1.  BEGINNING USERS - Computer facts that you should know about to make your computing easier.

For 13 years, we have been helping companies and individual, small business computer users with their computer needs.  There is not a week that goes by that we do not have a person ask us about the most basic computer questions.  Below we will mention and answer a few of the most common questions.

There are three major players in the small business contact management arena.  There are others but they are insignificant compared to the top three.  These three are:

• GoldMine
• ACT
• Microsoft Outlook

I will not attempt to analyze the differences between these three or why they are different from the other players in the CRM market.  I will tell you what you should consider when looking for a CRM solution and why.

Your first step in considering a Contact Management program is to decide what you want to do with the software.  Many people purchase the software and then see what it will do, then try to make it fit what they need.  You might want to do some or all of the following:

1. Keep up with your customer's and/or prospect's name, address and e-mail information.
2. Keep up with notes on your customers.
3. Send e-mails to certain groups of customers or prospects.
4. Mail merge letters and keep history information.
5. Connect with your accounting package to ease transfer of information.
6. Set up routines that will prompt you to make a phone call or some other follow-up action.
7. Set alarms to remind you to do something.
8. Connect to your PalmPilot or other hand held device to you can take it on the road.
9. Share information with others in your organization.
10. Track Pipeline activity (What prospects do you have and their status).
11. Keep up with calendar information, schedule activities for your self and others.
12. Use for inter-company communications.
13. Track custom information.
14. Complete forms based on information that has been entered for a prospect such as a contract.
15. Track where your business comes from.
16. Synchronize with other computers.
17. Manage you e-mail, correspondence and other communications.

When looking to set up your Contact Management program, you might want to hire a consultant that has experience with the software you have chosen.  Unless you have experience with the software you are using, it might be more cost efficient to have an expert guide you through the process.  They can really optimize the program and help you avoid costly mistakes.

Depending on the requirements above you need to consider the following programs for the various situations:

• GoldMine - Excellent CRM solution for multi-user situations or single power users
• ACT - Excellent CRM for single users
• Outlook - Good CRM for low budget situations - most people already have this program - [Excellent for intercompany communications]

For more information on each of these programs, click on the name below and you will be taken to the preferred web site for that program.

• GoldMine
• ACT
• Outlook

We can help you with this.  When you create a picture and process that picture in a program such as Jasc Paint Shop Pro, you can resize it, modify the colors and many other processes.  When you finish and save the picture, the size can be quite large. For example, the picture below is two times the file size as the second picture below.

As you can see above, the differences in the size of the pictures is the same, but the file size of the second picture is considerably smaller.

To do this in Jasc Paint shop Pro, you go to File | Export | JPEG Optimizer.  This opens up a wizard and then you simply make your selections.  At the end, you save the picture and then use it in your documents as needed.

Each month, we try to include a real world issue that our customers have requested.  

Suppose you want to set up your e-mail in Outlook Express.  To do this you will need the following information:

• E-Mail address from your provider
• E-Mail password
• POP3 information
• SMTP information

Step by set, this is what you do to set up your e-mail

Open Outlook Express and go to Tools | Accounts

Next go to the Mail tab, then Add Mail

This will start your internet connection wizard.  Next Enter your Name then click Next

After you clicked next, the following screen appeared.  Enter your email address and click next.

Now you want to enter your POP3 and SMTP information.  Your e-mail provider should provide this information.  It will look something like the information below.

Now you will enter the account name and password.  Sometime you will just enter the name, and sometimes you will enter your entire email address - your e-mail provider will tell you what your Account name is and your password.

Now click Next and Finish and Close.

Your email is now set up and you can click the and you should be able to see any e-mail that has been sent.

Rob Saunders

Copyright 2003 by Saunders Business Solutions. All rights reserved