Can't find phone notes...

[George]

Am using Outlook2003w/BCM.

Tried the autodialer feature (it goes thru modem) by clicking the small
phone icon on top menu bar...the clicked Start Call in window... It dialed
number, I picked up phone and talked, then entered notes ([X] Create new
Journal Entry was checked), then saved notes.

Later, I looked under Business Contact History, but can't find these notes
anywhere.

Any idea where they are?

Thanks,
George

 

[Tim P via OfficeKB.com]

George,

Your phone notes are likely in your Outlook PST Journal folder. This is an
Outlook feature only and when you click on the Auto dial icon it does not
extend to automatically creating a phone log in BCM eventhough the Business
Contact Record form uses the same top menu bar as the standard Outlook
Contact record. To manually create a phone log in BCM (a SEPARATE database
from your Outlook PST) you have to click on the "New" button next to the
Business History Items list and then select phone log. The subsequent entry
that is created looks and acts like a Journal entry that is created in
regular Outlook but it is unique to BCM. Remember that BCM is a separate add-
in. It shares the same user interface with the rest of Outlook and this
overlapping appearance can give the mistaken impression that the 2 apps share
all of the same features. The Journal Folder on the Outlook side of things
is the similiar cousin to the Business History folder in BCM. Microsoft
assumes that most BCM users will notice this distinction but there is room
for confusion especilally for newer users. I like these similiarities but a
much better job of explaining this could be done in the user guide and
practically non-existant support materials.

-THP

Am using Outlook2003w/BCM.

Tried the autodialer feature (it goes thru modem) by clicking the small
phone icon on top menu bar...the clicked Start Call in window... It dialed
number, I picked up phone and talked, then entered notes ([X] Create new
Journal Entry was checked), then saved notes.

Later, I looked under Business Contact History, but can't find these notes
anywhere.

Any idea where they are?

Thanks,
George

 

[Tim P via OfficeKB.com]

Some folks with a more tech-saavy background may experience an elitist
chuckle at this thread but it seems to illuminate what I feel is a typical
example of many a lament among several BCM end users. Although Outlook's
roots come from there, not every one is an enterprise level IT guru. There
has been improvement with BCM v2 but there remains a significant
instructional oversight and lack of detailed guidance for the end user. It
almost seems like it is so beneath someone more advanced to have to explain
this program better to users such as myself in language that is clear and
direct rather than laden with programmer lingo, etc. I would love to see a
BCM for Dummies released that could easily assist busy small business owners
like myself without needless complexity. Microsoft Press has a Step-By-Step
publication series that could be dedicated to BCM. It is my observation that
a LOT of posted threads here are due to this lack of more clear user friendly
information.

-THP

George,

Your phone notes are likely in your Outlook PST Journal folder. This is an
Outlook feature only and when you click on the Auto dial icon it does not
extend to automatically creating a phone log in BCM eventhough the Business
Contact Record form uses the same top menu bar as the standard Outlook
Contact record. To manually create a phone log in BCM (a SEPARATE database
from your Outlook PST) you have to click on the "New" button next to the
Business History Items list and then select phone log. The subsequent entry
that is created looks and acts like a Journal entry that is created in
regular Outlook but it is unique to BCM. Remember that BCM is a separate add-
in. It shares the same user interface with the rest of Outlook and this
overlapping appearance can give the mistaken impression that the 2 apps share
all of the same features. The Journal Folder on the Outlook side of things
is the similiar cousin to the Business History folder in BCM. Microsoft
assumes that most BCM users will notice this distinction but there is room
for confusion especilally for newer users. I like these similiarities but a
much better job of explaining this could be done in the user guide and
practically non-existant support materials.

-THP

Am using Outlook2003w/BCM.

[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]

Thanks,
George

 

[Chris Schatte]

Tim P,
I agree with your point on documentation for the update version of BCM. This
is likely just around the bend so to speak. The "tech savy" people that post
here and elsewhere are a great resource for us end users. Remember, anyone
who posts here volunteers their time either to learn or instruct any user or
reader.

Chris Schatte
--
use the Office Online web based newsreader here:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx
In Office System 2003 applications:
Help/Assistance Pane/open Communities

Some folks with a more tech-saavy background may experience an elitist
chuckle at this thread but it seems to illuminate what I feel is a typical
example of many a lament among several BCM end users. Although Outlook's
roots come from there, not every one is an enterprise level IT guru. There
has been improvement with BCM v2 but there remains a significant
instructional oversight and lack of detailed guidance for the end user. It
almost seems like it is so beneath someone more advanced to have to explain
this program better to users such as myself in language that is clear and
direct rather than laden with programmer lingo, etc. I would love to see a
BCM for Dummies released that could easily assist busy small business owners
like myself without needless complexity. Microsoft Press has a Step-By-Step
publication series that could be dedicated to BCM. It is my observation that
a LOT of posted threads here are due to this lack of more clear user friendly
information.

-THP

George,

Your phone notes are likely in your Outlook PST Journal folder. This is an
Outlook feature only and when you click on the Auto dial icon it does not
extend to automatically creating a phone log in BCM eventhough the Business
Contact Record form uses the same top menu bar as the standard Outlook
Contact record. To manually create a phone log in BCM (a SEPARATE database
from your Outlook PST) you have to click on the "New" button next to the
Business History Items list and then select phone log. The subsequent entry
that is created looks and acts like a Journal entry that is created in
regular Outlook but it is unique to BCM. Remember that BCM is a separate add-
in. It shares the same user interface with the rest of Outlook and this
overlapping appearance can give the mistaken impression that the 2 apps share
all of the same features. The Journal Folder on the Outlook side of things
is the similiar cousin to the Business History folder in BCM. Microsoft
assumes that most BCM users will notice this distinction but there is room
for confusion especilally for newer users. I like these similiarities but a
much better job of explaining this could be done in the user guide and
practically non-existant support materials.

-THP

Am using Outlook2003w/BCM.

[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]

Thanks,
George

 

[George]

I agree with all these notes on BCM. And also found my phone-call notes
that were entered in the screen that popped up when I used the auto-dialer.
The notes are exactly where Tim said... in Outlook's "Journal". Not in the
business/call history in BCM where they "should" be...that is, associated
with the contact name that I called.

While I realize the software "separation" between Outlook and BCM... from a
user perspective, these things should be transparent and anything to do with
a certain contact...well, it should end up under that contact's name.

A user really shouldn't need to pause and ask... before I call, am I working
with an Outlook applicaton or BCM application. Then, I'll fit what I do to
that application. It's really the other way around...and it should be
transparent... everything to do with that contact goes in one place...and I
don't need to think about it any more.

Reminds me of a television ad where someone has some great family pictures
(or something like that) and wants to email them to a friend. The friend
pauses and asks, technically... will they be coming over a DSL line, cable,
dialup, or other connection?

 

[Tim P via OfficeKB.com]

George,

Another reason your your well stated concerns over lack of transparency
probably stems from the fact that the designers simply (hastily?) cobbled
together a modified Outlook Contact record form when they created the
Business Contact record form. Accordingly, many of the native toolbar
buttons, etc that were native to the original Contact object item migrated
into the new Business Contact record form without any real operability. Thus
the confusion which led to your intial post in this thread. This is the kind
of thing that is so avoidable and it leads me to wonder how much of a limited
project commitment there is to BCM. At least there could be more publication
to expain how commands are similiar and different between Outlook and BCM.
(BCM Step-by-Step or BCM for Dummies, etc.)

-THP