Wizard Systems

From Suspects to Sales: Streamlining Your CRM Strategy with Workbooks

How you handle those all important sales enquiries...leads...or whatever you call them, is really important and can set decide the outcome as regards how you handle them. Workbooks CRM’s Leads feature offers a robust solution to capture, nurture, and convert these early-stage “suspects” without cluttering your active customer database. Whether you’ve returned from an exhibition with a stack of business cards or need a dedicated space to manage vague enquiries, this tool ensures nothing slips through the cracks.

Keep Suspects Separate from Active Contacts
One of the standout benefits of the Leads feature is its ability to segregate unqualified prospects from your core CRM records. New enquiries, such as those from trade shows or website forms, often lack the detail required to classify them as sales-ready opportunities. By housing these “suspects” in Leads, you maintain a clean, organised database while preserving the flexibility to develop these prospects over time. This separation prevents confusion, ensuring your sales team focuses on high-priority accounts without distractions.

Capture Basic Information Quickly
When time is of the essence, Workbooks CRM allows you to input minimal details—such as a name, email, or phone number—and build out profiles gradually. The web-to-lead functionality automates this process, capturing enquiries directly from your website and instantly creating lead records. For exhibition follow-ups, bulk imports via CSV let you upload dozens of contacts in seconds, eliminating manual data entry.

Track Lead Sources and Measure ROI
Understanding where your leads originate is key to refining marketing strategies. Workbooks CRM links each lead to its source—whether it’s a Google Ads campaign, an event, or a referral—enabling precise ROI tracking. By associating costs with campaigns (e.g., exhibition fees or digital ads), you gain visibility into which initiatives drive conversions and revenue. This data-driven approach ensures smarter budget allocation and maximises marketing effectiveness.

Prioritise with Lead Scoring
Not all leads are created equal. Workbooks CRM’s scoring system evaluates prospects based on criteria like engagement level, budget, and fit with your offerings. This automated prioritisation helps sales teams identify high-potential leads, ensuring efforts are directed toward the most promising opportunities. Suspects requiring further nurturing remain in the Leads module until they meet qualification thresholds.

Convert Leads Seamlessly into Opportunities
Once a lead is deemed sales-ready, a single click converts it into a fully-fledged Opportunity, Account, or Contact. All historical interactions—emails, notes, and activities—carry over, providing context for the sales team. This seamless transition eliminates duplicate data entry and ensures continuity in customer engagement.

Join Our Webinar to Master Lead Management
Ready to unlock the full potential of Workbooks CRM’s Leads feature? Wizard Systems, a trusted CRM solutions provider for over 30 years, is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, 5th March at 2 PM GMT. Learn how to streamline enquiry management, leverage lead scoring, and integrate Leads into your sales workflow.

REGISTER HERE

Wizard Systems offers end-to-end support for Workbooks CRM, including implementation, training, and ongoing assistance. Visit www.wizard-systems.com.uk to explore how our expertise can elevate your CRM strategy.

Don’t let promising suspects go cold—transform how you manage enquiries with Workbooks CRM.

Why GDPR Compliance in Your CRM Still Matters for UK Businesses in 2025

Even in 2025, GDPR remains a critical priority for UK organisations. Recent updates, like the “recognised legitimate interests” rule, offer flexibility for certain data uses—such as fraud prevention or customer service improvements—but strict accountability and transparency standards still apply. Here’s why embedding GDPR into your CRM system is essential:

Avoid Costly Penalties
Fines for breaches can still reach £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover. A GDPR-compliant CRM helps prevent errors like unauthorised data access or poor consent management.

Build Customer Trust
Over 80% of consumers value businesses that handle their data responsibly. Clear opt-in processes and easy data access tools in your CRM foster loyalty and brand reputation.

Stay Ahead of Regulations
New laws, including AI-driven data rules, are emerging. Proactive compliance ensures your business adapts smoothly to future changes.

Key GDPR Requirements for Your CRM

1. Legal Basis Tracking: Confirm if data is processed via consent, contracts, or legitimate interests.

2. Data Accuracy: Automatically update records and delete outdated information.

3. Security: Use encryption and role-based access to protect sensitive details.

4. Breach Alerts: Set up instant notifications for suspicious activity.

5. Training: Ensure staff understand GDPR principles through regular updates.

How Workbooks CRM Simplifies Compliance
Workbooks CRM includes built-in tools for GDPR, such as automated data retention schedules, audit logs, and consent tracking. Its 2025 updates streamline “legitimate interest” use cases while ensuring customer rights are respected.

Partner with Wizard Systems
For over 30 years, Wizard Systems has provided complete Workbooks CRM solutions, including setup, training, and support tailored to UK GDPR standards. Let their expertise turn compliance into a competitive edge.

Discover more at www.wizard-systems.com.uk.

GDPR compliance isn’t just about avoiding fines—it’s about earning trust and future-proofing your business. With the right CRM partner, you can achieve both effortlessly.

Top 4 things you can use reports for in Workbooks CRM - Event 19/2

Existing Workbooks CRM users, are you making the most of your reports? So you've made that fantastic report.  What next?  What can you use that report for?  Join us on Wednesday, 19th February at 2pm GMT for a focused webinar where we’ll explore four key ways to leverage reports to drive efficiency and growth.

1. Transform Reports into Dynamic Dashboards

Turn raw data into actionable visuals! Learn how to:

• Create real-time dashboards to track sales pipelines, customer interactions, and team performance at a glance.
• Use charts, graphs, and KPIs to highlight trends, identify opportunities, and monitor goals.
• Personalise dashboards for individual users or teams, ensuring everyone accesses relevant insights.

2. Launch Targeted Marketing Campaigns

Reports fuel smarter marketing. Discover how to:

• Identify high-potential customer segments using CRM data filters (e.g., by industry, purchase history, or engagement level).
• Automate campaign workflows by integrating report data with marketing tools.
• Track campaign performance in real time and refine strategies as needed.

3. Streamline Data Management with Bulk Operations

Save time and reduce errors! We’ll show you how to:

• Use reports to clean, update, or enrich CRM data in bulk (e.g., mass-updating contact details or tagging leads).
• Automate repetitive tasks by exporting report results to workflows or third-party tools.
• Maintain data accuracy and compliance through regular audits.

4. Share Insights with Non-CRM Stakeholders

Break down data silos! Learn to:

• Export reports into easy-to-digest formats (PDF, Excel) for presentations or meetings.
• Use integrations like Power BI to create interactive dashboards for external stakeholders.
• Schedule automated report deliveries to keep teams aligned.

Why Attend?

• Live Demos: Step-by-step examples of dashboard creation, bulk updates, and more.
• Q&A Session: Get tailored advice from Workbooks CRM experts.
• On-Demand Access: Registrants receive a recording and resources post-event.

Reserve Your Spot Now

Hosted by Wizard Systems—the UK’s leading Workbooks CRM supplier. Learn directly from the experts who help businesses maximise their CRM investment.

Date: Wednesday, 19th February 2025
Time: 2:00 PM GMT
Host: Wizard Systems (www.wizard-systems.co.uk)
Duration: 20 minutes + live Q&A

P.S. Invite your team! Ideal for CRM admins, marketing leads, and data managers.

Save time with Email Templates - Workbooks CRM event on 15th January

Do you have common messages, emails you need to send to customers and prospects?  Find yourself repeating those messages?  Could be a case for using email templates in Workbooks CRM!

Email templates in Workbooks CRM enable your team to respond quickly and consistently to common customer interactions whilst maintaining a professional tone. Instead of crafting individual emails from scratch, your team can use pre-approved templates that ensure brand consistency and reduce the risk of errors.

A Practical Example: The 'Thanks for Your Enquiry' Template

Consider this scenario: A potential customer submits an enquiry through your website. With Workbooks CRM's email templates, you can automatically send a professional response within minutes. Here's what a template might look like:

Subject: Thank you for your interest in [Organisation Name]

Dear [First Name],

Thank you for reaching out to us. We appreciate your interest in our products/services and are keen to learn more about your needs.

A member of our team will contact you within the next 24 hours to discuss how we can help you achieve your business goals.

In the meantime, you might find these resources helpful:
- Our product overview
- Customer success stories
- Frequently asked questions

Kind regards,
[Sender Name]
[Organisation Name]

 

Benefits of Using Email Templates

• Time Efficiency: Save valuable time by eliminating repetitive email writing tasks. Your sales team can focus on building relationships rather than drafting routine messages.
• Consistency: Ensure all customer communications maintain the same high standard of professionalism and brand voice, regardless of which team member sends them.
• Personalisation: Despite being templates, these emails can be personalised using dynamic fields that automatically pull information from your Workbooks CRM database.
• Error Reduction: Minimise the risk of typos, incorrect information, or tone inconsistencies that can occur when writing emails from scratch.

 

Ready to Learn More?

Join our upcoming webinar on 15th January at 14:00 GMT to see email templates in action. Our experts will demonstrate how to:
- Create and manage email templates
- Use dynamic fields for personalisation
- Share with the team

Register now to discover how email templates can revolutionise your customer communications and boost your team's productivity.

Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your Workbooks CRM experience. Secure your spot in our webinar and take the first step toward more efficient customer communications.

Email Marketing first time user? Mailchimp and Workbooks could be a great place to start - Event 11/12

Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to reach customers and prospects. If you have never done email marketing before, and need something simple to start with, yet has basic integration with Workbooks then look no further.

We are running an online event to our Workbooks CRM customers on Wednesday 11th December at 2pm UK time to show the basics of the integration.

REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND

The integration between Workbooks and Mailchimp bridges the gap between your customer data and email marketing efforts, eliminating manual data entry and reducing the risk of errors. By automatically syncing your Workbooks contacts with Mailchimp, you can ensure your email lists are always up-to-date and your campaigns reach the right audience.

Key Benefits of the Integration

The Workbooks-Mailchimp integration offers several advantages for businesses looking to enhance their email marketing efforts:

Automated Contact Synchronization: Changes made to contact records in Workbooks automatically reflect in your Mailchimp audience lists, ensuring data consistency across both platforms.

Segmentation Made Simple: Leverage your Workbooks data to create targeted segments in Mailchimp, allowing for more personalized and effective email campaigns.

Campaign Performance Tracking: Monitor email campaign metrics directly within Workbooks, giving you a complete view of customer engagement and campaign success.

Time and Resource Savings: Eliminate the need for manual data entry and list management, freeing up your team to focus on creating compelling content and analyzing results.

Getting Started

Setting up the integration is straightforward. Once configured, you can begin mapping your Workbooks contact fields to Mailchimp audience fields, ensuring that the right information flows between the systems. This allows you to maintain clean, accurate data while taking advantage of Mailchimp's robust email marketing features.

Making the Most of Your Email Marketing

With the integration in place, you can:

Create targeted email campaigns based on customer data stored in Workbooks Track engagement metrics and campaign performance Automatically update contact information across both platforms Use Workbooks reporting tools to analyze campaign effectiveness and ROI

The combination of Workbooks' powerful CRM capabilities and Mailchimp's user-friendly email marketing platform creates an efficient solution for businesses of all sizes. Whether you're sending newsletters, promotional campaigns, or targeted communications, the integration ensures your message reaches the right audience with minimal manual effort.

Ready to enhance your email marketing strategy? Contact Wizard Systems to learn more about implementing the Mailchimp integration for your organization.

Workbooks CRM - Putting your own 'stamp' on things!

Make your Workbooks CRM environment truly your own by personalising it with your company's branding. Join our upcoming webinar on 4th December to learn how to create a professional, branded experience for both your team and customers. Register now at workbooks.com/webinars/branding-customisation.

Desktop Customisation

The Workbooks desktop interface offers excellent opportunities for tailoring to reflect your company's visual identity. Our webinar will demonstrate how to personalise your workspace effectively.

Your company logo takes pride of place in the top navigation bar of your Workbooks interface. We'll show you how to navigate to Configuration > General > System Settings to upload your logo. For optimal results, we recommend using a high-resolution image in PNG or JPEG format with a transparent background, sized at 200x50 pixels.

The colour scheme of your Workbooks interface can be customised to match your brand colours. You'll learn how to modify the header background, menu items, and button colours through the System Settings area, creating a cohesive visual experience aligned with your company's identity.

Document Branding

Maintaining consistent branding across all your business documents is crucial. Our webinar will guide you through setting up your logo for PDF documents:

We'll demonstrate how to access Configuration > Templates & Documents > PDF Templates, where you can upload your company logo for all generated PDFs including quotes, invoices, and other business documents. We'll cover the recommended image specifications:

• Resolution: 300 DPI minimum
• Format: PNG or JPEG
• Dimensions: 400x100 pixels for optimal display
• File size: Under 1MB

Once uploaded, your logo appears automatically in the header section of all PDF documents generated through Workbooks. During the webinar, we'll show you how to customise the placement and size of your logo within each document template to meet your exact requirements.

Additional Branding Options

Beyond logos, discover how Workbooks offers several other branding customisation options for your documents. Our experts will demonstrate how to:

Customise header and footer content, add background watermarks, and include additional brand elements like company taglines or contact information. These elements can be configured individually for different types of documents, allowing you to maintain distinct yet branded templates for various business purposes.

Join Our Webinar

Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to maximise your Workbooks branding potential. Our webinar will cover all these topics in detail, with live demonstrations and a Q&A session.

Date: 4th December Time: 14:00 GMT Duration: 20 minutes Register now: wizard systems/webinars/branding-customisation

By attending this webinar, you'll gain the knowledge to create a professional, branded experience that reinforces your company's identity throughout every interaction with the Workbooks CRM system.

Workbooks CRM 7.4 Release out now

Here's the low down on the 7.4 release of Workbooks which consolidates on the 'Green' theme UI and also enhanced Project functionality:

Projects

For those of you who manage projects, whether delivering to your customers or managing your internal tasks, we have built a new Projects Module. The Projects functionality is split into ‘Simple’ and ‘Advanced’.

Simple Projects

The Simple Projects functionality was released earlier in the year, and some of you will have already been using it for Task and Team Management – this functionality is included in our Pro Licences. We have improved this functionality in the following areas: 

• Restrictions on who can see and edit Projects have been removed – Users no longer need to be added as a Team Member before they can see a Project, and System Admins can access all Projects. 
  • To revert to ‘private’ Projects, you’ll need to amend the Permissions, for which you’ll need Advanced Security licences. Talk to Wizard Support if you need help with this. 
• Amending the Project Manager of a Project is easier – changing the Assigned To of the Project will automatically set the new assignee as a Team Member with the Project Management Role. 
• Project Tasks now have a ‘Category’ field, which you can use to group and organise your Project Tasks. The Category picklist can be configured on each Project from the Project Settings. 

Advanced Projects 

Our Advanced Projects Module is becoming available in this Release. This Module builds on top of the ‘simple’ projects functionality, and includes: 

• Logging and tracking time against Project Tasks. This allows you to manage whether the time is chargeable or non-chargeable. 
• Associate rates and budgets with the project. These can be set depending on your billing type: 
  • a one-off price for the project; 
  • a daily/hourly rate; 
  • different rates for different roles or team members; 
  • a daily/hourly rate with an agreed number of days/hours. 
• The combination of tracked time and budget against the project allows for tracking of delivered revenue: 
  • Recognise the revenue and invoice the customer; 
  • Manage prepayments. 
• View the allocation of your resources, manage non-working time, reschedule tasks and assign new tasks using the Resource Scheduler. 

Read more about Projects on our Knowledge Base.

 

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Other Changes

Process Failure Notifications 

Most of you use some sort of automation to help with workflow and to reduce manual effort. You can now control if Process Failure Notifications are sent to a User Group, not just a single user, allowing you to have a backup if someone is on annual leave. You can also control if the notifications should send on every failure, not just when the process is disabled, allowing you to catch issues sooner. 

Scheduled Email From Address 

You can now control which email account is used to send your Scheduled Emails from. You can choose from an Email Account that is set up in your account and shared with you, or leave it with the current behaviour of sending from the owner of the Scheduled Email. 

The owner of the Scheduled Email is still important – Scheduled Emails will fail to send if the owner user is disabled, and it cannot generate the attached reports if the owner does not have access to them. 

Report Columns Enhancement 

To help ensure you’ve selected the correct column when building the Details View of a report (particularly if fields have similar names), you’ll see that the field description is displayed.

Customised Login Screen 

You can now configure your login screen, for example, choosing your own background or adding your company logo, plus remove the authentication options that aren’t available for your account. To do so, System Admins can go to Start > Configuration > Customisation > Sign In. For more details, see our Knowledge Base.

NOTE: The customised login screen will only show if Users login via your specific Workbooks domain, e.g. customdomain.workbooks.com/login, and not if they navigate to the login page from the Workbooks website. Therefore, encourage users to bookmark your specific login url.

For more information on Workbooks CRM, support or training, contact Wizard Systems.

Mastering User Groups and Capabilities in Workbooks CRM - Event 27/11

Workbooks CRM offers a robust system for managing user access and permissions through User Groups and Capabilities.  This feature is essential for organizations looking to maintain security and streamline their CRM operations.

Want to know more about how Workbooks can easily control User Access?  Attend our free webinar on Wednesday 27th November at 2pm UK time.

REGISTER HERE

 

User Groups in Workbooks CRM serve as a way to organize users with similar roles or responsibilities.  By assigning users to specific groups, administrators can efficiently manage access rights and permissions across the system.  Benefits of User Groups:

• Simplified permission management
• Consistent access control for similar roles
• Easy onboarding of new users with predefined group settings

Capabilities in Workbooks CRM

Capabilities define the specific actions and access levels that users can have within the CRM system. These are typically assigned to User Groups rather than individual users, making it easier to manage permissions at scale.  Key aspects of Capabilities:

• Granular control over system access
• Customizable to fit organizational needs
• Can be adjusted as roles and responsibilities evolve

Setting Up User Groups and Capabilities

When creating new Workbooks Users, administrators should follow a structured approach to assign appropriate User Groups and Capabilities:

1. Identify User Roles: Determine the different roles within your organization that require CRM access.
2. Create User Groups: Set up groups that align with these roles, such as "Sales Team," "Marketing Department," or "Customer Support."
3. Define Capabilities: For each group, specify the exact permissions and access levels needed to perform their jobs effectively.
4. Assign Users: Add new users to the appropriate groups based on their roles and responsibilities.
5. Review and Adjust: Regularly review group memberships and capabilities to ensure they remain aligned with organizational needs and security policies.

Best Practices for User Management

To maximize the effectiveness of User Groups and Capabilities in Workbooks CRM:

• Implement the principle of least privilege, granting users only the access they need
• Regularly audit user access and group memberships
• Create a process for requesting and approving changes to user permissions
• Document your User Group and Capability structure for easy reference and onboarding

By carefully configuring User Groups and Capabilities, organizations can ensure that their Workbooks CRM system remains secure, efficient, and tailored to their specific needs. This approach not only enhances data protection but also improves improves the time taken to setup new users.

 

Projects feature in Workbooks CRM: Simple vs Advanced, what's best for you?

Here is some further information on the differences between Simple and Advanced Projects in Workbooks CRM (please check with Wizard Systems about the licencing and pricing of these 2 levels of Project Management in Workbooks):

Simple Projects

Simple Projects in Workbooks CRM offer a straightforward way to manage tasks within a project. This functionality allows you to:

• Create individual tasks and organise them within a project.
• Assign these tasks to members of your project team.
• Establish a schedule for each task, setting deadlines and milestones.
• Facilitate communication and collaboration by allowing team members to leave comments directly on tasks.

This level of project management is suitable for teams or individuals who need a basic structure to track their work without the need for in-depth budget management or time tracking.

Advanced Projects

Advanced Projects expand on the capabilities of Simple Projects by introducing features crucial for managing projects with financial implications and for monitoring team productivity. The key additions in Advanced Projects include:

• Project Budget: This feature enables you to set an overall budget for your project, helping you track expenses and ensure profitability.
• Time Allocation: You can allocate a specific amount of time for each task, allowing you to estimate the overall project duration and resource allocation.
• Time Logging: Team members can log the actual time they spend on each task. This data provides valuable insights into team productivity, task complexity, and project progress. By comparing allocated time with actual time spent, you can identify potential bottlenecks or areas where efficiency can be improved. This information is also crucial for accurate invoicing and client reporting.

The Advanced Projects module is designed for project managers, users who need to track their time, and finance personnel involved in project billing. It is particularly beneficial for businesses that bill clients based on time spent on projects or need detailed insights into project costs and team performance.

Licensing Considerations

Workbooks CRM offers different licence options that include either Simple or Advanced Projects. The choice of licence depends on the specific needs of your business and the roles of your users. For pricing, please contact Wizard Systems.

Reclaiming Lost Treasures: The Workbooks CRM Undelete Feature - Event 6/11

 

We've all experienced that sinking feeling after accidentally deleting an important record in a CRM system. Workbooks CRM understands this common mishap and offers a robust Undelete feature as a safety net, allowing you to recover deleted records and maintain data integrity.

On our next online event we'll explore this feature and how it can save you from data loss disasters.  Aimed at Workbooks CRM users, please join us on Wednesday 6th November at 2pm GMT and we will go through this unique feature of CRM.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE

What Happens When You Delete a Record?

When you hit the delete button in Workbooks CRM, the record isn't gone forever – at least, not right away. Instead of being permanently erased, the record enters a "soft-deleted" state, moving to a dedicated area called "Deleted Items". Think of it as a safety net that catches your data before it falls into the abyss of permanent deletion.  This grace period lasts for 30 days, giving you ample time to recover the record. After 30 days or a database cleanup, the record is permanently deleted ("hard deleted") and cannot be recovered.

Restoring Your Deleted Data: A Step-by-Step Guide

To recover a deleted record, navigate to Start > Deleted Items in the main menu.  This section functions like a digital lost and found, allowing you to sift through various deleted record types. To make finding your lost data easier, you can filter records by type.  For example, you can choose to view only deleted People, Organisations, Activities, or even Transaction Documents.

Once you've located the record you need, restoring it is straightforward:

1. Select and open the record you want to restore.
2. A dialogue box will appear, displaying essential information about the deleted record, including:
   • Object Reference
   • Record Description
   • Who deleted it
   • Date and time of deletion
3. Click the "Recover Record" button.
4. The record will be instantly restored to its original location in your database and will open automatically, ready for use.

Remember that records can only be restored one at a time. Bulk restoration is not currently supported.

Permissions and Access: Keeping Your Data Secure

Access to the Deleted Items area isn't a free-for-all. Workbooks CRM uses a capability-based system to control who can view and restore deleted records. Your system administrator can grant specific users the necessary permissions to access this sensitive area, ensuring data security and preventing unauthorised access.

There are three categories of capabilities related to deleted items:

• View deleted Record: This capability determines whether a user can see the Deleted Items option in the Start Menu.
• View deleted Record Types: There are 17 separate capabilities, one for each supported record type, controlling which specific record types a user can view within Deleted Items.
• Recover deleted Record Types: Mirroring the "View" capabilities, these 17 capabilities control which record types a user can restore.

This granular approach allows administrators to tailor access to deleted items based on user roles and responsibilities, ensuring that only authorised individuals can restore deleted data. For instance, a sales manager might have permission to restore deleted Opportunities but not deleted Financial records.

Potential Hiccups in the Restoration Process

While the Undelete feature is a powerful tool, it's important to be aware of potential issues that might arise during the restoration process:

• Broken Links: If you restore a record that was linked to another record which has been permanently deleted, the link will no longer function. For example, if you restore a Task associated with a Primary Contact that has been permanently deleted, the restored Task will no longer have that Primary Contact assigned.
• Permanent Deletion: Remember that records in the Deleted Items area are only temporarily held.  After 30 days or a database cleanup, they are permanently deleted and irretrievable. It's crucial to act promptly to recover any deleted records you need.

The Workbooks CRM Undelete feature is a valuable tool for data recovery, but understanding its nuances is key to using it effectively.  Being aware of the time limit for recovery and the potential for broken links will help you make the most of this feature.

For more information on Workbooks CRM or Workbooks CRM Support, contact Wizard Systems!