Why log an attempt
A lead that arrives from a portal usually needs chasing before it can go anywhere. A lead's communication history is where you record each attempt you make, so that you - and anyone else working the inbox - can see what has already been tried, on which number, and how it went. It saves calling a mobile that three people have already called this week.
The log is a record of what happened. Adding to it does not move the lead through the workflow: the stages still advance as you add the contact and create the persona record.
Where to find it
The lead detail view shows a Communication history section below the contact section (Link contact or Contact details). It is a timeline, newest at the top: every attempt logged against the lead, and at the bottom Initial enquiry received - where the enquiry came from, when it arrived, and the enquirer's message.
Add attempt, on the right of the heading, opens the form at the top of the timeline - where the new entry will appear - so you never leave the lead to record a call.
The five most recent attempts are shown. On a lead with more, a link above the enquiry - for example Show 3 earlier attempts - lists the rest.
With nothing logged yet, the timeline says so above the enquiry.
The section stays with the lead through every stage, whether or not anything has been logged - a lead that has already become a contact record keeps its history, and an empty one still answers "has anyone chased this?".
Logging from the timeline
Selecting Add attempt opens the form in place. Add attempt under the fields records it: the form closes and the new entry appears at the top of the timeline - that is the confirmation, rather than a message about it. Cancel closes the form without recording anything.
Recording an attempt
The form takes four things:
Method - the numbers and email address the enquiry arrived with, as a row of small cards - Mobile, Home, Work or Email, each with its icon and the number or address itself underneath. The first one - usually the mobile - is selected already, since that is usually what you have just tried, and one is always selected: select another card to change it. Picking one records both which channel it was and the exact number or address, so the log can never say a call was made to an email address.
When - the date and time, set to now, and editable. Write up this morning's calls at the end of the day and you can put the real time in. Type into the field, or select the calendar icon at the end of it to pick. A time in the future is refused.
Outcome - a list of the outcomes for that method. A phone attempt can be Contacted, No answer, Left voicemail or Invalid number; an email can be Sent or Bounced. Switching between two numbers keeps the outcome you picked, since it is still one a call can have; switching between a number and the email address clears it, so an email can never be recorded as a voicemail.
Note (optional) - what was said, and anything to follow up or expect. Line breaks are kept as you typed them.
Your own name is recorded against the attempt automatically, so the log always shows who tried.
Reading the log
Each entry shows:
The method as an icon - a handset for a call, an envelope for an email - and the number or address tried.
The outcome as a coloured label. Green means you reached them, amber means you are waiting on a reply (a voicemail, or an email sent), grey means nothing came of it, and red means the channel itself is broken: an invalid number or a bounced email. A red outcome is usually a sign to try the other method, or to record the lead as one you can't reach.
When the attempt was made, as time elapsed. Hovering it shows the exact date and time.
Who made it. Hovering the name shows that negotiator's job title and how to reach them, the same as anywhere else in the CRM. Where the person can't be identified, the name is left out rather than shown as unknown.
Their note, where one was left.
A lead with no phone number and no email
Some enquiries arrive with no way to reach anyone. There is nothing to log against, so the form says so instead of showing the fields, and points you at the contact form (to gather a number) or at recording the lead as one you can't reach.
If the log will not load
Where the history can't be fetched, the timeline says so and offers Try again rather than showing an empty list, since "nothing logged" and "we couldn't check" are very different things when you are about to pick up the phone. Anything you log is still recorded.