Sending and Receiving E-mail in Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook

When you are working in Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook, you can use all the familiar Outlook buttons and toolbars with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM toolbar, menu, or tab to manage e-mail messages and most other activities Actions to be performed, such as tasks, or communication items that are sent or received, for example, e-mails, phone calls, letters, faxes, and appointments. The status of activities is tracked and the activity history is stored in the system, so users can view the open and closed activities..

At any time, you can track To link between a record in Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Office Outlook. Records that are marked for tracking are updated in both applications, including creating new activities. an Outlook e-mail message in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Tracked messages still appear in the Outlook mail folders. By default, tracked messages display a Microsoft Dynamics CRM symbol. A copy of the e-mail message is saved as an activity and is available in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Activities area. You can link the activity to a record in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. You can also set your personal options so that all incoming e-mail is tracked in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

More information: Set Personal Options

Important

Because Microsoft Dynamics CRM shares data between users, many of the default privacy assumptions of a full e-mail system do not apply. This means that an e-mail activity that is associated with a Microsoft Dynamics CRM record (for example, a case, account, or contact) has the same visibility as any other activity associated with that record. Any user who has access to the record and its associated activities also has access to the e-mail message.

Managing Incoming E-mail

When you use Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook, all the e-mail you receive arrives in your Outlook Inbox. Only e-mail messages that originated as a Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail activity (that is, a response to e-mail message you send from Microsoft Dynamics CRM) or that is marked as tracked in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, arrives in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Activities and My Work: Queues area. If you prefer, you can:

• Track all incoming e-mail messages as Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail activities.
• Track only e-mail messages that originated in Microsoft Dynamics CRM (that is, e-mail sent in response to a Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail activity) into Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail activities.
• Track only e-mail messages related to your accounts, contacts, or leads.
• Track e-mail messages related to all Microsoft Dynamics CRM and custom record types that contain an e-mail field.

  Note

  More than one custom record type could contain the same e-mail address. When this happens, Microsoft Dynamics CRM links the e-mail messages that are received from this e-mail address to the custom record type that was created first. For example, a Patient record type that was created in January lists the e-mail address someone@example.com. A Doctor record type created in February also lists the same e-mail address. Microsoft Dynamics CRM links the e-mail messages received from someone@example.com only to the Patient record type. Sending an e-mail message to someone@example.com links the e-mail message to the Patient record type and the Doctor record type.

If you choose not to track all incoming e-mail messages, you can manually track selected messages in Outlook as e-mail activities in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

If you track all your e-mail messages as Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail activities, they can be accessed by anyone who has permission to view or work with your activities. Also, when you track an e-mail message with attachments to a Microsoft Dynamics CRM activity, the attachments are included in the activity. If you do not want these attachments to be available to other users, delete them from the e-mail activity.

More information: Save Outlook Contacts, Tasks, and E-mail Messages as Microsoft Dynamics CRM Records

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Sending and Replying to E-Mail Messages

You can link Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail activities to active contacts People who represent customers or potential customers, or individuals related to accounts. For example, an individual who purchases products or services for their own use, or an employee of an account. A contact may also be a person involved in a business transaction, such as a supplier or a colleague., accounts Companies that might do business with your organization., leads Potential customers who must be qualified or disqualified as sales opportunities. If a lead is qualified, it can be converted to an opportunity, account, and/or contact., facilities The physical spaces, such as conference rooms or service bays, where service activities can be performed., equipment The tools or assets used to perform a service activity., queues Holding containers for activities that need to be completed.There are queues that contain cases and activities in the Workplace, and queues of articles in the knowledge base., or users People who have active user accounts in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. You can select active Microsoft Dynamics CRM records with e-mail addresses from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM address book, which is installed automatically when you install Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook. E-mail activities can also be tracked in Microsoft Dynamics CRM without being related to another record.

When you send, reply, or forward an e-mail message that is tracked as an e-mail activity, a closed activity is created for each account and contact referenced and displayed in the Activities area. Closed e-mail activities cannot be updated except to link them to a related Microsoft Dynamics CRM record. If a related record has not already been selected, you have the option of select one.

More information: Managing E-mail Activities

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Working with Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook Offline and Synchronizing with Microsoft Dynamics CRM

If you install Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook, you have the option of working offline from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM server. You can create Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail messages that are sent when you go back online with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM server. If you send Outlook e-mail messages, those are sent immediately if you have network access for sending e-mail.

More information: Synchronizing Information

When working with Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook offline, a sent e-mail message can fail to be delivered or can be blocked. This can happen because the recipient does not want to receive the e-mail message or the mail server is down. If this happens, Outlook saves the e-mail message to your Drafts folder, but Microsoft Dynamics CRM creates a closed activity. In Microsoft Dynamics CRM, use the Pending E-mail view to see unsent messages.

When you are working offline, Microsoft Dynamics CRM e-mail messages that you send are saved to your Outlook offline queue. When you go online, Microsoft Dynamics CRM automatically tries to send them and create the activities. If an e-mail message cannot be sent, Microsoft Dynamics CRM saves it as a draft activity, but it does not appear in your Drafts folder in Outlook.

More information: Working Offline

Using the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Address Book

Use the Microsoft Dynamics CRM address book to select Microsoft Dynamics CRM records in Outlook. The address book includes accounts, contacts, facilities and equipment, leads, queues, and users. Access and use the Microsoft Dynamics CRM address book using the same menu as your other Outlook address books.

The address book is used to reconcile e-mail recipients in incoming messages to Microsoft Dynamics CRM contacts and link them automatically. How the contacts are matched is set in your personal options.

More information: Set Personal Options

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Related Topics

Related Topics Send Direct E-mail to Customers Work with E-mail Activities Work with E-mail Templates Working Offline Doing CRM Work in Outlook Working with Records and Activities in Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Outlook Managing E-mail Activities