Top Producer 8i Training Manual

Transcription

1 Top Producer 8i Training Manual

2 Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Companies, names and data used in examples herein are fictitious unless otherwise noted, and are used for illustration purposes only. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, recording or otherwise for any purpose, without the express written permission of Top Producer Systems, a Move company, 4708 Caldwell Road East, Edgewood, WA USA. Copyright This manual is the property of the instructor and the companies represented. Making copies for any purpose other than your own personal use is a violation of U.S. copyright laws. Products and brand names in this document are trademarks of their respective owners companies. Version 12.6

3 Table of Contents Table of Contents... i Getting Started... 1 Setup - System Requirements... 1 Setup - Browser Setup Recommendations for Internet Explorer... 1 Setup - Browser Setup Recommendations for Firefox... 3 Setup - Logging In for the First Time... 4 Setup - Setting Up Your Account with the Setup Wizard i Layout and Navigation The Dashboard i Layout and Navigation Forms and Data Entry Managing Your Time and Tasks Activity Types The Calendar Sub-menu The Calendar Landing Page Working with the Calendar The Today s Business Sidebar The Activities Summary Page Creating an Activity Viewing and Editing Activity Details Viewing and Marking Activities Done Building and Managing Your Contact Database The Contacts Sub-menu The Contacts Landing Page Adding a Contact with Basic Information Adding a Contact with Detailed Information Viewing Your Contacts Working with Multiple Contacts Editing Contact Details Managing Your Follow-up With Action Plans The Plans Manager Viewing Action Plans Creating and Editing a Personal Action Plan Modifying a Personal Plan Applying or Removing an Action Plan Keeping Track of Action Plan Activities i

4 Managing Your Leads Keeping Track of Your Leads Adding Leads Manually with Limited Information Adding Leads Manually with Detailed Information Viewing and Editing Lead Details Applying and Removing Action Plans for Leads Auto Apply Action Plan Rules Lead Status Converting a Lead to a Contact Viewing Converted Leads Increasing Your Referral Business Adding A Referral Viewing the Referral Summary Viewing Referral Details Completing Referral Details After a Transaction Reviewing Your Referral Business Making the Most of the Manager Overview The Sub-menu The Landing Page Working with Inbox Folders Working with Inbox s Creating Your Signature Composing an From the Inbox Linking an to a Contact Creating a New Contact From an Message Creating an Using the Mass Feature Marketing with Letters and s What is a Template? Default and Personal Templates The Marketing Sub-menu The Marketing Landing Page Viewing Letter Templates Customizing a Letter Template Editing a Personal Letter Template Working with Letter Merge Codes Creating a New Letter Template ii

5 Editing a Letter Template for a Single Use Only Using the Perform Mail Out Function Printing Labels and Envelopes with Your Letters Viewing Default Templates Creating a Personal Template Editing a Personal Template Envelopes and Labels Postcards Personal and Property Marketing with Flyers Default and Personal Templates Viewing Default Flyer Templates Editing a Flyer Template Creating a Personal Flyer Template Editing a Personal Flyer Template Saving Personal Flyer Templates Creating a Flyer for Distribution Viewing the Flyers Summary Page Creating Presentations for Buyers and Sellers Default and Personal Templates Viewing Default Presentation Templates Creating a Personal Presentation Template Editing a Personal Presentation Template Editing Page Content Adding Comparable Listings to a Template Page Saving Personal Presentation Templates Creating a Presentation Using the Presentation Wizard Creating a Community and School Report Viewing the Presentations Summary Manually Adding Comparables to a Presentation Providing Quality Listing Service The Listings Sub-menu The Listings Landing Page Creating a Listing Record Viewing the Listing Summary Page Editing Listing Details Creating a Customer Web Page Creating a Service Report iii

6 Applying Service Report Plans Applying a Listing Action Plan Viewing Listing To-Do s Providing Effective Closing Service Creating a Closing From a Listing Record Creating a Closing Without a Listing Record Editing Closing Details Closing Plans Viewing Closing To-Do s Transferring a Property Tracking Your Income and Expenses The Financial Sub-menu The Financial Landing Page Adding Income and Expense Folders Viewing Folder Details Adding Income and Expense Categories Adding Income and Expense Items Setting Your GST and PST Preferences Viewing Income and Expense Totals Creating Income and Expense Reports Working with Buyer and Seller Net Sheets Student Notes iv

7 Getting Started If you need help please contact Technical Support at Setup - System Requirements Browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer 7, or Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and its updates, or Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and its updates. Operating Systems: Microsoft XP with Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 or later, or Windows Vista. Processor: Dual processor (recommended); Pentium 4, 2 GHz or higher CPU (recommended). Memory: 1 GB of RAM (recommended); 512 MB RAM (minimum). Display: 1024 x 768 screen resolution with 24-bit color support. Internet Connection: High speed cable, DSL, or other high bandwidth connection. 512kbps (recommended); 256kbps (minimum). This application will operate over any stable Internet connection. Performance can vary depending on the speed of the connection. Additional Software: Adobe Reader version 8.0 or later (recommended); Java runtime version 1.5 or above (if using MLS with 8i). Setup - Browser Setup Recommendations for Internet Explorer Set up your Internet Explorer browser to open and run 8i faster by configuring the settings below. If you use Mozilla Firefox as your Internet browser, skip to the next section: Browser Setup Recommendations for Mozilla Firefox. Setting 1: Enable Prompting for Internet File Downloads To add 8i as a trusted site in Internet Explorer: 1. Open Internet Explorer and type in the address bar. The Top Producer 8i Sign In screen displays. 2. From the Internet Explorer menu bar, click Tools > Internet Options. 3. Click the Security tab. 4. Click the Trusted sites icon. 5. Click the Sites button. " appears in the Add this website to the zone field. 6. Click the Add button. 7. Click the Close button on the Trusted sites window. 1

8 8. From the Internet Options window, ensure the Trusted Sites icon is still selected. 9. Click the Custom level button. The Security Settings window appears. 10. Scroll to the Downloads section. 11. Ensure Automatic prompting for file downloads is set to Enable. 12. Click OK to close the Security Settings window. 13. Click OK to close the Internet Options window. Setting 2: Allow 8i to Use Pop-ups To allow 8i to use pop-ups: 1. From the Internet Explorer menu bar, select Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Pop-up Blocker Settings. 2. Type in the Address of website to allow field. 3. Click the Add button. 4. Click the Close button. 5. Click the OK button. Setting 3: Allow 8i to Open Pop-ups on a New Tab To open pop-ups on a new browser tab: 1. From the Internet Explorer menu bar, select Tools > Internet Options. 2. In the Tabs area, click the Settings button. 3. Confirm that Enable Tabbed Browsing is selected. 4. Select the Always switch to new tabs when they are created check box. 2

9 5. In the When a pop-up is encountered area, select the 'Always open pop-ups in a new tab radio button. 6. Click the OK button to close the Tabbed Browsing Settings dialog box. 7. Click the OK button to close the Internet Options dialog box. Setting 4: Add 8i to Your Favorites To bookmark the 8i Sign In screen: 1. Ensure the 8i Sign In screen is displayed ( 2. From the Internet Explorer menu bar, select Favorites > Add to Favorites. The bookmark is added to your IE Favorites list. To bookmark any screen in 8i: 1. Go to the 8i screen to be bookmarked. 2. From the Internet Explorer menu bar, select Favorites > Add to Favorites. The bookmark is added to your IE Favorites list. If you are not logged into 8i before accessing the bookmark, you will be required to sign in before the bookmarked screen will appear. Setting 5: Configure the Google Toolbar Pop-up Settings Top Producer 8i uses pop-up windows in many parts of the application. If you use the Google toolbar, you must also configure it to allow 8i pop-ups. 1. Open Internet Explorer. 2. Go to your Favorites and open the Top Producer 8i Sign In page. Next to the Bookmarks button on your Google toolbar is a button named [number] Blocked. 3. Click the Blocked button. The button changes to Pop-ups OK. Setup - Browser Setup Recommendations for Firefox Set up your Firefox browser to open and run 8i faster by configuring the three settings below. Setting 1: Allow 8i to Use Pop-ups To allow 8i to use pop-ups: 1. From the Firefox menu bar, select Tools > Options. 2. Click the Content icon. 3. Click the Exceptions button for the Block pop-up windows option. 4. Type in the Address of web site field. 3

10 5. Click the Allow button. 6. Click the Close button. Setting 2: Allow 8i to Open Pop-ups on a New Tab To open pop-ups on a new browser tab: 1. From the Firefox menu bar, select Tools > Options. 2. Click the Tabs icon. 3. For the New pages should be opened in setting, select the a new tab radio button. 4. Select the When I open a link in a new tab, switch to it immediately check box. 5. Click the OK button to close the Options dialog box. Setting 3: Bookmark 8i To bookmark the 8i Sign In screen: 1. Ensure the 8i Sign In screen is displaying ( 2. From the Firefox menu bar, select Bookmarks > Bookmark This Page. The bookmark is added to your Firefox Bookmarks list. To bookmark any screen in 8i: 1. Go to the 8i screen that you would like to bookmark. 2. From the Firefox menu bar, select Bookmarks > Bookmark This Page. The bookmark is added to your Firefox Bookmarks list. If you are not logged into 8i before accessing the bookmark, you will be required to sign in before the bookmarked screen will appear. Setup - Logging In for the First Time When you log in to Top Producer 8i for the first time, you must accept the Subscriber Agreement and enter some basic user information. 1. From your Internet browser, enter The Sign In page displays. 4

11 2. Log in to 8i by entering your Username and Password. 3. Click the Sign In button. If your login is successful, Step 1 of the Subscriber Agreement window opens. 4. Read through the agreement. 5. Click the first option button to accept the terms. 6. Click the Next button. Step 2 of the Subscriber Agreement window opens. 7. Enter your Time Zone, Birth Date, and Zip Code. 8. Enter a Secret Question and Answer. This information is required if you lose or want to reset your password. 9. Click the Next button to complete the Subscriber Agreement setup. 5

12 Setup - Setting Up Your Account with the Setup Wizard The Setup Wizard uses a 5 step process to complete the set up of your 8i account. Step 1: Agent Information Setup Enter as much information about yourself and your company as you can including your agent photo and company logo. This information will be used in any marketing material you send. 1. Select your professional designations. 2. Enter your website, agent and website, and contact method. Notes: The agent and company name are automatically filled in using information from your account. The agent name cannot be changed. The agent is a required field. Enter the address you want to display in the from field of any s you send. It does not have to be address. 3. Add a picture and a logo to complete your profile. a. From the Photos section, click the Add Photo action link. b. Click the Browse button. c. Navigate to the location of the photo on your local computer. d. Click on the photo to select it and click Open. e. Use the Type drop-down to specify who or what the photo contains. f. Select whether or not this is the default photo for the photo Type. g. Click Add Photo. Tip: You can have more than one photo per Type. Use the Default radio button to determine which photo is used by default in Top Producer 8i marketing material. If you delete the default photo without defining a new one, 8i will choose a default photo automatically. 6

13 Step 2: Account Setup You need to set up your account(s) before you can send or receive using Top Producer 8i. There are 4 options available. You can: Configure account. And/or add POP3 accounts. And/or, Activate your Top Producer Outlook Connector account to manage your s via Microsoft Outlook. Or, Do not use Top Producer for . To configure account: 1. Open the Settings form by selecting the Top Producer (@topproducer.com & POP3) option button. 2. Type in your username. 3. Click the Create button. 4. In the Handling section, check the box(es) to: a. Store copies of your outgoing mail in the Sent Items folder. b. Allow your assistants to access your . Note: 8i will save the username if it s available. To configure your POP3 account(s): 1. Open the Settings form by selecting the Top Producer (@topproducer.com & POP3) option button. 2. Click the Add POP3 Account link. The Add POP3 Account form opens within the Account Setup section. 7

14 3. Enter your Username and Password. 4. Enter your Incoming (POP3) Mail Server If you don t know the Mail Server, contact your service provider. Leave the field blank until you get this information. Note: Your service provider will let you know if you need to enter a different Port number. 5. Select the Yes option button next to Leave Mail on Server to access the s from their original location after you ve downloaded them in 8i. By default the will be saved in the Inbox. You have the option of adding another location where the will be saved. 6. Click the Add Account button. To activate Outlook Connector: Select the Yes option beside Use Top Producer Outlook Connector? To disable 8i s Feature: Select the Do not use Top Producer for my , use my 3rd party client option button. Click the Next button once you ve finished configuring your account. Step 3: MLS Connectivity Setup Top Producer 8i uses Top Connector to retrieve property information from the MLS. To set up Top Connector: 1. Click the MLS connection you want to configure. The display should show the same list of MLSs that you selected in Step 1. 8

15 2. Specify your Username and/or password. 3. Indicate whether or not the MLS should be the default MLS used for listings searches. 4. Select the default property type when you search by this MLS. 5. Click the Save MLS button to save your changes and close the form. 6. Click the Next button to move to the next step. Step 4: Assistant Information Setup 1. Click the Add Assistant link. A form opens for you to enter your assistant information. 2. Enter the assistant s name, login information, and contact information. Note: Any field names with an asterisk beside them are required and must be filled in. 9

16 3. In the Assign Licenses and Feature Access section, give your assistant permission to view your activities on your calendar or to create messages on your behalf. 4. Click the Save Assistant Info button. You should now see your assistant listed under the Assistant Information section. 5. Click the Done button to close the Setup Wizard The Top Producer 8i Dashboard displays. Tip: You can access the Setup Wizard at any time from 8i by going to the My Account link. From the 8i Setup tab click the Run the 8i Setup Wizard link. Step Five: Importing your Legacy Data into 8i (new 8i users only) For detailed information on how to download and use the import tools, please contact Technical Support at , or visit TP Campus at There are three different datasets that can be imported: 1. Contact information from other programs Data can be imported from a number of programs, including: ACT!, Outlook, Maximizer, Online Agent, Prep, etc. Imported data must be stored in a "comma-separated-values" (.CSV) format prior to using the 8i Import Tool. 2. Data from Top Producer System 6 or 6i You can convert your Top Producer System 6 or 6i data into Top Producer 8i with the Top Producer 6i Data Conversion Tool. 3. Data from other online software programs You can convert your Online Agent, Agent 2000 (version 3) and AgentOffice (version 6) data into Top Producer 8i with the Online Software Conversion Tool. Downloading and Installing the Top Producer Text Editor Top Producer 8i uses a built-in text-editing tool when creating messages and other documents. This must be downloaded and installed on your computer prior to using any of these Marketing tools. 1. Hover over the icon on the Main Menu bar. The sub-menu displays. 10

17 2. Select Mass . The Mass screen appears. After a short pause, the Top Producer Editor Required dialog box displays. 3. Click the Download and Install button. 4. Save the file to your desktop by clicking Save or Save File (depending on your browser). 5. Once the file has downloaded, close all of your browser windows 6. Double-click the downloaded file to run the installer. 7. Follow the steps on the installer and then re-launch your browser. 8. Log into Top Producer 8i and select > Mass . The Top Producer Mass Editor displays. 9. Delete the downloaded file from your desktop. 11

18 Setting Your Top Producer 8i Preferences Top Producer 8i allows you to personalize a number of its features to suit your business needs. To access your preferences, click the Preferences link in the top right corner of 8i. There are 7 tabs on the Preferences page you can use to customize various 8i features. 1. General tab: This is made up of 2 sub-tabs: a. 8i Preferences sub-tab: Set the program s color theme; the default tabs that will be displayed when you open specific records and reports; and the print orientation for your reports. b. 3rd Party Setup sub-tab: Set up your MLS connectivity (if you have a Top Connector license) and third party data services. Click the Add Data Service link to set up another application. 2. Calendar tab: This is made up of 2 sub-tabs: a. Calendar Settings sub-tab: Set the default view for the Calendar (i.e., Day, Week or Month View), the start and end times for your work day, and your Time Zone. b. Activities Settings sub-tab: Set the duration for activities to display in the Activities Summary. 3. Contacts tab: This tab is made up of 3 sub-tabs: a. Contacts Setup sub-tab: Enable duplicate contact checking when you save new contacts, and download data import tools. b. Contact Status Setting: Sort contacts into groups by assigning a status based on your level of interaction with each. Click the field beside Setting at the bottom of the page to enable this feature. c. Lead Provider Setup sub-tab: Configure 8i to receive leads from other lead provider services. Click the Add Lead Provider link to set up a new provider. Note: You can set up multiple accounts from the same lead provider as long as they have different usernames and passwords. 4. Listings tab: This tab is made up of 5 sub-tabs: a. Listings Setup sub-tab: Set when listings expire and when you receive expiration reminders. b. Listing Service Reports sub-tab: Define Listing Service Report details, such as content, agent contact information, and report footer and colors. c. Closing Service Reports sub-tab: Define Closing Service Report details, such as content, agent contact information, and report footer and colors. d. Customer Web Page Setup sub-tab: Set the information you d like to appear on your Customer Web Pages, such as photos and content, and where you d like the pages to appear. 12

19 e. Configure Websites sub-tab: Set the websites to which you want to upload listings. Each uploaded listing will be updated on all of your active websites. 5. Marketing tab: This tab is made up of 4 sub-tabs: a. Publishing Messages sub-tab: Compose a legal disclaimer and choose on which document types to display it, create default text for flyers, presentations and service reports, and create a marketing signature for letters, envelopes, postcards and labels. b. Days On Market sub-tab: Set whether you want set DOM as an MLS value based on listing and sold dates c. Published Materials sub-tab: Set duration for electronic published materials to remain active on the server. Materials will be removed after the specified time. d. Envelope & Label Settings sub-tab: Set the default templates to be used for envelopes and labels. 6. tab: This tab is made up of 6 sub-tabs: a. Setup sub-tab: Set up your account to use Top Producer , an external program, or Top Producer Outlook Connector. b. Signature sub-tab: Create a personal signature and define the types for which it will be automatically included. c. Stationary sub-tab: Define your HTML stationary layout, color theme, links, and which marketing materials will use the stationary. d. Out of Office sub-tab: Create and activate a message that will be automatically sent when you are out of the office. e. Unsubscribe sub-tab: Define the unsubscribe text that displays on all outgoing . f. Spam Settings sub-tab: Enable a spam filter that will automatically delete spam messages after fifteen days. 7. SellPhone tab: Configure the Top Producer SellPhone application. 8i Layout and Navigation The Dashboard Top Producer 8i s Home page or Dashboard displays a snapshot of your activities, listings, closings, and contacts. It also includes the Quick Add portlet where you can quickly create the most common types of records. Tip: Any text, e.g. a contact name or activity description, that displays as underlined when you hover over it is a link. Links allow you to open records in 8i. 13

20 The Dashboard is divided into 10 areas: 1. Main Menu bar: Displayss a row of icons representing the main areas of 8i. Click on a Main Menu icon to open the Landing Page for that category. Click on the Home icon to return to the Dashboard. Hover over an icon to display a sub-menuu of actions for that category. 14

21 Full Screen View: Temporarily removes the Main Menu bar and Information and Account Setup Links. Click the Close Full Screen link or press Alt + F11 on your keyboard to return to the default view. Quick Access View: Displays the Quick Add Portlets (used to quickly add contacts, leads and to-dos, display your calendar and access other Top Producer programs). Click the Close Quick Access link to return to the default view. 2. Utility Menu: Provides access to Online Help, Top Producer 8i account preferences, and setup information. Contact Us: Displays contact information for Top Producer. Self-Help Topics: Opens the online resource www. topproducer.com/campus. Preferences link: Opens the Preferences page. My Account link: Displays your 8i account information. Sign Out link: Signs you out of 8i. 3. Activities for Today Portlet: Displays a list of activities scheduled for the last 7 days that need to be completed. Click the drop-down list in the top right-hand corner to view activities for assistants or team members. Leads Portlet: Displays a list of current leads under the following categories: Favourites, Leads for Today, Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days, and by Lead Quality. Click the appropriate button in the header to change the display. Note: Lead Status is system-calculated based on the readiness to transact field. 15

22 4. Listings Portlet: Displays a list of your active listings. An Expiration reminder icon displays when a listing is due toexpire. 5. Closings Portlet: Displays a list of your pending closings, sorted by closing date. Tip: You can sort records for the activities, listings, and closings portlets by clicking on the appropriate column name. 6. Contact Status Portlet: Displays a pie chart that displays the percentage of contacts that are assigned each status. Note: This portlet only displays if Contact Status has been enabled under Preferences on the Utility menu. Status is system-calculated based on your interaction with each contact. Click the pie chart to display the number of contacts in each status. 7. Contacts Look-up Portlet: Displays a list of contacts from which you can search for a contact, view a summary of contact information, and/or open a contact record to view its full details. Click on a letter to search for contacts alphabetically. To search for specific contact information: 1. Select item to search on (e.g. Last Name) from the drop-down list. 2. Type search information (e.g. Smith ) in the text box above. 3. Click the Go button. 4. Contacts matching the search criteria are listed below. Click the black arrow next to a contact to display additional information below. Click the View Contact link to open a contact s full details. 16

23 Tip: Because Top Producer 8i is a Web program, you can use all the features available to you from your Internet browser, such as using the Back and Forward buttons to view different pages, or take a screen capture of the browser window to print out. 8i Layout and Navigation Forms and Data Entry Clicking a record activity, contact, listing, closing, etc. opens the record details form. Forms organize record details into manageable sections. You can view, change, and save information for your selected record as well as for any related records. Each form displays different details depending on the regard type. However, there are a number of common features that perform the same function throughout 8i. Tip: If you need information about a particular 8i feature, click the its corresponding online help topic. icon to take you to 17

24 Common form features: Header Headers display at the top of the form and contain a summary of key information for that record. Tabs Tabs display below the header and organize a record s details on separate pages for easy viewing. Clicking on a tab opens that page. Collapsible Sections Information on each tab is organized into sections that can be collapsed or expanded. Use the button to collapse a section and the button to expand it. Tip: Use the Expand or collapse buttons to reduce the need to scroll on lengthy tabs. Links Links display as underlines when you hover over text. Depending on the link type, clicking a link allows you to navigate to a related record, view additional information, open a sub-form, or perform a specific action. 18

25 For example, clicking an activity name on the Activities tab will open up the Activity Details form for that item. Buttons Clicking a button in 8i performs a certain action, such as saving an activity, cancelling a change, or sending an . Entering Information There are several different field types used in 8i to capture information. Text field: Type information directly into the field. Drop-down list: Click in the field to display a list of choices. Click on your choice to select. Date field: Type in the date or click in the field to display a calendar, and click the appropriate date displayed to select. Option button: Click in the circle beside the field name to select your choice. 19

26 Required field: Any fields with an asterisk (*) mean you must enter information in order for the record to be saved. Tip: You can move from one field to another by clicking the Tab button on your keyboard. Read vs. Edit Mode Forms for existing records allow you to view records in two modes. Read mode: Edit mode: 'Read' mode is the default view when viewing existing records. To go to 'Edit' mode, either click into any field, or choose the Edit link at the bottom of the form. Return to 'Read' mode by clicking the Cancel button. Tip: Read mode is great when you want to print a screen capture. It s a cleaner look that lets anyone viewing the print-out to focus on the information. 20

27 Managing Your Time and Tasks Top Producer 8i s time and task management features help you schedule your time, plan your activities, and track your client interactions. These features fully integrate with your Dashboard, contact records, and listing and closing records, allowing you to save time, stay organized, and focus on priorities. Activity Types Activities are divided into 2 categories: Timed: Activities that must be performed on a specific date and time, such as meetings or appointments. Timed activities appear on the calendar. Untimed: Activities that must be performed before a certain date, such as To-dos, calls, and correspondence items such as s, letters, envelopes, and postcards. Untimed activities appear in Today s Business or the Activities Summary; they do not appear on the calendar. The Calendar Sub-menu Hovering over the Calendar icon displays the Calendar sub-menu. There are 5 sub-menu items available from the Calendar icon: 1. Activities Summary: Opens the Activities Summary page. 2. Add Activity: Opens an Add Activity form for you to create a new activity. 3. Plans Manager: Opens the Action Plans Manager page. Note: Action Plans are sets of activities designed to help automate your follow up. Action plans are covered in greater detail in the chapter Managing Your Follow-up with Action Plans. 4. Auto Apply Plan Rules: Enables you to sets an action plan that will be automatically applied to specific types of leads entered into 8i. 5. History Manager: Opens a list of archived completed activities. 21

28 The Calendar Landing Page Click the Calendar icon on the Main Menu bar to go to the Calendar Landing Page. The Calendar Landing Page displays a calendar showing your scheduled activities (appointments) in the centre of the screen and your Today s Business portlet on the right side. The Landing Page is divided into 2 areas: 1. Calendar View of Appointments displays your scheduled activities in Day, Week or Month view. 2. Today s Business Sidebar lists any activities that need to be completed today (includes overdue activities for up to 90 days). Working with the Calendar By default, the calendar displays Today. You can change the display by clicking the Today, Week or Month tabs. Tip: You can change the default setting under Preferences, Calendar Preferences. Timed activities display in one-hour sections. Use the and buttons to scroll through days. There are many different ways you can work with scheduled activities: Hover over an activity to display a popup with the time and activity description. To move an appointment, left click and hold to drag and drop the appointment to the new time. To copy an appointment, press the Ctrl key on your keyboard and keep it depressed while dragging and dropping the copied appointment to its new location. 22

29 Clicking on an activity displays a pop-up message. From this pop-up message you can do the following: Open the appointment details by clicking the Edit Details link. Complete the activity by clicking the Mark Done link. Remove the appointment from 8i by clicking the Delete link. Close the pop-up message by clicking the X button. Note: Be careful when deleting activities. Activities are usually linked to a contact, listing or closing record and are tracked in the Activity History of that individual or transaction. Deleting an activity from the calendar also deletes it from the Contact or Transaction history. At the bottom of the calendar there are 4 links: Add Activity link: Opens an Add Activity form. The new activity will automatically be assigned to the person whose calendar you re viewing. View Activities link: Opens the Activities Summary page. View Plans Manager link: Opens a list of action plans. Print Calendar link: Prints the current calendar view from your local printer. Note: If you have a team or an assistant license, you can easily coordinate and track their activities by clicking the drop-down list in the top right corner and selecting another person s calendar. 23

30 The Today s Business Sidebar The Today s Business sidebar lists your activities for today by activity type. There are several actions you can take from here: Click on one of the categories to view only activities of that type. Use the Go to hyperlink to open the Activities Summary for that activity type. Mouse over the activity to show icons to Mark Done or Delete. Click on the activity name to open its details. The Activities Summary Page The Activities Summary page lists today s activities. You can access the Activities Summary from the Calendar sub-menu or from the View Activities link on the Calendar Landing Page. The Activities Summary has three areas: 1. Search for Activities. Use the Search for Activities feature in the screen header to select the activities to display. 24

31 a. Select the Type of activity, the Date Range, Status or Assigned to fields. b. Click the Show Activities button to display the activities that meet your conditions. 2. Activity Icons. Use the icon to the right of the activity to do the following: Mark Done icon: Mark the activity as done and remove it from the Activities Summary page. Delete Activity icon: Delete an activity. Note: This permanently removes the activity from 8i. Send icon: Send an . Note: Sent s are automatically Marked Done and removed from the Activities Summary page. PDF icon: Display print documents (letter, label, envelope, or postcard) as PDF preview on a separate Internet browser tab. Note: Available icons vary depending on the activity 3. Additional functions. Click the links at the bottom of the screen to do the following: Add Activity link: Open the Add Activity form. Mass Open Activities link: Display multiple activities at once by checking the box next to the desired activities and clicking this link. Note: Use Next and Prev on the Mass Open toolbar to scroll through the selected activities. Click the X button to close the Mass Open view and return to the Activities Summary page. The Mass Open feature is available from many pages in 8i where records are listed, such as the Activities tab of forms and the Contacts and Listings Summary pages. 25

32 Mass Open Contacts link: View multiple contact records associated with multiple activities you select. Note: In any Mass Open feature, you can use the Next and Prev links to scroll through the selected records. Create Report link: Opens the Create Activity Report window to print out a report for the selected activities. Mass Delete link: Delete multiple activities at once by selecting the check boxes next to activities and then clicking the link. Note: More links may display depending on the activity type chosen from the Show dropdown list. For example, selecting s from the list adds a Mass Send link. A Mass Mark Done link is available when choosing any activity type from the drop-down list. Creating an Activity You can create new activities from a number of different locations. Clicking any of the following will open the Add Activity form: The Add Activity link from the Calendar Landing Page or from the Calendar submenu (displayed by hovering over the Calendar icon). The Add Activity link on the Activities tab of an existing record, such as a contact, listing, or closing. The Perform Action for Contact drop-down list in a contact record. To create an activity: 1. Choose the type of activity to create from the drop-down list. Note: The Add Activity form is organized into collapsible sections. The sections will vary depending on the activity type. 26

33 2. Fill in the activity details. Tip: Any fields with an asterisk beside their name are required and must be filled in before the record can be saved. a. Description: The description should be detailed enough to make it easy to locate on the Calendar or in Today s Business. b. Assigned to: The activity is automatically assigned to the person creating it. To reassign it to an assistant or partner, click on the drop-down list and select the appropriate person s name. c. Link to Listing/Closing: Select a listing or closing to link to the activity. The saved activity also appears on the Activities tab of the selected record. d. Date: Click directly in the field to select a date from the pop-up calendar, or type in a date. Note: If you re creating an appointment, a Time field also displays for you to specify the start and end time. e. Recurrence: To create a recurring activity, such as a monthly team meeting, click the drop-down list and choose the interval at which the activity will occur. This opens the recurrence form within the Activity Details. Select the start date, set the recurrence interval, and set the number of times the activity recurs before ending. f. Drop from Activities: Use the drop-down list to specify how many days the activity appears in your Calendar, Today s Business or Activities Summary before dropping off. 27

34 Note: 8i defaults the activity to never drop off, but you can change this so it appears for up to 90 days after the scheduled date. g. Priority: Set the priority for the activity. Higher priority activities appear closer to the top of the Activities Summary list. 3. Link the activity to a contact by selecting a contact from the Contacts Look-up. Select a contact from the Contacts Look-up portlet and drag and drop it onto the Contacts dropzone. The contact is added as a linked field. Tip: You can search for and link multiple contacts to the activity by clicking the Search & Attach Multiple Contacts link. 4. Select the template to use. This section appears only if you re creating an , letter, envelope, label, or postcard activity type. Templates are covered in greater detail in the chapter Marketing with Letters and s. 5. Add notes to the activity. Any information you add here appears in the Notes section of the saved activity. 6. Once you have completed the form, choose from the following: Note: The link options will vary slightly depending on the activity. a. Add Activity button: Saves the activity and returns you to the Activities Summary page. b. Save & Add Another button: Saves the activity and opens another Add Activity form. 28

35 c. Cancel button: Discards your changes and returns you to the Activities Summary page. d. Mark Done link: Marks an activity done (all activities). e. View Letters, View Envelopes, View Labels, View s, View Postcards links: View a pdf of the activity before printing/sending. f. Send ( s) link: Sends the . Viewing and Editing Activity Details Activities can be viewed from several places, including the Activities for Today portlet on the Dashboard, the Activities Summary page, or Today s Business. Activities linked an activity to a contact, listing, or closing record display on the Activities tab of the linked record. The Activity Details form displays in edit mode when you open an existing activity. In edit mode, the only field that cannot be changed is the Activity Type. 29

36 In Edit mode, you can make the following changes: To add a single contact to the activity, click the Attach Another Contact link. To add multiple contacts to the activity, click Search & Attach Multiple Contacts link to open the Search for Contacts form. To remove a linked contact, click the Delete Contact icon. To view all attached contact records, click the Mass Open Contacts link. To switch to another template, select the appropriate category and template name from the dropdown lists. To preview the template for a correspondence activity, click the Template Preview link to open a preview with sample data on a separate Internet browser tab. To make changes to the template for this activity only, click the Edit Template link. To print preview a correspondence activity, click the Print Preview link. The preview opens on a separate browser tab. You can print your document from this screen. To edit individual correspondence activities, click the View (Document type) (e.g.view s, View Letters, etc) button to display the document in the Editor. To save your changes, click the Save Activity button, or click the Cancel button to remove your changes. To mark the activity complete, click the Mark Done link. To delete the activity, click the Delete Activity icon. Viewing and Marking Activities Done Once you ve completed an activity, you must mark it done. When an activity is marked done, it s removed from the Activities Summary page, the Calendar Landing Page, and the Incomplete view of the Activities tab of the Contact record. Tip: activities are automatically marked done when you click the Send button. All other activities must be manually marked done. Activities can be marked done in two ways: By clicking the Mark Done icon beside activities when they re displayed in a list. By clicking the Mark Done link when opening an activity on the Activity Details form. Note: If you mark an activity done by mistake, you can search for the completed activity and click the Undo Mark Done icon beside the activity when displayed in a list, or the Undo Mark Done link when opening the completed activity on a form. You can view completed activities: From the Activities Summary page: Click the More Options link to search for completed activities. From a linked record: Go to the Activities tab of a contact, listing, or closing record, and select Complete from the Show drop-down list. 30

37 TOP PRODUCERR 8i Building and Managing Your Contact Database Contacts are the foundation of your business and your database. All of Top Producer 8i features, including follow up activities, marketing tools, and transaction records integratee with the contact record. The Contacts Sub-menu Hovering over the Contacts icon displayss the Contacts sub-menu. Theree are 8 sub-menu items available from the Contacts icon: 1. Contacts Summary: Opens the Contacts Summary page. 2. Add Contact: Opens the Add Contact form. 3. Leads Summary: Opens the Leads Summary page. Note: Lead Management is covered in greater detail in the chapter Managing Your Leads. 4. Add Lead Opens the Add Lead form. 5. Web Lead Forms: Opens the Web Lead Forms summary. Note: Web lead forms are online forms that connect prospects directly to your Top Producer r 8i lead handling tools. For more information on creating Web Lead Forms, please see 8i Online Help or contact Technical Support. 6. Referrals Summary: : Opens the Referrals Summary form. Note: Referrals are covered in greater detail in the chapter Increasing Your Referral Business. 7. Add Referral: Opens the Add Referral form. 8. Search for Contacts: Opens the Search for Contacts form. Note: For more information on searching for contacts, see the section Viewing your Contacts later in the chapter. 31

38 The Contacts Landing Page The Contacts Landing Page displays statistical information about the contacts in your database. The Contacts menu features commands for working with your contact database. To access the Contacts Landing Page: 1. Click the Contacts icon on the Main Menu bar. The Contacts Landing Page displays. The Landing Page is divided into 3 portlets. From each portlet, you can add, view or create a report. 1. Contacts Portlet: displays Key Stats, Top Contacts Types and Last Viewed contacts, and the links: Add Contact: opens the Add Contact form. View Contacts: opens the Contacts Summary page. Create Report: opens the Create Report tool to create a report on all or selected contacts. 2. Leads Portlet: displays Key Stats, Top Sources and Last Viewed. and the links: Add Lead: opens the Add Lead form. View Leads: opens the Leads Summary page. Create Report: opens the Create Report tool to create a report on all or selected leads. 32

39 3. Referrals Portlet: displays Key Stats, Top 5 Referring Parties and Last Viewed. and the links: Add Referral: opens the Add Referral form. View Referrals: opens the Referrals Summary page. Create Report: opens the Create Report tool to create a report on all or selected referrals. Adding a Contact with Basic Information The quickest way to add a contact in 8i is using the Quick Contact portlet. This works best if you have only very basic information for the person. To add a contact using the Quick Contact portlet: 1. Click the Quick Access link at the top of the screen. The Quick Add portlets display. 2. Click the Add Contact link. The Quick Contact portlet opens. 3. Select a Contact Type from the dropdown. Note: You can choose only one contact type from this portlet. To add more than one contact type, see the Adding a Contact with Detailed Information section. 4. Enter the contact s first and last name. 5. Enter a Primary Contact number and select the method from the drop-down list. Tip: You can just type in the digits and not the hyphen. When you click or tab to another field, 8i formats the phone number for you. 6. Add a Secondary Contact Method, if available. 7. Add any Notes. 8. Click the Add Contact button to save the information in your database. 33

40 Adding a Contact with Detailed Information Contacts with more detailed contact information should be added using the Add Contact form, under the Contacts sub-menu. This allows you to record additional information such as the address, and to choose more than one contact type. To open the Add Contact form: 1. Hover over the Contacts icon on the Main Menu bar. The Contacts sub-menu displays. 2. Select Add Contact. Or 1. Click the Contacts icon on the Main Menu bar. The Contacts Landing Page displays. 2. Click the Add Contact link. The Add Contact form displays. Adding Contact Detail The Add Contact form has four sections: 34

41 1. The Name Details Section This section includes the Contact Type, Contact Name, Spouse/Partner name and Contact s Company. a. Contact Type. Defining a contact type helps you target specific contact types with personalized marketing messages. 1. Click the Select from / Modify List link. Select as many types as apply Tip: You can add a new contact type by clicking the Add link, adding the new type, and then clicking the Save button. The new contact type will be applied to your contact and display in the Contact Type drop-down list so it can be applied to other contacts as well. 2. Click the Done button to close the list and add your selections to the field. 35

42 b. Contact Name. You can enter the contact s name in one of two ways: 1. Enter the full name in the Name field. 8i divides the name into title, first and last name, etc. automatically. Or 1. Click the Name Details link to enter the contact name in separate fields. 2. Click the Done button to save the name, or the Cancel button to discard your changes and collapse this section. c. Enter the spouse s name if available. Tip: You can enter the spouse s name the same two ways as the contact name. d. Enter the contact s company if desired. 2. The Contact Info Section a. Enter the primary contact information and select the method from the dropdown list. b. Click the Add Additional Contact Method link to add as many contact methods as you like. Note: Home is the default primary contact method. Tip: If you select as a contact method, 8i checks to make sure you have a correct format when you save the contact. If the format is incorrect, you will need to fix the address before you can save the record. 36

43 3. The Primary Property Section a. Enter the contact s current home address. b. Click or tab to move between fields Tip: You can select from the drop-down lists in this section in one of two ways: If you tab in to the field, type the first letter of your selection. 8i displays the first value from the list beginning with that letter. Keep pressing the letter key until the correct value displays. For example, if you tab into the Street Type drop-down list and type l, the field displays Lane. If you type l again the selection changes to Loop. Click into the field to display the drop-down list. Click on your selection from the list. 4. The Contact Management Section Apply an Action Plan to schedule follow-up and add any notes for future reference. a. Select the action plan to apply from the drop-down list. b. Add any Notes to the record. To save the record when done, do one of the following: Click the Add Contact button to save your contact to the database. Or Or Click the Save & Add More Details button to open the contact in the Contact Details form and add additional information such as properties, associates, activities, listings, and photos. Tip: See the Editing Contact Details section for more information. Click the Save & Add Another button to save the current contact and open another Add Contact form. 37

44 Viewing Your Contacts You can view and search for contacts in one of three ways: Using the Contacts Look-up portlet on the Dashboard. Using the Contacts Summary page. Using the Search for Contacts tool from the Contacts sub-menu. Using the Contacts Look-up Portlet on the Dashboard 1. Select item to search on (e.g. Last Name) from the drop-down list. 2. Type search information (e.g. Smith ) in the text box above. 3. Click the Go button. Contacts matching the search criteria only now display in the portlet. Using the Contacts Summary Page You can access the Contacts Summary page in two different ways: 1. Hover over the Contacts icon on the Main Menu bar. The Contacts sub-menu displays. 2. Click the Contacts Summary option. The Contacts Summary displays. Or 1. Click the Contacts icon on the Main Menu bar. The Contacts Landing Page displays. 2. Click the View Contacts button. 38