What is the difference between a task, phone call, appointment, and email?

The four are used interchangeably, which makes both the checklist and the history cluttered.

Task — going forward

Something that needs to be done, with a due date and an assignee. This is what should appear in the work list. If tasks are used to record what has been done, the list will fill up with completed items.

Phone call and appointment — backward

A record of something that has happened, including its duration and participants. Appointments are synchronized with the calendar; phone calls are not.

Email

Tracked from Outlook rather than written in the CRM. If people write emails in the CRM, they lose their signature, templates, and everything else they are used to.

Practical rule

If someone needs to do something: task. If something has happened: use the appropriate type. That way, the task list remains reliable.