Working with Appointments in TDF

WORKING WITH APPOINTMENTS

This section helps with:

• Understand the Tour de Force Appointment form
• Understand how to access the Tour de Force Appointment form
• Create and update Appointment items
• Organize and manage Appointments items

Screens covered in this section:

• Tour de Force Appointment form
• Public copy of the Appointment item

Overview

In Microsoft Outlook, Calendars allow users to track and schedule daily activities.  Similar to paper calendars, the Calendar View gives users the ability to record appointments, set up meetings, and track upcoming events.

 

An appointment is an activity that does not require invitations to other users.  Appointments are generally used to set aside some time to work on special projects.  Appointment can also be used to schedule visits to a doctor or to a dentist.  While other people may be involved in the appointment, as far as the Calendar is concerned, only the user setting up the appointment is involved.

 

Reminders can be set up for each appointment, as well as recurring appointments can be created.

 

A meeting is an Appointment item that involves other people or resources.  When a meeting is created, the people who are invited to the meeting, as well as the meeting time is specified.  Outlook automatically sends invitation messages to all users that are invited to a meeting.  

 

Meetings can be rescheduled, as well as set up to recur.  Additional people can also be added to the list of invitees.

 

Events are activities that last for at least twenty four hours.  Events differ from normal appointments and meeting in that Events do not occupy a specific time slot in the Calendar.  Instead, Events appear as a banner across the top of the schedule.   Events can be set up to recur.  Holidays are good examples of annually recurring events.

 

 

Appointment Items in Tour de Force 

Tour de Force offers ways to organize Calendar items to help users manage appointments, meetings, and events related more efficiently.  In Tour de Force, an Appointment item can be used to set up an appointment, a meeting, or an event.

 

Appointments can be created and maintained in multiple Calendars, as well as tracked for all time related activities associated with prospects, customers, and other business relationships that need to be maintained.  

 

When an Appointment item is created in Tour de Force, the Appointment item is linked to the Account, Contact, or Opportunity record, as well as placed on the private Calendars of all invitees associated with the Appointment item.  The Appointment item in Tour de Force is a public copy of the Appointment item, while the Appointment item on the Calendar of the owner is a private copy of the Appointment item.

 

The owner of the Appointment item in Tour de Force is the user that created the Appointment item.  The user that created the Appointment item is always the Owner, even when that user invites other users to attend the Appointment item.  

 

When viewing an Appointment item in Tour de Force, the Appointment item that opens depends on the owner of the Appointment item.  If the owner of the Appointment item views the Appointment item, the private copy of the Appointment item of that user displays.  If a user that is not the owner of an Appointment item views the Appointment item, then the public copy of the Appointment item displays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overview of the Tour de Force Appointment Form

Tour de Force gives users the ability to easily create and track Appointment items associated with customers and prospects, as well as with other business relationships.  The Tour de Force Appointment form in Tour de Force can be used to track Appointment items related to each business relationship of a company so users know what needs to happen, as well as when time related activities need to occur.

 

The Tour de Force Appointment form gives companies the ability to organize Appointment items associated with all business relationships for quick and easy access.  Having instant access to up-to-date information associated with Appointment items related to prospects, customers, vendors, and internal associates allows users to be more productive and more effective at managing business relationships.

 

Appointment items can be linked to Account, Contact, and Opportunity records, as well as an Opportunity/Contact link can be created.

 

 

When creating an Appointment item in Tour de Force, the Notes section is automatically populated with information related to the Parent Item. For example, when linking an Appointment item to an Account record, Tour de Force populates the Notes section with the name, address, and phone number associated with the Account record.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tour d e Force Appointment form is basically the same form as the Appointment form in Microsoft Outlook.  The only difference between the two forms is the Tour de Force tab on the Tour de Force Appointment form.  

 

 

The Tour de Force Appointment form contains four tabs that are used when creating a new Appointment item or creating a new Activity item:

 

• Appointment tab
• Insert tab
• Format Text tab
• Tour de Force tab

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appointment Tab

 

The Appointment tab is the default tab that displays when a new Appointment item is being created. There are sure several key buttons located on the Appointment tab that are used when creating and inviting attendees for an Appointment item in Tour de Force:

 

 

• Save and Close – This button saves and closes the Appointment item.

 

• Invite Attendees – This button opens the Outlook Address Book so that the owner of the Appointment item can invite users to the meeting or event.

 

• Calendar – This button opens the users Microsoft Outlook Calendar.

 

• Delete – This button deletes the Appointment item from the users Calendar.

 

• Forward – This button is used to forward the Appointment item to another user or contact.

 

• Appointment – This button displays the Appointment item details as well as the Appointment item body.

 

• Scheduling Assistant – This button displays the schedules of the attendees that have been invited to the Appointment item. This allows the owner of the Appointment item to schedule an appropriate time for all attendees.

 

• Show As – This button allows the user to show their availability during the Appointment item.

 

• Reminder – This button allows the user to set a reminder for the Appointment item.

 

• Recurrence – This button allows the user to set the Appointment item as a regularly recurring item. Setting a recurrence is useful for Meetings that occur every week.

 

For example, a status meeting that occurs every Friday morning.

 

• Time Zones – This button is used to display the Time Zone field on the Tour de Force Appointment form.

 

• Categorize – This button is used to assign a category to an Appointment item.

 

• Private – This button is used to make the Appointment item viewable to only the owner.

 

• Spelling – This button is used to check for spelling errors and is a standard Microsoft Outlook button.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Insert Tab

 

The Insert tab is contains standard Microsoft Outlook functions. These functions are used to attach a file, attach an item, include a business card, or add a signature to the body section of the Appointment item.

 

 

 

Format Text Tab

 

The Format Text tab contains standard Microsoft Word functions. This tab is used to edit to the body section of the Tour de Force Appointment form.

 

 

Tour de Force Tab

 

The Tour de Force tab is used to create new Records and Items related to that Appointment item.  The most common next action step is creating a new Activity item from the Appointment item. There are several buttons and fields used when creating a new Activity item from the Tour de Force Appointment form:

 

 

• Actions – This button is used as a next action command to create new Records and Items from the Appointment item currently open.

 

The Records and Items that can be created from a Appointment item are:

 

• Activity
• Appointment
• Asset
• Document
• Email
• Expense
• Note
• Opportunity
• Support
• Task

 

• New Activity – This button is used to create a new Activity item for the Appointment item currently open.

 

• Complete and Convert Activity – This button is used to mark the Appointment item as Complete and convert that Appointment item to an Activity item.

 

• Activity Type – This field is used to select which type of activity the Appointment item is related to. This field is used in conjunction with the Complete and Convert Activity button.

 

• Include – This field is used to choose what information is included in the new Activity item from the Appointment item. The options for the include field are:

 

• Notes
• Notes and Detail
• Detail
• Detail and Notes

 

• View Activities – This button is used to view any Activity items linked to the Appointment item.

 

• Public Items – These buttons are used by users who are uninvited, but still have public access to the Appointment item.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating an Appointment Item for an Account Record

Tour de Force recommends using the Global Search utility to add and associate a new Appointment item to an Account, a Contact, and an Opportunity record.  

 

The steps to associate a new Appointment item to an Account, a Contact, and an Opportunity record are the same once the Tour de Force Appointment form is accessed.

 

Use the following procedures to create a new Appointment item for an Account record:

 

1. Click the Global Search button on the Tour de Force toolbar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Type the name or partial name of the Account record in the For field and then press the Global Search button.

 

 

 

3. Locate the Account record in the grid section of the Global Search window, and then right click the mouse to display the Quick Events menu. Select Action | New Appointment on the Quick Events menu.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. In the Subject field, type a short description or name to associate with the new Appointment item.

 

For example, type Conference Call to Discuss Project Planning.

 

 

5. In the Location field, type the physical location where the new Appointment item is going to take place.

 

For example, type Conference Room.

 

 

 

6. In the Start Time field, select a date and time when the new Appointment item is scheduled to occur.

 

Click the down arrow in the Date field to access a Calendar and select the date.

 

 

Click the Time field to select what time the Appointment item is going to start.

 

 

 

 

 

7. In the End Time field, select a date and time when the new Appointment item is scheduled to finish.

 

Click the down arrow to the right of the Date field to access a Calendar.  

 

 

Click the Time field to select what time the Appointment item is going to end.

 

 

 

 

 

8. Click the Reminder field to have Microsoft Outlook remind the owner of the Appointment item before the Appointment item is scheduled to occur.

 

 

9. In the Show time as field, select how to display the new Appointment item on the Calendar.  

 

For example, select Busy.

 

 

 

 

 

10. In the Notes field, type any notes associated with the new Appointment item.

 

Note: Information associated with the Parent Item displays in the Notes field.

 

 

11. To restrict other users from viewing the Appointment item, click the Private button.

 

 

 

 

 

 

12. Click the Save and Close button to save the new Appointment item and close the Tour de Force Appointment form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inviting Attendees to the Appointment Item

If the Appointment item is a meeting that requires other users to attend, then the Owner of the Appointment item can invite other users from the Tour de Force Appointment form. Since a meeting is an Appointment item that involves other people or resources, scheduling a meeting is similar to scheduling an Appointment item.

 

Use the following procedures to invite attendees to an Appointment item:

 

1. Access the Tour de Force Appointment form.

 

2. Fill out the necessary information related to the meeting.

 

3. Click the Invite Attendees button.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. When the Invite Attendees button is clicked, the To button and To field displays.  Use the To field to type the names or email addresses associated with the people that need to be invited to the Meeting.  

 

 

 

5. Click the To button to open the Select Attendees and Resource window.  This window allows owners to invite contacts and users to the meeting using the Microsoft Outlook Address Book.

 

Note: Microsoft Outlook automatically sends invitation messages to all users that are invited to a meeting.  

 

6. After the attendees have been selected, click the Scheduling Assistant button on the Tour de Force Appointment form.

 

 

7. View the schedules of the invited attendees to make sure that the Appointment item does not conflict with any of the invited attendee’s schedules. Make any necessary adjustments in the Start Time and End Time fields.

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Click the Send button to send the invitation message to all of the users that are invited to the meeting.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making an Appointment Item an All Day Event

Events are time related activities that last for at least twenty four hours.  The steps to create an Event are similar to the steps to create an Appointment item and a meeting.  

 

The one item that makes events different from Appointment items and meetings is that Events do not have a Start Time or an End Time.  Instead, Events last all day for any number of days on which the Event occurs.  The fact that no specific times of day are associated with Events makes Events a great way to schedule all day training classes, as well as vacation and personal days.

 

Use the following procedures to make an Appointment item an all day Event:

 

1. Access the Tour de Force Appointment form.

 

2. Fill out the necessary information related to the Event.

 

3. Check the All day event field on the Tour de Force Appointment form.

 

 

Once the All day event field is checked, the Time fields become unusable. Only the Date fields are required for Events.  

 

The Reminder field also changes so that the reminder occurs 18 hours before the Event.  

 

Note: The All day event field converts an Appointment item into an Event, and clearing the All day event field converts an Event back into an Appointment item.  

 

 

 

4. If Events, such as Business Conferences, need to have invitations sent out for attendees, click the Invite Attendees button to invite contacts and users to the Event.

 

 

5. Click the Save & Close button when finished to exit the Tour de Force Appointment form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Responding to Invitations

When users are invited to a meeting or an Event, that user receives an invitation message from Microsoft Outlook automatically.  Users have four options for responding to the invitation message.  

 

These options include:  

• Accept
• Tentative
• Decline
• Propose New Time

 

 

Accept – this button is used to accept the invitation to the meeting or Event.

 

Tentative – this button is used to tentatively accept the invitation to the meeting or Event.

 

Decline – this button is used to reject the invitation to the meeting or Event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propose New Time - this button is used to open the Propose New Time window that allows users to suggest a time and possible date that works for everyone invited to the meeting or Event.

 

 

Once the new time or date is determined, click the Propose Time button to send a new time proposed message to the meeting or Event organizer.

 

If the Accept, Tentative, or Decline button is clicked, Microsoft Outlook immediately sends the appropriate reply to the user that created the Event or Meeting.  

 

The user also has an opportunity to add a response to the reply message.  For example, if the user Accepts the Meeting or Event, the Microsoft Office Outlook window displays.

 

 

 

 

 

Creating an Activity Item from an Appointment Item

Since most salespeople spend a lot of time managing Appointment items associated with prospects and customers in Microsoft Outlook, functionality to create and maintain actions such as Activity and Task items associated with these Appointment items can be created and maintained while viewing their Calendars.

 

In order to help users decrease the amount of time needed to create new items, functionality to create new Activity items has been added to the Tour de Force tab on the Tour de Force Appointment form.  

 

Note: Activity items can also be linked to Task and Support items.  The steps to linking an Activity item to a Task or a Support item are similar to linking an Activity item to an Appointment item.

 

Use the following procedures to create an Activity item from an Appointment item:

 

To create a new Activity item in the Tour de Force Appointment form:

 

1. Open the appropriate Appointment item.

 

2. Click the Tour de Force tab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. In the Include field choose what information gets copied from the Appointment item to the Activity item. (REVIEW THIS SECTION)

 

• Notes – Only copy information from the Notes section to the new Activity item.
• Details – Only copy information from the Subject

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Click the Activity Type field, and then select the appropriate type.

 

Note: Tour de Force automatically copies the Activity Type selected to the Activity Type field on Tour de Force Activity form.

 

For example, select Documentation Creation.

 

 

 

5. Save the Appointment item.

 

6. Open the Appointment item from the Microsoft Outlook Calendar

 

 

7. Click the New Activity button in the Tour de Force tab.

 

 

 

8. Enter in the necessary information in the new Activity item in the Tour de Force Activity form.

 

 

9. Click the Save button to save the new Activity item.

 

10. Click the Close button to close the Tour de Force Activity form.

 

 

 

 

Viewing Activity Items Linked to an Appointment Item

Tour de Force gives users the ability to create and link Activity items directly to Appointment, Task, and Support items.  Therefore, any user that has permission access to an Appointment, Task, and Support item can view the Activity items linked to that Appointment, Task, or Support item.

 

Use the following procedures to view Activity items linked to an Appointment item:

 

1. Open the appropriate Appointment item.

 

2. Click the Tour de Force tab.

 

3. Click the View Activities button.

 

 

4. Click the Open Folder button to view the Activity item.

 

 

Viewing Appointment Items Linked to a Record from the Global Search Utility

The MRH Technology Group recommends using the Global Search utility in Tour de Force to view Appointment items associated with Account, Contact, and Opportunity records.  

 

Use the following procedures to view Appointment items linked to an Account record:

 

1. Click the Global Search button on the Tour de Force toolbar.

 

 

2. Type the name or partial name of the Account record in the For field, and then press the Enter key.  

 

3. Locate the Account record in the grid section of the Global Search window, and right click on the Account record to display the Quick Events menu.

 

4. From the Quick Events menu, select View.

 

5. From the View menu, select Appointments to open the Quick View for Account window.

 

• The Quick View for Contact window displays when viewing Appointment items associated with a Contact record.

 

• The Quick View for Opportunity window displays when viewing Appointment items associated with an Opportunity record.

 

 

6. Select or give focus to the appropriate Appointment item and click the Open Folder icon to open the Tour de Force Appointment form.

 

 

By default, the Quick View for Account window displays all Appointment items associated with an Account record, as well as all Appointment items associated with the Contact and Opportunity records linked to the Account record.  

 

The Quick View for Contact window displays all Appointment items associated with a Contact record, as well as all Appointment items associated with the Opportunity records linked to the Contact record.  

 

The Quick View for Opportunity window displays when viewing Appointment items associated with an Opportunity record. Only Appointment items linked to an Opportunity record can be viewed in the Quick View for Opportunity window.  

 

When viewing an Appointment item in Tour de Force, the Appointment item that opens depends on the owner of the Appointment item.  

 

If the owner of the Appointment item views the Appointment item in Tour de Force or the Appointment item on the Calendar, the private copy of the Appointment item of that user displays.  If a user that is not the owner of an Appointment item views the Appointment item, then the public copy of the Appointment item displays.  

 

 

Note: Changes cannot be made to the public copy of Appointment items.