Using Activity Composer in 8020CRM: Communication, Follow-Up, and Files

Sep 23, 2024

6 min read

Updated: Aug 27

Activity Composer keeps calls, messages, follow-up work, appointments, notes, and Files connected to the record where the work belongs. Open the right record, choose one action, confirm the person and business context, save or send once, and verify the result before moving on.

Applies to: Delivered Lead, Contact, Account or Person Account, Opportunity, and Property Transaction record pages where Activity Composer is visible. Actions, labels, fields, and placement can vary by page configuration, permissions, connected services, and device.

8020CRM Lead record page with Activity Composer actions and the Call panel beside qualification details and the Activity Timeline. — Activity Composer stays beside the record workspace so you can confirm the Lead, related Property, current stage, and recent history before acting.

Find Activity Composer

Open 8020CRM, choose the tab for the record you are working, and open that record. Activity Composer normally appears beside the record workspace and above the Activity Timeline on delivered pages.

The action strip can include Call, SMS, Email, Chat, Task, Event, Note, Log Call, Files, and RAIN. Chat appears only when a portal conversation is available. Your organization can hide or rename actions, select a different default, or use a guided process for Task, Event, or Log Call.

A visible action does not by itself authorize a sender, recipient, channel, File, or AI operation. Record access, assigned senders, consent, suppression rules, connected-service readiness, and permissions still apply.

Choose the right action

Call: place a connected call from the current record.
SMS: prepare a text through an authorized sender.
Email: prepare a single or mass email and review its recipients and content.
Chat: read and answer an available authenticated portal conversation.
Task: assign owned work with an owner and due date.
Event: schedule an appointment or meeting.
Note: preserve internal context on the record.
Log Call: record a call that already happened.
Files: add approved documents, media, or configured links.
RAIN: use available record-aware assistance and review its output before acting.

Place or record a call

Use Call when you intend to place a new call through the connected phone experience. Confirm the displayed number and person before starting.

Use Log Call when the call already happened outside the connected calling experience. Enter a clear subject, purpose, and useful comments, then save once. Logging a call does not place another call.

Activity Composer Log Call editor with Subject, Comments, Purpose or Function, Cancel, and Save controls on a synthetic Lead. — Use Log Call for a call that already happened. Saving this form records history; it does not place another call.

After saving, confirm that one Call entry appears on the intended record with the expected subject, time, owner, relationship, and comments.

Saved synthetic Call entry in the Activity Timeline after Log Call was completed on the intended Lead. — The durable timeline entry is the verification point: confirm the subject, owner, time, relationship, and comments after save.

Prepare an SMS or email

SMS

Before sending a text:

Confirm the current record and intended person.
Review the recipient number and authorized sender.
Check consent, opt-out, suppression, and timing requirements.
Review the complete message and any merged values.
Send once, then wait for the available confirmation or status before retrying.

Activity Composer SMS tab with a documentation sender, empty recipient and message fields, composition tools, send control, and Single or Mass switch. — Confirm sender, recipient, consent, and complete content before sending. This focused view shows composition controls, not a delivery result.

Single mode is centered on one record and recipient. Mass mode is for a reviewed audience. If Mass is available, confirm the final audience, exclusions, sender, and message preview before submitting. Do not use Mass when each recipient needs individual judgment.

The SMS image shows the current composition controls. It does not show a sent or delivered message.

Email

Review every To, CC, and BCC address, the subject, body, signature, template, merged value, and attachment. On desktop, Compose opens the final Salesforce email action for another review before send.

For Mass email, wait until the audience count and scope are resolved. Confirm the source list or report, exclusions, sender, and personalized preview before submitting.

The email image shows a prepared draft. It does not prove that an email was sent, delivered, opened, or answered.

Answer portal Chat

When Chat is available, open the conversation and confirm the customer, portal, and Property context before replying. A record with more than one eligible customer or site can require a selection first.

Focused Activity Composer Chat thread with synthetic customer and Property context, bidirectional messages, reply editor, attachment control, and send action. — Keep the reply in the matching portal thread and confirm the customer and Property heading before attaching a File or responding.

Use only approved Salesforce Files for that customer and Property. A reply appearing in the thread confirms that it was saved to the conversation; it does not prove that the customer opened it.

Create a Task

A Task represents owned work. Enter a useful Subject, confirm Assigned To, and set a realistic Due Date. Complete Purpose or Function, Comments, Priority, Reminder, and checklist controls when they are shown and relevant.

Activity Composer Task form with synthetic Subject, Assigned To, Purpose or Function, Due Date, Comments, Priority, Cancel, and Save controls. — A Task represents owned work. Confirm the accountable owner, realistic due date, relationship, purpose, and priority before saving.

Save once, then find the Task in the timeline. Confirm its owner, due date, relationship, comments, and current status.

Saved synthetic Follow Up Task in the Activity Timeline with owner, due-date context, and comments visible. — After save, confirm one Task appears on the intended record with the expected owner, due date, comments, and current status.

Schedule an Event

An Event represents scheduled time. Enter Subject and Assigned To, then set Start and either End or Duration. Confirm the displayed time zone, attendees, location, reminder, person, and related record. Complete any visible custom fields when required.

Activity Composer Event form with synthetic Subject, Assigned To, Purpose, Location, Start and End, Description, Attendees, Reminder, help text, Cancel, and Save controls. — Confirm the displayed time zone, start and end, attendees, location, reminder, and relationships before saving scheduled time.

Save once, then verify the Event in the timeline and Calendar. A Salesforce reminder does not prove that an external attendee received or accepted an invitation.

Add a Note or Files

Use Note for internal context that should remain with the record. Give it a clear title and preserve only business-relevant information. A Note is not evidence that a customer was contacted.

Activity Composer Note editor with a synthetic title, rich-text controls, internal note body, Cancel, and Save on a Property Transaction. — Use Notes for concise internal context on the correct record. A saved Note is not evidence that a customer was contacted.

Use Files for approved documents, photos, videos, or configured external links. Categories and accepted content depend on the page configuration. Confirm the record and category before uploading.

Activity Composer Files tab with Thumbnail, Photos and Videos, and Contracts and Documents categories, upload controls, view controls, and external-link fields. — Choose the category and record that own the File's purpose; available categories, accepted formats, and external links are configurable.

After upload, verify that the File appears in the intended category and remains related to the record that owns it.

Saved synthetic PNG listed in the Photos and Videos category of Activity Composer Files with type, size, and date visible. — After upload, verify the File appears in the intended category and remains related to the record that owns it.

Use RAIN assistance when available

When the RAIN action is visible and connected, use only the record-aware assistance enabled for your organization and user. Review evidence, recipients, relationships, dates, and generated content before sending or saving anything.

RAIN availability is configuration-dependent. Follow the separate RAIN guidance for connection, permissions, and supported actions; the presence of a RAIN tab does not prove that an action is authorized or complete.

Review and filter the Activity Timeline

The Activity Timeline is the verification surface near Activity Composer. Use the filter menu to narrow the visible history by Date, Owner, and Activity type.

Activity Timeline filter menu with Date, Owner, and Activity sections open beside a synthetic Lead's saved activity. — Use Date, Owner, and Activity filters to narrow the timeline, then open the resulting record to verify its relationships and state.

Open the resulting Task, Event, Call, message, Note, or File and confirm its owner, relationships, timestamp, and current state. If a communication result is uncertain, do not submit the same request again until you have checked the available status.

Troubleshooting

Activity Composer is missing: check the active app, record page assignment, form factor, component visibility, and your permissions.
An action is missing or renamed: check the active page configuration and connected feature readiness.
Chat is missing: check supported record context, portal access, available customer or site selection, and an eligible conversation path.
Task or Event fields differ: check the configured form, field access, required-field rules, and any guided process.
No sender is available: check your assigned mailbox or phone number and the connected service's readiness.
The recipient is missing or wrong: check the source person, current record, related deal, explicit recipient selection, and channel field.
An action is blank after first open: keep it selected briefly, then refresh once and confirm the optional feature is available.
A message outcome is unresolved: inspect the available communication status before retrying and preserve the original request.
An activity is on the wrong record: correct its person and business-record relationships; do not create an unexplained duplicate.