The super-efficient office & PA (BB Volume 2, Issue 5)
This week's Business Booster gets to grips with using technology to improve your personal (office/operational) efficiency. As with all matters technical, the devil is in the detail, but there's some really exciting stuff here that's totally revolutionized the way I run my business - and that's not over-stating the case at all.
Here're the essential components:
- A BlackBerry Curve
- Hosted MS Outlook Exchange Server with Blackberry Enterprise Server (aka "BES")
- Some self-study on the features of Outlook beyond email and address book
The real magic doesn't lie in any one of these individually, it's the manner in which they can be used together that really delivers huge benefits.
Let's deal with the BlackBerry first
BlackBerry by Research in Motion (RIM)
There are many different models of BlackBerry and I'm not going to give you a review of each one here - all that information is available on the internet and if you add the word 'review' to your search string you'll get some useful commentary from the technical magazines and websites.
I have a BlackBerry 'Curve' and here's what I like about it:
- Small enough and light enough to slip into a pocket
- Outstandingly clear voice calls on hands-free
- Large enough screen with decent resolution
- A full QWERTY keyword
- Highly intuitive in terms of learning how to use it
- Very good address book function
- Very good call log function, which links well with the address book
- All the 'extra' functions you expect to find on a phone nowadays, e.g. camera, task lists, notes, alarm
- Ability to send and receive e-mails
Blackberry integrated with MS Outlook
So far so good, and if that's all there was to it, that wouldn't be too bad – however, for me the ace in pack is RIM's server-side software that really makes their handsets dance. There are two software applications and confusingly they have similar sounding names, even though they offer different functionality:
- BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service)
- BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server)
BIS is a useful out-of-the-box way of getting your BlackBerry handset integrated with your emails.
I actually use BES, hosted alongside MS Exchange Server. This means that anything and everything I do in MS Outlook on my office PC is pushed down to my BlackBerry (and vice versa). What this means is:
- My entire Outlook address book is on my phone – I no longer have to worry about whether I have particular business cards with me
- My Outlook calendar in on my phone – so I can check my diary immediately during client meetings and know I'm looking at the latest data
- Any tasks I create on the phone when I'm away from the office are automatically copied into Outlook and available from the office PC
- My entire Outlook inbox file structure is available on my phone, just as it is in the office
- As I'm using Exchange Server on a hosted basis, I can also access my entire Outlook functionality remotely, from an internet café (for example), not just my BlackBerry – useful if I need a larger screen to read and edit a big attachment
So how do I use all this integrated functionality?
I no longer carry a paper diary – it's all in the phone
I typed up my strategic goals, plans, etc for the year using Outlook's ‘Notes' function. This means I always have the latest version with me wherever I am and whatever I'm doing – sitting on the train with a few spare minutes? Review your goals – see how you're doing
I also use the Notes function to create a weekly To Do list – again, it's with me every day, wherever I am. (You can do this using the Task function also and that dates priority and due dates, etc. I find I work best with a simple list)
This might not seem so amazing if you're just reading off the page, but I've found having my entire office with me – all the time – a truly liberating experience. I can literally act on any idea I have when I'm out and about, type myself a quick note and bingo, when I get back to the office, it's all there, up to date, in one place. No more catching up with e-mails and all that junk – done, finish, on top of life.
It's a great feeling – give it a go.
(BlackBerry is a registered trademark of Research in Motion and Outlook is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corpoation)
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