05/01/2017

OroCRM and OroPlatform 2.0

The team developing OroCRM open source customer relationship management has just unveiled the functionalities for the 2.0 version’s major update. What they are delivering: the first landmark stage for integrating the OroCommerce solution with the B2B eCommerce platform and improved interoperability of the platform’s solutions.

At the start of this year, delivering OroCRM and OroPlatform 2.0 marks a great step forwards for Oro. These are major product developments and refinements. At the core of these developments is the determination to merge user experience of the OroCRM Enterprise Edition with the OroCommerce B2B solution, improving the sales pipeline, multiple work flows and the solutions’ security. OroPlatform focuses on upgradability with regard to functionality and capacity to scale up.

OroCRM new features

Integrating OroCommerce

Integration of OroCRM and OroCommerce has been made more transparent. It is now possible to manage both solutions from a single environment which groups together all functionalities. In OroCommerce, customers are treated as a single channel and professional customers in the OroCRM system. This means that customer data and transactions which take place are displayed in the account view and activities are displayed in the account activities view. Sales teams will also be able to track and predict profit generated from future sales via the Commerce sales site.

Oro offers great flexibility because they’ll be able to choose to use either both applications together or just one of them, complemented by integrating a third party e-commerce or ERP solution.

Improvements in sales pipeline management

The flexibility of OroCRM 2.0 doesn’t just stop with the integration of OroCommerce. The management system can also be customized to fit each company’s particular requirements. Managing B2B sales opportunities has been noticeably improved so that sales teams can keep track of all business and negotiations with each customer and with each account.

It is now possible:

  • to activate/deactivate leads and opportunities as a CRM functionality without having to deal with the sales channel;
  • to create opportunities for any customer, including OroCommerce solution customers;
  • to link an opportunity directly to an account;
  • to look back over sales history using a single list from the accounts view;
  • to easily create an opportunity from any account, customer or contact registration
  • to single out important sales in the sales history from the opportunities view.
 Multi-currency sales

Greater flexibility is needed for managing global sales operations. OroCRM 2.0 provides multi-currency capabilities and makes it possible:

  • to configure and activate different currencies as well as managing their exchange rates;
  • to record sales in multiple currencies;

to select and configure a base currency which is used to track the company’s income.

Improving work flow management

Last November the work flow management function had already undergone a few modifications. In this 2.0 version it has been greatly improved. OroCRM 2.0 flows can be used to customize the processes to fit companies’ specific requirements. Given the flexibility of the flow engine, different process scenarios can be created for a single entity, the relationship between flows can be managed and exceptions can be specified for particular registrations. Flow management in OroCRM 2.0 means it is possible:

  • to activate multiple flows for a single entity;
  • to control management permissions: (in the Enterprise version an access control list can be added to restrict grid exports);
  • to use any event to initiate a transition: the flow can be automated or triggered manually;
  • to use web API for work flows from an external system.
Application security

The development team has made a few improvements to OroCRM 2.0 to minimise the system’s vulnerability. It is now possible:

  • to configure pass word strength. System administrators can develop rules stipulating specific symbols and characters for a user pass word;
  • to make a pass word change obligatory after a set period of time;
  • to deactivate a user automatically after several consecutive failed authentication attempts
  • to use two-factor authentication via email;
  • to reset pass words en masse.

New features for OroPlatform 2.0

New name spaces for the application

The team has merged the different applications into one package to make it easier to separate the functionalities and making it now possible to alter the applications without modifying the functionalities of other packages. There is a specific article all about this modification.

Configuring the application’s menus

Implemented in OroPlatform 2.0, this functionality makes it possible to configure and personalise any application based on the platform. It is possible therefore to rename or delete the menus of the component parts.

Localisation

Applications based on the platform can now be configured for a specific time slot and user interface translation. This means that it is easier to localize internationally and provide an enhanced user experience.

Workflow engine upgradability

In OroPlatform a new task workflow engine has replaced JMS JobQueue. Rabbit MQ uses an asynchronous communication protocol which means that the sender and recipient no longer have to interact with the message queue at the same time. Using OroPlatform 2.0 it will be possible to carry out tasks in parallel or in asynchronous mode, depending on the performance required and the infrastructure’s scale-up requirements.

Mass import/export tasks carried out in the background 

If you need to carry out an import/export task, you don’t have to wait for this process to end before taking control of the system again to carry out a different action.

Web API scope

In this new version of OroPlatform, the web API SOAP has been replaced with an API REST. This lean, comprehensive alternative to SOAP is compatible with JSON data exchange formats, guaranteeing enhanced performance and greater compatibility with web browsers.

Downloads

Click on the following links to see the different solutions Oro offers:

Source : www.orocrm.com

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