Configuring Entitlements in Dynamics CRM allows us to define how many cases are available to a customer for a certain duration. This functionality was introduced with Dynamics CRM 2013 SP1 in spring 2014. You must upgrade your Dynamics CRM 2013 Organization to Service Pack 1 to take advantage of this functionality.
When configuring entitlements by channel, there is one trick to be taken into consideration. Let’s say for client ABC we need to define entitlements for regular communication channels, like Web, Phone and Email. We also need to define a separate set of entitlements for social channels like Twitter and Facebook.
You need to actually configure in all Entitlements all Channels in order to be able to filter by channel.
For the sake of this example, we configure two Entitlements. One for Regular channels, including Phone, Web and Email, with associated numbers of Cases for this. Select “Restrict based on entitlement terms” to “Yes”.
The trick is, if you want to only allows cases from these three channels, you still need to add all channels, and set Twitter and Facebook to 0 Total Terms (and implicitly 0 Remaining Terms). Not doing this will still allow a system user to associate a case from either Twitter of Facebook channels to be associated to this Entitlement, and implicitly reduce the total Remaining Terms.
Unfortunately, OOTB the system does not filter the lookup of available Entitlements based on the channel selected on the Case. Ideally we should be able to select on a Case a Channel, and when opening up the lookup for Entitlements to be presented only with Entitlements that include the select Case Channel for the customer. Instead, using the above configuration will allow us to select any Entitlement, but will prompt you when saving the Case that the selected Entitlement is not valid:
The problem with this approach is that both Origin and Entitlement must be set as Business Required.
If not, when filling only one of the fields and saving, you can bypass this check. You can fill in for example the Origin to Facebook, save the Case, and later on go and select an Entitlement that includes 0 Remaining Terms for Facebook, and you are able to save the Case just fine, as well as close it. Your final results are still being tracked against the Total Remaining Terms for Entitlement, but the business will have a much harder time tracking the generation of Cases by Channel.
Same behavior persist in Dynamics CRM 2015.
Enjoy!
