Understanding the ConcourseSuite User Interface |
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The user interface of ConcourseSuite is divided into two parts, global links and module-specific links. The major part of the user interface is utilized for the module-specific links. The module-specific links are explained in individual chapters. In this section, explanation of global links and a brief introduction to the modules of ConcourseSuite are provided. Understanding the Global Links Icons at the top right of the interface are the global links, as shown in Figure 1. The following are available:
Figure 1 ConcourseSuite User Interface Custom Editor, displayed at the bottom of the page, is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 Custom Editor The following links present under Custom Editor provide a description about the current page or module that is being accessed:
Figure 3 The Page Description
Figure 4 The Module Description
The Quick Action window is displayed on the right-hand side of the screen, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5 The Quick Actions Window It contains shortcuts to frequently used actions:
There are more options available in the More menu:
The Settings icon enables you to control personal settings within ConcourseSuite, as shown in Figure 6. You can select from the following options:
Figure 6 Settings To view the Settings page, click Settings beside Home on the top menu, as shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7 The Settings Icon Editing Personal Information ConcourseSuite allows you to change all your personal (or employee) information, including the following attributes:
Click Update to commit or Cancel to quit. A sample of the information that can be modified is shown in Figure 8.
Figure 8 Updating Personal Information Changing Location The only variable you can change under Location is your time zone. ConcourseSuite automatically translates time to your local time zone if you have set this variable, as shown in Figure 9.
Figure 9 Configure Location Changing Your Password To change the password, follow the steps given below:
The Update Password page is displayed, as shown in Figure 10.
Figure 10 The Change Password Form Accessing Web Folders To access the files and folders stored in ConcourseSuite under various modules, you must navigate to the respective modules. Click Web Folders to connect to ConcourseSuite externally. Once you successfully connect and authenticate yourself, you can access folders and files as if they were available on a shared network drive. You can quickly add and remove entire folders and files. To access the web folders, you must have a WebDAV Client. Some WebDAV clients that have been used and worked with ConcourseSuite’s Web Folders are:
Note: This feature uses WebDAV, a well-known protocol that allows users to access files and folders with editing and versioning capabilities on a remote server. To connect to ConcourseSuite's Web Folders using Mac OS X Finder, follow the steps given below:
Figure 11 Web Folders Server
Figure 12 WebDAV File System Authentication
Figure 13 Document and File Upload
Figure 14 Contact vCards List All of the top-level modules in ConcourseSuite that have documents are displayed as folders. You can navigate through each module folder to access files specific to the module. You can download or add new files based on your read/write permissions. The synchronization folder displays the following features:
The Calendar folder displays a list of the Home module calendars. The list essentially contains your calendar and those of employees who report to you. You can download any of the calendars for viewing them offline. The Contacts folder displays a list of Contact vCards (contacts that you have access to in ConcourseSuite). You can download any vCard into your local address book application if it supports the vCard format. Understanding the Modules of ConcourseSuite This section provides a brief introduction to all the modules of ConcourseSuite. Note: The Admin module is available to those users who have been assigned privileges to configure the application. If you do not view the Admin icon, contact your ConcourseSuite administrator for access permission. Some modules have dashboards that are setup in the Admin module. The modules are available as tabs across the top of the ConcourseSuite interface and also at the top of the page as icons (only Website and Admin). Home Home enables you to get a concise view of what is happening in the organization, in a dashboard format. In this module, you can find the following information:
You can also change your password and perform other simple administrative functions. The more complex administrative functions are the responsibility of the administrator. Website (Beta) The Website (Beta) module enables you to create and modify website. You can create as many websites in the Website (Beta) module and activate one of them. You can showcase your company’s profile and previous experience on the website. Leads The Leads module enables you to manage lead information and track prospective customers before the prospects are converted into accounts. You can import leads into your Leads dashboard and also export them from the dashboard to other locations. Contacts The Contacts module enables you to manage information about people you know, or have met. A contact can be an individual associated with an account or a general contact. Contacts are searchable, can have a variety of attributes and classifications, and can have a rich set of information attached to them, such as messages, activities, and opportunities. The contact record provides a chronological view of all dealings with any contact. Pipeline The Pipeline module enables you to enter and analyze information about opportunities on which you and your organization are working. This module provides both dashboard and detailed views of what you think your revenue potential is in the future, and gives you a place to actively work on the closing of those opportunities. As in all of ConcourseSuite, the system models your corporate organization, so that individuals higher in the organizational chain can view the items in the pipeline of those who report to them. In the Pipeline module, you define opportunities, and save a variety of data about them, such as estimated amount, term, and probability of success. You can also attach documents, such as presentations or proposals to opportunities. Accounts The Accounts module manages the information about customers. In this module, you not only view the usual name and address records, but also integrate all sales opportunities, activities, documents, contracts, assets, and help desk items pertaining to the account in one place, so you can have a holistic view of each account. For a sales organization, the Accounts module is the nerve center of the CRM system. Products The Products module stores information about the company’s products. Using this module, you can add products, their pricing details, and other information. You can also categorize products and view the list of products. You can also bulk-import product information into this module, from data files. Quotes The Quotes module enables you to prepare quotations, based on your product catalog, for customers who show interest in one or more products. Quotes can go through several revisions, so this module provides quote versioning to keep track of a quote and all its revisions. Communications The Communications module serves as a multi-dimensional campaign manager, enabling you to perform the following tasks:
Messages you send are kept in each contact's record, so you always know what each contact has been sent. Messages can also have special attachments, such as interactive surveys that you can design. The results of surveys are automatically tallied and presented. Projects The Projects module is a complete distributed project management system. In this module, you can build the following project-related resources:
The Projects module allows you to build as many projects and teams as you want. You can also invite outsiders to view or contribute to projects. Help Desk The sales process is a part of the overall customer relationship. Post-sales service is critical for keeping and growing customers. The Help Desk module provides a powerful and complete help desk, call center, and trouble ticket solution. Help Desk is tied to Accounts and Contacts, and incorporates many advanced features, as listed below:
This module also allows you to perform the following tasks:
Documents The Documents module enables secure management of documents, using the Document Stores concept, that can efficiently store documents and categorize them for easy access. You can configure a document store to have a team of users with access permissions. Company The Company module stores the information about employees. You can find the following information about employees in your organization:
Reports The Reports module is a sophisticated reporting module that underlies all of ConcourseSuite. ConcourseSuite comes with 30 stock reports. This module allows you to build custom reports according to your requirements. Admin You can configure ConcourseSuite in the Admin module. The main functions of this module are:
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