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How about a new product for you to sell?
Call it Microsoft Streets and Trips for Business 2003 upgrade
I am a new small business owner, and I have just purchased Microsoft Office
Professional 2003. So far, I love it to death, and the learning curve hasn’t
killed me yet either, but I still have a ways to go. However, I would really
like to see mapping software similar to Microsoft Streets and Trips
implemented in Microsoft Outlook 2003 under Contact Manager. I am really
loving what you have done with Contact Manager, and its built in flexibility
as far tracking and updating the contacts, and moving them from one group to
another. Knowing you can do this, I have to ask if you would consider the
following.
I am trying to map out my potential customers and customers location in the
Greater Toledo Ohio area.
I like Streets and Trips, and I find myself entering information twice to do
the contact information in Outlook 2003, and then use Streets and trips to
put in the same information.
Streets and Trips could use a little help too. Call the upgrade the Streets
and Trips Business UPGRADE! I have listed a couple of changes that would
make this Business UPGRADE material. It’s a smart way of planning days
activities, and will save $ on time and gas because of reduced mileage
incurred while performing face to face business. It will also help with
taxes (for those of use that claim milage). Please read all suggestions in
this part, some have things to do with the other. I am just trying to
explain tying everything together, just as you have in the Office
Professional 2003 software! These are just things I would use! Oh yeah,
could you please make it compatible with the Garmin I.Q. 3600 too? (As long
as I am dreaming)
1) The most annoying thing about Microsoft Streets and Trips is that there
is no option for “HOMEâ€, a place where most people start from, and that drop
down list gets full after a while. I would like it so I have the option of
setting my home address or business address as the start point when getting
directions.
2) I love the push pin idea in Streets and Trips, and I am using them to
label potential customers (BLUE), Contacted customers (YELLOW), Not
interested at all customers, (The red do not enter symbol), and Clients,
(Green Flag) ye haw! However, it would be nice to be able to only view one
type of push pin, lets say Blue, and only the blue ones are showing, and then
a one click option to show the balloons for all the blue push pins. Now, it
would also be nice if we could control the balloons. For example they could
be reduced to just the name of the company, and the rest of the info could
come from Contact Manager when clicked on (text box, or right side of
screen). Or show addresses in the balloon for printing the maps as an
option! Also an option or default when printing the directions, the Company
name and address assigned to the pushpin shows up in the destination on the
directions! Be nice to have the name of the person you are contacting in the
same area too, for example, (John Doe, Marketing) or (Jane Doe, General
Manager)
3) I would really be nice to have the option of having all the pins or
symbols at the top of the screen and the description, with a check box so
only those pins/symbols selected/checked show up on the map.
4) I have the Greater Toledo Area broken up into 5 areas. North, South,
East, West, and Central. It would be really nice if we had the option of
different color shading in the areas we want to shade in such a way. Why?
Break down my area’s into days of the week. Different kinds of
shading/texturing would be nice too. For example, a very light shade of red
designates North Toledo, and say a very light shade, along with a darker
lined area to designate High Crime area within North Toledo area. (Better
send 2 people there with bullet proof vests for safety)
5) Now that the above parts are done, how being able to take a shaded area,
and have the mapping software create a route, (shortest and fastest) and
print directions to all those Companies designated by the pushpins on the
map. Or, left click and drag option to do the same thing? For example, I
want to do some face to face meetings with Prospective Customers (BLUE pins)
and Current Clients (Green Flag) in North Toledo area (shaded red). On my
menu of say 10 pushpins/symbols, I select GREEN flag and BLUE pins from the
menu of 10, the rest of the pins are taken off the screen. I then select the
red shaded area, right click, and select “create route†and the software
develops the fastest route and shortest route to all those companies. It
shows total driving time “without stoppingâ€, and total miles (Be able to
calculate total time if every meeting took 45 minutes?). Click and Drag
would work in the same way, it develops a route based on all the visible
pushpins, that have been drug over. Don’t forget to have it include MY Home
Base Address.
6) Would also like an option of deselecting pins. For example, I was just
at XYZ Company yesterday, I don’t need to go there today, I don’t want them
on my route today, but I want them on my route next week. I right click on
the balloon for XYZ Company, and the Push/Symbol pin and balloon turns to a
“red X with a circle around itâ€. This designates it for the computer not to
put it on the route today, but also lets me change it for next week.
7) I would also like the option of selecting pins. For example, I am in
Green shaded area (South Toledo) but I have to get to Company ABC in North
Toledo for special meeting. So, I select ABC Company, I right click on it,
and the pin changed to a plus sign, telling the computer to add to it.
Computer would ask what time I have to be there, and the computer routes me
there, and back to the days route. Or when I get done with my route, have
the directions take me there? Man, if you could incorporate this with the
Garmin IQ3600, it could even have it figure out the time it takes to get
there, and set off an alarm as to what time I have to start heading there!
Well, this is enough for now. Let me know if I have any other suggestions!
I have more, but this letter has already taken enough time.
Thanks for your time!
Call it Microsoft Streets and Trips for Business 2003 upgrade
I am a new small business owner, and I have just purchased Microsoft Office
Professional 2003. So far, I love it to death, and the learning curve hasn’t
killed me yet either, but I still have a ways to go. However, I would really
like to see mapping software similar to Microsoft Streets and Trips
implemented in Microsoft Outlook 2003 under Contact Manager. I am really
loving what you have done with Contact Manager, and its built in flexibility
as far tracking and updating the contacts, and moving them from one group to
another. Knowing you can do this, I have to ask if you would consider the
following.
I am trying to map out my potential customers and customers location in the
Greater Toledo Ohio area.
I like Streets and Trips, and I find myself entering information twice to do
the contact information in Outlook 2003, and then use Streets and trips to
put in the same information.
Streets and Trips could use a little help too. Call the upgrade the Streets
and Trips Business UPGRADE! I have listed a couple of changes that would
make this Business UPGRADE material. It’s a smart way of planning days
activities, and will save $ on time and gas because of reduced mileage
incurred while performing face to face business. It will also help with
taxes (for those of use that claim milage). Please read all suggestions in
this part, some have things to do with the other. I am just trying to
explain tying everything together, just as you have in the Office
Professional 2003 software! These are just things I would use! Oh yeah,
could you please make it compatible with the Garmin I.Q. 3600 too? (As long
as I am dreaming)
1) The most annoying thing about Microsoft Streets and Trips is that there
is no option for “HOMEâ€, a place where most people start from, and that drop
down list gets full after a while. I would like it so I have the option of
setting my home address or business address as the start point when getting
directions.
2) I love the push pin idea in Streets and Trips, and I am using them to
label potential customers (BLUE), Contacted customers (YELLOW), Not
interested at all customers, (The red do not enter symbol), and Clients,
(Green Flag) ye haw! However, it would be nice to be able to only view one
type of push pin, lets say Blue, and only the blue ones are showing, and then
a one click option to show the balloons for all the blue push pins. Now, it
would also be nice if we could control the balloons. For example they could
be reduced to just the name of the company, and the rest of the info could
come from Contact Manager when clicked on (text box, or right side of
screen). Or show addresses in the balloon for printing the maps as an
option! Also an option or default when printing the directions, the Company
name and address assigned to the pushpin shows up in the destination on the
directions! Be nice to have the name of the person you are contacting in the
same area too, for example, (John Doe, Marketing) or (Jane Doe, General
Manager)
3) I would really be nice to have the option of having all the pins or
symbols at the top of the screen and the description, with a check box so
only those pins/symbols selected/checked show up on the map.
4) I have the Greater Toledo Area broken up into 5 areas. North, South,
East, West, and Central. It would be really nice if we had the option of
different color shading in the areas we want to shade in such a way. Why?
Break down my area’s into days of the week. Different kinds of
shading/texturing would be nice too. For example, a very light shade of red
designates North Toledo, and say a very light shade, along with a darker
lined area to designate High Crime area within North Toledo area. (Better
send 2 people there with bullet proof vests for safety)
5) Now that the above parts are done, how being able to take a shaded area,
and have the mapping software create a route, (shortest and fastest) and
print directions to all those Companies designated by the pushpins on the
map. Or, left click and drag option to do the same thing? For example, I
want to do some face to face meetings with Prospective Customers (BLUE pins)
and Current Clients (Green Flag) in North Toledo area (shaded red). On my
menu of say 10 pushpins/symbols, I select GREEN flag and BLUE pins from the
menu of 10, the rest of the pins are taken off the screen. I then select the
red shaded area, right click, and select “create route†and the software
develops the fastest route and shortest route to all those companies. It
shows total driving time “without stoppingâ€, and total miles (Be able to
calculate total time if every meeting took 45 minutes?). Click and Drag
would work in the same way, it develops a route based on all the visible
pushpins, that have been drug over. Don’t forget to have it include MY Home
Base Address.
6) Would also like an option of deselecting pins. For example, I was just
at XYZ Company yesterday, I don’t need to go there today, I don’t want them
on my route today, but I want them on my route next week. I right click on
the balloon for XYZ Company, and the Push/Symbol pin and balloon turns to a
“red X with a circle around itâ€. This designates it for the computer not to
put it on the route today, but also lets me change it for next week.
7) I would also like the option of selecting pins. For example, I am in
Green shaded area (South Toledo) but I have to get to Company ABC in North
Toledo for special meeting. So, I select ABC Company, I right click on it,
and the pin changed to a plus sign, telling the computer to add to it.
Computer would ask what time I have to be there, and the computer routes me
there, and back to the days route. Or when I get done with my route, have
the directions take me there? Man, if you could incorporate this with the
Garmin IQ3600, it could even have it figure out the time it takes to get
there, and set off an alarm as to what time I have to start heading there!
Well, this is enough for now. Let me know if I have any other suggestions!
I have more, but this letter has already taken enough time.
Thanks for your time!