Microsoft Business Contact Manager - Advice

[terinea]

Hi

I'm looking for some advice on Microsoft Business Contact (BCM).

Usually BCM is something I've always turn off for clients. Recently one of my clients is interested in using it.

I've got five users which will be using it via VPN connection (Database is on SBS 2003) and also in offline mode. I've already gone through this setup on one of the laptops.

Before I proceed I was looking for some general advice on how you've found the product to manage and how clients have got on with it.

Kind regards

Jamie

 

[iptech]

Hi

I'm looking for some advice on Microsoft Business Contact (BCM).

Usually BCM is something I've always turn off for clients. Recently one of my clients in interested in using it.

I've got five users which will be using it live via VPN connection (Database is on SBS 2003) and also in offline mode. I've already gone this setup on one of the laptops.

Before I proceed I was looking for some general advice on how you've found the product to manage and how clients have got on with it.

Kind regards

Jamie

I tried it because it links in to Microsoft Office Accounting. It actually does this very well.


...but that's about it!

Yes you can access the contacts from within Outlook, but they're listed separately to the contacts within the Outlook PST file. If you want to synchronize your Business Contact Manager contacts with a mobile phone you need to first import them from the Business Contacts Manager database and then synchronize them, likewise if you update a contact on your phone then you have to manually export them back to BCM. Hardly a streamlined process that you should expect of any CRM system these days and liable to error or omission.

Instead of adding useless widgets and pointless interface changes to its Office suite I wish Microsoft would do something to improve Outlook's data file management and give the option of using a SQL database structure at its core.

 

[stevenamills]

iptech has pointed out the serious drawback - it's a hangon and not really integrated.

Having said that, it's a nice standalone product.

I use Osasync to synchronize outlook contacts and calendars with some of my smaller clients and it doesn't work with BCM.

 

[terinea]

Thanks for your feedback so far, I will certainly bear those points in mind.

I couldn't understand either why Outlook Contacts could be easily imported into BCM?

Jamie