You can make calls to leads, contacts, and accounts directly from Microsoft Dynamics CRM with Skype and Lync integration. Install Skype or Lync, enable the Click to Call (CTC) feature, and your phone numbers in forms will be hyperlinks. Then you can simply click a number to place a call to it.
Skype, purchased by Microsoft in 2011, is the world’s most-used Voice Over IP (VOIP) software, and can be used to place calls to other Skype users or to any phone number, and for instant messaging and video conferencing. Lync (formerly Microsoft Office Communicator) provides the same capabilities, but it is enterprise software, designed for business use.
The CTC feature in Dynamics CRM is dependent on the numbers entered in the phone number fields. These must be entered in the proper format: country/region code – area code – phone number. CTC will not function properly if both Skype and Lync are installed on the same computer, so choose only one.
A system administrator specifies the provider your organization will use to make calls with CTC. To do so, click “Settings” in the Navigation Pane, and under “System,” click “Administration,” then “System Settings.” On the “General” tab, under “Set the telephony provider,” for “Select provider for Click to Call,” choose Skype or Lync.
This feature gives you caller ID, location, call history, and duration of call. The “Add Phone Call” area opens automatically for noting details of the call if you are using Lync. If you are using Skype, and you click the Skype icon to make a call, you must click the “Add Phone Call” link to be able to add call details.
Cutting the manual dialing of phone numbers down to a simple click of the mouse may not seem like a big time save in and of itself, but it’s just one of the many time-saving features found in Microsoft CRM, and all those little savings add up to a mountain of hours. If you’re having trouble picturing that, try picturing a mountain of cash.
