My attempted reconciliation with Microsoft Outlook, on the other hand, was short-lived. Our relationship is cordial, only for the fact that I need Outlook to manage the contacts that I converted from Palm Desktop. That scenario, however, will be temporary until I find another solution. I have to admit that I am spoiled. From the standpoint of simplicity and desktop-to-PDA synchronization, I have never seen an equal to the Palm Desktop. For email, I have used Netscape, Eudora and Thunderbird – no problem.

So I am slowly moving away once again from Microsoft Outlook. Since I lacked confidence in Outlook, I decided to synchronize with Google Calendar as a backup. What I discovered is that Google Calendar is pretty reliable, and can easily be accessed from any computer. It even sends my daily agenda to my Blackberry every morning. Google Calendar led me to give Gmail a try. I have had a Gmail account for quite a while, but I never considered it for an email client.  I love Gmail’s “conversation” approach to email, and Gmail clears away my spam before sending it to my Blackberry. That is a productivity consultant’s dream!

Then there is Salesforce – my dream CRM solution. Remember from my last post that Salesforce was the catalyst for the conversion to the Blackberry/MS Outlook combo. Ironically, that solution is now subject to debate. After using it for a couple of months, I have discovered that although it is a very powerful solution, the very features that attracted me to Salesforce are not available in the Group Edition. Upgrading to the next level is overkill for a business my size, so my quest for an alternative CRM solution continues.

So what don’t I like about Outlook, you ask? Well, for one thing, it is slow and crashes two or three times a week. Then there is the duplication issue. In all the years I used a Palm, I never had duplicates. Two weeks into using Outlook, all of my tasks were suddenly duplicated. Well, I’m not really sure about that, because when I deleted one task, the duplicate -disappeared?

This may or may not be a related issue, but Outlook created a personal file (didn’t ask – just did it) to archive my e-mails. The personal file is an exact duplicate of everything in my “regular” folder, including my calendar. It seems one day I was posting to the wrong one, the “personal” folder instead of the regular “Outlook” folder. And when I synchronized with my Blackberry, …well, you know the rest. I guess there are worse things than missing an appointment – that is if you don’t call yourself a time management expert.

Outlook and I just don’t play well together, and it is probably because I don’t understand the rules. Most applications have a file structure that clearly distinguishes program files and data files. The rules are that you don’t touch the program files unless you really know what you’re doing. Data files are not an essential part of the application, and they are usually stored in a separate folder with other data files. Data files can generally be processed by program files, regardless of where they are located. It seems to me that address books and files containing your emails (eg. .pst and .ost files) should fall in the category of data files. Yet Microsoft, who invented the folder ”My Documents” as a location to store data files, hides Outlook data in some obscure location where it can’t be moved or easily backed up along with all of your other data files.

The good news is that my frustration with Outlook is moving me one step closer to the clouds -cloud computing, that is.

Blackberry Curve 8330

Effectively managing communication, email, and social networking have become crucial to staying organized and productive. It is especially hard to keep your productivity up when your office is in your car, an airport terminal, or a coffeeshop. I don’t know how I would be able to manage today, without a smartphone and instant access to appointments, contacts, documents, email, instant messaging, and the Internet.

I have been a loyal Palm user since the days of the Palm Pilot. After observing my husband’s increased productivity, as well as that of several of my business colleagues, I finally gave up my Palm Treo and plunged into the world of Blackberry. For me, this did not just mean learning how to use a new smartphone. It also meant that I would have to make friends with Microsoft Outlook.

I love the simplicity of Palm Desktop, and I have never found the few additional features in Outlook to be worth the frustration of using it. I really WANT to like Outlook, so I have decided to trust my friends who have reassured me that Microsoft has improved Outlook.

As a small business owner, I have actually always had a need for a more robust contact management system than Outlook or Palm Desktop.  I have tried many CRM systems including ACT!, Goldmine, and EccoPro. EccoPro was my all-time favorite, but the company just could not compete with the software giants like Microsoft. ACT! served me well until it was sold to Sage Software and completely re-vamped, causing me plenty of headaches.

Being away from my office requires that my system will synchronize with my PDA. None of the CRM systems synchronized smoothly, so I eventully came full circle and converted back to the Palm Desktop, where I have remained until recently.

What finally nudged me to make the decision to convert to the Blackberry/MS Outlook combo was the discovery that I can synchronize Outlook with Salesforce and enjoy the benefits of a true customer relationship management system. So that’s where I am headed. Let’s hope it is worth the learning curve.

Until I changed my business model in 2004, I used a standard small business postage meter. I used Pitney Bowes for several years, but the combination of the monthly fee plus the cost of ink was exorbitant. One of my employees did some research and found a great postage meter deal from Francotyp Postalia (http://www.fp-usa.com). The FP system uses thermal transfer printing with ink ribbon cassettes, which are far more economical than ink cartridges. Outsourcing makes more sense for me today, but if I were still mailing large quantities of envelopes and postcards from my office, Francotyp Postalia would be my choice of mailing systems.

I now use USPS Media class mail for shipping books. It is the least expensive option, and it is faster than UPS. I print postage on my DYMO Twin Turbo label printer, which helps me to get my books out the door quickly.

I originally tried printing postage on my laser printer using a Stamps.com account. Stamps.com is very easy to use, and they offer an attractive trial package. However, I ended up canceling my account at the end of the trial period, before the $16 monthly fee kicked in. Stamps.com did not really save me all that much time, and I wanted to be able to print one stamp at a time.

Next, I tried using DYMO Stamps^® (www.dymo.com/stamps), an online postage account provided by Endicia. The no-monthly-fee DYMO Stamps^® service is a good deal, if most of your items are13 ounces or less and can be mailed via First Class. All that is required is the DYMO Stamps^® account, a DYMO label printer (check to make sure your model will work), and a scale for weighing envelopes and packages. For around $250, you can purchase an all-in-one bundle that includes the printer, connected postal scale, and starter rolls of address labels and stamps.

I found that there are limitations to using DYMO Stamps^®. You cannot add on extra services like insurance, and you can only print precise amounts of USPS^® approved postage for specific postage classes (First Class, Priority, Express Mail, and International Mail). I needed to ship Media Mail to get the best rate – currently $2.58. The nearest First Class postage is either $2.53 or $2.70, so I printed out a First Class stamp for $2.70 and used a pen to cross of “First Class”. This method worked, but ended up costing 12 cents more per book.

Twelve cents is not a big deal when compared to the monthly fee I am saving. However, I also needed to add a delivery confirmation and insurance, so I ended up having to make the trip to the post office anyway.

So I upgraded to Endica Standard (www.endica.com). The $10 monthly fee ends up being more economical than going to the post office myself. The DAZzle software communicates directly with the USPS servers, so I do not have to pay the 60 cents extra for Delivery Confirmation. I can print a label on my DYMO as before, or I can print out a very professional looking address label on my laser printer.

I am sure Endicia depends on many DYMO Stamps^® customers eventually upgrading, just as I have. It was a brilliant marketing maneuver on Endicia’s part. They also offer Premium, Professional, and Platinum levels at higher monthly fees for those with more advanced needs, but Endica Standard works for me!