Disappointed w/Business Contact Manager; it does NOT "share"

[BrainerdCMA]

I am extremely disappointed with Business Contact Manager. I was seeking a
Contact database that could be shared and accessed within our office network.
Now that I’ve purchased it – I’ve discovered that “Share†has different
meanings. I am not happy!

Your promotional materials are very misleading! “New! Share customer data
and communication history across your business - Sharing contacts, accounts,
and opportunities gives you and your colleagues a rich view of all
communications your company has had with each customer. Business Contact
Manager for Outlook gives everyone the shared customer history data they need
to respond faster and serve customers better.â€

What recourse do you propose?
--
BrainerdCMA

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http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...-e7ab09dad7d4&dg=microsoft.public.outlook.bcm

 

[Bret [MS]]

Which version of Business Contact Manager are you referring to? You can tell
this by looking from within Outlook (Help --> About Business Contact.... ).
Please reply with the version number shown to you.

 

[Chris (Microsoft)]

Brainerd, I assume you are using Business Contact Manager Update? Is that
correct?

BCM Update *does* share data across multiple computers. Please include
specifically what you expect from BCM as far as sharing goes, and what you
think BCM is doing that is different.

Thank you,
Chris

 

[BrainerdCMA]

Hello Chris and Bret - Sorry for the lag in conversation - just got through
my busy season.
We have now downloaded the update (we're attempting to us Office 2003's
Business Contact Manger and to share the same data on two computers in a
networked office). Can't quite get the second user added to the list of
users with access to this computer --- it still seems to only want users
already on the first computer?????!!!!

 

[Luther]

Hello Chris and Bret - Sorry for the lag in conversation - just got through
my busy season.
We have now downloaded the update (we're attempting to us Office 2003's
Business Contact Manger and to share the same data on two computers in a
networked office). Can't quite get the second user added to the list of
users with access to this computer --- it still seems to only want users
already on the first computer?????!!!!
--
BrainerdCMA








- Show quoted text -

There are two ways to configure networks in the Windows world, a
workgroup and a domain. With a domain, the network has a machine, the
domain controller, that manages users and machines. The machines on
domain network rely on the domain controller to manage the users,
printers, etc. Typically, setting up a domain network requires someone
with specialized IT know how, and thus rare in small businesses.

A workgroup network is more of an ad-hoc affair. A machine in a
workgroup may be configured to share its printer or folders with
anyone who asks--that anyone is usually referred to as a "guest". To
have any kind of security on a workgroup network (e.g. to restrict
access on a folder or printer to only certain users) the user must
exist (have a login) on the machine with the shared folder or printer,
and have the same name (login) and password on the machine from which
they are making the request. Access to databases has the same
requirement. Home version of Windows tend to configure everything to
work for guests by default, whereas business (Professional) versions
of Windows make managing users and assigning permissions more
explicit.

BCM works on domain networks.

BCM will not work with the default--for guest users--workgroup network
configuration. BCM will work on a workgroup network, but it requires
that all users of a database have user names and passwords. On
workgroup networks, that means that all the users of the database must
be users (have logins) on the database's computer. In order to access
the BCM database from another machine, they must have the same user
name and password on the second machine.

 

[Bret [MS]]

There are two ways to configure networks in the Windows world, a
workgroup and a domain. With a domain, the network has a machine, the
domain controller, that manages users and machines. The machines on
domain network rely on the domain controller to manage the users,
printers, etc. Typically, setting up a domain network requires someone
with specialized IT know how, and thus rare in small businesses.

A workgroup network is more of an ad-hoc affair. A machine in a
workgroup may be configured to share its printer or folders with
anyone who asks--that anyone is usually referred to as a "guest". To
have any kind of security on a workgroup network (e.g. to restrict
access on a folder or printer to only certain users) the user must
exist (have a login) on the machine with the shared folder or printer,
and have the same name (login) and password on the machine from which
they are making the request. Access to databases has the same
requirement. Home version of Windows tend to configure everything to
work for guests by default, whereas business (Professional) versions
of Windows make managing users and assigning permissions more
explicit.

BCM works on domain networks.

BCM will not work with the default--for guest users--workgroup network
configuration. BCM will work on a workgroup network, but it requires
that all users of a database have user names and passwords. On
workgroup networks, that means that all the users of the database must
be users (have logins) on the database's computer. In order to access
the BCM database from another machine, they must have the same user
name and password on the second machine.

To be perhaps a little more clear -- Workgroup networks work fine with BCM.
The database machine must be a XP pro machine (or Vista) to host the
database. User names and passwords are required to access the database.

Example: Computer X and User 1 are on one computer. This computer hosts
the database and shares it out to User 2. User 2 has his own computer with a
private login. In order for User 2 to access the database on Computer X,
User 1 must make user 2 an account on Computer X. This may or may not be one
with a full login. (this means that he may only have access from another
machine, and not direct access from Computer X directly, i.e. able to sit at
the keyboard of Computer X's keyboard and actually be able to logon. See
help for further details on that.)

Now User 2's logon crededentials on Computer X (remember, the computer where
BCM sits and not his own) must match the ones on User 2's own computer - but
no other person need know user 2's logon credentials on either computer. it
is still a private logon / password, unknown to the owner of Computer X.
Temp passwords are used to make sure that the logon credentials are kept
private later on. See the help text for further details.

Bret

 

[BrainerdCMA]

Are you folks serious? MicroSoft is requiring too much technical knowledge
but marketing it as 'easy to use'.
Why is this product even offered to the general public?
Where can I ask for a refund? And, what about the weeks of frustration?

 

[Luther]

Are you folks serious? MicroSoft is requiring too much technical knowledge
but marketing it as 'easy to use'.
Why is this product even offered to the general public?
Where can I ask for a refund? And, what about the weeks of frustration?
--
BrainerdCMA









- Show quoted text -

1) You should discuss the lack of ease-of-use with the newsgroupies
that insist BCM isn't as good as brand X's CRM because it is too
general and doesn't complicate things with the specialized features
they need; "What? No support for linking multiple Business Contacts
via Exchange 2007 OWA over RPC synchronization of Live Office Contacts
to Palm Accounting Invoices? I could do that in OS/390 JCL with some
MVS Assembler. You call this a small business CRM application? "
2) BCM is free. Your refund is in the mail.

 

[mrtimpeterson via OfficeKB.com]

Luther,

Adding "specialized features" to complicate things is NOT at all what this
newsgroupy (me) means when I compare BCM limitations to brand X's CRM. It is
a false choice of extremes to state that one must go from having BCM be too
general vs. BCM being uneasy to configure for use. Configuring Windows
networks for BCM db sharing among some novice users can seem like a
bewildering array of logon credentials and password permission settings.
When sometimes reading this site it can "appear" that one truly needs to be
an IT expert to deal with setting up BCM eventhough it is marketed otherwise
as an easy out-of-the-box experience. Networking details may not be apparent
to a casual (non-programmer) end user that BrainerdCMA appears to be. It
serves no constructive purpose to ridicule his reply with sarcasm. The
feedback of his frustrated comments can provide constructive value for those
who design and monitor BCM's product experience among users.

BTW, BCM is not free. It requires the purchase of either the Office
Professional or Small Business Editions which are priced at a higher point
than the other lower priced editions that include Outlook only by itself
without BCM being included in the package. I believe THAT is what this
poster was alluding to with his apparent buyers remorse comment asking for a
refund.

Such a continued lack of empathy and flippant disregard for an end users
frustration like this are likely why folks become cynical and develop bad
attitudes toward Redmond. I have a lot of respect for those who are more
technically in the know than I am eventhough I may provide critique and
features comparison among other alternatives to BCM. Usually this kind of
thing brings continual improvement.

Best Wishes,

-THP

Are you folks serious? MicroSoft is requiring too much technical knowledge
but marketing it as 'easy to use'.

[quoted text clipped - 105 lines]

- Show quoted text -

1) You should discuss the lack of ease-of-use with the newsgroupies
that insist BCM isn't as good as brand X's CRM because it is too
general and doesn't complicate things with the specialized features
they need; "What? No support for linking multiple Business Contacts
via Exchange 2007 OWA over RPC synchronization of Live Office Contacts
to Palm Accounting Invoices? I could do that in OS/390 JCL with some
MVS Assembler. You call this a small business CRM application? "
2) BCM is free. Your refund is in the mail.

 

[Luther]

Luther,

Adding "specialized features" to complicate things is NOT at all what this
newsgroupy (me) means when I compare BCM limitations to brand X's CRM. It is
a false choice of extremes to state that one must go from having BCM be too
general vs. BCM being uneasy to configure for use. Configuring Windows
networks for BCM db sharing among some novice users can seem like a
bewildering array of logon credentials and password permission settings.
When sometimes reading this site it can "appear" that one truly needs to be
an IT expert to deal with setting up BCM eventhough it is marketed otherwise
as an easy out-of-the-box experience. Networking details may not be apparent
to a casual (non-programmer) end user that BrainerdCMA appears to be. It
serves no constructive purpose to ridicule his reply with sarcasm. The
feedback of his frustrated comments can provide constructive value for those
who design and monitor BCM's product experience among users.

BTW, BCM is not free. It requires the purchase of either the Office
Professional or Small Business Editions which are priced at a higher point
than the other lower priced editions that include Outlook only by itself
without BCM being included in the package. I believe THAT is what this
poster was alluding to with his apparent buyers remorse comment asking for a
refund.

Such a continued lack of empathy and flippant disregard for an end users
frustration like this are likely why folks become cynical and develop bad
attitudes toward Redmond. I have a lot of respect for those who are more
technically in the know than I am eventhough I may provide critique and
features comparison among other alternatives to BCM. Usually this kind of
thing brings continual improvement.

Best Wishes,

-THP

Are you folks serious? MicroSoft is requiring too much technical knowledge
but marketing it as 'easy to use'.

[quoted text clipped - 105 lines]

- Show quoted text -

1) You should discuss the lack of ease-of-use with the newsgroupies
that insist BCM isn't as good as brand X's CRM because it is too
general and doesn't complicate things with the specialized features
they need; "What? No support for linking multiple Business Contacts
via Exchange 2007 OWA over RPC synchronization of Live Office Contacts
to Palm Accounting Invoices? I could do that in OS/390 JCL with some
MVS Assembler. You call this a small business CRM application? "
2) BCM is free. Your refund is in the mail.

I don't understand the cost analysis. Isn't BCM available as a
download? If you have Outlook, can't you just install BCM on top of it?

 

[mrtimpeterson via OfficeKB.com]

My understanding is that BCM requires certain Office version SKUs and will
not install unless the "correct" version of Outlook is in use. I could be
wrong about this however.

-THP

Luther,

[quoted text clipped - 51 lines]

- Show quoted text -

I don't understand the cost analysis. Isn't BCM available as a
download? If you have Outlook, can't you just install BCM on top of it?