As I revise for the MB2-710 exam I’m creating posts covering all aspects of my revision. Hopefully collectively they may help others prepare for the MB2-710 certification. (Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 Online Deployment.)

In this post I will look at how to track and correlate email.

As I often like to do before commencing on a revision topic, let’s look at the skills measured statement that I am going to cover in this post;

• Track and correlate email
  
  • Compare email tracking with email correlation; describe user options for automatic tracking; describe correlation options; identify limitations of folder-level tracking; configure folder-level tracking for Exchange folders
    

Email Tracking

Email tracking is the process of creating email activities in CRM based on emails received. This can be done manually from the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Outlook client or in the Outlook App for Exchange online. Microsoft Dynamics CRM can also be configured to automatically create emails, as a result of emails arriving in a mailbox. (Which can be for a CRM user or CRM queue.)

Tracked emails show as closed activities of the relevant CRM record.

When an email is deleted the CRM activity is not deleted. Also if the CRM activity is delete the originating email is not deleted.

Users can control how emails are automatically tracked from their personal options in CRM. Options include;

• tracking all emails – often used on queues when all messages are required,
• messages in response to CRM emails – useful for tracking ongoing conversations,
• messages from CRM leads, contacts and accounts – tracks all messages for these key entities,
• messages from all CRM records that are email enabled – useful if you have enabled custom entities for email.

An administrator can turn off automatic message tracking got a user by setting incoming email to “none” on the users mailbox.

Email Correlation

Correlation is used to link an email to records in CRM, three methods of automatic correlation exist;

• Email headers
• Smart Matching
• Tracking token

Email header correlation uses information stored in email headers, as a correlation method it can be used on its own. But can also be used in conjunction with smart matching and tracking tokens. Some email systems don’t preserve the email header information, therefore its recommended that email header correlation is typically used with at least one other method.

The required correlation methods can be controlled by the systems administrator in system settings.

Smart Matching

Smart matching looks for similarity between email messages, using the subject line and the number of matching email addresses. (By looking in the from, to, cc and bcc fields.) The number of matches required can be controlled in the systems settings.

Note: subject line prefixes such as “Re:” and “FW:” are ignored.

Smart match can sometimes link emails to incorrect records! If a customer sends an email with the same subject as a previous message but is regarding a new issue or opportunity, the message could be incorrectly linked to a previous case or opportunity.

This issue with smart matching is resolved by also enabling tracking tokens.

Tracking Tokens

Tracking tokens are automatically generated alphanumeric strings which are appended to email subjects of tracked emails. Replies to emails with tracking tokens will be matched to the originating email, meaning the email thread would be correctly correlated.

Note: Tracking tokens can be used without smart matching.

In the system settings we can control the prefix used in the tracking token. The default is “CRM:” We can also control the number of digits / format of the token.

Folder Tracking

Folder tracking allows the user to simply drag the email into a folder and it will be tracking and collated.

• Became available as new feature in CRM 2015 Update 1.
• Requires Server-side Sync. (Cannot be used with email router!)
• Does not require the installation of a CRM specific email app or client. (So no need for CRM for Outlook client.)
• Each folder is mapped to define how to set the regarding field on the emails.

The steps involved in configuring folder tracking are;

1. Setup server-side sync. (As required for folder tracking)
2. Enable folder tracking in the system settings.
3. The users will then create folders.
4. Then in the user settings folder tracking rules can be configured to map folders to CRM entities.

Folder tracking is enabled from system settings in the email tab.

Then in the user options in the email tab users can configure folder tracking rules.

A common approach will be to create a folder for each one of the key clients someone owns. As emails are received from these accounts simply dragging them into the folder for that account would make the email available in CRM.

Tip:
One possible option for tracking from folders is to set no regarding record. This will simply get the emails into CRM! This might be useful if then a workflow is used to process the email.

Also, within the email client you could define rules to move emails automatically into folders based on various criteria. Assuming that folder is tracked into CRM this gives an easy method to automatically track selected emails.

View this link for more details on folder tracking;

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/crm-customer-center/track-outlook-email-by-moving-it-to-a-tracked-exchange-folder.aspx

Note: Emails dragged into exchange folders may not instantly show against the related CRM record in CRM, as server-side synchronization has to happen before the mail activity is created in CRM.

A few more things to note about folder tracking;

• You can track emails only in folders under your Inbox folder in Exchange. Other folder emails cannot be tracked.
• You can track up to a maximum of 25 folders per user account.
• Any manual changes done to the regarding object in the tracked activity records in Dynamics 365 will be overridden the next time server-side synchronization kicks in. For example, if you have set up a mapping between the Adventure Works folder and the Adventure Works account, all the emails in the Adventure Works Exchange folder will be tracked as activities in Dynamics 365 with the regarding set to the Adventure Works account record. If you change the regarding to some other record, it will automatically be overridden the next time server-side synchronization occurs. To change the regarding for any email, move the email to a different folder such as the Inbox.

I hope this post has helped you review the skills that will be measured for email tracking and correlation in the MB2-710 exam.
J