What is the point of even having BCM?

[[ a m z ]]

I get the distinct feeling that we're all test subjects and that BCM is
really BetaBCM.

I can't even get a single response on this NG or m.p.outlook.contacts to my
problem with BCM not importing Act Notes/History fields. Then I read in the
post just ahead of mine that you can't manually link e-mails to accounts...

I thought BCM would make my life simpler and easier by eliminating a
third-party program. Now I'm wondering why I shouldn't just go back to Act?

 

[Rob Schneider]

works for me.

 

[[ a m z ]]

Act?

works for me.

What are you saying "works" for you? Are you able to import all of the
Notes/History from an Act 2000 (aka Act 5) record into a BCM record? If so,
how are you doing it? The standard Import in BCM gives the following
results:

Tried importing a small Act 5 database into Outlook 2003's
Business Contact Manager, but...

1. All my custom fields just bulk-imported into
the "Comments" section.

2. The Notes/History notes are gone. The "Business
Contact History" in BCM contains the "Activities" from
Act. If I tell it to "show fields" and select "notes," I
get a few random Notes/History from all kinds of records
(as reflected in "Parent" column). The same dozen notes
show up in every BCM contact for which I show notes.

 

[Rob Schneider]

Your question: "I thought BCM would make my life simpler and easier by
eliminating a third-party program. Now I'm wondering why I shouldn't
just go back to Act?"

BCM works for me.

I don't, and never used Act.

BCM isn't perfect. I have a list of things I wish for. But it's better
than Outlook for managing Business contacts.

If you need help importing Act data ... then ask that as a question. You
were asking about the "point of even having BCM". That surely for only
you to decide.

If it doesn't work for you, don't use it.

rms

 

[[ a m z ]]

The point of my frustrated comment was... What is the big selling point of
BCM vs. other contact managers? To me, it was the fact that I could
potentially get rid of a 3rd party program and that integration with e-mail
should be better.

However, it seems to me that Act, a far more mature product, has activity
(notes/history/reminder) tracking that BCM doesn't. One would think that
should be an if-it-does-nothing-else feature. From the posts on this and
other NG's, BCM seems lacking.

Also, one would think that the Act import features would be FAR more
sophisticated. Or if they are, far more intuitive.

So... to restate for non-former-Act people...

What is/are the thing(s) you like best about BCM? (Why) would you recommend
it?

Your question: "I thought BCM would make my life simpler and easier by
eliminating a third-party program. Now I'm wondering why I shouldn't
just go back to Act?"

BCM works for me.

I don't, and never used Act.

BCM isn't perfect. I have a list of things I wish for. But it's better
than Outlook for managing Business contacts.

If you need help importing Act data ... then ask that as a question. You
were asking about the "point of even having BCM". That surely for only
you to decide.

If it doesn't work for you, don't use it.

rms

[ a m z ] wrote:

I can't even get a single response on this NG or m.p.outlook.contacts

to

my

problem with BCM not importing Act Notes/History fields. Then I read

in

the

post just ahead of mine that you can't manually link e-mails to
accounts...

I thought BCM would make my life simpler and easier by eliminating a
third-party program. Now I'm wondering why I shouldn't just go back to

Act?

works for me.

What are you saying "works" for you? Are you able to import all of the
Notes/History from an Act 2000 (aka Act 5) record into a BCM record? If so,
how are you doing it? The standard Import in BCM gives the following
results:

Tried importing a small Act 5 database into Outlook 2003's
Business Contact Manager, but...

1. All my custom fields just bulk-imported into
the "Comments" section.

2. The Notes/History notes are gone. The "Business
Contact History" in BCM contains the "Activities" from
Act. If I tell it to "show fields" and select "notes," I
get a few random Notes/History from all kinds of records
(as reflected in "Parent" column). The same dozen notes
show up in every BCM contact for which I show notes.