Converting Business Cards into Useful Data

Do you have a pile of sticky notes with client contact information scribbled on them or business cards taped to your computer monitor?  Now is the perfect time to get them all organized into a contact database. A contact database can be created with a contact management tool such as Outlook, ACT, and Excel or by utilizing a card scanner to scan your company contacts business cards into your computer.

What if you don't have a database at all?  You can purchase a mailing list from a source such as http://www.infousa.com/, and receive hundreds of contacts that match your ideal client demographic, at a surprisingly low cost.

Cybertary can also help you create a database from scratch with some very targeted internet research, or convert an existing paper contact list to something electronic.  And frankly...once you go digital, you just can't go back to paper.

Now that you have a digital database, what do you do with it?


Cybertary can scan all of your client's business cards using the CardScan application and help you turn your pile of contact information into an organized digital file.  The file can then be imported into a contact management tool of choice.  If your company utilizes Outlook and PDA's then the client contact information can also be synchronized with your PDA.

The CardScan program is useful for businesses large and small.  This application will scan business cards and store an image of the front, the back and any notes jotted down on the business card and store the image with the contact information.  Cybertary utilizes this program to scan business cards and can also use the program for your business.  A data file can be created and made ready for your company to import into any contact management solution.  For more information about the product line from CardScan visit the website at http://www.cardscan.com./

Synchronizing your Pocket PC or Palm PDA with Outlook or ACT is another contact solution.  In addition to synchronizing your contacts you can also synchronize other information such as tasks, appointments and e-mail messages. Synchronizing with a PDA can help you work more efficiently by having all of your data in one place.  Plus, many PDAs now incorporate a telephone, which allows you to dial directly from your contact listing.  Now, that's slick!

CompanionLink Software can also be utilized to synchronize your contacts from any type of contact application with your PDA.  For more information about this useful application visit http://www.companionlink.com/

If your company stores client contacts in Excel the information can be imported into Outlook or ACT as well.  The Outlook Import and Export Wizard will make it easy to transfer client contacts from an Excel into Outlook.  For more information about how to complete the import visit Microsoft's website at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA010964231033.aspx.