The Method:Sidebar for Gmail gives you access to apps that allow you to manage data within your Method Account. You can access each app by selecting the app link in the sidebar.
To install the Method:Sidebar for Gmail, please see our article, Installing Method:Sidebar for Gmail.
Only apps you have permission to will show up in the Method:Sidebar. For example, if you do not have permission to view Opportunities in Method, then you will not see Opportunities in the gadget.
Add a New Contact
When you select an email within Gmail and open up the Method:Sidebar, it will display the contact of the sender of the email.
If this contact doesn't exist, then you will be presented with a screen to either search for a contact, or create a new contact.
When searching, you will be able to search by
email
name
address
phone
company
Note that contacts in the Sidebar respect permissions of the currently logged in user. In other words, if your user does not have permission to view a contact, then this contact will not show up in the search and cannot be displayed in the sidebar.
For more information, please see our article Restricting What Records Users See.
From this screen, you can also create a new Lead, Customer, Vendor Lead, or Vendor. Filling in this form is the same for all four of these types of contacts. To fill in more information, you will need to do so in Method.
View an Existing Contact
When you select an email within Gmail and open up the Method:Sidebar, it will display the contact of the sender of the email.
The information you can see within the sidebar:
Type - Shows if the contact is a Customer Lead, Customer, Vendor, or Vendor Lead.
Shown in QuickBooks as - How the person shows up in your QuickBooks.
Balance - The open balance.
Email - The email address in the From: field of the currently selected email.
Portal Link - When generated, this will give a unique URL that links to the contacts portal, which you need to share with your customer.
Phone - Their phone number within Method.
Billing Address - The billing address will not show unless you expand it.
Selecting the Edit link will open up Method in another browser page where you will be able to update all the details for this contact. At the moment, you are currently unable to update the contact details within the Method:Sidebar.
Add a New Related Contact
While viewing a contact in the Method:Sidebar, you may wish to add a new related contact. To do so, first click the Search within the ellipsis [ ⋮ ] menu. Remember, you need to be viewing your customer in the sidebar first.
Now, when viewing the search with a customer selected, you will see the customer below the search button and a link called New Related. This will add a related to contact to the current customer.
Activities
The activities app allows you to manage your activities with the contact currently selected. For more information on activities, see our articles on using Activities.
In the below example, we have received an email from Bob Crenshaw. When you select the Activities link in the Method:Sidebar, it will show activities related to Bob Crenshaw.
Only twenty records at a time will be shown in the list. To view all of your records, you can select View All in Method.
You can filter what is shown by the dropdown filter available above the list.
You can create a new activity within the sidebar, without leaving Gmail, by selecting New. You can create an activity and a follow-up just like you can in Method.
When creating an activity within the Sidebar, the following fields are available to you:
Assigned to* - the Method user to assign the activity to
Type* - activity type
Due* - when the activity is due
Status* - the status for the activity
Related Opportunity - If applicable, the opportunity the activity should be associated with
Schedule Follow Up - you can create a follow-up activity by checking this checkbox.
Opportunities
The opportunities app allows you to manage your opportunities with the contact currently selected. For more information on opportunities, see our articles on using Opportunities.
In the below example, we have received an email from Bob Crenshaw. The Method:Sidebar will show opportunities related to Bob Crenshaw.
Only twenty records at a time will be shown in the list. To view all of your records, you can select View All in Method.
You can filter what is shown by the dropdown filter available above the list.
You can create a new opportunity within the sidebar, without leaving Gmail, by selecting New. You can also create a follow up for this opportunity as well.
When creating an opportunity within the Sidebar, the following fields are available to you:
Name* - name of opportunity
Description* - a brief description for the opportunity
Expected Deal Amount* - the estimated amount you expect to receive. Used to calculate the pipeline.
Closed Date* - when you hope the deal is finalized
Assigned to* - the Method user to assign the activity to
Stage* - stage of opportunity. Used to calculate pipeline.
Type - opportunity type
Due* - when the activity is due
Lead Source - how did the lead hear about you
Campaign Source - select if opportunity is a result of an email campaign
Schedule Follow Up - you can create a follow-up activity by checking this checkbox.
Transactions
There are a number of transactions you may have access to: Invoices, Estimates, Sales Receipts, Payments. To view them, you can select the Transactions link within the sidebar. Your transactions will be visible within this list.
For more information on all the transactions and how they work in Method, please see our articles for the Sales Transactions Pack.
The below example will show the transactions for Bob Crenshaw: one invoice and four estimates.
Only twenty records at a time will be shown in the list. To view all of your records, you can select View All in Method.
You can filter which specific transactions you wish to view by selecting a view in the filter list.
Selecting New will open up a new browser window within Method and take you you to the customer profile. From there, you can create a new transaction of your choice.