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Better to use Notes or Activities???

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Posted on by Community Member Microsoft Employee

Hello,

I'm trying to identify whether using the Notes or Activities section is best suited for our business needs. All of our system generated emails (with receipts and invoices) and tracked emails get populated to the Activities area on an Account or Contact. Notes seem easier for users to input general engagement content over Activities. The piece I am struggling with is if we use Activities (specifically the Task option for past, future, current notations) as the notation tool then system and user generated entries would be contained in one consolidated area under Activities.

Any suggestions or added benefits for using the Notes section instead of Activities for user entered notation entries?

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Community Member Microsoft Employee on at

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RE: Better to use Notes or Activities???

Thanks for your response. It'll be good to weigh these options.
Community Member Microsoft Employee on at

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RE: Better to use Notes or Activities???

Thanks for the insight. It is helpful.
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Jacob.s17 460 on at

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RE: Better to use Notes or Activities???

Hi Timothy,

I believe that to avoid cross-contamination you should use Notes for notes, and Activities for activities. I tell my users that Activities are contextual and Notes are commentary on specific records.

Here's my direct response to your questions

You said, "use Activities (specifically the Task option for past, future, current notations) as the notation tool then system and user generated entries would be contained in one consolidated area under Activities."

True but don't you want some level of compartmentalization?

single list yes, but timelines are better as they give the full picture

Ok but you really want that single list? then your users will be performing double duty. Both their regular activities and additional tasks with duplicate info just to consolidate your view

FYI you can create views for the Activity entity and expose the inherited fields from the child activities into a single view.

description, regarding, date, subject, etc etc.

Tasks sync to outlook, now you'll have synced notes blended with actual to-do's

What entity will you use for actual tasks (your to-do list)?

2020 Wave 1 release notes mentions the introduction of a Kanban for activities, and new timeline experiences. This may change your opinion.

Tasks need to be completed and can't be created inline in the timeline. That's more steps for a simple note.

You would lose the ability to do quality, activity based reporting.

Pro: Activities roll up, notes don't. If you create notes against an Opportunity they're not visible at the Account, Activities are.

You asked: "Any suggestions or added benefits for using the Notes section instead of Activities for user entered notation entries?"

When used properly this question seems less important

Here's how/why the blended timeline works (notes and activities).

Scenario: Proposal with a discount

Phone Call or Appointment activity which contained "spoke with customer and they asked for a 10% discount if they buy in bulk" in the description.

Next step: create task to generate proposal. Eventually update the description, "generated the paperwork and added a 10% discount after manager approval".

Next (maybe): I might have a Note that says "Subject: Manager approved discount. Description: Michael Scott said make the discount 15% for customer loyalty"

Next: Tracked email with the discounted proposal

This would be a healthy and informative timeline.

more note examples:

"only call customer after 3pm"

"include secretary on future communications"

"deal might fall through because of delays with our estimating team, need to escalate"

"haven't answered the phone or emails in 3 weeks, closing record as lost"

I worry I gave too long of an answer. TLDNR? Let me know if this was helpful. Cheers
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Adrian Begovich 21,009 Super User 2024 Season 2 on at

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RE: Better to use Notes or Activities???

Hi Timothy13,

The best practice is to enter this kind of information into an activity record despite notes being a quick and easy option. Actions such as tasks, emails, phone calls, and appointments should not be added as notes.

Below is a list of downfalls to using notes:

Notes are not searchable.

Notes cannot be included in reports or advanced finds. This makes it difficult to obtain statistics and reports around what activities have been completed.

Notes do not roll-up. Unlike activities, if a note is added to an opportunity it will not appear on the account. This may cause data to be lost or extra work because users have to recreate the same note several times for different records.

Information may be lost. Using notes creates another place for users to look when trying to find information about that record. Users may not find the note when looking for background history on the record.