Contact Management

Ratings and Reviews of Contact and Calendar Management

 

Contact and Calendar Management

If you don't want to rely on the capabilities of your email package for contact management and calendar management, or you

 

 need more capabilities centered on tracking and sales and relationship management or even if you just want to keep your email package simple and do more with another piece of software - then contact management systems are for you.  Contact management software can be inexpensive (simple) or costly (robust and complex) so it's best to think about your unique requirements before you buy.  Here are some things to think about when considering contact and calendaring management software.

  • Integration - does the software integrate with your email package?  Accounting package?  Keeping all of these packages in "sync" is important (and time consuming if you can't!), so make sure your software all "works together".
  • Time Savers - if you use a Daytimer or DayRunner or Franklin Covey Planner, does the software allow you to print out pages that work with your system?  Does it have templates for notes, memos and letters to help you get things done faster?
  • Handhelds and Phones - does the package work with your handheld or phone?  Is it easy to keep in "sync" as well?
  • History - does your software track all your customer/business partner correspondence, showing you what you've done, when and with whom?  If you are in a "sales intensive" business, tracking these interactions is critical to save you time and keep your customers happy.
  • Alerts - what type of alerts are included?  Dates?  Events?  To dos?  How do the alerts manifest themselves?  Do they fit in with the way in which you like to do business?
     
    Google
     
    Web Home Office Reports

Looking for more from contact management?  Let's see what's out there.

  ACT! by Sage 2007 5-User Pack - Purchase today!

Some vendors offer more than one package in this category.  We'll review them in table format within that vendor's detailed review.

  6 months Same as CASH!*

Contact and Calendar Management Review

Contact and Calendar Management Software*

(Rankings - best, 5 symbols, worst, 1 symbol)

Company Best For* Simple Start-Up Cost Time Savings Ease of Use Works With Support Features Overall Rating

ABS

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ACT!

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Apple

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Avanquest

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Ballantine

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Chaos Software

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CompanionLink Software

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Corel

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Franklin Covey

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Frontrange

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G7 Productivity Systems

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IBM

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Individual Software

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Intuit

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Microsoft

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Poco Systems

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Power On Software

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* A = Amateur, R = Rookie, P = Pro

 

ABS

Simple Start-Up - ¹¹¹¹

ABS' (Atlas Business Solutions Inc.) Customer Appointment Manager, Visual Staff Scheduler, Visual Staff Scheduler Pro and ScheduleAnywhere straight forward to install and customize for your business requirements.

Cost - $$$$

Pricing for ABS products is outlined in the table below.

Software Price O/S Supported Overview Features Compatibility

Customer Appointment Manager 3.0

$295.00 single user, 2 users $395.00, 3 users $495.00, 4 users $595.00, 5 users $695.00, 10 users $1,195.00, 15 users $1,695.00, 20 users $2,195.00, 25 users $2,695.00

 

Annual Software Enhancement Plan - Single User $90.00, 2-User $120.00, 3-User $150.00, 4-User $180.00, 5-User $210.00, 10-User $360.00, 15-User $510.00, 20-User $660.00, 25-User $810.00

Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Vista

Cust. Sched.

 

  • Add or locate existing customers, find available appointment times (by employee, time period or both)

  • Schedule one-time or repeating appointments

  • View appointments by day, week or month

  • Schedule all employees

  • Set appointment reminders

  • Fill cancellations and no-shows

  • Track appointment history and customer preferences

  • Email customer appointment reminders

  • Create personalized letters

  • Print mailing labels

  • Works with PDAs

  • Microsoft SQL Server version available

Exports reports to PDF, MS Word, MS Excel, HTML

Quick Books

Visual Staff Scheduler Pro 9.0 $495.00 1 user, 2 Users $695.00, 3 Users $795.00, 4 Users $895.00, 5 Users $995.00, 10 Users $1,495.00, 15 Users $1,795.00, 20 Users $1,995.00, 40 Users $3,995.00, 60 Users $5,995.00

Software Enhancement Plan (free upgrades, unlimited telephone and email support, free media replacement free updates to address compatibility issues), $150.00, 2 Users $225.00, 3 Users $250.00, 4 Users $275.00, 5 Users $300.00, 10 Users $450.00, 15 Users $525.00, 20 Users $600.00, 40 Users $1,200.00, 60 Users $1,800.00

Windows 98, 2000, NT, XP, Vista

Group Sched.

  • Pre-schedule shifts and time off
  • Schedule based on skills, workload and seniority
  • Apply shift rotations and schedule patterns
  • Eliminate scheduling conflicts
  • Track time off and staff assignments
  • View staff availability and contact information
  • Manage labor costs
  • Set staffing requirements
  • View total hours and employees scheduled
  • Ensure coverage
  • Set up read-write and read-only passwords
  • Give managers and employees access to schedules
  • Export schedule data to other applications
  • Back up schedules automatically
  • Access technical support by phone or email
  • Print, publish or email schedules and reports

PDF

Quick Books

Schedule Anywhere $19.95 per month for first 25 employees, $0.50 per employee per month each additional employee

Examples:  25 employees $19.95, 50 employees $19.95+$12.50 usage fee $32.45, 75 employees $19.95+$25.00 usage fee $44.95, 100 employees $19.95+$37.50 usage fee $57.45, 150 employees $19.95+$62.50 usage fee $82.45, 200 employees $19.95+$87.50 usage fee $107.45, 250 employees $19.95+$112.50 usage fee $132.45, 500 employees $19.95+$237.50 usage fee $257.45, 1,000 employees $19.95+$487.50 usage fee $507.45, 2,500 employees $19.95+$1,237.50 usage fee $1,257.45

Browser-based

Group Sched.

  • Schedule employees
  • Create custom views and schedules
  • View all employees, view employees by position, department, location
  • Check staffing levels
 

Time Savings - ¹¹¹¹

These tools can make your life easier - you won't miss appointments or have coverage gaps with your staff (if you have one!).

Ease of Use - @@@@

Software applications have simple user interfaces and are easy to use - even for the novice.  ScheduleAnywhere uses your browser as the interface to scheduling and reporting.

screenshot

Works With - YYY1/2

Customer Appointment Manager, Visual Staff Scheduler and Visual Staff Scheduler Pro are designed for the Windows environment only.  ScheduleAnywhere requires only a standard web-browser to utilize.

Support - ppp

Atlas Business Solutions, Inc. web FAQ is very simplistic.  They offer 30 days free tech support.  Thereafter you'll pay $35 per incident, although support plans are available (contact the vendor for more information).  Atlas also offers email support, but has no guarantee of response time.  You can also purchase support and upgrade protection for Visual Staff Scheduler Pro - rates are listed in the table above.

Features - iii1/2

Staff and customer scheduling - the best features are the reports that the applications can generate regarding hours, coverage and daily activity as well as integration with QuickBooks and PDF output for publishing to the web or attaching to email.

Overall Rating - %%%1/2+

Good tools for what they do - easy to set up and use.

 

ACT!                                           

ACT! by Sage 2007 organizes all your customer information in one place.

Simple Start-Up - ¹¹¹1/2

ACT! is a sophisticated contact, calendaring, task management and sales forecasting package.  Expect to take some time setting up the package to meet your specific business requirements.

Cost - $$$

Pricing for ACT! products is detailed in the table below.

Software Price O/S Supported Overview Features Compatibility

ACT! 2007

$199.99 download, upgrade $169.95, ACT!Link for QuickBooks $69.95

Windows  2000, XP, Server 2003

Contact, Calendaring and Task Management Software

  • Includes database with 70 pre-defined fields

  • Store contact information including name, company, phone numbers, addresses, web sites, email addresses, last meeting data and more

  • Date-time-stamped notes for each contact to track conversations, commitments and meetings

  • Tracks activities for each relationship including meetings, letters sent, emails sent and received, calls completed

  • Standard reports for phone lists, activity report, relationship histories, sales summaries

  • Email client

  • Attach web pages with graphics to any contact

  • View and print schedule by day, week or month

  • Set and monitor alarms

  • Schedule recurring events

  • Activity series automates prospecting, follow-up and sales activities

  • Calendar pop-ups

  • Task List shows all important activities - calls, meetings, to-do items by priority, date range, or user with totals by activity

  • Print calendar and address book using 20 formats including Day-Timer, Day Runner, Deluxe

  • Mail merge letters faxes, emails, envelopes and mailing labels

  • Link all correspondence to the associated contact

  • Pre-formatted templates for email letters, memos and faxes

  • Manage sales pipeline with forecasting tools

  • Create and print sales graph showing open, won or lost sales

  • New company and division records

  • Customizable activities, priorities and customizable field types

  • Unlimited date and time-stamped notes and histories for each contact

  • One click export to Microsoft Excel

  • Organize contacts into groups and up to 15 levels of subgroups

  • Unlimited secondary contacts

  • Activity series defines a series of activities around an anchor activity

  • Customized quote generation

  • 40 standard reports for phone lists, activity report, relationship histories, sales summaries and more

  • Use Outlook ad preferred email client while in ACT!

  • Track email received in Outlook in ACT! contact record

  • View multiple notes at once

Microsoft Outlook Outlook Express, Eudora, Internet Mail, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Word, Excel

ACT! 2007 Premium for Workgroups $369.99, upgrade $259.95, 5 user pack $1,749.99

Windows  2000, XP, Server 2003

Palm OS 3.5 and higher

Pocket PC 2000, 2002, Phone Edition, Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC

Contact, Calendaring and Task Management Software

  • Store complete contact information including email, notes, history, attachments
  • 60 standard contact fields
  • Add new field types
  • Create company records
  • Organize data into groups and 15 levels of subgroups
  • Unlimited date and time stamped notes and histories
  • Text formatting
  • Attach presentations, proposals to activities, notes and history items
  • Share notes and histories between contacts
  • Track completed activities
  • Add secondary contacts
  • Create, send and track email
  • Link correspondence to contacts
  • Pre-built-in word processor
  • Mail merges
  • Letter, email and memo templates
  • Consolidate and eliminate duplicate records
  • Schedule calls, meetings and to-do items
  • Daily, weekly, monthly work week mini-month calendars
  • Track and sort 5 activity types
  • Create custom history types and priority levels
  • Notification of scheduling conflicts
  • Recurring activities
  • Global events
  • Share calendars between users
  • Forecast sales
  • View and filter sales opportunities
  • Built-in sales process
  • Create or import product list
  • Generate quotes
  • Built-in sales reports
  • Pipeline graphs
  • Synchronize in background
  • Up to 5 security levels
  • Make records private
  • Includes Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition license for each user
  • Check team members availability for meetings, tasks and calls
  • Send meeting notices to group
  • Manage and schedule resources (conference rooms, equipment)
  • Organize users into teams
  • Track email received in Outlook in ACT! contact record

  • View multiple notes at once

Microsoft Outlook Outlook Express, Eudora, Internet Mail, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Word, Excel

ACT! for Palm OS $99.99, upgrade $69.99 Palm OS 3.5 - 5.4

Contact, Calendaring and Task Management Software

  • Synchronize data with handheld device
  • Customize view
  • View information in color
  • Track time spent on activities
 
ACT! Premium for Real Estate 2006 $419.99, upgrade $299.95, 5 users $1,999.99, upgrade $1,349.95

Windows  2000, XP, Server 2003

Palm OS 3.5 and higher

Pocket PC 2000, 2002, Phone Edition, Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC

Contact, Calendaring and Task Management Software

  • Access contact and customer information, manage and prioritize activities, track contact-related communications
  • Centralize buyer, seller and vendor information
  • Prioritize work
  • Manage leads from initial inquiry to close
  • Report on activities for complete view of customer interactions
 

Time Savings - ¹¹¹¹

ACT! is especially useful in "sales intensive" environments where you are constantly managing personal relationships with clients.

Ease of Use - @@@@

Again, expect to take some time "customizing" ACT! for your particular business situation.  After the initial investment in time has been spent however, the software is fairly straight forward to use.

Buy ACT! Today!Works With - YYY

ACT! is designed for the Windows environment only.

Support - pppp

ACT! has an extensive knowledge base and discussion group available on their web site.  The first 30 days of telephone support is free (Monday through Friday 7 AM to 4 PM Pacific).  After that you can:  pay $29.95 per call (5 pack of calls, $99.95), pay $3.95 per minute or sign-up as an ACT! Advantage member for $299.95 per year and get unlimited calls as well as online chat and discounts on database repair and product add-ons (5 users $599.00).  Additionally, tech support is available for a longer period of time, 6 AM to 9 PM Pacific. 

Features - iiii

ACT! has a rich set of capabilities - especially for those of you who spend a significant amount of time "selling".  Lots of reports, links to software packages, lead tracking and more!

Overall Rating - %%%%

ACT! is a strong product that has been in the market for some time.  It is a quality choice, but one that you'll have to expect to invest time (in set-up and customization) and money to realize its total potential for your business. 

 

Apple

Simple Start-Up - ¹¹¹¹

Apple's iCal is a simple download for Mac OS X users - it then is very easy to set up and customize for your calendaring and task management needs.

Cost - $$$$$

What is better than free?  However, you'll need a .mac membership to publish your calendar to the Internet for sharing ($99.95 per year).

Software Price O/S Supported Overview Features Compatibility

iCal 2

Free (requires subscription to .mac service to publish calendars -$99.95 per year)

Macintosh OS X

Calendaring and task management software

  • Track appointments and events with multiple calendars - views by day, week or month

  • Color-coded calendars for home, work, etc. that can be viewed within a single unified window

  • Alarms by email, mobile phone, pager or desktop reminder

  • Synchronize with IPOD

  • Subscribe to public calendars available on the Internet

  • Detachable info drawer

  • Keyboard shortcuts

  • Auto event

  • Birthday calendar

  • Calendar groups

  • Notifications box

 

Time Savings - ¹¹¹¹

iCal will help you get your schedule, business and life in order!

Ease of Use - @@@@

iCal is very simple to use and the color coding is a nice touch to keep various parts of your business or life "separate".

iCal interface

Works With - YY1/2

iCal is designed for Macintosh OS X only.

Support - ppp

Apple has an extensive knowledge base, technical support and more on their web site.  Apple expects most problems to be handled through their online discussion forum.

Features - iii1/2

The best feature is the color coding of multiple calendars that can be viewed in a "unified" manner to avoid scheduling conflicts.  The other feature we like is the ability to send alerts to multiple devices.  Otherwise - just the basics.

Overall Rating - %%%1/2+

A nice calendaring and task management program for the Macintosh OS X user - and you definitely can't beat the price!

 

Avanquest

Simple Start-Up - ¹¹¹¹

Avanquest's software is really aimed at developing mail marketing campaigns and managing mailing lists.  With that said, all the Avanquest software is simple to install and use.

Cost - $$$1/2

MyMaillList & AddressBook is priced at $29.95, MyMaillListDeluxe at $49.95.

Software Price O/S Supported Overview Features Compatibility

MyMaillList & AddressBook

$29.95

Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000

Mail and Address Book Management Software

  • Prints labels envelopes, postcards and address books

  • Fonts, logos and thousands of clip art images included

  • Create and manage email campaigns

  • Accepts international postal codes, countries and provinces

  • Prints U.S. Postal Service POSTNET barcodes

  • Prints phone book pages in Day Timer, Franklin Covey and FiloFax formats

  • Prints Avery, NEBS, PaperDirect and custom label sizes

  • Contact management

  • Personalized email

Microsoft Outlook, Excel, FoxPro, ACT
MyMaillList Deluxe 8 $49.95 Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000

Mail and Address Book Management Software

  • Manage contact records
  • Print labels, envelopes and post cards
  • Create address books and form letters
  • Insert USPS barcodes
  • Presort for bulk mailings
  • Supports Avery, NEBS and custom labels
  • 20 mailing templates
  • Prints phone book pages in Day Timer, Franklin Covey and FiloFax formats
  • Personalized emails
Microsoft Outlook, Excel, FoxPro, ACT

Time Savings - ¹¹¹¹

If you need to manage large mailing lists or email campaigns these software packages will be a big help.

Ease of Use - @@@@

Wizards and templates make managing your mailing lists a breeze.

Works With - YYY

Avanquest's software is designed for the Windows environment.

MyMailList Deluxe - Save up to 50% on Postage - ce

Support - pp

You get what you pay for.  Cheap software - expensive technical support.  In fact, technical support, if you need to speak to a "live" body, will cost more than the software itself!  $24.95 for the first 10 minutes (and how many tech support calls have you had resolve in 10 minutes or less?) and $2.95 per minute after that.  And by the way, this is not an "800" number, you'll be paying long distance charges as well (unless you have one of those new "bundled" local and long distance packages from MCI, SBC or Verizon!).  Finally, tech support is only available 7 AM to 4 PM Pacific Monday through Friday (with the exception of Wednesday when they close at 2 PM!).  Basically, if you need help - throw out the software and kiss your $20 to 40 good-bye!

Features - iii1/2

Basic mailing campaign and contact management software.  The nice "extras" are postal bar code integration and lots of clip art to easily add graphics to email or "snail mail" campaigns.

Overall Rating - %%%1/2

If your plan is to do a number of bulk mail campaigns, Avanquest's software is a good solution.  But it is what it is - for bulk mail and email campaigns, period.

 

Ballantine & Company

Simple Start-Up - ¹¹¹¹

Ballantine's QuickAssist software is easy to install and setup to manage your contact information.

Cost - $$$1/2

QuickAssist is priced at $159.00.  The multi-user edition is $259.00.

Software Price O/S Supported Overview Features Compatibility

QuickAssist 2.6

$159.00, 5 pack $636.00, 10 pack $1,272, multi-user edition $259.00, 5 pack $632.00, 10 pack $1,164.00

Windows 98, 2000, NT 4.0, XP

Contact Management Software

  • Create, organize and store project communications

  • Addresses, contacts, project lists, mail, axes, email, document storage

  • Built-in word processor

  • Built-in email client

  • Manage team to-do lists

  • Form letters, envelopes and label generation

 

Time Savings - ¹¹¹¹

QuickAssist can help you manage people and documents associated with them in a single, unified area on your system.

Ease of Use - @@@@

The interface looks like an address planner - simple and straight forward.

Works With - YYY

QuickAssist is designed for the Windows environment.

Support - pppp

Kudos to Ballantine and Company for recognizing the