add business contacts

[Guest]

I use Outlook 2003 and BCM. I have business contacts.
For example-->A, B, C

Open A contact
Under "Business Contacts" section, click "Add | Select Contact"
Choose C contact in the "Select Business Contacts to link to this account"
window

Open B contact
Under "Business Contacts" section, click "Add | Select Contact"
At this point, I cannot see C contact in the "Select Business Contacts to
link to this account" window.

So I have to recreate same contact.
How can I add same contact more than once in "business contacts" section of
account without recreating.

Thanks and best regards.
Sevgi

 

[Raul]

Hi Sevgi

A Business contact can be associated or linked to one Account.This is a
design issue

 

[Tim P via OfficeKB.com]

Sevgi,

My crude workaround for this design limitation is to create and maintain a
permanently linked Outlook Task item to each Account Record. On the subject
line of each of these permanently linked Task Records I simply type the same
name as the Account it is linked to so the association is easy to recognize.
This constant link effectively then makes available the additional Contact
link field found in the lower left of each Task record for linking additional
Business Contacts. Thus, an individual Business Contact Record can me linked
to more than just 1 Account record. It is not a direct link to the Account
record rather, it is an indirect one that links via the extended Outlook
Contact field made available through the permanently linked Task record. It
is easy to Navigate back and forth between the Account record and each
additonal multiple linked Business Contact record if I need to. You can also
link Account records to other Account records this way if you wish. Instead
of trying to picture this in your head I would recommend that you actually
try it by direct experimentation in order to comprehend what I am hopefully
communicating here.

-THP

 

[Guest]

Hi Tim,

Hi Tim,

I think your idea here is great. I still think its nuts that you have to get
so creative to do what should be so simple (in concept) for the designers of
the product. I'm still looking for a way to make this product "multi- user"
without having to spend $thousands on servers and other associated stuff!

Ian

 

[Tim P via OfficeKB.com]

Hi Ian,

Good to see you back here again. I applaud your 3-4 month persistence in
trying to become effectively "multi-user" with BCM. I am underwhelmed myself
with the sharing abilities. My own needs for sharing and remote multi user
access are having me take a close look at the new MSCRM 3.0 as an on-demand
hosted option. This hosting model (depending upon fees per month) could be a
cost effective way to leverage into this as I could avoid having to spend
thousands on servers, IT consulting, and other associated stuff! The other
option is with Avidian. They have just released their newest Prophet version
3.0 and they have an improved Professional client edition that can become
server hosted with or without exchange. I'm just not confident that BCM will
be made more flexible soon enough for my small (less than 5 people) multi-
usage needs.

-THP

Hi Tim,

Hi Tim,

I think your idea here is great. I still think its nuts that you have to get
so creative to do what should be so simple (in concept) for the designers of
the product. I'm still looking for a way to make this product "multi- user"
without having to spend $thousands on servers and other associated stuff!

Ian

Sevgi,

[quoted text clipped - 36 lines]

 

[Tim P via OfficeKB.com]

Additional comment:

I just spent some time by phone with Avidian and they are developing a
version 3.5 that will offer a client for Outlook Web Access (OWA) that will
be available in the near future thus making it even easier for web based,
multi-user remote access to data. This would be great for everyone from the
single entrepreneur up to enterprise need. No more synch hassles as
everything could be accessed and updated in real-time. The old days of
expensive IT infrastructure requirements to do this sort of thing are fading
fast. For anyone interested in this alternative go to www.avidian.com. (I
do not work for Avidian or benefit financially from referring to them). If
BCM can't or won't be improved in order to enable greater user adoption,
there are certainly some other alternatives for small business users to
explore.

"Necissity is the mother of all invention!"

-THP

Hi Ian,

Good to see you back here again. I applaud your 3-4 month persistence in
trying to become effectively "multi-user" with BCM. I am underwhelmed myself
with the sharing abilities. My own needs for sharing and remote multi user
access are having me take a close look at the new MSCRM 3.0 as an on-demand
hosted option. This hosting model (depending upon fees per month) could be a
cost effective way to leverage into this as I could avoid having to spend
thousands on servers, IT consulting, and other associated stuff! The other
option is with Avidian. They have just released their newest Prophet version
3.0 and they have an improved Professional client edition that can become
server hosted with or without exchange. I'm just not confident that BCM will
be made more flexible soon enough for my small (less than 5 people) multi-
usage needs.

-THP

Hi Tim,

[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]