enterprise software course

Customer Relationship Management Administration and Sales Process

Run a cloud CRM from first login to a governed, reported sales and service operation.

about this course

What you will be able to do

L1 to L7 ladder28:00 h of lessons plus practice and sharingSelf-paced with peer circle

Remember Remember : finding your way around.
Understand Understand : who can see and change what.
Apply Apply : campaign to lead to account.
Apply Apply : opportunities and the sales process.
Analyse Analyse : accounts, partners and channel plans.
Evaluate Evaluate : service: cases, queues and service levels.
Create Create : governance, data quality and change.
Evaluate Evaluate : capstone: audit and teach the whole system.

Task, condition and standard

Task

Run a cloud CRM from first login to a governed, reported sales and service operation. Finish all 8 modules on a practice set-up.

Condition

A free trial or practice account, practice data only (never real customer data), a peer circle and a mentor for the final review.

Standard

Every module standard is met; records are kept; a peer and a mentor rate the work 'Meets' or better on the rubric.

Who it is for: Sales staff, channel managers, support agents, junior admins, career changers. Requirements: a computer and internet. Materials: slides with notes, worked examples, activities, quiz, rubric.

How the ladder works: modules climb from L1 (remember) to L7 (create); the ladder section shows each level as a slide. Take them in order; the first three suit new learners, 4 and 5 suit practitioners, 6 and 7 suit advanced staff.

lesson by lesson

8 modules with worked examples

Module 1 Finding your way around 2 hRememberL1 Basic

A CRM is one shared notebook about customers. Before you change anything, learn where things are and what the words mean.

Learn the main objects: lead (a possible customer), account (a company), contact (a person), opportunity (a possible sale), case (a problem to fix).
Learn the screen parts: app menu, tabs, record page, list view, search bar.
Know who to ask: your administrator first, then the help page, then a super-user group.

Worked example. A sales person opens an account, sees three contacts and one open opportunity, and finds the last visit note in under a minute.

Activity. Open the practice org. Find one lead, one account, one contact, one opportunity and one case. Write the object name and the one-line meaning of each.

Standard to meet. Find all five, describe each in your own words and change no data.

Slides with notes

Slide 1: Five objects in one picture. Speaker note: Draw lead to account, contact, opportunity, case. Say each word aloud. Ask the learner to point to each on screen.
Slide 2: Where do I click? Speaker note: Walk through app menu, tabs, search. Notes: keep to ten minutes; let the learner drive.

Module 2 Who can see and change what 2 hUnderstandL2 Awareness

Access rules protect customers and the business. Three layers decide what a person sees: the profile or role, the sharing rules and the field settings.

Profile or permission set: what a person can do (read, create, edit, delete).
Role and sharing: whose records a person can see (own, team, all).
Field settings: which fields are hidden, read-only or required.
Least access first: give the smallest access that does the job.

Worked example. A new support agent can see all cases in their region but only the contact name and phone on an account, not the contract value.

Activity. Draw the access map for three job roles in a small company. For each, list objects they can read, edit and delete.

Standard to meet. Map covers three roles; no role has delete on accounts unless justified in one sentence.

Slides with notes

Slide 1: Three layers of access. Speaker note: Show who/what/which-fields as stacked layers. Note: avoid giving everyone full access for convenience.
Slide 2: Least access. Speaker note: Give one example of too much access and the harm it can cause.

Module 3 Campaign to lead to account 3 hApplyL3 Foundation

Marketing and sales meet at the lead. Good lead handling means every lead has an owner, a source, a next step and a clear end: converted or closed with a reason.

Create a campaign with a goal, budget and members.
Capture leads with a form; check for duplicates before creating.
Score and route leads by simple rules (region, product, size).
Convert a qualified lead into an account, contact and opportunity; close others with a reason.

Worked example. A webinar brings 120 sign-ups. 80 are new leads, 40 match existing contacts. 22 are qualified and converted; 58 are closed with a reason and a nurture tag.

Activity. Create one campaign, add 10 practice leads, route them by region, convert 3, close 2 with reasons.

Standard to meet. Check that there are no duplicate accounts, give every lead an owner and a status, and record reasons.

Slides with notes

Slide 1: Lead life cycle. Speaker note: New, working, converted, closed. Note: a lead must never sit without an owner.
Slide 2: Duplicate check. Speaker note: Show a match rule; explain why duplicates damage reports.

Module 4 Opportunities and the sales process 4 hApplyL4 Practitioner

An opportunity moves through stages with proof at each step. The stage must tell the truth about the customer, not the hope of the seller.

Define stages and the exit proof for each (need confirmed, quote sent, decision maker met, terms agreed).
Record amount, close date, next step and competitor field (generic, no names in reports).
Add products, price lists and a quote; send for approval above a limit.
Forecast: commit, best case, pipeline, using stage and date together.

Worked example. A 40,000 opportunity at stage Quote sent has a next step dated within 7 days; if none, the report flags it red.

Activity. Build a four-stage path with exit proof; create two opportunities; produce a quote; set a forecast category.

Standard to meet. Write exit proof for each stage and give every open opportunity a dated next step.

Slides with notes

Slide 1: Stage, proof, next step. Speaker note: One slide per stage with the proof needed. Note: stages describe the customer, not the seller.
Slide 2: Quote and approval. Speaker note: Explain the discount limit and who approves.

Module 5 Accounts, partners and channel plans 4 hAnalyseL5 Specialist

Large accounts and partners need a plan, not only a record. Segment accounts, plan the year, and review on a calendar.

Segment accounts by size and potential (for example A, B, C) and set visit and review frequency.
Account plan: goals, key people, offers, risks, actions with dates.
Partner plan: targets, business reviews (at least four a year for important partners), end-period review and a close-and-renew step.
Visit report: purpose, people, outcome, next action, logged within 24 hours.

Worked example. A partner is rated B, gets four reviews a year, and the plan from last year is closed and copied forward with new targets.

Activity. Write an account plan and a partner plan for one practice account; log two visit reports.

Standard to meet. Set goals with numbers, dated actions and a review calendar in the plans, and log reports with next actions.

Slides with notes

Slide 1: Segment, plan, review. Speaker note: Show the circle: plan, act, review, close, renew. Note: the circle ends only if the relationship ends.
Slide 2: Good visit report. Speaker note: Show a good and a weak report side by side.

Module 6 Service: cases, queues and service levels 4 hEvaluateL6 Advanced

Service turns a promise into a measured routine. Cases need a queue, a clock, an owner and a clear close.

Case flow: received, assigned, working, waiting for customer, solved, closed with a reason.
Entitlements and service levels: which customer gets which response and fix times.
Channels: email, portal, chat; one case for one problem.
Measure: first response time, time to solve, reopen rate, customer score.

Worked example. Gold customers get a 1-hour response; the report shows 92% met in March and lists the 8% missed with causes.

Activity. Set up a queue with two service levels; process ten practice cases; build a service dashboard.

Standard to meet. Show the four measures on the dashboard, with at least 90% of practice cases within their clocks.

Slides with notes

Slide 1: A case has a clock. Speaker note: Explain start, pause (waiting for customer), stop. Note: pause rules must be fair.
Slide 2: Four service numbers. Speaker note: Define each in one line.

Module 7 Governance, data quality and change 5 hCreateL7 Super expert

At the top level you protect the whole system: clean data, tested changes, training and a support route.

Data quality: required fields, validation rules, duplicate rules, monthly clean-up report.
Change control: ideas list, sandbox test, release note, rollback plan.
Network of champions: a person per team who trains, collects ideas and helps others.
Audit: who changed what and when; yearly access review.

Worked example. A new required field is tested in a sandbox with 10 users, released on a Friday with a one-page note, and checked on Monday for errors.

Activity. Write a governance pack: data rules, change steps, champion plan, yearly review.

Standard to meet. Pack passes review: each rule has an owner, a test and a date; rollback described.

Slides with notes

Slide 1: Four guards. Speaker note: Data, change, people, audit. Note: governance should help people, not slow them.
Slide 2: Release note. Speaker note: Show a one-page template.

Module 8 Capstone: audit and teach the whole system 4 hEvaluateL7 Super expert

The best proof of skill is to check a live system against a plan and then help others use it well. In this capstone you audit a full sales-to-service set-up, fix what you find and train a small group.

Audit in four parts: access, data quality, process stages and service clocks; score each part red, amber or green.
Write a short findings list with the cause, the risk and the fix for each item.
Plan a 30-minute training for one team: one goal, one live demo, one practice task, one feedback question.
Measure the result: compare error counts and user questions before and after the training.

Worked example. An audit finds 14 percent of open opportunities with no dated next step. The fix is a required field and a weekly report; four weeks later the figure falls to 3 percent.

Activity. Audit the practice org with a four-part check list, write the findings, and teach one peer how to fix one finding.

Standard to meet. Audit covers all four parts; every finding has a cause and a fix; the peer completes the practice task alone.

Slides with notes

Slide 1: Capstone: audit and teach the whole system: the idea. Speaker note: The best proof of skill is to check a live system against a plan and then help others use it well. In this capstone you audit a full sales-to-service set-up, fix what you find and train a small group.
Slide 2: Capstone: audit and teach the whole system: your turn. Speaker note: Audit the practice org with a four-part check list, write the findings, and teach one peer how to fix one finding.

assessment

How you are checked

Evidence: your records from each activity. A peer and a mentor mark it. Pass: no criterion at 'Not yet'.

Marking rubric (Not yet, Meets, Exceeds)
Criterion	Not yet	Meets	Exceeds
Accuracy	Steps wrong	Steps right on practice data	Right and explained to a peer
Evidence	No records	Records for each module	Records and a lessons note
Safety and privacy	Real data used	Practice data only	Rules written for others
Standard	Misses the standard	Meets every module standard	Meets and improves it

Ten-question check, with model answers

Q1. A new support agent needs to see all cases for their region but must not see contract values. Which settings do you use?

Model answer: Use a profile or permission set for object access, sharing rules for the region, and field settings to hide the contract value field. Give the least access that does the job. (Covered in module 2: Who can see and change what. To pass that module: Map covers three roles; no role has delete on accounts unless justified in one sentence.)

Q2. Name the five main objects and say what an opportunity is.

Model answer: Lead, account, contact, opportunity and case. An opportunity is a possible sale that moves through stages. (Covered in module 1: Finding your way around. To pass that module: Find all five, describe each in your own words and change no data.)

Q3. A webinar gives 120 sign-ups and 40 match existing contacts. How many new leads should be created, and what should you do first?

Model answer: Create 80 new leads. First run the duplicate check so the 40 matches are not created again. (Covered in module 3: Campaign to lead to account. To pass that module: Check that there are no duplicate accounts, give every lead an owner and a status, and record reasons.)

Q4. Why must every lead have an owner?

Model answer: Without an owner nobody follows up, so the lead goes cold and reports show false numbers. Every lead needs an owner, a source and a next step. (Covered in module 3: Campaign to lead to account. To pass that module: Check that there are no duplicate accounts, give every lead an owner and a status, and record reasons.)

Q5. An opportunity is at stage Quote sent but has no next step. What should the report show and why?

Model answer: It should flag the record red. A stage must tell the truth about the customer, and no dated next step suggests the sale is stuck. (Covered in module 4: Opportunities and the sales process. To pass that module: Write exit proof for each stage and give every open opportunity a dated next step.)

Q6. An important partner is rated B. How many business reviews a year should the plan hold, and what happens to last year's plan?

Model answer: At least four reviews a year. Last year's plan is closed with an end-period review and then copied forward with new targets. (Covered in module 5: Accounts, partners and channel plans. To pass that module: Set goals with numbers, dated actions and a review calendar in the plans, and log reports with next actions.)

Q7. In the capstone audit you score access, data quality, process stages and service clocks. How do you score each part and what must each finding include?

Model answer: Score each part red, amber or green. Each finding needs the cause, the risk and the fix. (Covered in module 8: Capstone: audit and teach the whole system. To pass that module: Audit covers all four parts; every finding has a cause and a fix; the peer completes the practice task alone.)

Q8. Gold customers get a 1-hour response. In March 92 of 100 cases met it. What is the result and what next?

Model answer: The service level was met for 92 percent, so 8 cases were missed. List the missed cases with their causes and fix the common ones. (Covered in module 6: Service: cases, queues and service levels. To pass that module: Show the four measures on the dashboard, with at least 90% of practice cases within their clocks.)

Q9. Why does a case clock pause when the status is waiting for customer?

Model answer: The delay is not caused by your team, so counting it would be unfair. Pause rules must be written and fair. (Covered in module 6: Service: cases, queues and service levels. To pass that module: Show the four measures on the dashboard, with at least 90% of practice cases within their clocks.)

Q10. You want to add a new required field. Describe a safe release and the final check.

Model answer: Test in a sandbox with a few users, release with a one-page note and a rollback plan, then check for errors the next working day. (Covered in module 7: Governance, data quality and change. To pass that module: Pack passes review: each rule has an owner, a test and a date; rollback described.)

levels L1 to L7

The ladder, slide by slide

Seven slides, one per level. Open each for the slide text and the speaker notes.

Slide 1 L1 Basic: L1 Basic

Remember the main CRM words: lead, account, contact, opportunity and case. Find each one on screen without changing any data.

Speaker notes. Ask learners to point to each object and say it in their own words. Common mistake: mixing up a lead and a contact.

Slide 2 L2 Awareness: L2 Awareness

Understand why access rules exist and how the three layers of profile, sharing and fields protect customers. Explain in simple words why least access is safer.

Speaker notes. Use the support agent example. Check that learners can say what each layer controls. Common mistake: giving everyone full access to save time.

Slide 3 L3 Foundation: L3 Foundation

Apply the lead life cycle by creating a campaign, routing leads and converting the qualified ones. Close the rest with a reason.

Speaker notes. Watch for duplicate accounts and leads without an owner. Let the learner drive the screen. Common mistake: skipping the duplicate check.

Slide 4 L4 Practitioner: L4 Practitioner

Apply a stage path with exit proof, dated next steps, quotes and forecast categories. Keep each record honest to the customer's real position.

Speaker notes. Review two opportunities together and ask what proof supports each stage. Common mistake: moving a stage on hope, not proof.

Slide 5 L5 Specialist: L5 Specialist

Analyse accounts and partners to segment them, write plans and set a review calendar. Compare a good visit report with a weak one.

Speaker notes. Ask for numbers in every goal and a date on every action. Common mistake: plans that are written once and never reviewed.

Slide 6 L6 Advanced: L6 Advanced

Evaluate service performance using queues, clocks and four service numbers. Judge whether the targets are fair and what causes missed cases.

Speaker notes. Have learners read a dashboard and name the biggest cause of misses. Common mistake: trusting one average and ignoring the late cases.

Slide 7 L7 Super expert: L7 Super expert

Create a governance pack and audit a whole system, then teach others to use it. Show that data, change, people and audit rules each have an owner.

Speaker notes. Check that every rule has an owner, a test and a date. Common mistake: governance so heavy that people work around it.

jobs this leads to

Where this takes you

CRM administrator. Sets up users, access, fields and reports.
Sales operations analyst. Keeps pipeline data clean and reports it.
Channel manager. Plans and reviews partners inside the CRM.
Support team lead. Runs cases, queues and service levels.
CRM consultant. Designs the whole sales-to-service flow.

Next courses: data skills, process improvement, a sector course for your target employer.

ten locations and global

Your place

Local law changes how you store customer data and issue invoices. Check it for your place first.

India (Bengaluru)

Language: English, Hindi, Kannada. Use INR for amounts. Personal data rule: Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. Skills frame to cite: National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and the national credit framework.

Netherlands (Eindhoven area)

Language: Dutch, English. Use EUR for amounts. Personal data rule: EU GDPR (Dutch: AVG), supervised by the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens. Skills frame to cite: the Dutch qualification framework (NLQF) linked to the European Qualifications Framework.

UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi)

Language: Arabic, English. Use AED for amounts. Personal data rule: Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 (personal data protection). Skills frame to cite: the emirate education and training regulators (for example KHDA in Dubai) and the national qualifications framework.

Brazil (Sao Paulo)

Language: Portuguese (Spanish and English support). Use BRL for amounts. Personal data rule: LGPD (Lei Geral de Protecao de Dados). Skills frame to cite: the national technical-education catalogue and the national S-system training bodies.

Canada (Toronto)

Language: English, French. Use CAD for amounts. Personal data rule: PIPEDA, with provincial rules where they apply. Skills frame to cite: the provincial colleges framework and the national credential-recognition guidance.

United States

Language: English, Spanish. Use USD for amounts. Personal data rule: state privacy laws (for example California), and COPPA for children under 13. Skills frame to cite: state and community-college credit systems.

Singapore

Language: English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil. Use SGD for amounts. Personal data rule: Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). Skills frame to cite: the Singapore national skills frameworks and the national credit system.

Australia

Language: English. Use AUD for amounts. Personal data rule: the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. Skills frame to cite: the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) levels.

Hong Kong (Eastern Asia)

Language: Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin), English. Use HKD for amounts. Personal data rule: the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. Skills frame to cite: the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework.

Georgia and Israel (Western Asia)

Language: Georgian, Hebrew, Arabic, English. Use GEL or ILS for amounts. Personal data rule: the personal data law of the country where the learner lives. Skills frame to cite: the national qualifications framework of that country.

Cayman Islands (Caribbean)

Language: English. Use KYD for amounts. Personal data rule: the Data Protection Act. Skills frame to cite: the local education and training framework.

Mexico

Language: Spanish, English. Use MXN for amounts. Personal data rule: the federal law on personal data held by private parties. Skills frame to cite: the national competency certification system and the education ministry levels.

Draft

Draft course. Written in our own words from our own training outlines; no third-party text is used. Not live.

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