Configuring activity templates

An activity is a record of communication with a client. This includes schedule items, activity plans, tasks, documents, emails, and call records. Activities are also known as interactions. You can configure activity templates from the Document Codes page. You can also configure badges for activities.

Use activity templates to define specific types of tasks, schedule items, and call records in NexJ CRM. For example, to create a reminder to follow up with a client, users add the Follow Up task in the My Tasks tab in the Home workspace. NexJ CRM uses the Follow Up activity template to create the task.

 A call record is an internal record documenting an interaction with a contact or lead.

To configure an activity template, specify the details, attachments, and statuses for the activity that the template creates. Activity templates also predefine relevant information for activities. For example, to configure the Site Tour schedule item to include a non-disclosure agreement that attendees fill our at the beginning of the tour, add the agreement as an attachment to the Site Tour activity template.

Configure activity templates in the Activity Templates tab on the Document Codes page.

Adding activity templates

Add activity templates to create new types of tasks, schedule items, and call records for NexJ CRM.

An itinerary item is a scheduled time slot that represents activities that support an event, other than event meetings, for example, travel arrangements for flight and hotel reservations.

To add an activity template:

  1. Navigate to the Document Codes page.

  2. In the Activity Templates tab, click the Add button  add.png , and select a type of activity for the template: Schedule Item, Task, Call Record, Event Meeting, Itinerary Item, and Event Meeting Feedback. The Add Template dialog opens.

  3. Complete the fields on the DetailsAttachmentsStatuses, and Outcomes tabs, as desired.

    A red asterisk indicates required fields.


    If you are adding an activity template for an event itinerary item, you can select a service provider category. If a service provider category is selected, then, when a user adds that itinerary item to an event, the list of service providers they see will be limited to only service providers in that category. You can create additional service provider categories on the Categories tab of the Entity Codes page.


  4. Click OK.

A new activity template appears in the list on the left of the Activity Template tab on the Document Codes page. If Active is selected, the activity is now available in NexJ CRM.

Modifying activity templates

Modify activity templates to make changes to template details, attachments, and statuses.

After you create an activity template in NexJ Admin Console, you can make changes in the template's DetailsAttachments, and Statuses tabs.

Editing details for activity templates

Edit details for activity templates to change template properties such as the name and security settings.

To edit an activity template's details:

  1. Navigate to the Document Codes page.

  2. In the Activity Templates tab, select the template to edit. The template's details display in the Details subtab.

  3. Click the Edit button  edit.png . The Edit Template dialog opens.

  4. Make your desired changes to the template.

    A red asterisk indicates required fields.


  5. Click OK. The Edit Template dialog closes.

The activity template's details are modified. If Active is selected, the modified activity is now available in NexJ CRM.

Changes to a template apply only to new activities. Existing activities in NexJ CRM are not modified.

Managing attachments for activity templates

Add and delete attachments for activity templates to manage which documents and images are associated with activities that the template creates. After a user creates an activity in NexJ CRM, attachments from the template are available to users who open the activity.

Before you can attach a specific document to an activity template, you must add the document to Document Manager in NexJ CRM. For more information about using Document Manager, see .

To manage an activity template's attachments:

  1. Navigate to the Document Codes page.

  2. In the Activity Templates tab, select the template in which to add or remove attachments. The selected activity template's details display in the Details subtab.

  3. In the Attachments subtab, you can do the following:

    • To add an attachment, in the Document Manager Items area, click the Select button  select.png . In the Select Document dialog, select the document to attach, then click OK.

    • To delete an attachment, in the Document Manager Items area, click the Action button  action_button.png  for the attachment that you want to delete, then select Delete. In the confirmation dialog, click Delete.

The document and its related attachments are added to the activity template.

Modifying statuses for activity templates

Add and remove statuses for activity templates to specify the stages through which activities progress. When you modify the statuses for an activity template, you configure what statuses are available and which status is the default. For example, the template for the Follow Up task has the statuses Cancelled, Completed, On Hold, Outstanding, and Tentative. The default status is Outstanding, which means that new Follow Up tasks are set to Outstanding when they are created. As users complete the task, they choose from the statuses to indicate their progress.

To modify an activity template's statuses:

  1. Navigate to the Document Codes page.

  2. In the Activity Templates tab, select the template in which to modify statuses.

  3. Select the Statuses subtab.

  4. To modify the available statuses for the template:

    1. In the Status area, click the Select button  select.png . The Select Statuses dialog opens.

    2. Do one of the following:

      • To add statuses to the template, in the list on the left side of the dialog, select one or more statuses, then click Add. The statuses are added to the list on the right side of the dialog.

      • To remove statuses from the template, in the list on the right side of the dialog, select one or more statuses, then click Remove. The statuses are removed from the list on the right side of the dialog.

        The Completed status is required and cannot be removed.


    3. Click OK. The Select Statuses dialog closes.

  5. To modify the default status for the template:

    1. In the Default Status field, click the Select button  select.png . The Select Default Status dialog opens.

    2. Select a status to use as the default, then click OK. The Select Default Status dialog closes. 

The activity template's statuses and default status are modified.

Deleting activity templates

Delete activity templates to permanently remove the template from NexJ Admin Console and NexJ CRM.

You can only delete an activity template if is has not yet been used to create an activity in NexJ CRM. To make a template unavailable for use without deleting it, deactivate the template by editing it and clearing the Active checkbox.

To delete an activity template:

  1. Navigate to the Document Codes page.

  2. In the Activity Templates tab, click the Action button  action_button.png  for the template you want to delete, then click the Delete button  delete.png .


The activity template is deleted.

Activity template fields

In addition to basic fields such as Name and Description, each activity template contains additional fields that depend on the template type. For example, the Notes field is present in Call Record, Schedule Item, and Task templates, but the Default Start Time field is in only Schedule Item templates. The following table describes each activity template field and indicates the templates that use it.

Fields available in activity templates

Field name

Description

Event Meeting

Schedule Item

Itinerary Item

Task

Event Meeting Feedback

Call Record

Active

Specifies whether the template is active and available for creating activities in NexJ CRM.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Associated command

Specifies an action that, when performed in NexJ CRM, creates and assigns this activity.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Associated template

Enables you to associate a schedule item template with an activity template for event meetings or an event meeting template with an activity template for schedule items. This enables you to search for one type of item and retrieve items that are grouped under two different templates. For example, you may search for all analyst meetings in the system and retrieve results that show the analyst meetings that are schedule items and the analyst meetings that are event meetings.

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

Create a journal entry for each recipient with personalized copies of the specified documents

Specifies whether an action that triggers the activity is recorded in the recipient's contact record. This option displays only when an action is specified in the Associated Command field.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Create security

Specifies who can use the template to create an activity.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Default duration

The duration of the schedule item. This value specifies the default setting. A user who creates or edits the schedule item can specify a different duration.

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Default edit security

Specifies who can edit the activity after a user creates it. This option specifies the default setting. To allow users to change the edit security, select Enable editing the security settings for instances of this template.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Default reminder

Specifies when users who have been assigned the activity receive a reminder for it. This value specifies the default setting. A user who creates or edits the activity can specify a different reminder time.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Default snooze

Specifies how frequently the activity's reminder repeats. This value specifies the default setting. A user who receives the reminder can specify a different snooze frequency.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Default start time

The time at which the schedule item begins. This value specifies the default setting. A user who creates or edits the schedule item can specify a different start time.

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Default view security

Specifies who can view the activity after a user creates it. This option specifies the default setting. To allow users to change the view security, select Enable editing the security settings for instances of this template.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Enable editing the security settings for instances of this template

Specifies whether users can modify the edit and view security settings.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Enable synchronization with Exchange for instances of this template

Specifies whether to synchronize the activity with Microsoft Exchange.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Group Meeting

Specifies that multiple clients can attend the Event Meeting. When selected, the Max Clients field becomes available for editing.

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Hide template from filters

Hides the template from all filters and UDFs. Users can still create activities with this template, but are unable to specify the template in filter criteria.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Icon

The icon that displays beside the activity's name in dialogs, lists, and menus.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Max Attendees

Specifies the maximum number of participants for a meeting or itinerary item. This number must be equal to or less than the room capacity. If it is blank, only the room capacity applies.

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

No

Max Clients

Specifies the maximum number of clients intended for a Group Event Meeting. This number is for reference purposes only, and is not validated. If you want to limit the number of attendees in an Event Meeting, use the Max Attendees or Room Capacity fields.

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Name

The name that displays for the activity template in NexJ Admin Console, and for activities created using the template in NexJ CRM.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Notes

Information related to the activity, which displays to users when they view the activity in NexJ CRM.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Priority

The priority level for the activity, which indicates the activity's importance.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Read only

Specifies whether users can modify the activity after they create it.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Reference name

The reference name for the template. This field cannot contain spaces.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Room Capacity

Used to ensure that the number of attendees does not exceed the capacity of the room for the event or itinerary item. If it is left blank, the number of attendees is unlimited.

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

No

Schedule item colour

The color in which the schedule item displays in a user's schedule.

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Template description

The description of the template, which displays to users when they view it in NexJ Admin Console.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes