Business Software Made Easy - Time Saving Tips

How to I set up an Out of Office e-mail message?

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 21:20:32 GMT

Originally Posted July 6 2008

This three day weekend reminds me of a question that I am frequently asked, 'How do I setup an 'Out of Office message' in Outlook?' I am a little reluctant to share the process for reasons I will explain a little later. But, depending on how your e-mail is setup there are a few different ways.

If you use Microsoft Outlook and are in a company that has an Outlook Exchange Server (a piece of software your IT guys use to manage your company's emails), you can simply setup your Out of Office message in Outlook by:

1. Tools > Out of Office Assistant

If you don't have this option then you have to setup your Out of Office Assistant a different way. Essentially, you have to log in to your e-mail management web page and create the message in there. Each service has its own process. Here are a few links to help.

GMail - Vacation Responder

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=25922

Network Solutions - Auto Responder

http://customersupport.networksolutions.com/article.php?id=326

Go Daddy - AutoResponder

http://help.godaddy.com/article/369

Yahoo - Vacation Response

http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/mail/original/basics/basics-52.html

The reason I am apprehensive to have people turn-on an Out of Office message is because your message will be sent to everyone including spammers. So in your absence, you can be notifying a spammer that your email address is a live and valid address. This is not so much of a problem if you (or your IT department) have some type of anti-spam protection.

The other reason is because of security. Since so many people work from their homes, why tell everyone that you will be out of the office until ___?

As a reminder, be sure to turn-off your responder when you get back into the office.

That's it!

What is the winmail.dat attachment that I keep getting with my emails?

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 20:59:11 GMT

Have you ever received an e-mail that had a winmail.dat attachment? Have you ever wondered what it is?

The winmail.dat attachment is created when the sender of the email has set their Outlook to format new emails in RTF (Rich Text Format). The sender doesn't see the attachment when they create the email, rather it is generated as it makes its way to your Inbox because of a variety of reasons. The winmail.dat attachment appears with their email and there really isn't much much we can do about receiving it.

On the other hand, if your email recipients say they keep getting winmail.dat attachments, you can change your email format to keep from sending this attachment again. Here's how:

In Outlook:

1. Tools > Options

2. Click the 'Mail format' tab

-In the 'Compose in this message format' field

3. Select 'HTML' from the drop-down list

4. Click 'Apply'

5. Click 'OK'

When you send your next email, you'll be good to go!

Save your typing, just paste your Contact's info into an e-mail

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 19:50:55 GMT

Oct 10 2007

It has been a little while since I last gave a tip on ACT. Here's one that I that I think you will like.

Let's say that a colleague asked you for the Contact info for someone you have in your database. You probably know that you can send their info as a .vcf attachment, but there is alternative. Here's how:

In ACT! all versions

1. Lookup the Contact who's information you want to send in your ACT! database

2. View their Contact record (the screen that depicts only their info)

3. Press CTRL + C (copy) - nothing will appear to happen

4. Create a new blank e-mail in either ACT email, Outlook, etc.

5. Press CTRL + P (paste)

The Contact's basic contact info is inserted into the body of the email.

If you are wondering how to insert a Contact's information as a .vcf attachment (this includes more complete information and the recipient can then just open the attachment and save them directly into their ACT! database) here's how:

In ACT! all versions

1. Create a new e-mail in ACT! E-mail

-In the new e-mail window

2. Insert > Contact...

3. Locate the Contact you want to attach

4. Click 'Add>'

5. Click 'OK'

6. Complete and send the e-mail as normal

That's it!

How can I stop the Read Receipt requests in Outlook?

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:46:01 GMT

August 19 2007

Don't you hate it when you get those 'The message sender has requested a read receipt. Would you like to send one now?' when you are checking your e-mail in Outlook? Even if it is from someone you know, acknowledging when you read an e-mail is a little intrusive. If you are tired of dealing with these requests, you can suppress this request automatically and prohibit a message from being sent to the Sender for all e-mails with this request. Here's how:

In Outlook (all versions)

1. Tools > Options...

-Under the Preferences tab

2. Click the 'Email Options...' button

3. Click the 'Tracking Options...' button

-Under the last section

4. Select 'Never send a response'

5. Click OK

6. Click OK

7. Click OK

That's it!

How to resend a previously sent email in Outlook

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 22:48:33 GMT

July 16, 2007

Lately I have been doing a lot of training in Outlook. One of the most popular hints that I have been sharing is how to resend a sent email - Usually, saving time spent trying to cut & paste an email into a new email in order to resend.

In Outlook 2003 and older:

1. Open your Sent folder

2. Find and Double click on the email you want to resent to open it

-In the Toolbar

3. Actions > Resend This Message...

-Your message is re-queued

4. Click Send to resend

In Outlook 2007:

1. Open your Sent folder

2. Find and Double click on the email you want to resent to open it

3. Click 'Other Actions' in the Actions portion of the toolbar

4. Click 'Resend This Message...'

-Your message is re-queued

5. Click Send to resend

This is helpful especially if you send an email with an attachment and forget the attachment (like that never happens)!

Email stuck in Outlook Outbox

Sun, 4 Feb 2007 12:27:46 GMT

November 6 2006

Q: I was trying to send a digital photo as an attachment when I realized that it got stuck in my Outbox [in Outlook]. I tried Clicking the Send/Receive to send the email without success. I even tried to delete it, but it still remains in my Outbox. How can I get rid of it?

A: This problem happens usually if you try to send an email with a large attachment like a digital photo (maybe 5MB or more). Well if you ever find yourself in this situation, here's what you can do:

-Take MS Outlook offline

Open MS Outlook

File > Work Offline

Shut down Outlook

Unplug your network cable from your computer (or turn off your wireless card)

-Delete the stuck email

Open MS Outlook

Open your 'Outbox' folder

Find and Delete the stuck email

-Permanently delete the stuck email

Open your 'Deleted Items' folder

Find and Delete the stuck email

-Change MS Outlook to Online

File > Work Online

If this doesn't work, then repeat these steps and restart your computer after step 4.

That's it!

Can't email to my Outlook Distribution list

Sat, 3 Feb 2007 21:08:27 GMT

August 14 2006

Q: I try to send an email to a Distribution List I created in Outlook, but I seem to have a problem. Frequently, Outlook crashed or produces some type of error. Is there something I am doing wrong?

A: Distribution Lists in Outlook are very handy for keeping several individuals informed of events or notices without much effort. The problem you are describing usually happens when we try to send an email to a Distribution List with over 100 contacts. If this is the case, then try to divide your Distribution List into half (A-L and M-Z perhaps). I know it may be a little cumbersome, but you will likely have more success when sending your emails.

If you are interested in sending emails as part of an email marketing campaign may I suggest SwiftPage from one of our technology partners. This software will send a personalized email (Dear John, Dear Mike, Dear Judy, etc) to each individual you desire in your Contacts folder. There is a free copy available at:

http://www.swiftpage.com/partners/partner.asp?Partner=BusinessSoftwareMadeEasy.PMurillo

How to Create a Distribution List in Outlook

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 14:17:13 GMT

Sept 4 2006

Q: ‘How do I create a Distribution list in Microsoft Outlook?’

A: Before I share the process, let me give a brief explanation. For those of you who may not know a Distribution List is an arbitrary group of Contacts that have a common characteristic which you regularly need to email. If you are an Attorney, it could be joint counsel, if you are a developer it could be construction and planning contacts, or if you want to send jokes regularly to your friends, you can use a Distribution List for this too!

To create a distribution list in Outlook, here's what you do:

In Outlook:

1. Open your Contacts folder

2. File > New > Distribution List

3. Enter a name for your distribution list Ex. Prospects

4. Click the 'Select Members...' button

-In the Select Members window

5. Double click on the names you want to add to the list

-The names are inserted into the 'Members' field

6. Click 'OK' when done

7. Click 'Save and Close'

To send an email to the Distribution List

1. Open a new email

2. Click the 'To' button

-In the Select Names window

3. Double click on the name of the Distribution List

3. Click 'OK' when done

4. Complete the Email as you would normally

5. Click the 'Send' button when done to send the email

Double Vision - Email and Fax Numbers Appear in Outlook

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 14:10:52 GMT

Sept 18 2006

Q: I use Microsoft Outlook to manage all my Contacts, Emails, Calendar, etc. When I create a new email and I click on the 'To:' button, the Contacts listed usually appear twice-once with their E-mail address and again with their Fax number. Even this had been a mystery to me for a while. How can I suppress the Fax number from appearing?

A: In Outlook

1. Open the Contact Folder

2. Double click on a Contact record that has a Fax number-Usually the 'Business Fax' field

3. Enter a 'F' for fax or 'BF' for business fax so it reads something like 'F512-555-1212'

4. Click 'Save and Close' when done

I admit that this will take a little bit of time to complete, but this will un-flag the Business Fax number as a fax number and remove it from the list when creating a new email.

You can see but can't touch attached files in Outlook Express

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 13:58:45 GMT

August 7 2006

Q: I use Outlook Express for my email program, but for some reason I cannot open attached files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and even PDFs) even though I can see them… This is driving me nuts! How can I access these files?

A: If you didn’t notice, this change took place after a recent Windows update was installed on your computer. That update included a new security feature designed to save your computer from potential viruses embedded in attachments. Unfortunately, almost all attachments have some risk when you open them. Unless you are willing to resort to a carrier pigeon to share files, you are going to have to turn this feature off. Here's how:

In Outlook Express:

1. Tools > Options...

2. Click the 'Security' tab

3. Uncheck 'Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could be potentially a virus.'

4. Click 'Apply'

5. Click 'OK'

You're done!

Flag but don't penalize your Outlook Email

Mon, 8 Jan 2007 14:48:22 GMT

Mar 6 2006

Q: I receive so many emails every day and many of them I want to keep for a later follow-up, but it is a little hard for me to remember which ones. Is there a way in Microsoft Outlook to help manage this?

A: Outlook has a handy feature to do exactly this, called the ‘Flag’. Simply, the Flag feature will Flag any email with a priority color of your choice. You can then prioritize each outstanding email at your leisure.

Here’s what you need to do:

In Outlook, in your Inbox:

1. Right Click on the email you want to Flag

2. Select ‘Follow up’ from the Pointer Menu

3. Select the color of the Flag you want to mark the email

When you are done

1 .Right Click on the email that you flagged

2. Select ‘Follow up’ from the Pointer Menu

3. Select ‘Clear Flag’

That’s it!

How to attach an entire inbound email to a Contact in ACT!

Mon, 8 Jan 2007 09:12:31 GMT

Feb 20 2006

Q: Is there a way I can get ACT! to record an entire email under the History section of a specific Contact?

A: Yes. You probably realize that ACT! records the subject and time/date stamp for all outbound emails sent to your Contacts when you create the email starting from their contact record. You may find times when you need to record an email in its entirety sent to you.

Here’s how you do it in ACT! 5.0 and newer:

In your ACT! Email:

1. Go to your Inbox (this will also work with when you are in ANY email folder)

2. Find the email you want to attach to the contact

3. Right click on that email

4. Select ‘Attach to Contact…’

5. Select the contact(s) to whom you want to attach the email

6. Click OK

That’s it!

The email is saved in its entirety under that Contact’s Notes/History or History section. You can attach an email to one or several Contacts at once. After a while, you may find that you won’t need to create so many folders in your Inbox!

Mystery email addresses appearing in Outlook To: field

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 21:29:42 GMT

Nov 21 2005

Q: When I create an email in Outlook, I type in the first few letters of that’s person’s name in the ‘To:’ field and it provides a drop-down list of all the people to whom I have previously sent an email with the same first few letters in their name. I have a few incorrectly entered names that I need to correct, but this list does not seem to correlate to the names in my Contact folder or even Global Address list. How can I fix it?

A: This list is called the AutoComplete or Nickname cache and your deduction that this list is actually a separate list is correct. It list is saved deep within your computer. It is accessible, but cumbersome to do so. When you are facing a problem with incorrectly entered names, there is a faster way to fix it. Delete the incorrectly entered names from the drop-down list. Here’s how:

-In Outlook:

1. Create a new email

2. Type in the first few letters of the listing that you know is incorrect (enough so Outlook displays the drop-down list)

3. Use the Up/Down Arrow keys on your computer to Select/Highlight the one that is incorrect

4. Press the Delete key on your keyboard

That’s it!

Email Search in ACT! - Finally!

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 08:15:24 GMT

May 15 2006

Q: Is there a way that I can search for a specific email(s) in ACT!

A: If you are using ACT! 2005 or newer, you're in luck. For those who don’t know, ACT! (a very popular contact management database) can be configured to use your existing Outlook, Outlook Exchange, or Outlook Express email accounts. You can even set it up as a stand-alone email program. The only problem is that there wasn’t a feature that could Find/Search for Email. In the 2006 version of ACT! that is no longer the case.

Here’s how to use the Email Search feature in ACT!:

-In your ACT! Email program

1. Right click on the Email Folder you want to search

2. Select ‘Find Message…’

3. Enter any criteria you want to use to search for that Email like; Who its from, who it was sent to, any part of the Subject, or any part of the Message (body)

4. Click ‘Find Now’

-The Emails that meet the criteria are displayed at the bottom of the Find Message window. Just double click on any Email and it is automatically displayed!