For those that are part of the quickly growing community of CRM users via Mobile (more specifically, your telephone and the CRM Mobile App), calling one of your contacts is pretty easy using the default tap to dial functionality from your Smart phone.  Simply when your contact has an extension, that's where things start to get complicated.  You either need to take a adept retentiveness to punch the extension when appropriate or exist proactive with the copy/paste feature on your telephone.

Permit'due south kickoff off with a couple mutual examples of phone number formats.

I'll presume you've found a person within CRM through your normal means of locating your business contacts in CRM for Mobile.

  1. Typical 10 digit phone number:

(864) 555-1234

  1. 10 digit telephone number with extension (Common examples) in the same field:

(864) 555-1111 ext. 123

(864) 555-1111 x123

  1. x digit telephone number with extension (Preferred method):

(864) 555-1111; 123

Example #ane higher up is the 'Command' or 'easy path' sample.  From a telephone using CRM for Mobile, this functions as expected when tapping to dial.  The phone'south operating organization (iOS, Android, etc) will prompt yous to dial the number (as seen below).

Annotation: In all examples, CRM'due south default out of box functionality volition automatically create a Telephone Call job during this process.

Note 2: All screen shots are from an Apple iPhone 5S.

CRM Mobile App Blog 1

The examples for #two are the most common examples that I have seen with clients and their data.  Aesthetically, there is aught wrong with these examples, the issue is how your phone processes the request ("the tap") to dial.  It assumes you want to dial the unabridged string of characters, including the letters and extension, at the same fourth dimension.  1 of 2 things unremarkably result from this:

  1. The extension is dialed long before the number yous are calling is set up to receive information technology.

Or

  1. The call fails due to likewise many digits/characters being dialed at one time.

CRM Mobile App Blog 2

Let's talk almost the preferred method, using the semicolon.

Background:

The format for dialing telephone numbers using special characters dates dorsum several decades for employ with modems, long earlier smart phones and apps e'er became commonplace.  The utilize of semicolons (;) and commas (,) to separate digits in a phone number signify much more than a visual identifier to separate groups of numbers.  A semicolon represents a hard "Wait" command and a comma represents a soft/temporary "Suspension" command (typically ii-3 seconds).  Either can be used in our example above, the trick with the usage of commas is to know (or judge) how long of a break is needed.

This is a more than automated method, merely information technology may take some trial and error to get information technology right.  The semicolon will let you lot cull when to tap (to dial) the extension.

Example #3: Using a semicolon:

When you tap on this phone number, your telephone will know to await until yous want to dial the extension.  Meet screen shots below.

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CRM Mobile App Blog 4

Discover the Punch "123" pick above.  This selection will be bachelor in one case a connection is made to the number being called.  You have a one touch option to dial the extension when information technology's advisable.  This also works with leading or trailing pound sign (#) and asterisk/star (*), if needed.

For clients that volition be migrating a big set of information that may take extensions included, I suggest them to reformat the extension part of phone numbers to use the semicolon equally office of the migration program/procedure.  Education end users to utilize this format when creating or updated new phones for contacts/companies is too very important.

Pro tip:

Do you call into the same teleconference line (with extension/meeting code) routinely (daily, weekly, etc)?  Set up the conference number as a contact on your telephone (but not in CRM, because that would be airheaded) using the semicolon or comma(south) to make dialing in easier when yous're on the road.  If you lot're the organizer of the meeting (depending on the blazon of invite used), utilise that format in the Location field or Notes department of your agenda invite.

Happy Dialing!

Ready to have a conversation well-nigh how yous can meliorate the way you're using CRM? Reach out to Hitachi Solutions today!

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