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Improve CRM 4.0 user productivity with Outlook favorites

February 11, 2010

One of my favorite productivity tips is to use Microsoft Outlook favorites folders in the mail panel to make it easier to access all the different functions you use in Dynamics CRM.

When Dynamics CRM 4.0 was released, Microsoft had changed the way that the Outlook add-in worked which caused problems with this technique.

As of Dynamics CRM 4.0 rollup 7, this has been repaired. So be sure to install the most current rollup of CRM before you do this.

Here’s an example of my Outlook mail folder. Notice the number of lines that end with "in Dynamics CRM". These are favorites, or shortcuts to the folders that you’re used to seeing lower in your mail folders as part of the "Microsoft Dynamics CRM" folder.

By creating a set of shortcuts for all of the folders that you use frequently in CRM and strategically placing them in the mail favorites folder you can make it very easy to find everything that you use everyday as well as to remind new users to check these CRM folders regularly.

I wear a lot of hats at Business IT Professionals, Inc., so I have to use a lot of different CRM folders. Notice that I have CRM queues above my inbox while activities and opportunities, etc. are immediately below. This is because the queues contain the new stuff that is not in my inbox yet and I want to remind myself to check the queues more often.

At the bottom of the favorites you’ll notice I’ve set up companies (which are actually CRM accounts), contacts and leads. That’s because I need to look up records in these folders quite frequently.

The shortcuts make my life a lot easier and help with my productivity. I am so glad they are back in CRM 4.0!!

To add a favorite, navigate to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM folder in your mail folders:

right-click the CRM folder you want to create a favorite for,

then select the "Add to Favorites Folder" from the pop-up menu or just press the letter "T". This will cause the shortcut to be added to the bottom of the favorites folder,