| Contact Management System | | | | but could still be cumbersome to use and often |
| Most businesses today use some type of Contact | | | | took more than basic knowledge of the software |
| Management System for keeping track of their | | | | program. With software programs designed for |
| customer information. Many are very simple | | | | Contact Management, the business professional |
| systems that track basic contact information such | | | | finally got a tool allowing them to easily organize |
| as customer name, address, phone number, and | | | | contact data in one location, make it simple to |
| email address. Those systems may be a card file | | | | update and record information not previously |
| or Rolodex, some sort of database or | | | | available (email and website addresses). The |
| spreadsheet program, or software specifically | | | | preeminent Contact Management System in this |
| designed for managing contact information. In a | | | | arena being Microsoft Outlook, allowing easy |
| competitive business environment it is important | | | | collection of contact data with access to your |
| to have a Contact Management System that not | | | | email, calendar, and daily task lists. |
| only organizes the information for the contacts | | | | Reviewing contact management history |
| you work with, but also for the companies. Your | | | | Reviewing the history of communication you have |
| Contact Management System must permit you | | | | had with your clients is a vital component of |
| to easily review the contact information for the | | | | Contact Management Software, and should be a |
| people and companies you work with as well as | | | | simple process. When working in a Contact |
| giving you access to a history of the | | | | Management Program, you want to be able to |
| communication, events, and actions related to | | | | see all the activities related to a specific person or |
| them. | | | | a company. The Prophet Contact Manager allows |
| Evolution of the Contact Management System | | | | you to select a specific contact or company and |
| The first Contact Management Systems were | | | | see all the related emails, appointments, tasks and |
| simple paper files with the contact data (name, | | | | even sales opportunities. The Contact Manager |
| address, and phone number) of the people you | | | | presents you with tabbed sections that allow you |
| worked with. Many business people kept this | | | | to easily switch between viewing emails, |
| information in card files or address books. With | | | | appointments, tasks and attachments for a |
| the development of day planners and date books | | | | specific contact or company. |
| many business people found an easy way to | | | | If you are looking for an email from one of your |
| keep all their customer information in one place, | | | | clients just click their name in the Contact |
| with a spot for short notes and a calendar close | | | | Manager window, then select the "Emails" tab. You |
| at hand. However, their Contact Management | | | | can now find that email from any folder in your |
| System was still on paper making it cumbersome | | | | Outlook, and with a simple click open it to review |
| to update and difficult to share information with | | | | the specifics. That message is opened directly |
| colleagues. As computers and software took over | | | | from your Outlook. This can be a vital function of |
| the business world, they took over Contact | | | | Contact Management Software in providing a |
| Management as well. You could now keep your | | | | consistent and reliable history of your relationship |
| contact data in a spreadsheet or database. | | | | and communication with a client. |
| This made updating the information a bit easier, | | | | |