Outlook Archives

Fiserv Acquires AdviceAmerica, Expands Front-Office Applications

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Bill Winterberg in Software

Long-time subscribers to FPPad my remember my review of ClientVision CRM from AdviceAmerica of Fremont, Calif. back in February 2009.

Earlier today I received an alert that Fiserv, Inc., a financial services technology solution provider, announced its acquisition of AdviceAmerica and will add the company to its Investment Services unit.

Click here to read the press release from Fiserv.

Overall, I liked ClientVision for its simpler user interface and easy learning curve. After all, ClientVision integrated inside Microsoft Outlook, so if advisors know how to navigate Outlook, they can navigate ClientVision.

The press release didn’t mention ClientVision specifically, but I assume that the CRM will continue to be supported under Fiserv’s management.

Let’s hope that the folks managing ClientVision can throw in that global search feature that I talked about in my review. That combined with the low price point would make a capable entry-level CRM for many advisers.

More Outlook Optimization with “Inbox Zero”

Posted on January 20, 2009 by Bill Winterberg in Efficiency

One of my goals to kick off 2009 (which I have yet to write about!) is to work on using Outlook more effectively and efficiently.

I previously wrote about optimizing your Outlook habits by only using the program at three specific times during your workday (say, 10am, noon, and 4pm or whatever you find works in your schedule).

Today, I’m happy to report that since the beginning of 2009, I have worked on eliminating all the pending emails in my Outlook Inbox so I can reach the ultimate goal of Inbox Zero. Here’s what my inbox looks like today:

Stop Sending “Dear Valued Client” Emails

Posted on August 12, 2008 by Bill Winterberg in Efficiency, Software

email I wanted to address a recent article by David Drucker in August’s Financial Advisor Magazine titled Keeping the Lines Open. Here’s the important section (my emphasis added):

Also basic but often overlooked are commonly accepted rules for an effective client e-mail. Says Gregory, you maximize its effectiveness by making sure your e-mail has a compelling subject line, is tightly written and edited, is addressed and targeted to one client at a time and is designed with a lot of white space, which makes the e-mails easier to read by allowing you to compose them in a noncluttered, eye-inviting manner.

“But Bill,” you might say, “I’d love to send out personalized and targeted emails to all of my clients, but with 250 clients, it would take many hours or even a full day.” Instead, I can imagine what “targeted” emails advisers might be sending now:

Expand Outlook Efficiency with Switch Options

Posted on June 19, 2008 by Bill Winterberg in Efficiency, Software

Command Line Previously I wrote about creating a desktop shortcut icon to open an Outlook email window to avoid opening the entire Outlook program. My instructions included a switch option ( /c ipm.note ) to invoke the message window.

The /c switch is just one of many command line options when running Outlook. I found a nice concise list of the various command line switch options to perform specific tasks using Outlook.

While most are not nearly as useful as the new message window switch, I like having a reference to this kind of information just in case I need it in the future.

Click here for the list of Outlook command line switch options (opens in new window)

Create a New Message Shortcut for Outlook

Posted on June 17, 2008 by Bill Winterberg in Efficiency, Software

Outlook Shortcut In my previous post today I blogged about only accessing Outlook three times during my day to reduce distractions. Then I realized that even though I want to keep the program closed, I want to be able to send messages to clients and coworkers.

On a side note, let me say that I try to keep the messages I send to others concise and relevant for the recipients. Nevertheless, my role and responsibilities require that I send out confirmations and notifications on internal matters such as security transactions, fund receipts and disbursements, and the occasional status update.

Optimize Your Outlook Habits

Posted on June 17, 2008 by Bill Winterberg in Professional Development

Outlook Today begins a new personal experiment. As I posted on Twitter, I will attempt to only access my Outlook email just three times throughout the day today.

The impetus is an evolution of my reading over the last few weeks and the discovery of “email bankruptcy” on Tim Ferriss’ blog. If you have 7-10 minutes available, view the related video and read the New York Times article about the subject.

So I will update periodically on my Outlook habits and determine whether or not the decision to reduce its use increases my productivity through the day. You might want to give the experiment a try as well.

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