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Software Package for New Business, & Calendar

Our agency currently uses Now Contact for its client database, and Now Up-to-Date as its agency calendar. We are in need of upgrading, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for alternatives that are able to support the New Business functions of tracking sales calls, notes to file, automatic email notification to relevant team members about a particular prospect, AND a calendar function... all rolled into one.

We use Outlook Express for email, but do not have familiarity with the complete Outlook package. I believe it is currently in a BETA mode for Macs, due out this summer.

If anyone has suggestions, they'd be appreciated.

Shelley W. Holloway General Manager Young Isaac, Inc.

we used it at our old agency and it worked very well. I am currently using Now Contact and Up to Date at my new agency...it is murder! I suggest Meeting Maker.

Adrianne Fenimore

The Outlook that is in beta is for Microsoft's Exchange server only. It won't fetch Internet e-mail on its own. It seems like you are in a Mac-only environment, or at least you only have Macs hooked up to your scheduling and contact software. The problem with Exchange server is that it runs on NT or 2000. The good part about Exchange server is that it is quite robust and handles scheduling and contact stuff quite well, although not quite as specialized as some of Now's feature's, at least without custom programming. As far as how Now or Exchange could integrate with C&P's functions, I am waiting to hear from other responses...

Luis Antezana IT manager Methodologie

I am in the middle of the same project.

On the full Outlook version there are a couple of issues. First and foremost you must run an NT Exchange server to use the full Outlook. We have that and I am testing the Beta on the Mac Outlook 2001 and it is not going to do what you want.

The major problems are that Contacts are not directly supported on the Calendar, in other words you can make appointments and to-dos and you can keep contacts but you can not associate the contacts with a given event on the calendar (Mac only problem).

Also, there are multiple screens/tabs on the PC version for contacts while only one general tab on the Mac version. Also, the category function on the Mac version is not available, so you cant group contacts by friends, new business, clients and vendors. And last but not least there is no support for custom forms on the Mac client.

The choices are grim.

Jim Kennedy

Now is coming out with an upgrade any day now.

Carrie Breiter