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