The CRM and HR: time, expenses, absences and departures

Illizeo’s CRM knows what the HR system already knows about sales reps: the time they spend, the expenses they incur, their absences and their departure. This article explains how to charge time or an expense to an account or an opportunity, read a deal’s acquisition cost, set hourly rates, have an absent sales rep’s tasks followed by their substitute, and take over the portfolio of a sales rep who leaves. It is intended for sales reps, their managers, HR and CRM administrators.

Before you start #

• The CRM module must be enabled for your workspace and open to you (see Enabling and administering the CRM module).
• The My team scope follows the supervision recorded on contracts: your direct reports are the people with a contract naming you as their manager. Changing the manager on a contract changes the scope straight away, with nothing to re-enter.

Permissions in the role matrix, CRM menu, Access level:

• charging time or an expense to the CRM: “CRM accounts — View”; opportunities are only offered with “Opportunities — View”;
• reading the Pre-sales tab: the permission to view the opportunity or the account;
• hourly rates: “CRM settings — View” to read them, “CRM settings — Edit” to change them;
• handing over a portfolio: “CRM accounts — Edit”, with a scope that reaches the person’s accounts;
• following an absent colleague’s tasks: “CRM activities — View”.

Charging time or an expense to the CRM #

Just as time or an expense can be charged to a project, it can be charged to a CRM account or opportunity. The Account or opportunity (CRM) choice appears:

• in your timesheet, on a work segment with no project (see Filling in and submitting your timesheet);
• when entering a day as a duration, under the CRM field;
• in the clocking card on the home page;
• in an expense, simple or mileage, when your settings do not require a project (see Entering, submitting and tracking an expense).

The list starts with No account or opportunity, then offers the open opportunities (“Opportunity · name (account)”) and the non-archived accounts (“Account · name”) that you can read, fifty of each at most. Beyond that, type a few letters to search.

• Time or an expense is charged to a project or to the CRM, never both: choosing one clears the other.
• An opportunity carries its account: the account is deduced from it.
• The person whose time or expense it is must be able to read the account or opportunity charged. A target already set is still accepted when the line is saved again, even if they no longer read it.
• A target outside your scope is shown as “Record not visible”, and cannot be changed.
• A deleted account or opportunity leaves the time and expenses in place: they simply lose their target. A deleted opportunity leaves its account.

The Pre-sales tab #

An opportunity’s record and an account’s record both have a Pre-sales tab. On an account, it brings together the time and expenses charged to the account and to its opportunities. It shows:

• the Acquisition cost: the valued time plus the expenses, in the company’s currency;
• the Time charged, and its value;
• the Expenses, with the number of approved expenses: only approved expenses count;
• the Time per person.

Two warnings may appear: hours without an hourly rate, counted as 0 in the acquisition cost, with the Set the rates link for those who can read the CRM settings; and expenses in another currency, not converted, which are not added.

• Time charged to a project never counts here. Once the project has been created from the deal, pre-sales time stays on the opportunity (see From a won deal to a project).
• The CRM dashboard shows the Average acquisition cost of deals won over the period (see The dashboard and sales targets).

Setting hourly rates #

Open Settings › CRM › Hourly rates. These rates say what an hour of pre-sales is worth in the acquisition cost; no salary is read.

1. Under Default rate, enter the amount per hour, in the company’s currency, then click Save. It applies to anyone without their own rate; left empty, their hours count as 0.
2. Under Rate per person, choose a person, enter their rate, click Add, then Save the rates. This rate takes precedence over the default rate; removing the person gives them the default rate again.

The CRM log records each change of rates, without the amounts.

While a sales rep is absent #

When a sales rep’s absence is approved and their request names a Substitute (see Requesting, editing and cancelling an absence), that substitute follows their CRM tasks during the absence:

• When the absence starts, they receive “CRM: you are standing in for” followed by the name in the bell, with the number of tasks for the day. The notice is sent only once per absence, and only if there are tasks that day.
• Each day of the absence, CRM › My activities shows them the “Standing in for … — today” section, in the name of the absent person: their tasks for the day. These remain theirs: the substitute reads them but does not change them.
• They also receive the reminders for these tasks.
• The day after the absence ends, they no longer see anything.

• Only the fact of the absence is read: never its reason or its type.
• A private task of the absent person stays private: the substitute does not see it.
• Overdue and assigned-task notices stay with the absent person.

When a sales rep leaves #

A person’s CRM portfolio is made up of the accounts they own, their open opportunities and their open tasks. Their closed deals and completed activities remain their history. When they leave, the portfolio goes to a new owner, by hand or automatically.

Handing over by hand #

1. Open CRM › Portfolios.
2. Choose the Person. The page gives their number of Accounts, Open opportunities and Open tasks and, if an exit date is set, the manager who will receive the portfolio the following night.
3. Under Hand over, choose the New owner.
4. Click The whole portfolio, or tick accounts in the table and click “The … selected account(s)”.
5. Confirm in the “Hand over the portfolio?” window.

• An account goes with its open opportunities and the person’s open tasks on that account. The whole portfolio also takes their open opportunities and tasks on accounts that are not theirs.
• The new owner must be able to own accounts: an active Illizeo account and “CRM accounts — View”.
• You can hand over in several goes, account by account, before the exit date.

Handing over as soon as the departure is recorded #

The “Departure: hand over the CRM portfolio” workflow, in Settings › Manage Employees › Workflows, Offboarding category, is inactive when created. Once activated, it starts as soon as a departure is recorded: the person’s end of employment, or the end of their last ongoing contract. The portfolio then goes at once to the successor set in its step, the manager by default, even if the exit date is several weeks away. The end of one contract among several does not start it, and entering the end of the same contract again does not restart it.

What happens without a handover #

The night after the exit date, whatever is left of the portfolio goes to the person’s manager: the one on their contract, failing that the one on their employee record. The day after leaving, a person who has left therefore no longer owns any open opportunity. If there is no manager, or the manager cannot own accounts, the portfolio stays where it is; the page says so: “No known manager: hand the portfolio over before that date.”.

What the new owner receives #

The new owner receives “CRM: a portfolio was handed over to you” in the bell, with the number of accounts, open opportunities and tasks. The notice leads to the list of their accounts. They do not receive it if they made the handover themselves. The CRM log keeps each handover, with its numbers, never the detail of the records.

Good to know #

• The workflow builder offers, in the Offboarding category, the “Hand over the CRM portfolio” action. Its Successor field defaults to “The manager of the person leaving”. With no possible successor, the step stops.
• The acquisition cost reads no salary data: only the CRM’s hourly rates.
• Time charged to an opportunity appears in no project, and vice versa.

FAQ #

The Account or opportunity (CRM) choice does not appear. #

Check that the CRM is open to you and that your role holds “CRM accounts — View”. The choice also disappears when a project is chosen, on a segment that is not work, and in an expense when your settings require a project.

The substitute does not see the absent sales rep’s tasks. #

The absence must be approved, name them as substitute and cover the current day. The substitute only sees that day’s non-private tasks, and needs “CRM activities — View”.

The portfolio of a sales rep who left has not moved. #

Their record or contract names no manager, or that manager cannot own accounts. Hand the portfolio over in CRM › Portfolios.

The departure workflow did not hand anything over. #

It only starts once activated, at the person’s departure: the end of one contract among several does not count. With no possible successor (no manager, or a manager who cannot own accounts), its step stops: hand the portfolio over in CRM › Portfolios.