Business process templates
Business process templates are a collection of forms and workflows that allow you to automate your organization's business processes such as KYC, client onboarding, or account plan approvals.
A business process is a workflow that can consist of completing a predefined form (Process Management form) and a series of approval steps, or only the approval steps without a form. A NexJ CRM user can use a business process to record and update information about their clients.
You can view, activate, or deactivate business process templates in the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace.
To add, update, or delete business process templates, click the Manage Business Processes button in the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace. This opens the Manage Business Processes application in a new tab.
For information about using business processes based on the business process templates, see Business processes.
FAQs for business process templates
Business process template components
The main components of a business process template are its form and its steps. A form is a questionnaire that contains pages of questions for users to fill out with details about their client, a company, opportunity, or service request. Steps define tasks that are assigned to other users, who review the completed form, then approve or reject it.
If the information in the form is configured to update underlying contact, company, opportunity, or service request data then the information is updated when the business process is approved. When you create the form, you can configure questions to update fields in the contact, company, opportunity, or service request record. If questions are not configured to update the contact, company, opportunity, or service request the information in the form can still be viewed at any time by opening the completed business process.
After you create and activate a business process template, it is available for users to run as a business process. When a user initiates a business process, the associated contact, company, opportunity or service request is locked until the business process is approved, rejected, or deleted. Users can add activities to a locked item but cannot edit other details of the item.
Depending on how a business process is configured, it can be run manually, or it can be automatically initiated when a contact, company, opportunity, or service request record is created or updated. When a business process runs in NexJ CRM, the form displays and the user answers questions as they navigate through the pages.
After the user fills out the form, they submit it for approval. The review tasks defined by the steps are then assigned to users. If all of the reviewers approve the form, the business process is marked as approved. If any of the reviewers reject the form, the user can read the reviewers' comments, make changes to the form, and resubmit it.
Form
A form is not required for a business process, but you can choose to add an existing CPM (Process Management) form. On the Form tab for the business process template, click Select CPM Form. In the Select Template dialog that appears, select the form and click OK. Forms are designed and created using the CPM Admin Portal. For more information, see Managing Process Management forms.
Steps
When you add a step to a business process template, you configure it to be assigned to a specified user, coverage role, or work queue. You can add attachments to a business process step, which can be accessed when the approval task is opened.
Attachments
Attachments are documents or images that can provide additional information or context related to the business process. Attachments can contain merge fields. When you print the document, merge fields populate with the corresponding information from the form or the record for the contact, company, opportunity, or service request.
Entry criteria
Entry criteria are conditions that must be met before a user can start a business process or a step. Entry criteria enable you to control which contacts, companies, opportunities, or service requests the business process applies to, and the circumstances in which specified steps are assigned to users. For example, you can add entry criteria to a step so that it assigns a task to a reviewer only if the client has an annual income exceeding $100,000.
Exit actions
Exit actions define additional work that must be performed after a business process is completed. You can configure an exit action to send an email to a user, update a field in a contact, company, opportunity, service request, or KYC record, create a web service call, or assign an activity plan or task to a user. Exit actions are assigned to specified users automatically when you configure exit actions to be assigned to specified users automatically when a business process is approved or rejected.
Business Processes tab
The Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace in NexJ CRM enables you to manage business processes.
The data table in the Business Processes tab contains the following columns:
Name
Displays the names assigned to business processes.
Create Security
Displays who can run the business process:
Status
Displays whether business processes are active or inactive.
You can use the Search by name field and the Status filter chip to find business processes in the business processes data table. For more information about searching and filtering functionality, see Searching and filtering in NexJ CRM. For more information about sorting data tables and selecting data table columns, see Navigating the NexJ CRM user interface.
You can view, activate, or deactivate selected business process templates in the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace.
- Deactivate a business process when you no longer want it to be available to users, or when you want to make changes to it. When you deactivate a business process template, existing instances of the business process that have been added to contact, company, opportunity, or service request records are not affected. To deactivate a business process, select the business process in the data table, and click the Deactivate button .
- Activate a business process template when you want to allow users to add instances of the business process to their contact, company, opportunity, and service request records. Active business process templates cannot be modified. If you need to make changes to a business process template, you must first deactivate it. To activate a business process, click the Activate button.
To add, update, or delete business process templates, click the Manage Business Processes button to open the Manage Business Processes application in a new tab.
Manage Business Processes application
To add, update, or delete business process templates, click the Manage Business Processes button to open the Manage Business Processes application in a new tab.
In the Manage Business Processes application, you can search for a business process template by selecting its status in the Any status field to the right of the Add button. After you have selected the desired status, click Run. To remove the selected status, click Clear.
Adding business process templates
Add a business process template to define a workflow that enables users to record or update information about their contacts, companies, opportunities, or service requests.
When you add a business process template, you can initially specify its details, steps, and attachments. After you have added the template, you can then edit it to specify additional components such as actions, entry criteria, and the form that the user fills out when they run the business process.
To add a business process template, in the Manage Business Processes application click the Add button in the top left of the new tab, and complete the following fields in the New Business Process Template dialog:
Tab | Field or checkbox name | Description | Required field |
---|---|---|---|
Details | Create Security | Choose who can run the business process: | Yes |
Default View Security | Choose who you want to be able to see instances of the business process:
To start a business process, a user adds an instance of a business process to a contact, company, opportunity, or service request record.
| Yes | |
Hide template from filters | To hide the template from filters that display to users in NexJ CRM, select Hide Templates from Filters. Use this option to hide a deactivated template. If you do not select this option, the deactivated template remains available in NexJ CRM. For example, you will be able to see the template in the Business Processes tab on a contact's profile. | No | |
Icon | Select the icon to use for the business process. | Yes | |
Name | Enter a name for the business process. | Yes | |
Notes | Enter notes that you want to provide to users who view the business process. | No | |
Object Type | Choose the object that the business process applies to: | Yes | |
Template Description | Enter a description of the template. | No | |
Trigger | Specify how you want instances of the business process to be added to a contact, company, opportunity, or service request record. | No | |
Steps | See Configuring steps. | Add steps to the business process. For more information about steps, see Configuring Steps.
You can also add steps after you create the business process template. Select the business process on the left side of the page and select the Steps tab.
| |
Attachments | Document Manager items and Attachments | Attachments are documents and images that you can include in a business process template. They are typically used to provide additional information or context pertaining to the business process. When a user views the business process, they can view and print the attachments. You can include merge documents as attachments in a business process template. Merge documents are Microsoft Word, PDF, or CSV documents that contain merge fields, which, when printed, automatically populate with corresponding information from a contact, company, opportunity, or service request record. Add an attachment to a step in a business process template when you want to provide a document or image to users who view the business process.
You can create and manage documents, including attaching files to documents, in the Document Manager workspace in NexJ CRM. A document must exist in the Document Manager workspace before it can be added to a business process template.
The next time that a user runs this business process, the attachment will be included. If the attachment is a merge document, it will automatically populate with information from the entity record or the submitted form. Merge documents are Microsoft Word, PDF, or CSV documents with defined placeholders, or merge fields, that are filled in with associated information upon merging.
You can also add attachments after you create the business process template. Select the business process on the left side of the page and select the Attachments tab.
Attachments are typically used to provide additional information or context related to the step or business process. When a user views the step, they can view and print the attachments. | No |
You can now edit the template to specify additional components such as actions, entry criteria, and a form.
Before a user can run the business process, you must activate it.
Modifying business process templates
Modify a business process template when you want to make changes to its details, or when you want to add, edit, or remove components in the template.
If the business process template has been used in NexJ CRM, any changes that you make to the template apply only to new instances of the business process. Instances that use a previous version of the template are not modified.
Before you modify a step, ensure that you have deactivated the business process template. You cannot modify active templates.
Configuring steps
Steps define the review process for the form in a business process.
A step can contain the following parts:
Entry criteria
Entry criteria are conditions for an object that must be met before a user can start a business process or a step. If a step's entry criteria is not met, then the step is skipped and the entry criteria for the next step in the business process is evaluated.
Entry actions
Entry actions are automatically performed when you start a business process step. You can configure an entry action to send an email to a user, update a field in a contact, company, opportunity, service request, or KYC record, create a web service call, or assign a task or activity plan to a user when you start a business process step.
Exit actions
Exit actions are automatically performed when a business process step is approved or rejected. You can configure an exit action to send an email to a user, update a field in a contact, company, opportunity, service request, or KYC record, create a web service call, or assign a task or activity plan to a user. Exit actions are performed regardless of whether the step is approved or rejected.
Your company might have policies that define a formal review process for the client information that you record. For example, your company's anti-money-laundering team reviews investments that exceed a certain value before they are committed to the client's financial profile. Steps define the approval process to create or update contact, KYC, company, opportunity, or service request records with information from a business process.
A step is an approval task that is assigned to a specified user or group of users when the form in a business process is submitted, or a task that is dynamically assigned to a user using coverage roles. When a user starts an approval task, they may have to review the form. When they finish reviewing the information in the form, they can choose to either approve or reject it.
Once the first step is approved or rejected, the next step is assigned to the approver. If the step is the last step in the business process, then the business process is marked as completed and approved. The information in the form can then update any applicable fields in the contact, company, or opportunity record.
If the reviewer rejects the form, they must enter comments that can be viewed by the user who submitted the form. The user can then restart the business process to make changes and resubmit the form. When the form is resubmitted, steps are assigned to the designated reviewers again.
Adding steps
Add steps to a business process template to specify the approvals required to update a contact, KYC, company, opportunity, or service request record with information from a submitted business process.
You can add steps to assign approval tasks to a user or group. The order in which you add steps to the template is the order in which they are assigned.
Additionally, you can include attachments with a step, which can provide information or context related to the step. When a user views the step, they can also view its attachments.
To add a step to a business process template, select the template in which you want to add a step, select the Steps subtab, click the Edit button , click the Add button , and complete the following fields:
Tab | Field name | Description | Required fields |
---|---|---|---|
Detail | Assign Action Item | Choose who the task for this step will be assigned to: | Yes |
Create Date | Specify when to create the task, relative to the completion date of the preceding step.
The first step in a business process is created relative to the date that the business process is submitted.
| Yes | |
Default Edit Security | Choose who you want to be able to edit the step after it is assigned: If you want to allow users to change the default security settings for the step after it has been assigned, select Enable editing the security settings for instances of this template. | Yes | |
Default View Security | Choose who you want to be able to see the step after it is assigned: | Yes | |
Description | Enter a name for the step. | Yes | |
Due Date | Specify when the step should be completed by. | No | |
For | Choose which entity the step should be associated with:
When you associate a step to a contact or company, the step is recorded in the Activities tab for that entity when the step is assigned. This does not apply to business process templates for opportunities or service requests.
| Yes | |
Notes | Enter notes that you want to provide to users who view the step. | No | |
Priority | Select a priority level for the step. | No | |
Status | Select Outstanding. | Yes | |
Attachments | Attachments are typically used to provide additional information or context related to the step or business process. When a user views the step, they can view and print the attachments.
You can create and manage documents, including attaching files to documents, in the Document Manager workspace in NexJ CRM. A document must exist in the Document Manager workspace before it can be added to a step.
To add attachments to the step, in the Document Manager Items area, click the Select button , In the Select Document dialog that appears, select a document that includes the attachments you want to add and click OK. Any files included in the document are displayed in the Attachments area. To remove attachments from the step, in the Document Manager Items area, select the document that includes the attachments you want to remove and click the Remove button . The next time that a user runs and submits this business process, the attachment will be included when the step is assigned. If the attachment is a merge document, the merge fields will populate with information from the entity record, or from the submitted form.
Merge documents are Microsoft Word, PDF, or CSV documents with defined placeholders, or merge fields, that are filled in with associated information upon merging.
|
You have added a step to the business process template. The step displays in the Steps subtab.
After you add a step, you can add components to it such as entry criteria and actions.
Managing entry criteria for steps
Entry criteria are conditions that you can add to a step, which must be met before the step will be assigned.
Sometimes you only want to assign steps in a business process under specific circumstances. For example, your business process assigns a step to your company's compliance officer when it is submitted. However, you want to also assign a step to the regional manager if the business process changes to the financial profile of a Tier A client.
Entry criteria define conditions that determine whether to assign a step when a business process is submitted. Rules are conditional statements that are evaluated by comparing a specified value to a field from the contact, KYC, company, opportunity, or service request record, or business process form.
You can add entry criteria to each individual step in a business process template. When the business process is submitted, entry criteria for the first step are evaluated. If the conditions in the entry criteria are met, the step is assigned to the user or group of users specified in the step. If the conditions are not met, the step is skipped and entry criteria for the next step in the business process are evaluated.
Examples of entry criteria for steps
The following examples demonstrate how entry criteria can be used in steps.
Using contact or KYC fields in entry criteria
In a business process template, you can create a step that is assigned to a specified user only when a client's annual income exceeds $100,000. You create the step, then add a rule in the Entry Criteria subtab with the following parameters:
- In the Field field, click the Select button , then select .
- In the Condition field, select greater than.
- In the Value field, enter
100000
.
When the business process is submitted, the task for this step is assigned to the reviewer only if the annual income in the client's profile is greater than $100,000.
Using form fields in entry criteria
In some cases, such as when you are using a business process to fill in a new contact's profile, you cannot use the above rule because an annual income has not yet been recorded.
However, in the form for your business process template, you can create a question in which the user fills out their client's annual income when they run the business process. You can then configure the step to also evaluate the annual income question from the form to determine if it exceeds $100,000.
To do this, you need to add two more rules to the step. You first add a rule to check if the annual income was filled out in the form. For example, if the form is called know_your_client and the annual income is requested in the General section of the form:
- In the Field field, click the Select button , then select .
- In the Condition field, select specified.
- In the field on the right side of the preceding question, select OR.
Then you add a rule to check if the value entered for the annual income is greater than $100,000:
- In the Field field, click the Select button , then select .
- In the Condition field, select greater than.
- In the Value field, enter
100000
. - In the field on the right side of the preceding rule, select AND.
When the business process is submitted, entry criteria is evaluated using the annual income from both the contact record and the submitted form. If either of the values are greater than $100,000, the task for this step is assigned to the user specified in the step.
Adding entry criteria to steps
Add entry criteria to a step in a business process template when you want to specify conditions that must be met before the step is assigned.
When you add entry criteria to a step, you create one or more rules that will be evaluated as either true or false. Rules are evaluated by comparing a value that you specify to a field from the contact, KYC, company, opportunity record, service request record, or business process form.
To add entry criteria to a selected step for a selected template, select the Entry Criteria subtab, click the Edit button , click the Add button to add a rule to the entry criteria, and complete the following fields.
Field or checkbox name | Description | Required field |
---|---|---|
AND/OR | If you add another rule, a new field appears in line with the preceding rule. Select one of the following options to specify the relationship between the two rules. | Yes |
Condition | Select a condition to specify how the value in the Field field will be compared to the value in the Value field. | Yes |
Field | Click the Select button , and select the field that you want to use for this rule from the contact record, KYC record, company record, opportunity record, service request record, or form in the business process template. When the rule is evaluated, the selected field is compared to the Value field. | Yes |
Not | Select the Not checkbox if you want to invert the condition that you specify in the Condition field. For example, if Condition is set to equals, select the Not checkbox to specify that you want to evaluate this rule as though it is set to not equals. | No |
Value | Enter or select the value to which the Field field will be compared. | Required when certain conditions are selected |
When a user submits the business process, the entry criteria are evaluated. If the entry criteria are met, the step is assigned. If they are not met, the step is skipped and the entry criteria for the next step in the business process are evaluated.
Managing step entry and exit actions
In business process steps, entry and exit actions define additional work that must be performed when a step begins and when a step completes.
Use entry actions to assign actions to specified users when a business process is submitted and its approval steps are created. Use exit actions to assign actions to users when a step in a submitted business process is approved or rejected.
You can add the following types of entry and exit actions:
- Activity plans
- Tasks
- Emails
- Notifications
- Service calls
Adding activity plan actions to steps
Use activity plan entry and exit actions to assign activity plans to users. The users that you can assign plan to can be named, or can be the user managing the business process.
An activity plan entry action assigns an activity plan when a business process step begins. An activity plan exit action assigns activity plans when a step is completed.
To add an activity plan entry or exit action to a selected step for a selected template, select the Entry Actions subtab (to assign the activity plan as an entry action to the step) or Exit Actions subtab (to assign the activity plan as an exit action to the step), click the Add button , select Create Activity Plan, and complete the following fields:
Field name | Description | Required field |
---|---|---|
Assign Activity Plan | Select one of the following options to define who the activity plan is assigned to: | Yes |
Description | Enter a new description of the action. | Yes |
Due Date | Specify how long the user has to complete the plan after the activity plan is created. For example, you can select 1 day after Create Date. | No |
For Contact | If you want to associate the activity plan with a contact other than the one that the business process is for, select one of the following: | Yes |
Notes | Enter any additional details about the activity plan. | No |
Priority | Select a priority for the activity plan. | No |
Template | Click the Select button and select an activity plan template. | Yes |
The activity plan entry or exit action is added to the step.
Adding email actions to steps
Use email entry and exit actions to send emails to either a specific user or a specific email address.
An email entry action sends an email when a business process step begins. An email exit action sends an email when a business process step is completed.
To add an email entry or exit action to a selected step for a selected template, select the Entry Actions subtab (to send an email as a step entry action) or the Exit Actions subtab (to send an email as a step exit action, click the Add button , select Send Email, and complete the following fields:
Field name | Description | Required field |
---|---|---|
Body | Enter the body content of the email.
You can include mail merge token fields in the body of your emails.
| No |
Description | Enter a description of the action. | Yes |
Document | To add a document as an attachment to the email, click the Select button .
Documents containing merge fields will not be personalized.
| No |
Subject | Enter the subject line of the email.
You can include mail merge token fields in the subject of your emails. Mail merge tokens allow you to automatically populate and personalize the email. A mail merge token is entered in the form of
${[<target>:] <field1> <field2> <field3>} . For example, ${kyc: fullName annualIncome} will populate the email with the full name of the contact and their annual income, pulled from their KYC record.
| No |
To | Select one of the following. | No |
Adding notification actions to steps
Use notification entry and exit actions to send notifications to either a user or email specified for a user.
A notification entry action sends an email notification when a business process step begins. A notification exit action sends an email notification when a business process step is completed.
To add a notification entry or exit action to a selected step for a selected template, select the Entry Actions subtab (to send a notification as a step entry action) or the Exit Actions subtab (to send a notification as a step exit action, click the Add button , select Send Notification, and complete the following fields:
Tab | Field or checkbox name | Description | Required field |
---|---|---|---|
Details | Description | Enter a description for the notification.
Users can see descriptions for turned-off notifications in the Notifications tab in the User Preferences dialog under the Options menu.
| Yes |
Execution | Select one of the following options to define when the notification is sent: | Yes | |
Locale | Select the required locale for the notification message. For example, select fr for the French locale. | Yes | |
Mandatory | To make the notification mandatory for users, select Mandatory.
Users cannot unsubscribe from mandatory notifications.
| No | |
Channels & Messages | Channels | Select the required notification channel. Specify whether to deliver the message to the notification stream in NexJ CRM, to a user's email address, or both. | Yes |
Email Body | Enter the notification message that users will receive. As described in the previous step, you can use tokens to include values from updated fields and links to approval records in the Email Body field.
In the Email Body field, you can include a link to an approval record by using the following token: ${url,this,title}, which shows the title of an approval record as the link.
| No | |
Email Subject | Enter the subject for the email notification that users will receive.
Only plain text tokens that cannot be linked are supported in the Email Subject field.
| No | |
Notification Stream Message | To define the notification message that users will receive in the notifications stream, in the Notification Stream Message field, enter a message.
Notifications can display a maximum of 255 characters. If you enter more than 255 characters, notifications are truncated in the notification stream. The maximum character limit can also be exceeded when tokens are interpreted, for example, when the ${assignToCaption} token is replaced with multiple user names.
| Yes | |
Recipients | Recipients | Define which recipients to send notifications to. To specify who will receive a notification when the rule criteria is satisfied:
| Yes |
Quick Responses | Not applicable | Specify the quick responses that you want to make available to users for the notification.
To use the quick responses to approve changes to service requests, approvers will need NotificationsManage privileges from the ManageContacts privilege group and ServiceRequestApprovalApprove privileges from the Business Process Approver privilege group. To use the quick responses to approve changes to opportunities, approvers will need NotificationsManage privileges from the ManageContacts privilege group and OpportunityApprovalApprove privileges from the Business Process Approver privilege group. To use quick responses to approve changes to contacts or companies, approvers will need EntityApprovalApprove privileges and NotificationsManageprivileges.
To add a quick response, click the Select button . Select a quick response in the left column and click Add to move it to the right column. You can also click Add All to add all quick responses. | Not applicable |
You can use tokens to include values from updated fields and links to approval records in notification messages. You can include token fields in notification stream messages, email subjects, and email bodies.
You can use the following tokens for the business process subject area for contacts, companies, opportunities, and service requests:
Token | Description |
---|---|
${entityParticipant entity fullName} | First and last name for the contact belonging to a business process |
${entityParticipant entity tier} | Tier type for the contact belonging to a business process |
${entityParticipant entity companyName} | Name of the company belonging to a business process |
${entityParticipant entity lastName} | Last name for the contact belonging to a business process |
${opportunity title} | Title for the opportunity belonging to a business process |
${opportunity typeString} | Type of the opportunity belonging to a business process |
${primaryEntity firstName} | The first name of the primary entity belonging to a business process |
${primaryEntity lastName} | The last name of the primary entity belonging to a business process |
${serviceRequest primaryEntity fullName} | Primary entity associated with a service request and belonging to a business process |
${serviceRequest priority} | Priority for the service request belonging to a business process |
${serviceRequest severity} | Severity for the service request belonging to a business process |
${serviceRequest title} | Title for the service request belonging to a business process |
You can use the following tokens for approval plans:
Token | Description |
---|---|
${plan:status} | Status of an approval plan |
${plan:priority} | Priority of an approval plan |
${plan:title} | Description of an approval plan |
${plan:text} | Notes for an approval plan |
You can use the following tokens for business process template steps:
Token | Description |
---|---|
${step:startTime} | Start date and time of a business process template step |
${step:title} | Description of a business process template step |
${step:createTime} | Creation date and time for a business process template step |
${step:text} | Description of a business process template step |
${step:status} | Status of a business process template step |
${step:editTime} | Date and time when a business process template step is modified |
Adding task actions to steps
Use task entry and exit actions to assign tasks to either the user managing the business process or to a specific user.
A task entry action assigns a task when a business process step begins. A task exit action assigns a task when a business process step is completed.
To add a task entry or exit action to a selected step for a selected template, select the Entry Actions subtab (to send a notification as a step entry action) or the Exit Actions subtab (to send a notification as a step exit action, click the Add button , select Create Task, and complete the following fields:
Field name | Description | Required field |
---|---|---|
Assign Task | Select one of the following: | Yes |
Description | Enter a description of the action.
If you select a task template, the description field populates with the task template's description.
| Yes |
Due Date | Select a due date in relation to the date that the task is created. For example, you can select 1 day after Create Date. | No |
For Contact | Select one of the following: | Yes |
Notes | Enter any additional details about the task. | No |
Priority | Select a priority for the task. | No |
Template | Click the Select button , and select a task template. | Yes |
Configuring entry criteria for business process templates
Entry criteria are conditions that you can add to a business process template, and which must be met before the business process can be started. For example, you might want users to use a business process to open a new line of credit only if the client has a specific credit rating.
Entry criteria are compared to one or more rules that determine whether or not a business process can be started. Rules are conditional statements, which are evaluated by comparing a specified value to a field from the contact, KYC, company, opportunity, or service request record.
When a user tries to run the business process, the entry criteria are evaluated. If the conditions in the entry criteria are met, the business process starts. If the conditions are not met, an error is displayed, and the business process is not added to the contact, company, opportunity, or service request record.
Examples of business process template entry criteria
The following examples demonstrate how entry criteria can be used in business process templates.
Using contact or KYC fields in entry criteria
Using entry criteria, you can create a business process that can be run only for contacts whose annual income exceeds $100,000. To do this, in the Entry Criteria subtab of the business process template, add a rule with the following parameters:
- In the Field field, click the Select button , then select .
- In the Condition field, select greater than.
- In the Value field, enter
100000
.
When a user tries to add the business process to a contact, the business process will run only if the annual income in the contact record is greater than $100,000.
Using multiple fields in entry criteria
In some cases, you might want to specify more than one rule in the entry criteria of a business process. For example, you can create a business process that can be run only for contacts whose annual income and net worth are both specified.
To do this, you first add a rule to check if the annual income is filled out in the client's profile:
- In the Field field, click the , then select .
- In the Condition field, select specified.
Then you add a rule to check if the net worth is also filled out:
- In the Field field, click the Select button , then select .
- In the Condition field, select specified.
- In the field on the right side of the preceding rule, select AND.
When you create multiple rules in an entry criteria, you must indicate how the rules relate to each other. In the previous example, you specified that both rules must pass for the entry criteria to pass. However, you could instead specify that only one of the rules must pass for the entry criteria to pass.
When a user now tries to add the business process to a contact, the business process will run only if both the annual income and net worth are specified in the contact record.
Adding entry criteria for business process templates
Add entry criteria to a business process template when you want to specify conditions that must be met before the business process can be started.
When you add entry criteria to a business process template, you create one or more rules that will be evaluated as either true or false. Rules are evaluated by comparing a field from the contact, KYC, company, opportunity, or service request record to a value that you specify.
To add entry criteria to a selected business process template, click the Edit button in the Entry Criteria subtab, click the Add button to add a rule to the entry criteria, and complete the following fields:
Field or checkbox name | Description | Required field |
---|---|---|
AND/OR | If you add another rule, a new field appears inline with the preceding rule. Select one of the following options to specify the relationship between the two rules. | Yes |
Condition | Select a condition to specify how the value in the Field field will be compared to the value in the Value field. | Yes |
Field | Click the Select button to select the field in the Field Picker dialog that you want to use for this rule. When the rule is evaluated, the selected field is compared to the Value field. | Yes |
Not | Select the Not checkbox if you want to invert the condition that you specify in the Condition field. For example, if Condition is set to equals, select the Not checkbox to specify that you want to evaluate this rule as though it is set to not equals. | No |
Value | Enter or select the value to which the Field field will be compared. | Required when certain conditions are selected |
When a user tries to run the business process, the entry criteria are evaluated. If the entry criteria are met, the business process starts. If they are not met, an error is displayed, and the business process is not added to the contact, company, opportunity, or service request record.
Configuring exit actions for business process templates
In business processes, exit actions define additional work that must be performed when a business process is completed. A business process is completed when all of its steps have been approved, or when one step has been rejected. Use exit actions to automatically assign actions to specified users when a submitted business process is completed.
The types of exit actions that you can create include activity plans, tasks, emails, notifications, service calls, and field updates. When you create an exit action, you can specify whether you want it to be assigned when the business process is approved, or when it is rejected.
There are two types of exit actions that you can add to a business process template:
Approval actions
Approval actions are performed when all of a business process' approval steps are approved.
Rejection actions
Rejection actions are performed when any of a business process' approval steps are rejected.
Adding activity plan exit actions for business process templates
An activity plan exit action assigns an activity plan to either the user managing the business process or to a specific user when a business process ends.
To add an activity plan exit action to a selected business process template, click the Exit Actions subtab, click the Add button in the area that corresponds to the kind of action that you want to create, then select Create Activity Plan, and complete the following fields:
Field name | Description | Required field |
---|---|---|
Assign Activity Plan | Select one of the following: | Yes |
Description | Enter a description of the activity plan exit action.
When you select an activity plan template, the Description field is automatically populated with the activity plan template's description.
| Yes |
Due Date | Select a due date in relation to the date that the activity plan is created. For example, you can select 1 day after Create Date. | No |
For Contact | Select one of the following: | Yes |
Notes | Enter any additional details about the activity plan. | No |
Priority | Select a priority for the activity plan. | No |
Template | Click the Select button and select an activity plan template. | Yes |
Adding email exit actions to business process templates
An email exit action sends an email to either a specific user or a specific email address when a business process ends.
To add an email exit action to a selected business process template, select the Exit Actions subtab, click the Add button in the area that corresponds to the kind of action that you want to create, and then select Send Email, and complete the following fields:
Field name | Description | Required field |
---|---|---|
Body | Enter the body content of the email. | No |
Description | Enter a description of the email exit action. | Yes |
Document | To add a document as an attachment to the email, click the Select button .
Documents containing merge fields will not be personalized.
| No |
Subject | Enter the subject line of the email. | No |
To | Select one of the following: | No |
Adding notification exit actions to business process templates
A notification exit action sends a notification to a specific user or group of users when a business process ends.
To add a notification exit action to a selected business process template, select the Exit Actions subtab, click the Add button in the area that corresponds to the kind of action that you want to create, then select Send Notification, and complete the following fields:
Tab | Field or checkbox name | Description | Required field |
---|---|---|---|
Details | Description | Enter a description of the action. | Yes |
Locale | Select the required locale for the notification message. For example, select fr for the French locale. | No | |
Mandatory | Select Mandatory to define the notification as required for viewing. Users cannot turn off or unsubscribe from mandatory notifications. | No | |
Channels & Messages | Channels | Select the required notification channel. Specify whether to deliver the message to the notification stream in NexJ CRM, to a user's email address, or both. | Yes |
Email Body | Enter the notification message that users will receive.As described in the previous step, you can use tokens to include values from updated fields and links to approval records in the Email Body field. In the Email Body field, you can include a link to an approval record by using the following token: | No | |
Email Subject | Enter the subject for the email notification that users will receive.
Only plain text tokens that cannot be linked are supported in the Email Subject field.
| No | |
Notification Stream Message | To define the notification message that users will receive in the notifications stream, in the Notification Stream Message field, enter a message.
Notifications can display a maximum of 255 characters. If you enter more than 255 characters, notifications are truncated in the notification stream. The maximum character limit can also be exceeded when tokens are interpreted, for example, when the ${assignToCaption} token is replaced with multiple user names.
| Yes | |
Recipients | Recipients | Define which recipients to send notifications to. To specify who will receive a notification when the rule criteria is satisfied:
| Yes |
You can use tokens to include values from updated fields and links to approval records in notification messages. You can include token fields in notification stream messages, email subjects, and email bodies. For further information about email subjects and email bodies, see the next step in this procedure.
You can use the following tokens for the business process subject area for contacts, companies, opportunities, and service requests:
Token | Description |
---|---|
${entityParticipant entity fullName} | First and last name for the contact belonging to a business process |
${entityParticipant entity tier caption} | Tier type for the contact belonging to a business process |
${entityParticipant entity companyName} | Name of the company belonging to a business process |
${entityParticipant entity lastName} | Last name for the contact belonging to a business process |
${opportunity title} | Title for the opportunity belonging to a business process |
${opportunity typeString} | Type of the opportunity belonging to a business process |
${primaryEntity firstName} | The first name of the primary entity belonging to a business process |
${primaryEntity lastName} | The last name of the primary entity belonging to a business process |
${serviceRequest primaryEntity fullName} | Primary entity associated with a service request and belonging to a business process |
${serviceRequest priority} | Priority for the service request belonging to a business process |
${serviceRequest severity} | Severity for the service request belonging to a business process |
${serviceRequest title} | Title for the service request belonging to a business process |
You can use the following tokens for approval plans:
Token | Description |
---|---|
${plan:status} | Status of an approval plan |
${plan:priority} | Priority of an approval plan |
${plan:title} | Description of an approval plan |
${plan:text} | Notes for an approval plan |
You can use the following tokens for business process template steps:
Token | Description |
---|---|
${step:startTime} | Start date and time of a business process template step |
${step:title} | Description of a business process template step |
${step:createTime} | Creation date and time for a business process template step |
${step:text} | Description of a business process template step |
${step:status} | Status of a business process template step |
${step:editTime} | Date and time when a business process template step is modified |
Adding field update exit actions to business process templates
A field update exit action updates a field in a contact, KYC, company, or opportunity record to a specific value when a business process ends.
To add a field update exit action to a selected business process template, select the Exit Actions subtab, click the Add button in the area that corresponds to the kind of action that you want to create, then select Update Field, and complete the following fields:
Field name | Description | Required field |
---|---|---|
Description | Enter a description of the field update exit action. | Yes |
Set value of | Select a KYC, contact, company, or opportunity record field to update when the business process ends. | No |
To | Select or enter the value you want populated in the selected field when the business process ends. | No |
Adding task exit actions to business process templates
A task exit action assigns a task to either the user managing the business process or to a specific user when a business process ends.
To add a task exit action to a selected business process template, select the Exit Actions subtab, click the Add button in the area that corresponds to the kind of action that you want to create, then select Create Task, and complete the following fields:
Field name | Description | Required field |
---|---|---|
Assign Task | Select one of the following: | Yes |
Description | Enter a description of the task exit action.
When you select a task template, the Description field is automatically populated with the task template's description.
| Yes |
Due Date | Select a due date in relation to the date that the task is created. For example, you can select 1 day after Create Date. | No |
For Contact | Select one of the following: | Yes |
Notes | Enter any additional details about the task. | No |
Priority | Select a priority for the task. | No |
Template | Click the Select button and select a task template. | Yes |
Adding forms to business process templates
A form is not required for a business process, but you can choose to add an existing CPM (Process Management) form. On the Form tab for the business process template, click Select CPM Form. In the Select Template dialog that appears, select the form and click OK. Forms are designed and created using the CPM Admin Portal. For more information, see Managing Process Management forms.
Editing or deleting business process template components
You can edit or delete business process template components.
Editing business process template details
Edit the details of a selected business process template when you want to change its name, description, icon, security settings, or triggers by clicking the Edit button in the Details subtab for the selected template.
Editing or deleting business process template components
You can edit or delete selected steps, selected attachments for steps, selected entry criteria, or selected entry or exit actions for selected business process templates by either clicking the Edit button in the required tab or subtab, or where provided, clicking the Action button
If you want to change the order in which the steps, entry actions, or exit actions are assigned, select a step, entry action, or exit action, and click the Up or Down buttons to move the step or exit action up or down in the list.
You can delete selected steps, selected attachments for steps, selected entry criteria, or selected entry or exit actions from a selected business process template by clicking either the Action button
Activating business process templates
Activate or deactivate business process templates to make them available or unavailable to users.
You can activate or deactivate business process templates in NexJ CRM, using the the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace. For more information, see Business Processes tab.
You can also activate or deactivate business process templates using the Manage Business Processes application.
Activate a business process template when you want to allow users to add instances of the business process to their contact, company, opportunity, and service request records. Active business process templates cannot be modified. If you need to make changes to a business process template, you must first deactivate it.
Deactivate a business process when you no longer want it to be available to users, or when you want to make changes to it. When you deactivate a business process template, existing instances of the business process that have been added to contact, company, opportunity, or service request records are not affected.
To activate a selected business process template using the Manage Business Processes application, click the Action button , and select Activate.
To deactivate a selected business process template using the Manage Business Processes application, click the Action button , and select Deactivate to Edit.
Copying business process templates
Copy a business process template when you want to create a new template from an existing one. When you copy a business process template, all details from the template are copied, including the form, steps, attachments, entry criteria, entry actions, and exit actions.
To copy a selected business process template, click the Action button for the template that you want to copy, then select Add Copy, and modify your desired business process template information in the Details, Steps, and Attachments tabs.
You can modify the copied template, and make your desired changes.
Deleting business process templates
Delete business process templates that you no longer require.
To delete a selected business process template, click the Action button for the template that you want to delete, select Delete, and click Delete in the confirmation dialog.
Exporting and importing business process templates
Export and import business process templates when you want to move them between instances of NexJ CRM, or when you want to create a backup of a template.
Your company might require that you develop a new business process in a test system before you can deploy it to a production system. To avoid having to recreate the business process in each of your company's environments, you can export a business process template from your test system, then import it into your production system.
When you export a business process template, you download a file that is generated by the system to your local machine. This file contains all of the components from the template, including the form, approval steps, associations, follow-ups, attachments, and security settings. You can then import the file into another system to create a new copy of the template.
You can also keep an exported file as a backup of a business process template. This is useful when you are making changes to a business process template, and you want to be able to revert to a known version of the template if something goes wrong.
If you want to import or export Scheme files, you must be assigned the flow:ExportImportSchemeAdmin privileges in the NexJ Admin Console.
Exporting business process templates
Export a business process template when you want to generate a file that you can use to copy the template into a different instance of NexJ CRM, or when you want to create a backup of it.
You can export a template as a dump or Scheme file. When you export, a .dump
or .scm
file is generated that contains all of the components from the template, including the form, approval steps, associations, follow-ups, attachments, and security settings.
To export a selected business process template:
- Click the Action button for the template that you want to export, then select one of the following export options:
- Export to dump file
Export the template as a.dump
file. - Export to Scheme file
Export the template as a.scm
file.
The Export confirmation dialog opens.
- Export to dump file
The business process template is exported as a file on your local machine. The original template remains in the system, so you can continue to use it or make changes to it.
If you want to use the exported template in another system, you must import the file into that system to create a copy of the template.
Importing business process templates
Import a business process template when you want to create a copy of a template from an exported file. When you export a business process template, a file is generated that contains all of the components from the template, including the form, approval steps, associations, follow-ups, attachments, and security settings. You can import this file to create a new business process template or to modify an existing template.
.dump
or
.scm
file for the business process template that you want to import.
If you are importing a business process template to modify an existing template, you must ensure that you have deactivated the existing template.
You must also ensure that certain items referenced in an exported template, such as users and tasks, exist in the system to which you are importing the template. If you try to import a template to a system in which a referenced item does not exist, you will receive an error, and the Import button will be disabled.
To import a business process template:
If you imported the file as a new template, an entry is created in the list of business process templates. If you imported the file as a modified version of an existing template, the existing template is replaced.
Rules for importing business process templates
When you import a business process template, rules are applied that determine what components are imported from the export file, and what components are overwritten in an existing template.
Most components from a template can be imported, and will overwrite components in an existing template, but there are some exceptions. Before you import a template, it is important to be aware of the following rules so that you can prepare the importing system accordingly.
Components that are not imported
Related items such as contacts and tasks in a business process template are not imported and must already exist in the system to which you import the template.
For example, assume that you have exported a template that contains an entry action for one of its steps. This entry action references a task called Follow Up. If you want to import the template into another system, you must ensure that the importing system also has a corresponding task called Follow Up.
If a related item is present in an exported template, but does not exist in the system to which you import the template, you will not be able to complete the import. When the export file is checked, an error will be given, and the Import button will be disabled. You can view the details of the error by clicking View Report.
The following components are not imported when you import a business process template. To help you read any errors, the components are listed using their names as they appear in the report.
Contact
The contact that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is for. Matched using the ID or, if the ID is not found, using the first name, last name, and telephone numbers. Contacts are managed in the Contacts workspace in NexJ CRM.
UserPerson
The user that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is assigned to. Matched using the ID or, if the ID is not found, using the first name, last name, and telephone numbers. Users are managed on the Users page in NexJ Admin Console.
ActivityPlanTemplate
An activity plan template used for an entry or exit action. Activity plan templates are managed in the Customize workspace in NexJ CRM.
ActionItemTemplate
A task template used for an entry or exit action. Tasks are managed on the Document Codes page in NexJ Admin Console.
AssignmentModel
The assignment model that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is assigned to. For example, Coverage or Opportunity Team. Assignments models are managed on the Assignment Models page in NexJ Admin Console.
AssignmentModelRole
The specific assignment model role that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is assigned to. For example, Account Manager or Advisor. Matched using the ID or, if the ID is not found, using the assignment model and the role enumeration value. Assignments model roles are managed on the Assignment Models page in NexJ Admin Console.
WorkQueueInteraction
The work queue that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is assigned to. For example, General Client Service Requests. Work queues are managed on the Work Queues page in NexJ Admin Console.
EntityHierarchyContext
The entity hierarchy that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is for. For example, Company or Household. Entity hierarchies are managed on the Entity Codes page in NexJ Admin Console.
EntityHierarchyRole
The specific entity hierarchy role that a business process step, entry action, or exit action is for. For example, Dependent or Spouse. Matched using the ID or, if the ID is not found, using the hierarchy and the role enumeration value. Entity hierarchy roles are managed on the Entity Codes page in NexJ Admin Console.
TelephoneNumber
The telephone number of the contact or user for a business process step, entry action, or exit action. This is used to match the contact or user when a match is not found using the ID, first name, and last name. Telephone numbers are managed in the Contacts workspace in NexJ CRM. They use the following international format: + <countryCode> <nationalDestinationCode> <subscriberNumber>.
UserGroup
The user group specified in the view or edit security settings of a business process step, entry action, or exit action. User groups are managed on the Users page in NexJ Admin Console.
Components that are not overwritten
In addition to the components that are not imported, some components do not overwrite duplicates in the system to which you import a business process template.
For example, assume that you have exported a template that contains an attachment called Financial Plan. If a document called Financial Plan already exists in the system to which you import the template, the document from the template will not overwrite the document in the importing system. The newly imported template will use the existing document in the system.
The following components are not overwritten when you import a business process template. When a duplicate component is found in the importing system, the import will proceed, and a warning will be listed in the report. You can view the details of the warning by clicking View Report. To help you read any warnings, the components are listed using their names as they appear in the report.
ActAttachment
An attachment for a business process or business process step. If a match is found in the importing system, the attachment in the exported template will not be imported; the existing attachment in the system will instead be used. If a match is not found, the attachment will be imported, and its document will be added to the root folder of the Document Manager.
ActTemplateResult
The outcome of a business process, either Approved or Rejected.
ActTemplateStatus
The status of a business process, one of Completed, Outstanding, or Pending.
DocumentMgrItem
A file in the Document Manager. If a match is found in the importing system, the document in the exported template will not be imported; the existing document in the system will instead be used. If a match is not found, the document will be imported, and added to the root folder of the Document Manager.
flow:FlowTemplateVersion
The version number of the flow for the form in a business process template. Instead of overwriting this, the system increments the version number of the current flow.
Configuring dynamic approvals for process management forms
As of NexJ CRM 9.5, you can define dynamic approvals based on process management form data. When users submit Process Management forms that have been configured for dynamic approvals, the forms are automatically directed to the required approvers.
To configure dynamic approvals for a process management form:
From the Business Processes tab, select the business process template for the form.
- In the Steps tab, click the Edit button , and create the required approval steps for the business process template.
In the Entry Criteria tab, click the Edit button to open the Edit Criteria dialog.
Click the Add button to add a rule to the entry criteria. A new line is added in the Rule Criteria area. Click the Select button in the rule to open the Field Picker dialog.
Entry criteria are conditions that you can add to a business process template, and which must be met before the business process can be started.
Entry criteria are compared to one or more rules that determine whether a business process can start. Rules are conditional statements, which are evaluated by comparing a specified value to a field from the contact, KYC, company, opportunity, or service request record.
When a user tries to run the business process, the entry criteria are evaluated. If the conditions in the entry criteria are met, the business process starts. If the conditions are not met, an error is displayed, and the business process is not added to the contact, company, opportunity, or service request record.
In the Field Picker dialog, select CPM.
- Select the page field, section field, and question field that you want to use for the rule.
- Click OK.
- (Optional) Select the rule conditions for the selected fields.
- If you want to invert the condition that you specify in the Condition field, select the Not checkbox. For example, if Condition is set to equals, select the Not checkbox to specify that you want to evaluate this rule as though it is set to not equals.
- In the Condition field, select a condition to specify how the value in the rule field will be compared to the value in the Value field.
In the Value field, enter or select the value to which the rule field will be compared.
If you add another rule, a new field appears inline with the preceding rule. Select one of the following options to specify the relationship between the two rules.- AND
Indicates that the current rule and its following rule must both evaluate to true for the entry criteria to pass. - OR
Indicates that either the current rule or its following rule must evaluate to true for the entry criteria to pass.
- AND
- When you have finished adding rules to the entry criteria, click OK.
For example, you can create an approval step for an on-boarding form where the company's chief operating officer (COO) approves all high net worth clients, while additional approval is required for high risk clients by the chief executive officer (CEO).
For more information, see Adding entry criteria for business process templates.
User roles for approving business processes
This information describes the available user roles for approving business processes.
Approval requestors submit requests for approval to Approval Approvers who approve or reject the changes.
The following table shows which user roles can perform specific functions.
Function | Administrator | Approval Requestor | Approval Approver |
---|---|---|---|
Create and modify business process templates in the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace | Yes | No | No |
Create and modify Process Management forms in the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace | Yes | No | No |
Approve or reject a business process by updating the status and the outcome when modifying a business process step in the Business Processes tab on the Contacts workspace | Yes | No | Yes |
Approve or reject a business process on the Home, Tasks, or Contacts workspaces | Yes | No | Yes |
View a business process in the Business Processes tab on the Customize workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |