Improve Your Outlook

Contributor – David Michael

Microsoft Outlook is one of the most utilized programs among business professionals. Lists of emails, appointments, tasks, and contacts are pervasive.  Many people find it difficult to organize these lists specific to a particular project.  One approach to this problem is to set up inbox folders for each case or project. More proactive users set up rules that store emails in different folders based on the subject or contact’s email address. However, with the new add-in, Credenza (free trial available at www.credenzasoft.net), Outlook users are able to set-up matters (files, projects, cases – the terminology is user-defined) and then associate contacts, emails, appointments, tasks, documents, and track time spent on each matter.

The ability to associate all the points of contact with a particular case, constitutes “case management”.  Each list of phone calls, or notes or tasks may be managed independently, and with a link to a case – may be managed and reported within a particular project.

Credenza is also as a tool to supervise, collaborate, and reassign work. To this end Credenza also provides “Teams” which allow multiple Credenza users to view and update information attached to each case. No local network is needed as Team records are synchronized across a secure, encrypted network hosted by Microsoft Azure.

Starting with a new system to manage your projects can be daunting. Credenza provides some tools to jumpstart the process. First, you can import a list of cases from other systems or from a spreadsheet.  Second, you can “mass associate” your emails to a particular file.

I have supported Abacus, Act, Amicus, Goldmine, Practice Master and Time Matters, and others. These robust systems have their place.  Firms may also be running Timeslips, QuickBooks, PCLaw, or Tabs3 if you need to bill for your time.  Credenza consolidates these necessary programs and allows each user to create timesheet entries within Outlook.

Installation is a web-based download from http://www.credenzasoft.net/. If you purchase Credenza, please credit the author, Agent: #50013. Personal assistance for your Credenza is also available upon request.

Practice Management Consultant, David Michael, holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, multiple product certifications, and is a recognized expert in data conversion. He can be reach at 877-880-2440 or via his web presence at www.michaelmatters.com.