Outlook Customer Manager

[PackMan]

For better or worse, I am fully entrenched in Outlook 365. Thanks to the excellent, and recently updated, Outlook GTD Setup Guide, my system is working well for me. My struggle of late is tracking items related to Contacts, such as Tasks, conversation history, etc... Outlook used to have a feature that linked Tasks, Calendar and Email to a Contact, but it disappeared starting with Outlook 2016.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been fiddling around with Outlook Customer Manager (OCM) that is part of the software package available with a Business Premium license. OCM is a very basic CRM within Outlook that should give me back some of the ability to build a timeline of Tasks, Email, etc.. for a Contact.

The issue now is that OCM does not play nice with the Task folder system in GTD. When a Task is moved from the Task folder, it no longer associates with the Contact.

Two questions, please:

1. Is anyone having success with OCM within Outlook setup for GTD?
   
   
2. Any recommendations for better tracking activity linked to an Outlook Contact?

I have tried stand alone CRMs that advertise Outlook integration and have not been happy with the result.

 

[John Ismyname]

Outlook used to have a feature that linked Tasks, Calendar and Email to a Contact, but it was depricated (hidden) starting with Outlook 2016.

Microsoft has changed this from a default to a "hidden feature", which is bizarre because it is very useful. . The instructions below will re-activate this;

A hidden, deprecated feature in Outlook is that you can link contacts from your Outlook-Contacts with an Outlook task, appointment, or email without such contacts being the task delgatee, appointment invitee or email recipient.

To enable this feature (in Outlook 2016);

1. Type the Windows-key + R to invoke the Run command

2. type “regedit” and press Enter

3. navigate to they key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\office\16.0\outlook\preferences

4. In the pane on the right-side, mouse right click, and select New > Key .

5. In the “Value Name” field, type “showcontactfieldobsolete”

6. In the “Value Data” field, type “1” (see screenshot below)

7. Click OK

8. Close the Registry Editor window

9. Close and restart Outlook

When a Task is moved from the Task folder, it no longer associates with the Contact.

I have neither read the GTD Outlook guide nor have I used Outlook OCM. I'm not sure what you are trying to do here. You can (and should) create additional task folders in Outlook. For example, I have a separate Task folder for sales calls. The Outlook ToDO folder is a composite of all the Outlook-Task folder(s).

Any recommendations for better tracking activity linked to an Outlook Contact?

I wrote a VBSscript to do do this. PM me and I'll send it to you. The script does an "All Outlook Items" search based on the following command "contactnames"joesmith@email.com" OR "Joe Smith") OR from"joesmith@email.2com" OR "Joe Smith") OR to"joesmith@email3.com" OR "Joe Smith")The premise is that you open a contact in Outlook, run this script, Outlook will pull up every task, email, and appointment on this contact.

While Outlook is not a bona-fide CRM, by using these techniques, it does the essentials really well - follow-tasks in a segregated folder and being able to pull up the complete communication history of a contact on-the-fly.







Hello PackMan

 

[ChrisBaber]

For better or worse, I am fully entrenched in Outlook 365. Thanks to the excellent, and recently updated, Outlook GTD Setup Guide, my system is working well for me.

Where did you get this guide? Is this the one from GTD Connect? The sample looks to be for Outlook 2010, which isn't anywhere near current.

I'm using Outlook 2013, and like you, I'm pretty entrenched, so I'd love to get it setup for me to use to GTD.