Symphony.

I'm really frustrated with how I manage client data and billing. So frustrated I think it would be easier for me to create a simple CRM using Symphony's admin. And when I mention billing, it would just be inputting one-time transactions manually and recording reoccurring transactions via a postback.

The systems I have used seem overly complex and it's difficult for me to know what's actually going on. I've been embarrassed on more than one occasion with WHMCS because of e-mails that were sent out that I was not aware of. I just don't understand the system! In all fairness, I want to manage my clients stuff and I realize WHMCS is built on a client portal. So…

Does anyone use Symphony as a CRM to manage your clients? How do you go about it? Any tips as I plan it out? Do you get away with just using the default admin, or did you create a front end?

Either way, I think this will make a great ensemble.

Ditto, trying my best at doing exactly this for my company.. using a combo of backend for me and the techies and front end Enquiry and Sales Requisition workflow from the front end.. have also been playing with www.paymo.biz to track time entries on projects and looking at using the API that comes with it to marry time entry data with invoicing in the Symphony Build.. it's gonna take time, but it's the perfect tool for me to start visualising how to pull it all together :)

EDIT

Bauhause built an in depth Ensemble that's a great reference for a lot of features I'm looking into: DesignAdmin

Bauhause built an in depth Ensemble that's a great reference for a lot of features I'm looking into: DesignAdmin

Oh, I forgot to mention his work. Great reference, indeed!

The most basic form of CRM must be an excel sheet with one page containing clients, and another one an invoice one can add items to (with automatic total and taxes) and choose a clients address from a dropdown list.
Recreating this would just take a section for clients and a section for invoices. Those however must have fields that can be added on the fly (out of the box?) and a field that adds its values (reflection field, or shoppingcart extension?) Also automatic numbering (increment number extension)

item1    itemprice    itemquantity    total
item2    itemprice    itemquantity    total
                                  grand total

Could the total fields simply be reflection fields performing multiplication and add math xpath?

I believe Excel is only a short-term solution and it really doesn't allow me the interaction I'm looking for with a CRM. The more I think about how to set this up, the more I realize how much easier it is to build using Symphony than to learn one of the behemoths on the market.

I have attached a PDF with my thinking so far…

Let me know what you think!

Attachments:

SymphonyCRM.pdf

It's also important to note that I want to do this from within Symphony's admin.

I'll have a look at this later tonight, and give you some feedback...

Side not: Lewis, maybe this will help you out for modelling, it does me! And then after this I always draw it out in Illustrator so I can see it visually...

Attachments:

ecomms-data-model.xls.zip

@ Lewis
I only used excel as an example of a simple CRM, that most people start with before going to a real CRM, but I would never advise you to use :-) Of course the idea is to build a CRM using symphony.

BTW guys, if you start building the sections and fields based on such studies as the ones you offer to download above, do you do it click per click, or do you use Symphony Shell?

BTW guys, if you start building the sections and fields based on such studies as the ones you offer to download above, do you do it click per click, or do you use Symphony Shell?

I haven't even considered using Symphony Shell. I don't even know if you can.

Side not: Lewis, maybe this will help you out for modelling, it does me! And then after this I always draw it out in Illustrator so I can see it visually...

Thanks. I have always kind of done it using lists, indention, and style appropriately. I think I preferred over the Excel sheet method because I can get a better picture of the design/structure for most projects. It takes me a long time to draw things up in Illustrator, although I have for more complex projects.

I have also used Google's Draw, which I find easier to work with and faster.

I've made some updates to the structure and added field types (including how I format select box values so that it's more clear).

I'm really excited. Using Nick's HTML Panel Field and a little Ajax, this baby is going to purr!

We got shown a full on mess of a CRM the other day... Traffic. It looks really powerful and it's the Dogs Bollacios when it comes to the things it can do.. but being based on Filemaker (which I despise, really bad UX and layout) I said no thanks we'll take a stab at it in Symphony.... :)

@ Lewis
Smart you used the system ID as invoice number. How would you go about adding the amounts of the items?

So if all 4 of us are actually building this with the intention to use it, can we divide tasks to speed things up? Also since shell doesn't work and xml sections and fields in symphony 3 are still far of, shouldn't we release this as an ensemble. So everyone can use it as a starting point with the most common fields. No doubt everyone has their own specific requirements that need some other fields, but it saves a lot of clicking (DRY).

So if all 4 of us are actually building this with the intention to use it, can we divide tasks to speed things up?

Sorry I missed this... Well, I've been working on what I need and I'll have it completed next week (would have been this week but I came down with a fever past few days). I'll be more than happy to make it available as an ensemble.

ooooh (shakes hands and squints eyes with glee!) Man I'd love to see how your'e putting this one together. Noob on the XSLT side of things but really keen to learn as much as possible.

+ online shop?

I have a bunch of the basics working and now I'm just working out invoicing. This aspect of the CRM is the most difficult to make universal (i.e. other payment systems than the one I use) so the first version of this will definitely be more proof of concept than anything.

@DavidOliver, I don't believe it is within the scope of this project.

Here's a little sneak peek of the overview window for the client (default client view).

I should note that the green buttons allow you to create a new entry. They take you to the appropriate section, prepopulate the select box link field, and redirect back to the client entry (i.e. where you started before you click the green create button).

That looks pretty nice! :-)

Thanks for letting me know about the shop thing. I'd already realised that trying to combine the two would probably not work out well due to timings and different priorities.

Hey Lewis, have you thought about PDF export of invoices or anything like that yet? was delving into a little TCPDF lately for a Flash/Desktop APP project and it turned out to be a neat bit of code. Would be awesome to have send as PDF/word Doc as options for invoicing, what do you think?