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Microsoft Outlook

Outlook Contacts

Outlook Contacts allows you to keep track of people with whom you make contact. It is really just a database into which you enter details such as name, address, company, phone number, position, and the like.

Once the details have been entered, they can be used to create phone lists, send messages and faxes, and for a range of other tasks.

In addition, the Contacts feature of Outlook also helps you keep track of encounters that you have had with various people. You can record details of all of your telephone conversations, letters, meetings, and so on, and keep a log of these events for handy reference.

Since Microsoft Outlook is made up of a number of tools, you can even use the planning features of Calendar and the e mail features of Mail to plan meetings and send mail to the contacts.

Understanding The Contact Card Contacts are your address book. Just like a paper-based address book Contacts in Outlook allow you to record the details of people who you would make regular contact with - things like name, address, telephone numbers, e-mail address, and much more can be captured for your regular contacts.

The Contacts Card The contacts card captures all of the details for a contact. The card is made up of several tabbed sections that are used for quite specific functions as detailed below. General This area is used to record more common, general details such as name and address information. You can even insert a picture of the contact here and write some general comments in the large white box. Details This area is used for more specific information such as birthday, name of spouse, specialised contact information, and more. This is used for details that would probably not be necessary for day to day contact. Activities This area can be used to record and keep track of encounters with the contact. Here you can record and see telephone conversations, e-mail transactions, letters, and other encounters that have been had with the contact. Certificates This is a highly specialised area where you can nominate digital signatures to use so that you can communicate with the contact using encrypted messaging. It sounds a bit cloak and daggerish but is really just set up so that you can send secure messages to the contact. Given the process of obtaining digital signatures you’ll not need to use this area much unless you are dealing with extremely sensitive information. All Fields Display all of the possible fields available on the contact form and the current value of these fields. You’ll rarely need to use this area.

To review the complete Microsoft Outlook workshop Outline containing Contacts for 2003:Click here.

To review the complete Microsoft Outlook workshop Outline containing Contacts for 2007:Click here.

Outlook Tasks

Most of us from time to time work with (or at least attempt to work with!) to-do lists. To-do lists are simply lists of things or tasks that we have to do - prepare a sales presentation, write a letter, compile a report, buy the milk, put out the cat, etc. etc. Outlook provides an electronic to-do list known as Tasks. Here we can enter the various things we have to do, nominate an option completion date or time, and even track progress as we work through the task.

Creating Simple Tasks Tasks in Outlook can be quite simple, in fact all you really need to enter is the task itself (e.g. pick up milk, prepare sales report, write letter, etc). However, a little more information such as due date and maybe even a priority rating makes it easier later to sort and work with tasks.

Handy to Know… If you only want to enter the subject you are probably better off double clicking on Click here to add new tasks on the Tasks screen and typing the subject here.

For Your Reference… To create simple tasks: 1. Select Actions > New Task 2. Enter the relevant details (e.g. subject, due date, priority) 3. Click on the Save and Close icon.

To review the complete Microsoft Outlook workshop Outline containing Outlook Tasks for 2003:Click here.

To review the complete Microsoft Outlook workshop Outline containing Outlook Tasks for 2007:Click here.

Requesting Message Receipts

Just because an e-mail message is sent to someone does not necessarily mean that they have received or read it. If you want to be sure that a message has arrived and has been opened you can mark your message so that an electronic receipt is generated and sent back to you when it arrives at the recipient’s address. This does not guarantee that it has been read!

Handy to Know… While read and delivery receipts are useful they do not guarantee that the person for whom the message was intended was the one who opened it and read it. Sometimes, formally requesting a confirming reply from the recipient is a better option.

For Your Reference… To request a delivery or read receipt: 1. Click on the Options tool 2. Click on Request a delivery receipt for this message 3. Click on Request a read receipt for this message

To review the complete Microsoft Outlook workshop Outline containing Requesting Message Receipts for 2003: Click here.

To review the complete Microsoft Outlook workshop Outline containing Requesting Message Receipts for 2007: Click here.

Outlook Calendar and Time Zones

Outlook Calendar is a scheduling tool that helps you manage appointments, events and meetings with other people.

Before you can create appointments and schedule meetings, you will need to know what features are available from the Calendar screen and how to navigate the calendar in general. The Calendar feature of Outlook can be described as an electronic diary. Unlike a paper based diary, you can request different views of your electronic diary ranging from fifteen minute increments of a day to a bird’s eye view of a month.

Deleting A Second Time Zone If you have chosen to display a second time zone you can remove it quite easily from the display when it is no longer required. This can be useful to free up the confusion associated with seeing two time frames on the screen.

For Your Reference… To delete a second time zone 1. Select Tools > Options and click on [Calendar Options], then [Time Zone] 2. Tick Show an additional time zone then choose an appropriate time zone 3. Click on [OK] twice

To review the complete Microsoft Outlook workshop Outline containing Time Zones for 2003:Click here.

To review the complete Microsoft Outlook workshop Outline containing Time Zones for 2007:Click here.