Step-by-step guide to implementing Zoho CRM Blueprints

Zoho CRM's Blueprint feature can be described as a digital representation of a business process, accessible through an online platform. The software comprehensively records all aspects of your offline procedures.The utilization of this technology enables the automation, validation, and coordination of teams, hence enhancing process efficiency and eliminating potential vulnerabilities.

Your process will be more effective and secure as a result of the increased automation, validation, and team cooperation that this allows for.

Read more about Zoho CRM Blueprints

Let's look at a hypothetical situation to better understand how to create a Blueprint.

There is a company named “Automate Accounts” their sales process includes

1.     Pitching the lead

2.     Negotiation

3.     Lead conversion

4.     Understanding client requirements

5.     Closing the deal

Let’s see how this can be implemented in CRM

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Fundamental blocks of Blueprint

A Blueprint is developed by arranging these procedures in a particular order. Here, States and Transitions are the fundamental components of a Blueprint.

State:

Each stage in a process is referred to as a "State" in Blueprint. For eg. Here different stages will be pitching the lead, Negotiation, etc.

Transition:

A transition refers to a connection or linkage that exists between two states within a given process. The document outlines the necessary criteria for a record to be transferred from one jurisdiction to another. For eg. The conditions for record to move from pitching to negotiation can be put in the transition block.

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How to create a Blueprint?

The process of constructing a blueprint primarily consists of three sequential steps.

1.  Basic info: Please provide the specific module, layout, and field for which the procedure has to be developed.

2. Defining process flow: Within the Blueprint Editor, it is necessary to establish a comprehensive delineation of the process flow, commencing at either the Starting State or the Default State, depending on the specific context, and extending all the way to the Exit State.

3. Transition settings configuration: Adjust thetransition settings before, during, and after between states.

Step 1: Basic Info

·       To access Vertical Solutions, go to the Zoho Developer Console.

·       Click the Edit button next to the program you want to change.

·       In the left pane, under Automate, pick Workflow.

·       Click the tab labeled "Blueprint" and then "Create Blueprint."

·       Make these selections in the Create new Blueprint window: module; layout; field.

·       If necessary, enter the criteria by which you want records to enter a process.

Step 2: defining the process flow

·       You may easily organize the various steps ofyour process by dragging and dropping them in Blueprint Editor.

·       Connect the nodes in the State buttons to setup the process flow between the States.

·       Keep in mind that the Start State is the same as selecting "None" from the drop-down menu.

·       You can make a link between two states by clicking the plus sign.

·       Right-clicking the line of transition and selecting "Delete Transition" will remove it.

Save as draft:

Sometimes, you need additional time to think about the process flow before deploying your final Blueprint into Vertical Solution. It's not agood idea to deploy a Blueprint before it's ready because records will start being entered into it as soon as you publish it. Here, a Blueprint can be SAVED AS A DRAFT.

In the DRAFT version, you can experiment with your States and Transitions before publishing the final process flow. Note that the draft version is not a testing environment, rather a canvas of sorts, allowing you to test your process flow. A Blueprint's draft version is just for conceptual exploration at this stage; it cannot be used to test actual implementation.

Only one Published and one Draft version of a Blueprint can exist at any given moment.

A Blueprint is considered "published" once it has been uploaded to your Vertical Solution. If a record meets the Blueprint's requirements, it will start moving through this revised workflow.

If a Blueprint is in its draft state, it has not yet been implemented in the production environment for the Vertical Solution, but it is still accessible for testing purposes.

Whenever you make a modification to a Blueprint, you have the option of publishing the updated version immediately or saving it as a draft. The Blueprint Editor has a "Published" and "Draft" button.

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Points to note:

·       If there are already existing records linked to the previous version of the Blueprint, you will be asked what you want to do with them before publishing your newest changes from the Draft version.

·       Get out of the Blueprint, removing the records from the process in their current state.

·       Please update all previously published records to the new version.

·       This will make sure that at any given time, the process flow for all records in a specific module is consistent.

·       If you delete a State while modifying a Blueprint flow, you will be prompted to update any existing records to the most recent version of the Blueprint or remove them from the process when you republish the Blueprint.

·       If you made any edits in the Draft version and want to delete them, you can do so by switching to the Published version and selecting Save as Draft. After this, all changes you made in the Draft version will be lost, but you can continue editing the published version.

Step 3: transition settings configuration

The term "transition" is used to describe a process's phase change. It's the bridge between two States with well-defined transitional characteristics. There are three stages to any transition: Before, During and after.

Before transition:

Specify the conditions under which this Transition can be accessed by the process's records.

Example criteria: "Lead converted is Yes". Only after the Negotiation? field is changed to Yes will records display the Transition.You can disregard this section if there are no such requirements. In that instance, the Transition will be reflected in all databases instantly.

During transition:

This section provides the Transition owners with context-sensitive prompts to help them fill out a form for a given process step. It's importantto have the customer's contact information while accepting a repair, for instance. All of these specifications can be mandated in this scenario by editing the Lead converted Transition's During Transition section.

The subsequent information outlines the specific elements that might be enforced within the During Transition segment:

·       Mandate and validate fields across modules

·       Include checklists

·       Mandate Associated Items

·       Add a message to Transition owners

·       Make notes mandatory

·       Make attachments mandatory

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Mandate and validate fields across modules

Users might be directed to enter specific data at specific points in your process by making certain fields mandatory. The Blueprint's principal module or supplementary modules (linked via lookup field) could provide these details.

The following information fields can be mandated:

·       Name, PhoneNumber, and Contact Information for Customers

To do so:

·       Navigate to the During Transition section and hit the Add button.

·       Select the necessary add-on from the menu.

·       Pick the required field from the dropdown.

·       To complete the necessary amount of fields, repeat the procedure.

·       Validate fields

Include checklists

Checklists serve as a means for users to effectively manage and monitor the completion of tasks and items required at various stages of a process. The checklist will be included in the During Transition phase. It will be displayed to the transition owners who meet the eligibility criteria, as determined by the manager or process architect.

To mandate them:

·       Navigate to the During Transition section and hit the Add button.

·       Select Checklists.

·       Make sure you give your checklist and list of tasks a name.

The chosen Transition owners will see this. Only after the Transition owner "checks off" all of these requirements can they move on to the next State in the Blueprint. This provides a clear and comprehensive view of how things are going at each level.

Mandate creation of Associated items

In addition to fields and checkboxes, the Blueprint module allows you to require the following:

·       Tasks

·       Events

·       Calls

·       Quotes

·       Sales Orders

Once the client is converted, a task should be assigned to employee who would be handling the accounting for him.

Mandate creation of associated items

·       Navigate to the During Transition section and hit the Add button.

·       Choose Associated items.

·       Select either "Tasks" or "Calls" from the Associated Items dropdown menu.

Add a message to transition owners

·       Navigate to the During Transition section and hit the Add button.

·       Choose Message.

·       Please enter your message in the space provided.

Make notes mandatory

When a user labels a More info required, for example, they might add a remark explaining why they gave it that remark, which can be helpful if you want to learn moreabout the context of that decision.

Select the Make Notes as Mandatory checkbox in the During Transition section of the tab.

Make attachments mandatory

Several documents are required for any company activity, regardless of whether it's related to sales, insurance, production, or real estate. At certain points in time, you'll need legal documents, service level agreements, and sales contracts. They can be required at the appropriate point in a Blueprint.

To ensure the attachment is required, please click the "Make Attachment as Mandatory" checkbox located in the "During Transition" tab.

After transition

Outline the tasks that are to be automated upon the conclusion of the Transition. The After Transition section encompasses a range of actions that have the potential to be automated.

·       Send Email Notification

·       Assign Tasks

·       Make a Field Update

·       Trigger Webhooks

·       Trigger Custom Functions

In our scenario, a task should be made to generate the bill once the Complete Accounting state has been reached. Select Tasks and then provide any relevant constraints.

Conclusion

The lack of correct representation of offline processes in software applications raises concerns over the adherence to these processes.The presence of discrepancies and potential holes inside the process is a challenge that Blueprint addresses.

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