Infor CRM came out with it’s 8.5 release a few months ago and it included several enhancements and features that users will want to take advantage of. In today’s post, we’ll explore the top highlights to look forward to when you upgrade to Infor CRM 8.5. 

#1 Dashboards

Infor’s 8.5 release beefed up dashboards to make them cleaner and more modern, with new configurable widgets for funnel, gauge, and donut charts. Gauge charts offer a quick snapshot to display a number related to reaching a goal. For example, displaying the number of open tickets assigned to a particular user or displaying the progress of open opportunities in relation to a monthly sales goal. 

Perhaps the most exciting development with the 8.5 dashboards is the new ability to add multiple data sources for some chart types. Previously, users could only select one data source per graph. However, with these new changes, they can compare relevant data such as actual vs. potential closed won deals by account manager in a bar chart. Users can zoom into the bar chart to hone-in on specific areas of data and pan left and right to gain a full scope of the information. The new dashboard also allows users to export a picture of the entire dashboard widget for uses in sales reports, marketing resources, and other assets. Check out some of these new Dashboard features in our video clip below. 

#2 Workflows

Infor CRM’s 8.5 release lets the system administrator set a notification email within the platform that can trigger two kinds of CRM workflows: notification or approval. The administrator simply adds the preferred address (ex: notifications@techadv.com) as well as the password and SMTP email server information to set it up. Notifications or approvals emailed out through the system are then tied to this address. Let’s break down the uses and advantages of the two workflow types.

Notification Workflows

Notification emails can be configured to include entities of the users choosing, from Opportunities, to Quotes, Accounts, Contacts, Sales Orders, etc. The notifications are triggered based upon set criteria and those conditions enable the automation. For example, you may want to set up a notification email to go out to an account manager anytime an opportunity is over $150k. When that new opportunity is inserted or updated, the workflow triggers and the email can highlight specific fields related to that triggered event including the associated contact’s name, a description of the opportunity, etc. Users can insert these details using the @ symbol to pull up field options. By default, the notification will include a link to the opportunity in Infor so the recipient can quickly access it. The email options also allow for CC:ing  and BCC:ing other parties. See an example of a notification workflow in action via the clip below: 

Approval Workflows

The newest updates to approval workflows are in how they are processed. The 8.5 release allows for setting individual or group approvals and offers configurable approval criteria. Say, for instance, quotes that include a discount greater than 10% require management sign off. An approval workflow can trigger based on those conditions. Admins can identify who the approval email should go to, a link to the approval form in Infor, an expiration date for the approval, and specify how many people within the set group must approve it. Do all the managers on the email need to approve it for it to be valid? Or only half of them? The choice is in your hands! Check out the approval workflow in the clip below. 

#3 Quotas & Forecasts

Setting quotas and creating forecasts are essential for accurately tracking the sales process. In Infor 8.5, new quota and forecasting capabilities make it easier than ever to visualize meaningful metrics. Management can set goals and measure performance against those goals by user. Quotas can be easily copied over month-to-month or copied and applied to another user. Forecasts pull from opportunities and can be enabled by checking the box for “Add to Forecast”. The forecast will show the quota that was set, the # of closed won opportunities, the percentage of the total they represent, and potential pipeline for what’s estimated to close. The forecast pipeline provides a summary over a specified time period with details that relate to product, the region of the sale, and other metrics. Pie charts can be used to visualize all the data, too. See an example set up of a quota and forecast via the clip below. 

#4 Activity Groups

The ability to create a group of activities has been a highly requested feature, and the Infor 8.5 release finally delivers on it! Users can create a group of “my activities” for the coming week and apply desired conditions with a start date. There are new options for the timeframes you can choose, and admins can set the activity groups by UserID so they show only the information relevant to each individual logged into the system. Take a look at activity groups in the clip below. 

If you’re ready to upgrade to 8.5, or you have questions on these capabilities, contact your customer success manager or reach out to us at info@techadv.com.