The number of different contact types. With standard data sent out with a new Autoline system there are about fifty, to which it could reasonably be expected the average customer will add several more. One of the benefits of the crm module is to analyse contacts by type and compare the number of such contacts by sales executive over a given period of time, and the relationship between the different types of contact, ie enquiries to demonstrations, to quotations, to orders, etc.
In order to make this analysis more manageable, individual contact type codes of a similar nature can be grouped together by a contact type group code. An example of this might be the standard letters that go out on certain anniversary dates after a vehicle sale, such as thank you for buying the vehicle, the vehicle is one year old, the vehicle is two years old, end of finance, etc.
In that way the comparisons can be more broadly based. This grouping is achieved by way of the contact analysis mapping table. The number of analysis slots is controlled by the letters of the alphabet, A-Z, upper case only.
When the program is selected from the CRM Miscellaneous options menu, a standard Autoline grid form is presented allowing the operator to Create new records,and amend or delete an existing code.
Further information on using the grid form to create, amend and delete records is available from the Grid form link in related topics.
The grid displayed on taking the Contact analysis mapping option has five columns these are headed as follows:
Slot label A-Z
The letter of the alphabet being used to label this contact type group.
Description 1-9
The up to twenty-character description which will be associated with this contact type group.
Slot Mnemonic
The two-character mnemonic, or short name, which will be associated with this contact type group.
Type of selection
This column will contain the letter C or S according to whether the analysis is to be by Contact type or Source of contact.
Selection criteria
When the cursor moves into this column a window is opened to explain how several contact type codes or source of contact codes can be entered, each one separated from the other by a comma. The operator should list here all of the codes that are to be grouped together for analysis purposes. In the case of contact types, it is possible to enter just the first letter of the contact type, or the first two letters, followed by an asterisk '*', if all contact types starting with that letter or those two letters are to be grouped together. This feature should be used carefully to avoid one contact type updating more than one analysis group. There is a search facility on both files, together with the ability to select via the toggle method any complete codes that are required.
