Explore the Latest Features of Sage CRM 2017 R1

Sage is set to release the Sage CRM 2017 R1 to their Partners for initial review during the week of November 28th. A general release date to Customers and End Users has not been set, but we anticipate this to occur within a 4-6 weeks. This release encompasses a number of improvements to the overall usage of the product that have been submitted through the Sage CRM Community with the general focus on increasing the user experience through easier navigation.

Presently, Sage plans to continue to support Sage CRM 7.2 until June 2017 while the upgrade path for version 2017 includes a direct upgrade from either 7.2 or 7.3.

Here are some of the highlights:

• A new Calendar user interface has been added to My CRM and Team CRM that mimics the modern Office 365 user experience. End Users should be delighted with this makeover as the legacy calendar was cumbersome and confusing. This new look and feel falls in line with what users have come to expect with other applications that utilize a calendar for scheduling and tasks management.
• In this version, Sage has introduced a new Quick Find feature that allows the user to locate records faster and easier. This feature includes an easily accessible, single search field that will query all fields within all of the entities, including custom entities. This dynamic query will refine the results as the user continues to add to their search request.
• A New Favorites features has been added to the product that allows the user to return to records that they frequently use. This feature is similar but does not replace the Recent List dropdown that has been in the product for a number or years. The Favorites and Recent List functionality also include the ability to minimize sections to make the product more navigable to the end user.
• The Notification feature has overhauled to reduce user interruption and to ensure that the user’s work space is not obscured.
• Sage has introduced a new secure email connection enhancement option allows the System Administrator to use Transport Layer Security.
• The in-product, context sensitive help is now managed in the cloud at http://help.sagecrm.com rather than through the install on the CRM Server. This change has dramatically reduced the size of the install files. In addition, updates made to the in-product, context sensitive help by Sage will be current to the user base. It’s important to note that internet connectivity will be required in order to view these help files.

In preparation for the release of Sage CRM 2017 R1, Sage has redesigned the Sage CRM Community site at http://community.sagecrm.com. These changes include a cleaner, simpler and more accessible approach to locating information about of CRM.

Finally, it seems apparent through this release as well as through recent changes to their Sage CRM Community and Partner Community https://partners.sagenorthamerica.com/ that Sage is adjusting their mindset towards the demands of the millennial generation. No longer do we navigate to information just because we remembered where is was.

Modern day software is about having the information at our fingertips as though we were entitled to it, isn’t it?

Please contact us for more information on Sage CRM 2017 R1.