Hello.
Is it possible in epicor to use outlook with epicor crm? For example message tracking for a customer
You might want to check out this Epicor Solution http://www.dotnetit.co.uk/solutions/solution/connectcx
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Not out of the box…you can use the outlook interop…That is all I am going to say…and …Apart from the fact it makes things very tightly coupled. With modern versions of outlook and REST I am sure there is a better way.
Pretty Easy to integrate using Office 365 Flow and epicor REST.
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One thing I always get into confusion over in these areas - does the user want OUTLOOK integration or EXCHANGE integration.
Consider that an Outlook integration historically is when a user opens Outlook (or other office apps) on their desktop and wants to do some things to pull data from ERP seamlessly?
In other folks minds, they want to interact with the server receiving emails and documents and feed that to the ERP system automatically, no client involved (just a usually suspicious Exchange admin).
These are two very different needs and technologies. Fast forward to today with Outlook on a tablet and phone, O365 and all and things can be even more challenging to cover all users scenarios.
Do yourself a favor and do a deep dive into the scenarios they envision.
#BeCarefulOnRequirements
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This is a good topic and thank you to everyone who have responded. We have been using Dynamics CRM for years because of its Outlook integration. In the past, when cell data was slow and expensive, having offline data for traveling folks was key. We have written a 2 way sync (accounts/Customers and Contacts/Cust Contacts between the two systems which works very well. We have been patiently waiting for Epicor to improve their CRM offering to eliminate the need for the connection, but it’s just not there yet. Our version of Dynamics CRM is very outdated (although works for us) and we need to look hard at an updated solution. With so many customizations on both systems, it’s going to be a monster culture shock.
We use a module called information worker sold to us directly by Epicor.
It allows you to interact with Epicor data direct from outlook/word/excel.
works quite well for CRM, here is a screenshot to give you an idea
Hello,
How did you go about installing this Information worker?
It’s part of the Appserver set up. Add it there, then use the URL provided in the Appserver tab for IW to connect to from your PC. It will allow you to download the Outlook add-in. Then it’s just a matter of setting up the plugin for the connection and which objects you want to download.
We have a cheat sheet that may help you…
InformationWorker Install and Admin Notes [Safe to Dist].pdf (232.0 KB)
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If I recall correctly, IW uses WCF. Do you have to keep the versions of IW in sync with your version of Epicor? Do you think that Microsoft and/or Epicor will replace the model with REST?
Just curious,
Mark W.
Good question. I believe it does need to be kept in synch otherwise the new fields/etc would not be reflected. Also, it processes task completion and a few other things so I’m pretty sure it’s version dependant. I’d love for them to go REST. Currently you have to be a VPN to use it… it needs to be SSL/REST based for field reps and such to use it. But then there is also Microsoft’s constant changes in Outlook that just make this all very difficult.
I also know for a fact that you can only have one IW appserver on a physical(or virtual) host. In other words, you cannot have your Prod and Test appservers on the same physical host and have IW set up both. You would need a completely separate host to have a TEST IW connection.
AND - worst of all for us - is that the individual sync for customer/contacts/etc can only have ONE filter criteria (as of 10.1.500.17). So you couldn’t filter the IW Synch for customers by company AND territory if you have some field service folks who should not see your entire customer base. We are really hoping that is fixed in the latest version since we put the DEV request in like two years ago…
I have NOT tested the new version yet since no one is actually using it after we found the above limitation.
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Does anyone know what happened with this product / company after the Epicor purchase? The link to the video for ConnectCX no longer works, and e-mails sent to them bounce.
Reach out to your CAM - they can find out - no matter waht they say, they CAN find out. Most are handled by CSG in the UK, btw…
Not all products from DotNetIT are available any more, but a lot are still available.
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You can try the following for access to the video…
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Very helpful - thanks! Still haven’t figured out how to find this stuff.
Also, still wondering if anyone has any information as to what has happened to this product since Epicor bought them…
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Thanks, Mike. Responses from our CAM have generally been nonexistent so far. Will keep chasing it.
Once you tell that it’s CSG in the UK, they can pass the buck to the right person… I might be able to dig up a name… I PM’d you a name…
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Here is the response I got, in case anyone else may find it useful:
Our extended solutions can now be found on EpicWeb here → Sign In
If you scroll down to Extended Solutions and then ConnectCX, you will find a recording you can download.
We do not currently have ConnectCX available for Epicor 10.2.300 or later but will make a version available if we receive a firm order. This work would need to be scheduled so please ensure you factor this into your plans.
Another thing to be aware of is that ConnectCX is only available for on-premise installations.
As we are SaaS, this solution won’t work for us, so we are investigating Information Worker. Not quite the same functionality, but hoping it will get us the basics we need.
I don’t think that the current Information Worker (a traditional Outlook Addon) is going to be getting much love as we move forward. The world is going to the browser (embedded in an application or standalone) and the older Information Worker architecture won’t work there. Just food for thought.
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