Contact Plus Corporation PO Box 372577 Satellite Beach, Florida 32937-0577 USA (800) 366-9876 Ordering & Pricing (407) 779-4900 Voice (407) 779-3311 FAX (407) 779-4422 Contact Plus BBS Email: cpinfo@contactplus.com CONTACT PLUS LAN DEMO INSTALLATION AND USAGE INSTRUCTIONS This text file is designed to complement the Contact Plus LAN working demo and tutorial. This working version of Contact Plus LAN provides you with you with most activities you would use on a daily basis: add, delete and edit contacts, auto dial contacts, take notes, create personalized letters, schedule appointments, create reports, as well as Whether you run it from DOS or Windows Contact Plus LAN is the most comprehensive contact management software you can buy. Just listen to what the experts have to say about Contact Plus: "NSTL Performance results show the program to be in a class by itself as none of the other programs come close to the overall speed exhibited by Contact Plus." -Software Digest Ratings Report "Contact Plus provides a fine combination of integration features for a smaller disk space requirement than any of the other packages." -PC Computing "Contact Plus offers viewing and operational freedom that lets you react quickly to any situation.. And this after all, is exactly what a contact manager is supposed to do." -PC Sources The demonstration program comes with a sample "FITNESS" database for a health club. You may delete the contacts from this database as needed. In addition you may create as many databases (groups of contacts) as you wish; each demo database is limited to 50 contacts on the demonstration program. Of course with the full program there is NO LIMIT to the number of contacts you may keep. Contact Plus LAN allows you the flexibility of using either Windows based word processor to create customized letters. Word processors supported include AmiPro, Microsoft Word for Windows, WordPerfect for Windows. While Contact Plus LAN is a DOS based program, it functions very well in Windows. However unlike Windows programs, most functions are accessed from the keyboard, not the mouse. Your mouse will not appear as the familiar arrow in Contact Plus LAN. Contact Plus LAN can be run from DOS or Windows; however you must have a DOS based network for Contact Plus LAN in order to use it as a multi user system. Remote users may run Contact Plus LAN on a laptop as a single user system. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: DOS 3.3 or later 4 Mb free disk space (hard drive) 386 or higher CPU DOS-based network (e.g. Novell or Lantastic recommended) To run in Windows: Microsoft Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 8 Mb RAM Windows users must also have DOS based network for CP LAN to operate as multi user AVAILABLILITY Contact Plus LAN is available in 2, 5, 10, 20, or 30 user versions. LAN Smart Merge add-on program is available in same configurations. Call for current pricing toll free (800) 366-9876. TUTORIALS The Contact Plus LAN demo is equipped with two separate tutorials: the User Tutorial and the System Administrator Tutorial. The User tutorial is designed for general information on how Contact Plus LAN is used by an average user. The System Administrator tutorial details how to setup Contact Plus LAN databases and outlines the various security issues. The Contact Plus LAN slide show takes you through a sample scenario of how Contact Plus LAN is used in a real life example. The LAN Smart Merge slide show outlines the add-on module used in data synchronization for remote sites. To access the tutorials, select the Contact Plus Slideshow icon or press ALT-S from the Contact Plus LAN Main Menu. GENERAL OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS To start Contact Plus LAN from Windows double click on the Contact Plus LAN icon. To start it from DOS go to the \LANDEMO2 directory and type DEMO and press Enter. Follow the screen prompts. After you've started Contact Plus LAN, a welcome screen will appear. Press a key to go to the Main Menu. Select the Contact Menu. Each contact record is uniquely organized into a set of nine different pages. The page name is displayed at the bottom of the screen, such as Header, Secondary, etc. The first two pages are where information is stored and the remaining seven pages display contact history in various forms such as a graphical format on the Graph page. To access a different page for a contact, press the right or left arrow keys or the first letter of a page. For example, to go to the Phone Page press P. Most of the time you will be operating from the Header Page. Adding/Deleting To add contacts from the Main Menu, select Contact Menu. The Header Page will be displayed. To add contacts, press A, then ENTER and N to the "copy contacts" prompt. Fill in the fields and press ENTER after each item is typed. The characters will appear at the bottom of the screen and will be filled in each field when ENTER is pressed. When finished with all fields, press Escape and then Yes to the "save changes" prompt. To delete a contact first display the contact record to delete. Press D, then ENTER, and Y to the "really delete" prompt. Each database in the demo is limited to 50 contacts. The complete program has no limit. The System Administrator may delete a group of contacts using the Database Utilities program included with Contact Plus LAN. Searching Contact Plus LAN is always in search mode. If the current index (the field by which the contacts are sorted) is set at last name, type a few letters of the last name of a contact such as JO (for Johnson) and press ENTER. The first contact that matches your search will appear. To go to the next contact press the down arrow to go to the previous contact press the up arrow. To sort the contacts by a different field, press I then ENTER. Select one of the other possible index fields and press ENTER. For example, to search for a contact by company change the index by pressing I, then ENTER then C and type in a company name. Contacts may be also be located by non-index fields using the F9 View screen. For example, suppose you wish to look for a contact with the first name of Linda. Press F9 to display the View screen. Press F for Find Match. Select First Name then "starts with". Type LINDA and press ENTER. The first record with LINDA as the first name will be highlighted. If this is not the correct record, to find the next match for Linda, press N for Next Match. Creating Databases Contact Plus LAN employs a System Administrator approach for setting up secured users to a database and making major set up decisions such as what the names of the user fields are. All Contact Plus LAN database settings are unique; each database may have different users assigned access as well as different database settings such as user field names, screen colors, Furthermore, settings can vary by which machine on the network is using the database. You may create as many databases on the demo as you wish; however each database must be set up with a user identification. To create additional databases select the System Administrator icon Select Create New Databases. Type a name for the new database, and press ENTER. Then press ESC. Next, add User ID's to the database using the New User/Security Setup Menu. It is recommended to use same User ID's as are in the sample database. This way you will not have to set up special files to access the new database from the icon. You should also use the System Setup Menu to set up User Field labels before leaving the Setup Program. See Changing Field Names, below. Note in order to start the Contact Plus LAN demo with a different database other than the demo database by clicking on the icon, you have to change the setting in Windows. For Windows 3.1 users, this is done by using the PIF editor (included with Windows) to add the database name after the C.EXE filename on the command line. In Windows 95 add the database name after the C.EXE file to the shortcut properties in the CMND line for the Contact Plus LAN demo. Changing Databases From the Main Menu in Contact Plus LAN, choose Open New Database. Highlight the database to open, and press ENTER. Databases can only be opened by a user when the User ID is identified by the System Administrator as having permission to open the database. Changing Field Names As displayed in the Customizing section of the System Administrator tutorial, each database that you set up may have different field names such as account number, region, sales rep, SIC code, file management number, and the like. The Header Page displays the field names on user fields 1-8 and the Secondary Page will display user fields 9 - 16. OPERATIONS A major feature of Contact Plus LAN that saves you time and energy is that all Contact Plus operations which are performed with function keys, (F5-ticklers, F7-notes, etc.) can be performed simultaneously. This allows the user to interrupt one task and complete another, such as looking at taking notes while a phone call is being timed or scheduling ticklers while taking notes. Ticklers Ticklers (reminders) for contacts in the current database are displayed on the ALT-C Master Calendar. To Press F5 to display the tickler window. Press A and fill in the fields as needed. When finished press ESCAPE and answer yes to the add tickler prompt. Ticklers are displayed in several ways: a contact's tickler page, the 6 month & 1 month calendar pages, the ALT-C master calendar, printing a tickler or calendar report from the Reports menu, or indexing by next pending tickler and pressing the down arrow to go to the next tickler. Notes While in any of the contact pages, press F7 to display a date/time stamped note window. To add a note press A. Type the desired information. If a note window is filled another page will automatically be added. When finished press ESC then answer Yes to the add note prompt. Notes may be displayed while any other popup window is on the screen. For example, you may be talking on the phone and display the notes window for the contact and be adding notes as the phone call is commencing. An unlimited number of notes can be stored perpetually for each contact in the database. Notes may be searched globally in the Search Menu of the Reports. Phone Calls Contact Plus LAN records the time and day of calls along with a short description of the call. By pressing F3 or F4 you'll have an accurate record of all call attempts made. Use in conjunction with F7 notes for recording details of the call. Contact Plus LAN can auto-dial your contact's phone numbers using your Hayes compatible modem. Incoming calls are logged by pressing ALT-F9. Reports A variety of useful reports are available ranging from a list of contacts to a daily activity report. Custom Reports allow the user to create reports with any combination of Contact Plus LAN's fields; up to ten columns. To print reports from the Main Menu select Reports. Then select the report to print. Fill in the Selection Menu for the contacts to be included in the report. Press ESC and select Yes to print the report. Next respond to various prompts concerning detail level, etc. Finally select the report destination: screen , printer, or capturefile. History One of the most powerful benefits of Contact Plus LAN is the historical tracking of every phone call made, letter sent, note taken, or meeting attended. While the contact pages (tickler, phone, letters, meetings, and graph) display various history of a contact separately, the complete history may be displayed chronologically from the ALT-F10 history window. Editing of old letters is also done from this page by pressing E, assuming the word processor is activated by using Winlink. Winlink is explained under Word Processing below. System Administrator Tools The System Administrator is the decision maker in setting up and maintaining databases. You have the capability to control to what features individual users have access. Database access is controlled by unique user passwords. The System Administrator also controls powerful database utility tools such as copying records between databases, mass history deletion and global updates. The System Administrator Tutorial explains these functions in detail. The tutorial is accessed by pressing ALT-S from the Main Menu or by selecting the Slideshow icon. Labels Contact Plus LAN produces multiple labels on a dot matrix or Hewlett Packard compatible laser printer. Labels cannot be made on a bubble jet or ink jet printer. To produce mass mailing labels at the Main Menu select Mail/Merge then Mailing Labels. Select the correct size and press ENTER. Select the contacts to print and press ESC. Individual 1 - up mailing labels are produced on a dot matrix printer by displaying a contact record and pressing ALT-L. To print an individual address directly to an envelope on a Hewlett Packard compatible laser printer, press ALT-E on a contact record. Word Processing With Contact Plus LAN you can make personalized letters using your favorite Windows or DOS word processor including Word for Windows or WordPerfect for Windows. In fact you can use your existing letters as templates. Individual letters are made with the F6 Form Files window. Mass mailing letters (the same letter to several contacts) are made from the Mail Merge option. Whether you want to send one letter or 100 letters, Contact Plus LAN can easily complete your mass mailing campaign. All letters may contain any field anywhere in the letter. The body of your letter may contain the last amount of products purchased, the size of home your client is looking for, or even a personal memo! No other contact management program offers you this degree of flexibility to personalize your letters. The Contact Plus LAN demo includes the TWRP sample text editor for demonstration purposes. It may be used to write personalized letters; however you may also use your own word processor for writing letters. Contact Plus LAN works with WordPerfect (DOS), WordPerfect for Windows , AmiPro, and Word for Windows. You may use your current documents as individual Form Files or Mass Mailing Templates to use with Contact Plus LAN. WRITING INDIVIDUAL LETTERS If you're using a DOS word processor follow these instructions: DOS Based Word Processors (including TWRP sample text editor) 1. After you've started Contact Plus LAN, display a contact record and press F6. A Form Files window appears. 2. Select one of the pre-made form files and press ENTER. Your word processor will be launched with the name and address information filled in. You may make changes to the file and save and print or simply print as shown. Note the sample TWRP text editor is meant for display purposes only and may not print your letter in proper alignment on a laser printer. To use Windows word processors follow these instructions: Windows Based Word Processors 1. Before writing letters, you must have the word processor active by using Winlink, the Contact Plus utility which transfers the Contact Plus LAN information to the Windows word processor. To start Winlink, close down Contact Plus LAN and double click on the WinLink icon. Make sure the name of your Windows based word processor is selected and the correct path to access it is also defined. Click "Load both WP and Contact Plus" button. The word processor will load first and appear as a minimized icon. Then Contact Plus LAN will load. Go to a contact record. 2. Press F6. A Form Files window appears. Select one of the pre-made form files (e.g. "Discount.frm") and press ENTER. Your word processor will open the file with the name and address information filled in. You may make changes to the file and save and print or simply print as shown. ADDING NEW FORM LETTERS DOS Based Word Processors (including TWRP sample text editor): It will be useful to have a template guide for the asterisk merge codes. At the Main Menu go to the Mail Merge Menu and press ALT T. A template guide listing the codes for Contact Plus LAN will appear. 1. Display a contact and press F6. Then press A to add a new file. Type a file name such as TEST and press ENTER. The word processor will open with a blank document. 2. Insert the asterisk merge codes on the document where the contact information should appear. The asterisk merge codes are from the template guide and in lower case letters such as *fn -first name, etc. After inserting the field codes, then type the body of the document. Remember any field in Contact Plus LAN can be inserted anywhere into a letter; including dates, user defined fields, phone numbers or even the memo line. 3. Save the file and exit the word processor. 4. The computer will return to Contact Plus LAN. The added letter will appear in the window. To send the letter to a client select the letter and press ENTER. The completed letter will appear in the word processor with the contact's information. Make any changes if needed to the letter and print. (Note the sample TWRP sample text editor is meant for display purposes only and may not print your letter in proper alignment on a laser printer.) Windows Based Word Processors 1. Click on the WinLink icon and then click on Load Both. (It will be useful to have a template guide available which lists the codes for Contact Plus LAN fields. Go to the Mail Merge Menu from the Main Menu. Press ALT-T. ) Exit the Mail Merge Menu and go to the Contacts Menu. Select a contact to send a letter to. Press F6 to display the Form File window. Press "A" to add a new file. Type a file name such as TEST and press ENTER. The word processor will open with a blank document. 2. Type the asterisk field codes from the template guide in the document where the fields from Contact Plus LAN should appear. Type the body of the document. Remember any field in Contact Plus can be inserted anywhere into a letter; including dates, user defined fields, phone numbers, and the memo field. If you're using a word processor that supports graphics such as Word for Windows or WordPerfect for Windows you may add graphics to your document. 3. Save the file. After saving the file, click on File, select Close. DO NOT exit the Windows word processor completely. 4. Switch back to Contact Plus LAN by pressing ALT-TAB until the program appears or in Windows '95 click on the Task Bar, Contact Plus LAN button. Press ESC to clear the F6 Form files window. Then press F6 to make the Form Files Window appear again. The added letter should appear as a selection. To send the letter highlight it and press ENTER. The completed letter will appear in the word processor with the contact's information. Make any changes if needed to the letter and print. QUESTIONS?? For ordering and pricing call toll free (800) 366-9876.