[ERPNext-Roadmap/Open Discussion] Lets Do Improvement on CRM Module

[tara_antonius]

@LifeP: I think geolocation is also a great idea, we can integrate that into many aspects of ERPNext such as tracking, appointment, delivery, and other aspect. I will put that into the list for requirements for the CRM building.

Thanks
Anton

[tara_antonius]

Hi Everyone,

Following our updates on the CRM improvement roadmap planning, I am glad that today we as foundation had formed a working committee of volunteers who share the same passion to improve ERPNext CRM module. So that we can start working in improving the CRM and having an improvement plan to be implemented in ERPNext core.

I myself feels greatly humbled and honoured to be a part of that and also excited and yes … grateful that i can learn with all of you together to improve ERPNext.

So as for now what I would start by saying “Thank You” for all of us who volunteered and contribute and also “Good Luck” for us all who is going to contribute and improve the CRM Module. All of your input will be valuable for us to develop and extend CRM of ERPNext.

With Regards & Respect
Anton
@umair, @Julian_Robbins, @olamide_shodunke, @jayfiro, @LifeP, @Bas_de_Reus, @almeidapaulopt

[Moreno_Bresciani]

Hi,
I’m new in this community and I started using Erpnext for trial. I am a marketing consultant specialized in marketing automation. I saw you want implement new features into CRM, and also automation. There is only one open source marketing automation platform and is called Mautic, I was thinking that some developer can use Mautic code to create a starting point for automation workflows, scoring, website tracking, html email editor, ecc. and in the future add some different features that Mautic hasn’t (I think that for new features, Activecampaign can be a source of inspiration).
PS: It’s only a suggestion and I don’t know if the different licences allow these kind of uses.

[Moreno_Bresciani]

@tara_antonius do you think it could be done?

[tara_antonius]

@Moreno_Bresciani

I am a marketing consultant specialized in marketing automation. I saw you want implement new features into CRM, and also automation. There is only one open source marketing automation platform and is called Mautic, I was thinking that some developer can use Mautic code to create a starting point for automation workflows, scoring, website tracking, html email editor, ecc. and in the future add some different features that Mautic hasn’t (I think that for new features, Activecampaign can be a source of inspiration).

PS: It’s only a suggestion and I don’t know if the different licences allow these kind of uses.

hi thanks for your suggestion, i will check on the requirement and inform you asap

regards,
anton

[woakes070048]

I know that we are going to start to work on an intergration into Mautic as soon as we can start it.

[kolate_sambhaji]

@Moreno_Bresciani

I was thinking that some developer can use Mautic code to create a starting point for automation workflows, scoring, website tracking, html email editor, ecc. and in the future add some different features that Mautic hasn’t (I think that for new features, Activecampaign can be a source of inspiration).

Foundation recently formed marketing group for ERPNext Marketing activity.
Do you want to take lead in Marketing Group?

[Discussion] Marketing ERPNext to drive major growth

ERPNext conference 2017 in Mumbai saw interesting debate about growing the product adoption. Should we spend more time and resources on product improvement or on marketing? Well, both are important! So today during the foundation weekly call I volunteered to lead a new marketing blitz at the global level to generate awareness about ERPNext and to drive a lot more adoption. How much more growth we should target? Which markets to focus on? What channels and tactics to use? How much resources do w…

[Moreno_Bresciani]

Hi @kolate_sambhaji
wow it’s very interesting. Yes, add me to the Marketing Group.
Thanks

[clarkej]

@imllc this post [ERPNext-Roadmap/Open Discussion] Lets Do Improvement on CRM Module - #11 by tara_antonius re an email improvement initiative may interest you

[Sami_Tayara]

Hi Moreno. Welcome to the marketing group. At this early stage we are still building a team of specialists that we can mobilize to start planning and driving actions. Hopefully the team will include some complementary and synergistic skills and cover multiple global regions. A long list of suggested actions has been listed by Rushabh and others so we have a lot on our plate.

[Moreno_Bresciani]

Hi @Sami_Tayara
where can I find what the team suggested?
I’d like to take part of the discussion.
Thanks

[Sami_Tayara]

Hi Moreno,

See below the accumulated list of suggestions I have compiled for you. Please find the full thread here [Discussion] Marketing ERPNext to drive major growth

@kolate_sambhaji had suggested the following:

1. • Form Team for marketing (which is our current goal)
2. • Make presentation to show foundation and take approval for funds
3. • List out review sites, and encourage user to put reviews.
4. • Add volunteer for Twitter and social media handler
5. • Get community involved in marketing, by giving some user or developer training via webinar
6. • Enable guest blog in erpnext.org and encourage user to write their experience with ERPNext
7. • Make marketing presentation, documentation and broachers
8. • Merchandise ERPNext (Make some T-shirt, Cup, Diary and sale it in meet ups without any profit)

Rushabh @rmehta added the following suggestions:

1. • Make marketing collateral (in multiple languages)
2. • Identify small business blogs who can write about ERPNext and guest post on them
3. • Like / Retweet ERPNext messages on social media
4. • Setup and maintain an Adwords account and make plan for targeting specific domains / territories on Adwords (make a presentation to the foundation it)

Umair @umair added this:

Looping in @ravigokhale based on conference discussion on finding tech-writers.

We should also start a drive on the forum encouraging users to share their ERPNext implementation stories and publishing them on erpnext.org

For example, this one could go into blogs.

http://vedarths.com/blog/general/an-erp-overview-with-a-hands-on-experience-for-engineering-students9

[olamide_shodunke]

I will like to add the need to add financial values to opportunities.

Right now you can create opportunities and even add items to opportunities but you cannot add financial values to opportunities so there is no way of knowing the value of opportunities(eg $2,500).

Without these one cannot determine the financial value of sales funnel, and this is important.

Regards

[Julian_Robbins]

And a percentage chance of winning vthe opportunity.

[tara_antonius]

@olamide_shodunke, @Julian_Robbins : I will put that inside the list,
@olamide_shodunke: for the value of the opportunity = in the opportunity we can check item box so we can add item and service related to the opportunity and the total of the item/service requested from that.
Do you think thats adequate that we can show it at the list or should we create a new field for opportunity field? or do you have other formulas to put it into the opportunity doctype. We should make a proposed improvement planning.

As we are moving into a creation of a CRM workgroup here is some of the ideas that we need to discuss and set up a deployment plan

1. creation of a organizational portal/page so we cant track the progress of the work. please check on the https://slack.com and give us your feedback. @kolate_sambhaji suggest us to use the portal as our discussion page.

2. Set up a working group by identifying the volunteer scope of work so we can distribute the work together, we need to categorize “developer”, “tester”, “functional”, “documentary” and have a working team

3. meanwhile we all should monitor the erpnext github issue and tag the CRM issue from the github and we should add it to our working list (suggestion by @umair) as domain leader what we should do is to check on the CRM related issues and give replies/solution on the CRM issues.

4. we can poll the user opinion about the CRM features that are requested by many (we can post each improvement issues as topic in the discussion and we can see the user interest that follows) and we can set up priority from that.

5. we should talk with the foundation resources and get approval from the foundation / interested party to develop the feature for us.

The current bucket list for CRM are:

1. Email improvement (listed above in this discussion)
2. Geo location map field
3. Integration with 3rd party (mautic, etc.)
4. Improvement in inventory (financial values, Percentage)
5. better integration with kanban, dashboard, etc.
6. Change customer/supplier as party doctype

As for now, me myself are doing research on ERPNext email inbox, as it has the most response from the community. I hope to give the feedback on erpnext email inbox asap.

I think thats some of the list i have compiled to do and for now I am expecting to hear your opinion regarding this.

With respect and regards,

Anton

[mulyadi-agtechsg]

Hi

I would like to add to probably improve the ERPNext process of defining lead, customer, opportunities and contacts.

Lead and Customer inside Quotation

As @olamide_shodunke mentioned, if it is an existing customer, it should be an opportunity. Leads are businesses/individual who potentially be your customer. Once they are converted to customer, all potential sales are opportunities. Maybe I will input this on a thread to make the CRM better.

Thanks.

Regards

Mulyadi

[imllc]

Thanks @clarkej for pointing out this thread I had missed this.
I think the concept of email inbox needs to follow the mantra of synchronicity.
There are a lot of users out there that use outlook and the like for their day to day communication having to login into ERPNext to update the CRM for basic correspondence you have already done in outlook is annoying and counter productive. ERPNext should sync the emails and follow the threads so that regardless of the client you use to access the correspondence it gets tracked with ERPNext without additional steps.

And we need more flexibility on the outgoing configuration so it works better with products office365 as has been documented p[previously…

[kolate_sambhaji]

Hello All,
You can use gitter for CRM discussion.

erpnextcrm/Lobby

Once you all fix time for CRM Discussion, you can use Jitsi Meet for conference call.

[clarkej]

"I think the concept of email inbox needs to follow the mantra of synchronicity.
There are a lot of users out there that use outlook and the like for their day to day communication having to login into ERPNext to update the CRM for basic correspondence you have already done in outlook is annoying and counter productive. ERPNext should sync the emails and follow the threads so that regardless of the client you use to access the correspondence it gets tracked with ERPNext without additional steps.

And we need more flexibility on the outgoing configuration so it works better with products office365 as has been documented p[previously…"
"

Eureka, well said imllc! Now I grok and appreciate what you lost with the V8 Inbox, that you seek to be restored

[Sri]

The features being implemented are definitely required. Way to go.
Any updates on when we can get a beta version.