Dialogs are the interactive and synchronous processes that collect and process information by using wizard-like web interfaces to direct users through a process.
Let's start building a Dialog to understand how it works. In this demo, we are going to build a Dialog to help ACM operators to quickly add comments to an existing Flight. A Phonecall record will be created after the Dialog process.
So the user story is like this: A crewmember calls in >>an ACM operator answers the phone and finds out the reason of the call >> verifies the caller's identity >> the crew member makes a comment about a flight >> the ACM operator carries out the request >> a Phonecall record is created in the CRM, with the sender (Crew Member) and related (Flight) information.
We can use a Dialog to create the structured process outlined above, and offer a wizard-like web interface to the ACM operators.
Go to ACM Settings | Solutions | ACMSolution | Processes, and click New, in order to create a Dialog process:
The steps are as follows:
3.1 Page: Prompt and Response:
3.2 Page: Prompt and Response:
3.3 Query CRM Data:
3.4 Check Condition:
3.4.1 Page: Prompt and Response:
3.4.2 Page: Prompt and Response:
3.4.3 Create Record: Phone Call
OK, the Dialog has been created. Make sure that you select both "as on-demand process" and "as child process", then save and activate the Dialog. Now we need to create a parent Dialog, "Call Center Dialog", that can direct the ACM operators to the correct category (that is, Add Activity to Flight).
The steps are as follows:
2.1 Link Child Dialog
Now, you can test the Dialog by going to ACM Settings | Administration | Users, then selecting the system user, and clicking the Start Dialog on the ribbon bar. Then run the "Call Center Dialog".
You can also start the Dialog by using a URL: http://CRMServer_Name/Org_Name/cs/dialog/rundialog.aspx?DialogId=DialogID&EntityName=EntityLogicalName&ObjectId=EntityObjectId
.
In the URL, we can fix the EntityName
to "systemuser" and the ObjectId
to a CRM system administrator account which always exists. So we can then add a button on the ribbon bar of the CRM main form, and call the Dialog directly, using the URL, by clicking the button on the ribbon.