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Building up Outlook
Microsoft Outlook is a great asset to any business which needs a single stable information management program. One problem that may occur with Outlook is the need for more functionality or resources for individual needs. The old answer was to switch over to another program, or multiple programs, and work in each along the way. This became a serious headache for many. The answer to this problem was found by various software providers, including Microsoft, Sperry and Prophet, in the creation of Outlook Addins.
Outlook Addins
While Outlook is primarily known for its email reader, there is a whole list of other tasks which can be accomplished with the use of Outlook. With everything from phone contacts to email, from scheduling to allowing you to jot notes during a call, Outlook can still be customized further to fit your specific needs. When there is a need for squeezing more out of Microsoft Outlook, many organizations and people turn to Outlook Addins to help in this area.
What Are Outlook Addins?
Addins, once integrated into Outlook, are what is known as helper programs which enhance and expand the abilities of Outlook. With these helpers, you can simply get more done with Outlook than you have ever before. If you are unsure if there is an add-in suited to your needs, know that there are Outlook Addins which can send a newsletter to a group of people – individually addresses, as well as Outlook Addins that can import/export vcard files, give you attachment options, as well as live search maps.
Whatever use you may want a few Outlook Addins for, there are time saving tools for you. Consideration must be given to what Outlook Addins will give you the most when it comes to functionality and ease of use. The list of Outlook Addins can seem huge at first glance. If you know what you want to do with Outlook, you can easily narrow down the search for the add-in you want. If you know anything about Visual Basic, or know someone who does, then creating your own customized Outlook Addins is also a possibility.
Instillation and Size Issues of Outlook Addins
For people concerned with problems of installing Outlook Addins, or the size of the Outlook Addins, the concerns can be settled quickly. Most Outlook Addins are 1 MG in size or under. Most individual Outlook Addins will tell you their size in the description. To install the Outlook Addins simply double click on the Run link or the MSI file and follow the instructions. Most of the Outlook Addins, usually from Microsoft or Sperry, will download into Outlook without a problem. Then when you run Outlook the add-in asks for a user name and registration key ; these should have arrived in an email after you downloaded the Outlook Addins. A Read Me test file will also be available for almost all Outlook Addins in case you have questions after the setup is complete.
What Kind Of Outlook Addins Can I Find?
This question seems to have an almost unlimited answer. The supply of various Outlook Addins available today gives users such a wide range of features. Examples from Sperry would include Reminder Manager which reminds you of any items within your email, contacts, task, or notes in your main files. PocketKnife Peek is a great add-in for when you want to see what is in an email before actually opening it. KnockOut is a visual tool which lets you know if Outlook is running in hidden mode, and allows you to stop that function.
URLRun is one of the free Outlook Addins; this tool allows you to fix URL’s that have been broken up by line breaks and other symbols in emails. Microsoft has a few more Outlook Addins. Live Search Maps is an add-in that lets users create maps, driving directions, and trip information to their scheduling feature in Outlook. There is an Office 2003 add-in which changes the language and regional settings on any computer from within Outlook to match your needs.
Business Contact Converter is great for synchronizing your Outlook contacts list to a pocket PC. Avidian has grouped many Outlook Addins into two easy to use systems for both personal and team use.
The Personal edition allows sales notes with time stamping so you don’t miss a sales opportunity, customized reporting outputs including Excel and Word, a quote generator, and the Prophet Toolbar to easily find emails and other needed information. Their group format includes all of the Outlook Addins of the Personal edition plus the ability to share contact information, files, email, template support for forms and reports, and advanced security setup.
Outlook Addins are an excellent resource tool to expand and fully utilize the capabilities of Outlook. |