality of a traditional whiteboard.

The whiteboard module enables users to create an unlimited number of whiteboards for various purposes. For example the company has a whiteboard for assigning equipment to each job site and a whiteboard for assigning workers to each job site.

How it Works:
When creating a new white board, the user is asked to choose which module to pull data from. For the company’s equipment whiteboard, they are creating a whiteboard that relates its equipment catalog with its project list (job sites).

Each whiteboard column represents a project. A user can add the necessary equipment to that project. When a specific piece of equipment is placed onto a project, it cannot be added to another. A user can drag and drop it onto other projects or work sites as needed or they can return it to the equipment catalog.

The workers whiteboard is very similar to the equipment whiteboard, except that it relates to the employees and crews module. The company sometimes groups workers together into crews and then assigns an entire crew out to a work site. The image below shows a whiteboard with individual workers assigned to various job sites.

Once a person is added to a job site, they cannot be booked on another one. Additionally, they are noted as not available when viewing the crew they were related to. If that crew were to be assigned to a job site, the project manager would know which workers were not available and could see which site they were assigned to. All of this information relates to each other. For example, when viewing a worker’s record or a piece of equipment in the catalog, you can see what job sites the worker or equipment has been to.

End Result:
The company is now able to accurately schedule workers and equipment for each job site. Because this information is now being managed in the CRM system, the historical data can be reported on. Trends and usage of equipment can be monitored and the company can now make better predictions when ordering new machines.

Additionally, the project schedule can be viewed from anyone, anywhere. The drag and drop interface of the whiteboard makes it easy for project managers to update the schedule from an iPad when out at job sites.

For more information on the whiteboard customization for SugarCRM, contact info@epicom.com.

Jan
13
2012
Adding Legal Language to Quotes and Contracts

Modify and add legal language to documents through a custom catalog in SugarCRM.

Epicom recently went through the process of updating our legal language for professional services and hosting. I wasn’t directly involved, but I know that it was a large project. Each contract and quote for products and services has to include some kind of legal language. This is the case for most companies and when an exception occurs for certain products, it can get a little messy.

The Business Issue:
One of our clients needed to modify the Quotes module in SugarCRM to include product-specific legal language. They also needed the ability to adjust this on a quote-by-quote basis. The goal was to make adding new legal language as simple as adding a product from the product catalog. The company did not want its sales reps manually updating the legal language themselves.

The Solution:
Step One: Epicom created a separate module called “Legal Language”.The company’s attorneys can update and add legal language through this module. Quotes or contracts created before the legal is modified won’t be changed. Only new quotes and contracts will have the new legal language associated with them.

Step Two: After creating a catalog of legal language, Epicom built a section for users to add this language directly to quotes. A sales rep can sort through the language catalog and select the pre written legal language such as Master Services Agreements, Payment Terms, etc. This legal language is applied to the entire quote and bundled inside the quote PDF as additional pages.

Step Three: In some cases, our customer needed to add exceptions to the legal language on certain products. Epicom created sections where legal language could be added underneath a product line item.

The to add a line of legal language, the user simply adds a comment row under the product. Instead of the sales rep writing their own comment, there is now an arrow to select from a list of items in the legal language module.

Once added in, the legal language will display on the quote under the related product. Additionally, when legal language placed under a product, it relates to that product. So when creating another quote that includes that same product, the CRM will remember to tag the legal language to it.

The End Result:
Our client now has a better process for updating the legal language for contracts and quotes. The attorneys only have to update one document in one single location. Also, the sales reps never have to manually alter this language for certain exceptions to products. The attorneys can write the exception and add it to the language catalog.

For more information about adding legal language to documents created inside SugarCRM, email info@epicom.com.

Jan
5
2012
Top Five Things To Check Your CRM For In The New Year

Is your CRM system up-to-speed for 2012?

It’s finally 2012 and most companies are finalizing plans for the rest of the year. Before the new year gets too far ahead of you, take a second to do a CRM check-up. Below are the TOP FIVE things to ask yourself now, so that you can focus on your business the rest of the year.

  1. Has your CRM system’s storage space reached its limit? – This can cause your CRM system to run slow. Your system may also be on too small of a server for the number of active users you have. Click here to see the recommended number of users per server size.
  2. Is your CRM system being backed up daily? – Off-site backup is highly recommended to prevent loss of data. Epicom includes off-site backup in all of our hosting packages. However, we do stress the importance of hosting to our customers and do everything we can to provide a safe environment for their data and Sugar instance. Therefore, if clients choose to host their own SugarCRM instance in-house, or with another provider, Epicom will still provide off-site backup for only $100 per month.
  3. Do you have a support package in place? – This gives you priority response time from engineers regarding system issues or general support questions. Contact sales@epicom.com to set-up your support package.
  4. Are you going to need a license renewal this year? – Find out how to get discounts on multi-year agreements. Contact your Epicom account representative or sales@epicom.com to find out when your SugarCRM license expires and to lock-in our multi-year discounted rate.
  5. Have all of your users been trained on using the CRM system? – We have free training videos online and offer training classes from beginner to advanced.

 

If you have any questions about the status or health of your CRM system contact us at info@epicom.com.

Best of luck in the new year!!

Dec
16
2011
Epicom Engineers’ Favorite Projects of 2011

Epicom Engineers reveal their favorite customer projects of the year.

We’ve completed dozens of customer projects including CRM customizations, integrations, and product development over the past year. Here are some of the most rewarding, challenging, and fun projects of the year:

Tommy Wiebell
1. Appointment Scheduler - Companies can search stores by zipcode and hours open to schedule in-store appointments for customers. The user can specify the search radius and only the available appointment slots and stores will display.

2. Master Dashlet - System administrators can use the dashlet manager to control normal users’ dashlet pages. This is beneficial for setting up new user accounts to jump start them in the CRM system. It is also useful for managers that want to standardize and push out important dashlets and information to company employees.

Danny Mulvihill

3. Whiteboard Module – Users can drag and drop employees to add to projects with the same ease as working on your conference room whiteboard. The user interface makes it easy to assign users to a project. Also, it is a better visual representation of all existing projects and the employees or contractors that are working on them.

4. Time-Tracking Solution - The time tracking solution is an advanced timesheet system in Sugar. Managers can log employee hours and salary, measure efficiency based on work done, budget a project, and manage overtime costs.

5. Quick Entry Module – This module was built to enable our customer to import data into multiple modules from one screen. When the customer received a donation, they would enter the donation amount, the company making the donation, the individual making the donation, and the ad specifications based on the amount donated. Traditionally this would all be done in several different modules, but can now be done from one screen and each individual module is automatically updated with the data.

Eric Wikman

6. Twilio Integrations – Epicom built several voice and SMS integrations with SugarCRM using Twilio, a cloud communications platform.

  • The Universal Click-to-Call product gives users the ability to click any phone number stored in their SugarCRM system and call that number automatically using the Twilio service to complete the call.
  • The outbound and inbound SMS text messaging features allow users to send and receive text messages using the CRM system.
  • Conference bridging and phone number recognition for automatic access to password-protected conference calls. Contacts can call into a conference bridge and if the CRM system recognizes the phone number, it will allow them into the call and announce them. Users can also schedule a call and at the time of the meeting, all of the phone numbers will be dialed and bridged together once answered. Users no longer have to call into a conference. The conference will call them.

Anthony Watson

7. History Search Bar - One of Epicom’s customers needed the ability to search through the History subpanel within Accounts. The History subpanel includes all calls, meetings, notes, tasks, and emails associated with a particular Account. The customer needed the ability to more directly search on these activities within a particular Account so that all results were relevant and less time was spent filtering through search results. Epicom built a search feature into the History subpanel and added a search bar at the top of the subpanel.

James McGirr

8. EchoSign Integration – The plugin Epicom built enables users to send documents out for electronic signature from their SugarCRM system. Users can monitor the status of the document to know if the contract has been sent, viewed, or signed. Once the document is electronically signed, the PDF is automatically uploaded into SugarCRM.

9. Batch Lead Importing – This customization was done for a call center who received thousands of leads a day to a designated email address. The emails that came in had attachements with several contacts and various column names included. When an email comes in, the attachement is automatically pushed through to SugarCRM and to a specific location on the client’s server. Field mapping, campaign tagging, duplicate checks, scrubbing of unqualified leads, and matching with existing records all occur once the attachement is imported. This was previously a manual process and is now automatically imported and done through the CRM system. There have already been over 110,000 leads entered and the project was only recently completed. The end result provides reports on how many leads were originally entered, what campaign they were tagged as, how many duplicates, and how many final leads there were after scrubbing the data.

Greg Bueno

10. Google Maps Integration – With this integration, users can plot addresses for Leads, Accounts, and Contacts on one map. They can then route directions between specified points on the map. When hovering over plotted points in the map, additional detail is revealed such as the Lead name, phone number, industry type, and sales volume.

For more information about what our Engineers have been working on this past year, contact info@epicom.com.

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