Enterprise CRM: Create a Public Event on an Contact record

What Are Events?

Events allow you to add information related to CRM records while designating a specific time period. They can be used for meetings, conference calls, visitations, job fairs, or anything else that may be occurring that needs to be associated with a specific record or blocked off on a calendar.

Prior to creating an Event you may want to check with your internal business processes to ensure that you are using them in the way that your business unit is intending for them to be used.

What Are My Privacy Options?

Enterprise CRM has records that it shares across business units and organizations. The Contact record type is one of these public records, although you can create private events on a Contact by using Reserved Contact Data.

While it is likely that most of your Events will be things like conference calls and meetings that will be private to your business unit there may be times when you want to add a note or other information to share with the wider CRM audience. A particular contact that works closely with a specific university department may be visiting and available for a period of time or perhaps they're putting on a public event that is relevant to more than just your business unit.

If your business unit uses Events heavily in reporting you may want to record any information you'd like to communicate by creating a Public Google Doc, Note, or Attachment instead.

Navigate to the Contact record (if needed)

1. If you have enough information to find the Contact you may want to use the Global Search bar.
2. If you do not have enough information to search or are working from a specific List View click on the Contacts Tab if showing in your default tabs or click on the All Tabs (+) button and click on Contacts in the list.
3. From Contacts Home you can either click on the name of the Contact, if showing in your default View, or select the appropriate selection from the dropdown in the View: Menu and click Go!
4. Once the appropriate Contact is visible click on the Contact Name in the list to bring up the Contact record.

Create a Public Event

1. Once on the Contact record there are two ways to get to creating a New Event:
   • At the top of the Contact record hovering over the text for Open Activities brings up a window where the New Event button is able to be clicked.
   • Further down on the page underneath the Contact Detail there is an Open Activities section of the page where there is a New Event button that is able to the clicked.\
2. Once on the New Event screen fields can be manipulated as needed. How you manipulate these fields will likely be determined by internal business processes.
   • Assigned To will default to you as the User but if needed the Lookup icon can be used to assign the Event to a different User.
   • The Subject field will likely be determined by internal business processes and should be something descriptive or useful to the User the Event is being assigned to or another User that may be viewing the record.
   • The All-Day Event checkbox allows you designate the Event as all-day on any associated calendars. This will also affect the Reminder field below (which can then still be updated as needed).
   • Start and End allow you to designate the time period during which the event will take place and will automatically update the Reminder field below (which can then still be updated as needed).
   • The Related To field is important if you are trying to make the Event public.
     • Putting any record type that is private (Asset, Case, Contract, List/Campaign, Opportunity, Product, Reserved Contact Data, Reserved Organization Data, or Travel) will default the Task to being private.
     • The only two record types that can be associated here and retain the Task as public are Organization and Solution.
     • This can also be left blank but if needed select the appropriate record type from the dropdown and use the Lookup icon to search for the correct record to associate with the Task.
   • The Name field will by default have the Contact you created the record from as Primary Contact and can also be filled in as needed by using the Lookup icon to find and associate up to 49 other Contact records.
     • Note: While you can also choose Lead from the dropdown and associate a Lead record to the Event you will not want to do that if you want the Event to remain public. Leads are private records and associating a Lead here would make the Event private to your business unit.
     • Clicking on Add to Invitees will add the Event to the Contact's Salesforce Calendar and changes the Save button to Save & Send Update. This will email the Contact(s) an invite to the Event once this button is clicked.
       • The Subject, Description, and Location information are included in this email communication.
       • As most Contacts will not have access to their CRM Calendar note that it does give the option to save to their own calendar outside of CRM with appropriate Start and End or All-Day Appointment information.
   • Related Case allows you to use the Lookup icon to associate a Case with the Event as needed.
   • Type should be set according to internal business practices.
   • The Private checkbox cannot be used in this instance as there is already a record other than your own associated with the Event.
   • Location allows you to enter a location that will show as the Where for any Users or Contacts getting emails about the Event.
   • The Show Time As dropdown allows you to designate how you would like the Event to appear on your own Salesforce calendar.
   • Phone and Email cannot be manipulated here and will pull from any associated Primary Contact record if applicable.
   • Description is where you will be putting information about the Event that you want to communicate to Contacts and/or other Users that are either invited to the Event or viewing the Contact record.
     • Note that if you have invited any Contacts or Users this will also get pulled into any emails generated by the Event.
   • Reminder will be pre-populated based on selections in the All-Day Event, Start, and End areas but can be manipulated here as needed.
   • If there are any supporting documents or other necessary attachments the Attach File button can be clicked in the Attachments section at the bottom of the screen.
3. Fill in all desired fields for the Event and based on the selections made you may be seeing different buttons:
   • If you have clicked on Add to Invitees to invite any Contacts or Users to the Event you will want to click Save & Send Update to save the Event and send any relevant email invites.
   • If you have not invited any Contacts or Users you can click on Save to be brought back to the Contact record.