Enhanced Track in CRM with Track State Service

  • Updated

Available with Riva Insight 2025.1 Release

Overview of Track in CRM

Due to several limitations with Microsoft Outlook Web Add-ins, Riva has made changes in how Track in CRM and Riva Sync (Activity Capture) work. To achieve this, we have introduced our Enhanced Track in CRM with Track State Service.

Challenges with Traditional Track in CRM

  1. Use of Extended Properties:

    • Riva Insight uses mail item extended properties to store the track properties on the email or meeting itself.

    • Riva Sync reads these extended properties when processing the mail item to set the track data on the record in CRM.

  2. Lack of Client-Side API:

    • Microsoft Web Add-ins do not have a client-side API that allows Riva Insight to set the track state data in extended properties on the local copy of Outlook Desktop.

    • Riva Insight was restricted to using server-side APIs (EWS or Graph) to set the extended properties with the track state data.

  3. Creation of Local and Server Versions:

    • This reliance on server-side APIs resulted in a local copy of the mail item (with the subject, description, and attendees) and a server copy of the mail item (with the track state data).

    • The client-side and server-side copies often contained differing data, causing synchronization issues.

  4. Delays and Data Mismatches:

    • Riva Insight needed to wait until the Outlook client updated the server version of the mail item to include both local and server data, leading to significant delays (up to 40 seconds or more) for the track process to complete.

    • If the mail item was not properly updated, users would be instructed that they could not update and track the meeting simultaneously, resulting in the need to update the meeting first and then track again.

  5. Send Process and Add-In Conflicts:

    • With the track and send process being done by the server-side API, any other client add-ins that relied on the Outlook client send process would be bypassed.

Impact on User Experience

  1. Significant Delays:
    • Users experienced delays of up to 40 seconds or more for the track process to complete.
  2. Synchronization Issues:
    • In some cases, the local copy of the message would not properly update to the server-side copy, causing users to repeat the update and track process.
  3. Add-In Conflicts:
    • Other client add-ins that relied on the Outlook client send process were bypassed, leading to potential conflicts and reduced functionality.

Introducing Enhanced Track in CRM with Track State Service

Technical Solutions and Improvements

The traditional Track in CRM feature relied heavily on server-side APIs (EWS or Graph) to set the track state data on the mail item. This reliance led to a critical issue: two versions of the mail item were created - a local version on the user's Outlook client and a server version on the Exchange server. These versions often contained different information, causing synchronization problems and delays.

To address these issues, Riva made several important changes:

  1. Eliminating Server-Side API Calls:

    • By removing API calls that resulted in a server-side version of the mail item, we eliminated the creation of two different versions of the message. This change ensures that the local and server copies remain consistent and synchronized.

  2. Introducing Track State Service:

    • To manage the track state data without creating server-side versions of the mail item, a new track state service was introduced. This service uses DocumentDB as a data store to set and get the track state data related to the mail item.

    • With the track state service, the track state data is stored separately from the mail item itself, avoiding the need for server-side API calls and ensuring that the tracking process is efficient and seamless.

  3. NEW: Track 'then' Send
    1. Users now have the ability to track an item when composing a new email or meeting request.  This allows for the user to track an item at any time, then continue editing the the mail item.  Once the item is ready to be sent, it can be sent using the normal 'Send' button on the Outlook item.  Tracking then Sending using this approach will not experience delays when sending.
  4. UPDATED: Track & Send:
    • Recently, Microsoft introduced and started rolling out (beginning in April 2025) a 'client' API for sending emails and meeting requests. 
    • For Outlook clients that support the client-side send API, Track & Send will no longer experience delays. 
    • For Outlook clients that have not received the update with the new client-side send API, Track & Send will still experience delays.

These technical improvements result in several key benefits for users:

  1. No Delays:

    • The tracking process no longer experiences delays caused by waiting for the server-side copy to synchronize with the local copy.

    • NOTE: Track & Send will still experience details for Outlook clients that have not yet been updated to support the client-side send API.

  2. Consistent Data:

    • Users no longer face issues with data mismatches between the local and server versions of the mail item.

  3. Seamless Integration:

    • The native Outlook client send process is used, ensuring compatibility with other client add-ins and a smoother user experience.

  4. Flexibility:

    • Users can now update and track mail items without being restricted by the previous limitations, making the overall process more efficient and user-friendly.

Summary and Conclusion

The Enhanced Track in CRM with Track State Service overcomes the limitations of traditional Track in CRM, providing a more seamless and efficient user experience. By eliminating delays and data mismatches, users can now track emails and meetings with confidence and ease.

 

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