Create a Sync Policy for Exchange: Riva Cloud

Before you can configure your synchronization policy, if you are using a Corporate account, you need to prepare the service account that Riva will use to connect to your email environment.

• Follow this link to review the options for Exchange 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, Office 365 and Hosted Exchange.

After the CRM and email connections have been created, the next step is to create, configure, and enable a CRM synchronization policy.

To create the sync policy:

1. Log in to https://www.rivacloud.com.
2. On the Get Started page, select Configure your synchronization policy.
    

To configure the sync policy:

1. Configure the historic CRM item filtering.
2. Configure the weekday sync frequency.
3. Determine which data to sync:
   • Category,
   • Module Selection:
     • Address Book modules,
     • Calendaring modules, and/or
     • Folder-based modules.
4. Configure the Email SmartConvert options. (Standard and Premium subscriptions only.)
5. Configure the Email AssignTo options. (Premium only.)
6. Configure the Email Sent Items and Email Inbox options. (Premium only.)
7. Enable the sync policy.

Step 1: Configure the Historic CRM Item Filtering

On the General tab, ensure that the Enable Policy check box is cleared (not selected). You need to leave the policy disabled until you have completed the full configuration.

Under Historic CRM Item Filtering, to the right of Sync Start Date, select the calendar button, and choose the desired sync start date. This defines how far into the past Riva checks the CRM for active items (contacts, calendar items, tasks, opportunities, etc.) for the initial synchronization.

Riva Cloud creates a copy of your CRM contacts, open calendar items, and uncompleted tasks that have been created or modified on or after the sync start date. During the initialization process, no information syncs from the email system to the CRM.

Note: For trial licenses, you are limited to a sync start date of 15 days into the past. After purchasing Riva, update the sync start date as far back as necessary.

In the Error Email Notifications field, enter one or more email addresses for the administrators to receive notifications whenever a user has five concurrent sync errors.

Step 2: Configure the Weekday Sync Frequency

On the Schedule tab, modify the sync intervals for "peak" and "off-peak" hours. The options available to you differ, depending on your subscription level (Lite, Standard, or Premium).

Tip: If your hosted email or CRM services charge for data throughput or limit API calls, you may want to increase the sync intervals to reduce the number of times a full sync is scheduled.

Notes:

• Blackout times are designed to prevent wasting resource usage during non-working hours. If your business runs 24 hours per day or operates in multiple time zones around the world, contact the Riva Success Team to have this option adjusted accordingly.
• All sync policies created in Riva Cloud 2017.5 or higher are configured by default to detect every individual user's time zone setting in the CRM. That individual setting is used to determine the peak, off-peak, and blackout times for that individual's sync. To request the change for existing sync policies, contact the Riva Success Team.

Step 3: Determine Which Data to Sync

On the Configuration tab, set the Category and Module Selection options.

Category

The Category Name is used to identify items that originate from the CRM and/or need to be synchronized from the email system to the CRM. In the email system, contacts are added to the default contact list and assigned the CRM category name, for example Company CRM. Leads are added as contacts with the category of Company CRM Leads. Appointments, phone calls, and tasks are added to your calendar and assigned the appropriate category and colour. The Category Name is used to create the parent folder in the user's mailbox for email sync; see SmartConvert. After saving the policy, you cannot change the Category Name.

The Category Color can be selected from the drop-down list and is assigned to the Riva-generated categories in the Exchange Master Category List in the Outlook client.

Create Separate Contact Folder is used to indicate if you want Riva to create a subfolder in your personal address book. If you select this, a contact folder that uses the Category Name is created, for example "Company CRM". This will be the only folder that Riva uses to synchronize contacts and leads. If you clear this check box, Riva syncs contacts and leads to the default Exchange Contacts folder. As a best practice, we recommend selecting this option.

Auto-synchronize new items is used to control when Riva syncs new items to the CRM:

• If Auto-synchronize new items and Create Separate Contact Folder are both selected, when you create a new contact in the Company CRM contacts folder, Riva autosyncs that contact to the CRM. If contacts are created in My Contacts, Riva does not sync them to the CRM.

• If Auto-synchronize new items is selected and Create Separate Contact Folder is cleared (not selected), when you create a contact in My Contacts, Riva autosyncs the new contact to the CRM.

• If Auto-synchronize new items is cleared, Riva does not autosync the new contacts, tasks, or calendar items to the CRM unless the user manually assigns the Company CRM category to the new contacts, tasks, or calendar items (or assigns the Company CRM Lead category to new contacts to sync them to the CRM as leads).

Module Selection

• General guidelines: Under the headings Address Book Modules, Calendaring Modules, and Folder-Based Modules, you will select the modules that you want to enable data sync for. Items are synced like this:

  • Security Filter: Address books (contacts and leads) and advanced modules (opportunities, cases, etc.) can be filtered:
    • Must be owner: (Default.) Uses ownership or assignment of the item. In this case, only the contacts that the user owns or contacts that are assigned to the user in the CRM are synced to the user's email system address book (even if the user can see the contact in the CRM).
    • All visible: Uses the CRM's security rules. If the user can see an item in the CRM, the item is synced to the user's mailbox if the modification date is after the Sync Start Date. If the user can modify the item in the CRM, a change to the item in the user's mailbox syncs back to the CRM.
  • Sync Direction: Can be set to one-way sync from the CRM to the user's mailbox for contacts, leads, calendar items, and tasks.
  • Historic Items Filter Date: Only the CRM items that have been created or modified on or after the historic items filter date are synced. (See Step 1.)
• Specific options. Some options are specific to some modules. For more information, select the following links:
  • Address Book modules.
  • Calendaring modules.
  • Folder-based modules.

Address Book Modules

Advanced Options:

• Replace contact's website field in mailbox with a link to view record in CRM. If selected, Riva-synced CRM contacts include a view link. This link replaces whatever was previously in the Website field.

  

• Limit the number of records synced to mailbox: If the check box is selected, the value can be set. This option limits the total number of Riva-synced CRM contacts created in the user's mailbox address book. The most current (based on the date/time last saved) is copied. If the maximum value is reached, Riva removes older Riva-synced CRM contacts from the mailbox to sync newer CRM contacts. Use this option to prevent mobile devices from locking up due to an excessive number of contacts being synced.

Calendaring Modules

• Append attendee contact info details to appointment body: (Default: [Cleared.)] If this check box is selected, Riva appends a list of the CRM attendees' contact information (email address and associated account) to the body of the appointment in the email system.
• Synchronize meeting reminders: (Default: [Selected.)] For more information, see Disable alarm and reminder synchronization.
• Synchronize recurring appointments from mailbox to CRM: (Default: [Selected.)] See Synchronize Exchange recurring appointments. This option enables "sync series", so that each recurring appointment in the series is created in the CRM as a separate appointment.
• Synchronize appointments tagged as 'Private' in the mailbox: (Default: [Selected.)]
  • [Selected]: Riva syncs these appointments to the CRM, but their contents are not visible to other users.
  • [Cleared]: These appointments are not synced at all to the CRM.

Folder-Based Modules

The options selected here dictate which modules sync, depending on the other settings you select on the Email AssignTo tab

Best Practices:

• Do not select data that you do not want to sync to your user's mailbox.
• Do not select modules that are not enabled in the CRM for the users.
• You can change any of the module selection settings at a later date.
• If you clear the check box of an advanced module (opportunities, cases, etc.), folders related to that item type are removed from the user's mailbox.

Step 4: Configure the Email SmartConvert Options

On the SmartConvert tab, enable and configure the ability to create new CRM items. By moving or copying an email item to a corresponding "- Create New" drop folder, a user makes SmartConvert do the following:

• Create an opportunity, case, project, or quote, by using the source email as the subject and content of the new CRM object.
• Use the email domain name to check if the account exists for each email addressee in the email.
• Use the email address to check if the contact exists for each email addressee in the email.

To turn this feature on, select Enable SmartConvert.

Processing Rules:

Riva first reads the addressees in the header of the email. For each addressee, Riva attempts to find a matching CRM user (referred to as the "system user" in the Riva logs), contact, and/or lead in the CRM. Syncing or tracking the email into the CRM means creating a copy of the email in the CRM. The tracking is handled in accordance with the contact and account/organization (and email item handling) option settings. Select or clear any of the following check boxes:

Options:

• Must match or create at least one Contact or Lead: (Default: [Selected].)If this option is selected, Riva must find at least one email addressee in the CRM as a contact or lead, or it must create a contact or lead if no matches are discovered by Riva in the CRM.
• Match against recipients listed in CC and BCC fields: (Default: [Selected].) If this option is selected, when Riva examines the addressees of an email, it includes all CC and BCC email addressees. Emails copied to the CRM are linked to those contacts.
• If no Contact is matched, match against Leads: (Default: [Cleared].) When Riva attempts to match email addressees against contacts and cannot find a matching contact, Riva attempts to match against CRM leads.
• Delete item upon successful processing, instead of returning to folder: (Default: [Cleared].)
  • [Cleared]: After creating the email in the CRM, Riva moves the email item from the "- Create New" or AssignTo drop folder to the Inbox and categorizes that email item as Processing Complete.
  • [Selected]: After creating the email in the CRM, Riva deletes the email item from the "- Create New" or AssignTo drop folder. Those deleted email items are purged from the user's mailbox and cannot be recovered.
• Enable Attachments Synchronization: (Default: [Cleared].)
  • [Cleared]: Riva does not sync email attachments to the CRM.
  • [Selected]: Riva syncs email attachments to the CRM while respecting any CRM attachment uploading restrictions (for example, file size or file type) that are in place. For attachment uploading restrictions, see your CRM documentation.) Note: Riva does not guarantee the sync of every email attachment if this option is not checked. Users should be careful to comply with regulatory provisions of SEC, FINRA, HIPAA, and other any email retention laws and regulations. Riva is not certified as an email archiving solution that meets standards required by email retention laws or regulations. Corporate use of certified email archiving services or products is recommended in addition to Riva.
• Email Attachments: Append attachment summary to email body: (Available only if Enable Attachments Synchronization is selected. Default: [Cleared].) If selected, this option includes a list of email attachments in the body of the synced email in the CRM. The user can cross-reference to the source email from their mailbox to look for the original attachment.

Creation Filter:

• Enable contact, lead, and account creation: (Default: [Selected].) If the check box is cleared, SmartConvert is prevented from creating accounts or contacts if a match for the email addressees cannot be found in the CRM contacts. In this case, the item is not created in the CRM. This requires the user to create the account and contact in the CRM manually.
• If recipient is not matched, create Lead instead of Contact: (Default: [Cleared].) If no CRM contact or lead is matched for an email addressee, Riva creates a lead instead of a contact. If this option is selected, the When creating a new Contact, if no Account is matched, create new Account option does not work.
• When creating a new Contact, if no Account is matched, create a new Account: (Default: [Selected].)
• Optional: In the list box, add domain names for which you do not want Riva to automatically create contacts and/or accounts in the CRM, for example @gmail.com. This prevents the creation of accounts and contacts for any domains included in the filter. We recommend adding domain names of common generic online email services like Google Mail, Yahoo Mail, Live.com (hotmail), and your own company email domain. This does not prevent Riva from archiving emails to these accounts based on the specific user email address.
• Additional creation filters exist. See Preventing Riva from creating unwanted accounts and contacts in the CRM.

Step 5: Configure the Email Assign To Options

The Assign To feature enables you to archive emails to "other" items like cases, opportunities, projects, or quotes.

On the Email Assign To tab, select the Enable AssignTo check box.

If enabled, the feature creates individual AssignTo "drop folders" for the most current CRM objects (cases, opportunities, projects, and quotes), depending on the modules that you enabled on the Configuration tab. (See Step 3.) Folder creation and folder sort options manage those "drop folders".

Folder Creation Options:

• Maximum number of tracked items: Defines the maximum number of drop folders created. (Maximum allowed: 99 folders). If there are more current items than what is configured as the maximum (for example, you have 31 open cases but have set this value to 30), the oldest drop folder is removed from the user's mailbox and replaced with the newest or newest revised drop folder. This has no effect on the actual item in the CRM. An item's age is determined by the item's last modified (saved) date.
• Maximum age of tracked items: Defines the maximum age that an item can reach before Riva removes the drop folder from your email client. (Maximum allowed: 99 days.) Even if you have not reached the maximum number of allowed drop folders, a drop folder is removed when it reaches the maximum age. Set this value to equal the average span for your sales cycle. For example, if your sales cycle is normally 45 days, set this value to 45. You can re-add a drop folder by opening the corresponding item in your CRM and saving it. That action modifies the last modified date for the item and restarts the age tracking for it. An item's age is determined by the item's last modified (saved) date.
   

Folder Sort Options:

• You can list drop folders of the same type by date modified or alphabetically.
   

Step 6: Configure the Email Sent Items and Email Inbox Options

The Email Sent Items and Email Inbox tabs are for automatic email sync. Both tabs have the exact same options but respectively affect your Sent Items or Inbox folder separately. If you select this feature on either or both tabs, users do not have to manually move or copy email from respectively the Sent Items and/or Inbox folder to a "- Create New Email" folder to archive the email to the CRM.

To enable the feature, select the Enable Email Sent Items and/or Enable Email Inbox check box. The email processing and contact creation filters appear when the check box is selected.

By default, Email Sent Items and Email Inbox are configured to archive only sent or inbox email items that can be matched to an existing CRM contact. This prevents archiving unwanted email and creating contacts in an uncontrolled manner.

Options:

• Only detect items with required category: (Default: [Selected].) This requires that you assign the Riva-created category to any email items that you want to sync.

  If you are thinking of clearing this check box, which would enable automatic sync, contact the Riva Success team.

• Must match or create at least one Contact or Lead: (Default: [Selected].) If this option is selected, Riva must find at least one email addressee in the CRM as a contact or lead, or it must create a contact or lead if no matches are discovered by Riva in the CRM.

• Match against recipients listed in CC and BCC fields: (Default: [Selected].) If this option is selected, when Riva examines the addressees of an email, it includes all CC and BCC email addressees. Emails copied to the CRM are linked to those contacts.

• If no Contact is matched, match against Leads: (Default: [Cleared].) If this option is selected, when Riva attempts to match email addressees against contacts and cannot find a matching contact, Riva attempts to match against CRM leads.
   

Creation Filter:

• Enable contact, lead, and account creation: (Default: [Cleared].)

  • [Cleared]: SmartConvert is prevented from creating accounts or contacts if a match for the email addressees cannot be found in the CRM contacts. In this case, the item is not created in the CRM. This requires the user to create the account and contact in the CRM manually.
  • [Selected]: SmartConvert can create accounts or contacts if a match for the email addressees cannot be found in the CRM contacts. A list box appears.
    • Optional: In the list box, add domain names for which you do not want Riva to automatically create new contacts and/or accounts in the CRM, for example @gmail.com. This prevents the creation of accounts and contacts for any domains included in the filter. We recommend adding domain names of common generic online email services like Google Mail, Yahoo Mail, Live.com (hotmail), and your own company email domain. This does not prevent Riva from archiving emails to these accounts based on the specific user email address.

Step 7: Enable the Sync Policy

Before you enable the policy, we recommend reviewing all of the settings and options for all the tabs. Some settings cannot be changed after the policy has been enabled.

To enable the policy:

1. On the General tab, select the Enable Policy check box, and select Save.

   

   The browser refreshes and shows that your policy has been enabled.

   

2. Wait for up to four hours for the initial synchronization to occur between your CRM and your user's mailbox.

3. To view the sync history, select View Logs.