Reminders aren't available in contact search

[Tartansand]

In "normal"outlook contacts I can flag a reminder on a contact and use
a saved advanced search to list flagged contacts

This is a fast easy way to keep track of things like calling customers,
returning quotes etc

Not only does the list show follow-up reminder flags, dates, time, and
script, all of which are easily sorted, but also when the reminder is
overdue they show in red

Now try browsing to the contacts in BCM contacts and do the same search
on flagged contacts in there
An all but blank list is generated - the only data showing is "none" in
the reminder time column. I assume from that that the advanced search
doesn't work the same way on contacts in BCM

The only solution appears to be to create new tasks against each
contact for each call - much more cumbersome
Added to that, a search on tasks will show those outstanding and can
show the reminder time but they dont turn red unless the "due date" is
passed rather than the reminder date & time

Unless I'm doing something wrong somewhere, this is a backward step
that will probably mean dumping it and returning to just using the
basic outlook

Any ideas anyone?

 

[Ed Marmon]

Unless I'm doing something wrong somewhere, this is a backward step
that will probably mean dumping it and returning to just using the
basic outlook

Any ideas anyone?

i thought about this, and the new ( new, back in 2003 ) unicode format for
outlook 2003 supports, what, 16 terabytes? then you look at the "business"
contact manager limited by msde that supports 2 gigabytes of database
files. how's that for backwards?

i read somewhere that msn desktop search ( still in perpetual beta?) can
search business contacts. can you use that?

also, what about using a macros program for the more cumbersome tasks to
which you refer?

just a thought.

 

[Tartansand]

Hi Ed
I've got the MSN "beta" but haven't tried indexing BCM database.
But even if it works, it doesn't really help re-produce my ooooh so
very simple list complete with red highlighting that the OL2003 advance
search can produce

I can do some VBA in the other office applications but most often I
crib it by recording macros and then messing with them to make them
work!
I wouldn/t even know where to start trying to program that
functionality

It just seems crazy, the advance search is so easy to use
If it's too difficult to do BCM searches from the OL2003 search
function, given that BCM is a database, I wouldn't have thought it
would be that difficult to have the same functionality built into it.
(But then maybe I'm wrong)

Pity - it looked far easier to use than other more complex CRM like ACT
etc and seemed pretty good when I first started with it, then I find a
most basic (for me) function is missing

Just seems like 2 steps forward - 1 step back.

 

[Guest]

A Microsoft newsletter pointed me to a add-in called Lookout. I installed it
and I like it, it really works well. Except for the fact after I installed it
I had to re-install business manager because it again the accounts lost
association to the contacts.
After the re-install all is well. The Lookout is great, it can search all of
outlook for anything.