Microsoft Access Contact Management System

The Problem

Our client's business had previously involved producing and mailing a comprehensive catalogue of products for the veterinary industry. With increased use of the Internet, this aspect of the business had changed to focus on selling advertising through a wide range of media including web based marketing, printed industry specific publications, electronic mailings, as well as integrated campaigns.

JCA had built up an extensive list of key staff for companies needing to promote their products, including large pharmaceutical companies. The contact management database containing the information however was not flexible enough to manage their new business requirements. To compensate for this staff were using inventive "work-arounds" to store critical data, but retrieving and using the information was becoming ever more difficult.

The Solution

We provided JCA with a Microsoft Access Contact Management System, backed by a solid database model, that accurately reflects the way the business operates. All relevant data is captured, building a comprehensive client history including previous sales and campaigns. By integrating Access with Word and Excel as appropriate, all information is easily accessible and can be referred to as necessary by the sales staff.

All contacts with prospective clients, as well as agents acting on behalf of clients, are logged including telephone calls and emails. For on-going tracking purposes contacts can be associated with a specific advertising medium or promotion. In addition staff can flag a contact for follow up, setting a reminder for the date to call back. Each morning a person will see their own list of active leads to be contacted that day. They can also view important follow-ups for other sales staff to enable them to provide assistance, for instance if someone is away.

When a sale is made a unique number is allocated and relevant paperwork is generated with specific details for the quote such as cost, size of advert and submission deadline. This process has been automated, with Microsoft Access integrating with Microsoft Word.

In addition, we provided functionality for exporting data to Excel, and trained staff in the use of pivot tables for more in depth sales analysis. With full Microsoft Office integration it is now easy for staff to produce sales reports, as well as monitor the success rate of campaigns.