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Case to E-Mail (advanced) with Microsoft Dynamics CRM2011

Hi

we have recently deployed an on-premise install of Dynamics CRM 2011.
All seems to be going OK, and we want to start with full use of this application.

I have managed to setup E-Mail to Case, but it doesn't really do what we want.

What we want is a full-blown ticketing system for support.

So far it does:

Receive Email from a Queue with the E-Mail router

Check if email is sent to a specific email address (of support dept)

Create a contact for the FROM address

Create a case

Put email body text in a custom field I made (long text area)

Send an email back to the sender, saying his case was created (with case number)

What does not work:

When the contact is created, it does not check for duplicates. It easily makes thousand of the same records, if a user keeps emailing us. (Action: check if exists, then skip create contact)

When a user replies to the email (case number in subject), it creates a NEW case (e.g. "CASE 234 RE: CASE 123") with a new number. In fact, it shouldn't create a new one, but just update the text field of the existing one. (Action: check if case number from email subject exists, update that one)

The E-Mail body is taken an put into the custom field I created (long text area). However, HTML display as normal text, resulting in a mess. We need to clean up the HTML and just print text. (Action: Either make a field that is able to show HTML layout, or convert HTML body to plain text)

Mind you, I have not yet done custom scripts yet. I would need some pointers on how to install a custom script. I did find this guide: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg695782.aspx
Is that a correct way of creating/installing custom scripts?

Thank you!

Feridun Kadir

You have discovered limitations in the CRM workflow engine. You can either develop your own add-on to CRM to process e-mails the way you describe. The link that you mention is for developing add-ins for CRM portals. This link is a better starting point http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg309408.aspx. However, be prepared for a steep learning curve. If you are a developer then you shouldn't find this difficult but there is a lot to learn about how to interact with the CRM web services.

Alternatively look at this product from c360, http://www.c360.com/EmailToCase.aspx. Although you have to buy it, it may well be cheaper than development time.

redworks

ASKER

Thanks for your reply. I have seen the 360 module, but their licensing schedule is not very interesting. The price per seat is fine, the issue is that if I have 50 users, 25 sales, 25 support, I would need to buy not 25, but 50 licenses for the thing to make it work...

I am prepared to do some customizing of Dynamics, if someone can point me in the right direction. As for HTML2TEXT, I have found a few scripts (google"dynamics case to email html body"), but I am not quite sure which one to use. They all seem a bit different... For "get casenumber from subject, update record" I have not found anything. Same for contact duplicates: I found the duplicate manager, but I cant make it run as a scheduled task and just clean up duplicates automatically.

Feridun Kadir

Ah I see your problem with the pricing. I can't help with the development side of CRM as I don't have the right skills.

redworks

ASKER

The problem is, that I can not do a query for "IF E-Mail subject CONTAINS $case_number"... I tried making relations(hips) with email and case, but does not seem to work.
However, my feeling does say we have to look in this direction.

Anyone, any idea?

Chinmay Patel

Hi redworks,

This is a very interesting scenario. I will try to answer your questions in the order you have raised.

1. Did you try using Out of box Duplicate Detection?
2. A plugin will help achieve this easily but you will need C# skills to do so.
3. This can be done via the following step
- Create an HTML web resource with an empty DIV tag.
- On your Form, in the OnLoad event fetch body of the email and then push the content into the DIV. You will need JavaScript skills to do so.

Regards,
Chinmay.

redworks

ASKER

Hi Chinmay,

thanks for your input.

1. Yes, well, the standard thing that is there (under settings)
2. Good news, but... I am not a skilled C# programmer, nor do I know enough of Dynamics to do this. Would it be possible to help me out here? :)
3. Also good news, again, not skilled enough. Could you help out here, or point out a script on the internet that would do this? I see a few, but they do not seem like javascripts.

Chinmay Patel

Hi redworks,

I can try but I am going to be very very occupied for next month on personal front
I will see if I can ask other expert to help you.

Regards,
Chinmay.

redworks

ASKER

Hi Chinmay,

that would be very much appreciated!!

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Rikin Shah

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Chinmay Patel

^Huh... showing off Rikin eh? :P

LeviDaily

Hey @Redworks, I am experiencing the exact same issue as above. Did you ever create a plugin like @rikin_shah created? Any chance you would want to share?

Thanks!!