Aurea CRM Add-in for Microsoft Word

Learn about the Microsoft Word Add-in for Aurea CRM.

Aurea CRM add-in for Microsoft Word allows CRM users to create documents based on templates that meet the corporate CI guidelines and enrich the documents with content from the CRM.

Note: You need to have the Enterprise License setup on Aurea CRM to work with the Word add-in.

CRM administrator and users can create template documents that can be used for various recurring tasks. Some of the tasks for different user roles include the following:

  • A Sales representative could create and maintain template documents for offer letters, order sheets, email etc. Use the different information in the CRM system to enrich the document.
  • Marketing personnel could create new templates to meet the latest customer interaction guidelines. Create templates for marketing campaigns sent by letters or flyers using information from the CRM.
  • Service representatives can create solution documents or other documents for different services and use the CRM information in those documents.
  • Field service representatives can create service report documents at the customer site along with the current ticket.
  • All users can ensure that customers receive information in their preferred language.
Note: To send an email in a language other than the default languages, you should use UTF-16 encoding for the template document. For example, to send an email in Cyrillic, encode the template document in UTF-16. You can use any text editor that supports UTF-16, to encode the template document.

The Aurea CRM word add-in supports the following features:

  • Allows you to use the same set of methods used by Aurea CRM.Web.
  • Template documents can use fields that are used to store information in Aurea CRM.
  • Serial and single letter fields can be easily integrated into the templates using drag and drop features.

Installing Aurea CRM Add-in for Microsoft Word

Aurea CRM Add-in for MS Word is developed as a VSTO Add-in. Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) Add-ins use the ClickOnce deployment solution which automatically updates your users' installation of CRM Add-in for Word on their machines. The recommended way to install Aurea CRM Word Add-in is to use a network shared location containing the latest installation package. As a CRM administrator you should set up a central shared location for the CRM Add-in for Word installation package. Using this process ensures that the latest version of the CRM Add-in for Word is automatically upgraded to the latest version. CRM users only have to install it once using the shared central location.
Important: ClickOnce installation checks this location for all subsequent updates. Ensure that you update this location with the latest package to ensure automatic updates.

If your organization cannot provide a shared location, the Aurea CRM add-in for Word installation package can be found on the Aurea CRM customer support site.

To install the Aurea CRM add-in for Word:

  1. Browse to the network shared central location you have set up.

    Or

    Unzip the package OfficeAddins_<versionNo>_full.zip. The <versionNo> is the latest version available on the customer support site.
  2. Double click aurea.office.word.vsto file in the shared location or the unzipped folder. The Microsoft Office Customization Installer window opens.

    The installer verifies the publisher, in this case Aurea CRM, and then displays the following window.

  3. Click Install. The Installing Office Customization message displays.

  4. The window automatically closes on successful installation.
  5. Start Microsoft Word and open a blank document, the Aurea CRM menu item should be visible.
  6. Click the Aurea CRM menu.

  7. To work with the plugin you have to be connected to Aurea CRM. Click Settings to open the connection dialog.

  8. Enter the following details in the connection dialog:
    1. Enter the URL of the Aurea CRM server.
    2. Enter your Username and Password.
    3. Select the language you prefer to work on Aurea CRM.
  9. Click Log In.
  10. Now you can use the CRM Word Add-in to create templates for your documents.

Setting-up Upgrade location for the Aurea CRM Add-in for Microsoft Word

Aurea CRM Add-in for MS Word is developed as a VSTO Add-in. Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) Add-ins use the ClickOnce deployment solution which automatically updates your CRM Add-in for Word. This requires that you publish Aurea CRM Add-in to a network shared central location. Users can install the latest version from this location once, all subsequent upgrades then happens automatically. Publishing a new version to this location automatically updates all CRM Add-in for Word installed from this location.

Note: If there are multiple users on a machine, then each user has to install his own version of CRM Add-in for MS Word. This is a limitation of the ClickOnce solution.

The following steps illustrate how to publish the latest version of word Add-in to the central location:

  1. Unzip the package OfficeAddins_<version>_release.zip.
  2. Create a network shared central location that is accessible to your users and copy the files in the unzipped folder to this location.

  3. Instruct your users to access this folder and install CRM Add-in for Word using the aurea.office.word.vsto file. Installing from this folder is required only once, after this the updates happens automatically.
  4. When a new version of CRM Add-in for word is released, unzip the new OfficeAddins_<version>_release.zip package and copy the files in the unzipped folder to the same network shared central location.
  5. Select Replace the files in the destination when you prompted to overwrite the files.
  6. The Application Files folder contains the new version as well as the older versions.

  7. When the user starts up Microsoft Word the next time,
    Note: ClickOnce installer checks for updates once in every seven days.
    Note: The network shared folder should be accessible to the MS Word user for the automatic updates to work.
  8. If the user wants a new version before the seven days check, he can go to the shared folder and update his current installation by using the aurea.office.word.vsto file.

Troubleshooting the Aurea CRM Add-in for Microsoft Word

Sometimes the Aurea CRM add-in for Word installation may fail with an error message as shown in the following screenshot:

To resolve the issue, try the following solutions:

  • Solution 1:
    1. Unzip the package OfficeAddins_8.4.0.0_release.zip.
    2. Right click setup.exe and select Run as Administrator.
    3. Continue with the installation from step 3, as described in the section above (Installing Aurea CRM Add-in for Microsoft Word).
  • Solution 2:
    1. Rename file C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft\Shared\VSTO\10.0 \VSTOInstaller.exe.Config to Old-VSTOInstaller.exe.Config.
    2. Continue with the installation from step 3, as described in the section above (Installing Aurea CRM Add-in for Microsoft Word).
  • Solution 3:
    1. Rename file C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft\Shared\VSTO\10.0 \VSTOInstaller.exe.Config to Old-VSTOInstaller.exe.Config.
    2. Unzip the package OfficeAddins_8.4.0.0_release.zip.
    3. Right click setup.exe and select Run as Administrator.
    4. Continue with the installation from step 3, as described in the section above (Installing Aurea CRM Add-in for Microsoft Word).