CRM Settings Overview

The CRM Settings form is the central configuration hub for AccuArk's Customer Relationship Management module. Every dropdown menu, tag color, activity button, and ticket category that appears throughout the CRM originates from the settings you define here. Before your team starts logging activities, creating deals, or managing tickets, you should configure these settings to match your business processes. This article walks you through every tab of the CRM Settings form, explains what each setting controls, and provides practical guidance for setting up your CRM for the first time.

Accessing CRM Settings

To open the CRM Settings form:

1. Click CRM in the main menu bar at the top of AccuArk.
2. Click CRM Settings from the dropdown menu.
3. The CRM Settings form (FrmCRMSettings) opens as a dialog window.

You must have the CRM_MANAGE_PIPELINE permission (ID 334) to access CRM Settings. If you do not have this permission, the CRM Settings menu item will not appear in the CRM menu. Typically, only Super Admins and Location Admins have this permission by default. If you need access and do not see the menu item, ask your administrator to grant you the CRM_MANAGE_PIPELINE permission through the Roles & Permissions settings.

How the Settings Form Is Organized

The CRM Settings form is organized into four tabs, each managing a different type of lookup data used throughout the CRM module:

1. Lead Sources — Where your customers come from
2. Activity Types — The kinds of interactions you log
3. Ticket Categories — How you classify support tickets
4. Client Tags — Colored labels for customer classification

All four tabs follow the same user interface pattern, so once you learn how to use one tab, the others work the same way. Each tab contains a data grid showing existing items, along with toolbar buttons for adding, editing, and deleting items.

Tab 1: Lead Sources

Lead sources define where your customers come from. When you add or edit a customer in AccuArk, the Customer Info tab includes a Lead Source dropdown. The options in that dropdown are the lead sources you configure here.

Why Lead Sources Matter

Tracking where customers come from is one of the most valuable things a CRM can do for your business. When you know that 40% of your customers found you through your website and only 5% came from print advertising, you can make better decisions about where to spend your marketing budget. Lead source tracking also helps your sales team understand the context of a new customer relationship — a referral from an existing customer may require a different approach than a cold inquiry from your website.

Default Lead Sources

AccuArk ships with a set of common lead sources to get you started:

• Referral — Customer was referred by an existing customer, partner, or contact
• Website — Customer found you through your website or online presence
• Walk-In — Customer visited your physical location without a prior appointment
• Phone Inquiry — Customer called your business directly
• Social Media — Customer found you through social media platforms
• Trade Show — Customer was met at a trade show or industry event
• Advertisement — Customer responded to an advertisement (print, digital, radio, etc.)
• Other — A catch-all for sources that do not fit the categories above

You can modify these defaults, add new sources, or deactivate sources that do not apply to your business.

Managing Lead Sources

The Lead Sources tab displays a grid with the following columns:

To add a new lead source, click the Add button on the toolbar. A new row appears in the grid where you can type the source name, set the sort order, and check the Is Active box. Press Enter or click away from the row to save.

To edit an existing source, click on the row in the grid and modify the values directly. Changes are saved when you move to a different row or close the form.

To delete a lead source, select the row and click the Delete button. If the lead source is currently assigned to any customer records, the delete will be blocked and you will see a message explaining that the source is in use. In this case, you should deactivate the source by unchecking Is Active instead of deleting it. This preserves historical data while hiding the source from future use.

Tab 2: Activity Types

Activity types define the kinds of interactions your team can log against customer records. When a user opens the Activities tab on a customer form and clicks one of the activity buttons in the toolbar, the available buttons and options in the Activity dialog are determined by the activity types configured here.

Why Activity Types Matter

A well-defined set of activity types ensures consistent tracking across your team. When everyone logs a phone call as a "Phone Call" rather than some people typing "Called" and others typing "Spoke on phone," your activity reports become meaningful and comparable. Activity types also determine which icon appears next to each activity in the timeline, making it easy to scan a customer's history and quickly identify the types of interactions that have occurred.

Default Activity Types

AccuArk includes the following activity types out of the box:

• Phone Call — A telephone conversation with the customer
• Email — An email sent to or received from the customer
• Meeting — An in-person or virtual meeting with the customer
• Note — A general note or internal memo about the customer
• Site Visit — A visit to the customer's location or job site
• Video Call — A video conference with the customer

Activity Type Properties

Each activity type has the following properties:

Managing Activity Types

The Activity Types tab displays a grid similar to the Lead Sources tab but with the addition of the Icon Key column.

To add a new activity type, click Add, fill in the name and icon key, set the sort order, and ensure Is Active is checked. The icon key should match one of the supported icon identifiers. If you are unsure which icon keys are available, consult with your system administrator.

To edit an activity type, click the row and modify the values directly in the grid.

To delete an activity type, select the row and click Delete. As with lead sources, deletion is blocked if the type is in use by existing activity records. Use the Is Active flag to soft-disable types that are no longer needed.

Tab 3: Ticket Categories

Ticket categories define how support tickets are classified. When a user creates a new support ticket, the Ticket dialog includes a Category dropdown. The options in that dropdown come from the categories configured here.

Why Ticket Categories Matter

Categorizing tickets helps your support team route, prioritize, and report on customer issues effectively. When you can filter tickets by category, you can quickly see how many billing issues versus product issues you are handling, identify trends, and allocate resources accordingly. Categories also help when you assign tickets to team members who specialize in specific areas.

Default Ticket Categories

AccuArk includes the following ticket categories by default:

• General Inquiry — A general question or information request from the customer
• Product Issue — A problem or defect with a product or service
• Billing — A question or dispute related to billing, invoices, or payments
• Returns — A request to return or exchange a product
• Shipping — A question or issue related to delivery or shipping
• Technical Support — A technical problem requiring troubleshooting
• Feature Request — A customer request for a new feature or improvement
• Complaint — A formal customer complaint about service or product quality

Managing Ticket Categories

The Ticket Categories tab uses the same grid pattern as the other tabs:

Add, edit, and delete operations work identically to the Lead Sources tab. Deletion is blocked for categories that are assigned to existing tickets.

Tab 4: Client Tags

Client tags are colored labels that you can assign to customers for quick visual classification. Tags appear as colored badges on customer records and can be used to filter and segment your customer list.

Why Client Tags Matter

Tags provide a flexible, visual way to classify customers beyond the structured fields like lead source or customer type. A customer might be tagged as "VIP" because they are a high-value client, "At Risk" because they have expressed dissatisfaction, or "New Customer" because they were recently onboarded. Tags are visible at a glance on customer records, helping your team quickly understand the status and priority of each customer.

Default Client Tags

AccuArk includes the following tags by default:

• VIP — High-value or strategically important customers
• At Risk — Customers who may be considering leaving or have expressed dissatisfaction
• New Customer — Recently onboarded customers who may need extra attention
• Preferred — Customers who receive preferred pricing or priority service
• Inactive — Customers who have not made a purchase or interaction in a defined period

Client Tag Properties

Each client tag has the following properties:

Managing Client Tags

The Client Tags tab displays a grid with columns for Name, Color, Sort Order, and Is Active. The Color column shows a color swatch alongside the hex code, giving you a visual preview of each tag's appearance.

To add a new tag, click Add, type the tag name, enter the hex color code (including the # symbol), set the sort order, and check Is Active. Choose colors that are visually distinct from each other so that tags are easy to differentiate at a glance.

To edit a tag, click the row and modify the values. Changing a tag's color or name will update its appearance on all customer records that use the tag.

To delete a tag, select the row and click Delete. As with all other settings, deletion is blocked if the tag is currently assigned to any customers. Deactivate unused tags instead.

Assigning Tags to Customers

Once you have configured your tags in CRM Settings, you can assign them to individual customers. To do this:

1. Open the Customer Form for the customer you want to tag.
2. On the Customer Info tab, click the Tags button.
3. A dialog appears showing all active tags. Check the tags you want to assign to this customer.
4. Click OK to save the tag assignments.

Customers can have multiple tags assigned simultaneously. For example, a customer might be both "VIP" and "Preferred."

Common CRUD Pattern Across All Tabs

All four tabs share the same interaction pattern, which makes the CRM Settings form easy to learn:

• Add button — Creates a new item with default values. The cursor moves to the new row so you can start typing immediately.
• Edit — There is no separate Edit button. Simply click on any cell in the grid to edit its value directly (inline editing).
• Delete button — Removes the selected item. Blocked if the item is in use by any CRM records (a message will tell you which records reference the item).
• Sort Order — A numeric field that controls display order. Items with lower sort order values appear first in dropdowns and lists. If you want Referral to appear before Website in the Lead Source dropdown, give Referral a sort order of 1 and Website a sort order of 2.
• Is Active — A checkbox that provides soft-disable functionality. Unchecking Is Active hides the item from dropdowns and selection lists without deleting it. Historical records that reference the item remain intact. This is the preferred way to retire items that are no longer needed.

Caching and Immediate Effect

Changes you make in CRM Settings take effect immediately. When you add, edit, or delete a setting, AccuArk's internal caching layer is invalidated, and the updated data is loaded the next time any CRM form requests it. You do not need to restart the application or log out and back in for changes to take effect.

If another user is working in AccuArk at the same time, they will see the updated settings the next time they open a CRM form or refresh their current view. There is no need to notify other users of the change — the system handles it automatically.

Tips and Best Practices

• Start with the defaults — AccuArk's default settings cover the most common business scenarios. Start with the defaults and customize only when you identify a specific need.
• Use descriptive names — Lead sources, activity types, categories, and tags should have clear, self-explanatory names. Avoid abbreviations that new team members might not understand.
• Limit the number of options — Too many choices slow down data entry and lead to inconsistent usage. Aim for 5 to 10 items per tab. If you need more, consider whether some items can be consolidated.
• Deactivate rather than delete — When an item is no longer needed, deactivate it instead of deleting it. This preserves your historical data and avoids broken references.
• Review settings periodically — As your business evolves, your CRM settings should evolve too. Schedule a quarterly review to remove outdated items and add new ones that reflect your current processes.
• Coordinate with your team — Before adding new lead sources or activity types, discuss with your team to ensure everyone agrees on the definitions and will use them consistently.

What to Read Next

• Configuring Lead Sources — Deep dive into lead source setup and reporting
• Configuring Activity Types — Detailed guide to activity type configuration and icon keys