Is BCM a product with a future?

[cos-tech]

Looking at the "Business Contact Manager Team Blog" shows that no one is
posting with any kind regularity. Nothing new since May 08. Is Mukesh Agarwal
still the BCM team leader? Has this development team given up and moved on to
another product?

Lack of progress in making BCM work properly with Windows Mobile and Vista
(as far as I understand these issues) seem to indicate that MS has decided to
abandon this product as far making it work with other MS applications.

PLEASE indicate what is being done to improve integration of BCM so that I
can make a clear choice as to what to recommend to clients. What is the BCM
team's long term goal?

 

[Luther]

Looking at the "Business Contact Manager Team Blog" shows that no one is
posting with any kind regularity. Nothing new since May 08. Is Mukesh Agarwal
still the BCM team leader? Has this development team given up and moved on to
another product?

Lack of progress in making BCM work properly with Windows Mobile and Vista
(as far as I understand these issues) seem to indicate that MS has decided to
abandon this product as far making it work with other MS applications.

PLEASE indicate what is being done to improve integration of BCM so that I
can make a clear choice as to what to recommend to clients. What is the BCM
team's long term goal?

I don't believe Mukesh is the BCM leader, but he was still at
Microsoft a few weeks ago during a summit with BCM power users
discussing BCM's future directions.

I use BCM with Vista and I know other users who use it on Windows
Mobile.

What specific integration issues are you concerned with.

 

[cos-tech]

Thanks for your reply Luther. One of the indications to me that a product has
no future is when the BCM team blog has had one update in three months.Sounds
like no development is happening or there is no team leader for the product.

Another indicationis when there is only one person answering these tech
support questions. No a good sign! But I do appreciate your help so don't
think I am unappreciative. Still some questions go unanswered for three or
four days and some just don't get responses at all.

BCM and Outlook should share the same database on a PDA and or PC. The fact
that proper integration with a device like a Windows Mobile Professional 6.0
smartphone does not exist after this length of time.

Shouldn't I expect to be able to dial a contact phone number or see alerts
no matter what database a client exists in? Regarding Vista and Windows
mobile there have been numerous complaints about sync not working everytime;
or you need to buy 3rd party software to sync BCM to Win Mobile 6.0.

Thes are just some of the issues that make me think BCM has no future and I
don't hear any development person jumping up and saying NO! NO! we are
working on this problem or that and this will be fixed by ?? date. The
developers don't even keep their blogsite up to date.

So how good is the MSCRM product at integrating with Ooutlook 2007 and
synching with a Win Mobile Professional smartphone for a SMB client?

 

[Luther]

Thanks for your reply Luther. One of the indications to me that a producthas
no future is when the BCM team blog has had one update in three months.Sounds
like no development is happening or there is no team leader for the product.

Another indicationis when there is only one person answering these tech
support questions. No a good sign! But I do appreciate your help so don't
think I am unappreciative. Still some questions go unanswered for three or
four days and some just don't get responses at all.

BCM and Outlook should share the same database on a PDA and or PC. The fact
that proper integration with a device like a Windows Mobile Professional 6.0
smartphone does not exist after this length of time.

Shouldn't I expect to be able to dial a contact phone number or see alerts
no matter what database a client exists in? Regarding Vista and Windows
mobile there have been numerous complaints about sync not working everytime;
or you need to buy 3rd party software to sync BCM to Win Mobile 6.0.

Thes are just some of the issues that make me think BCM has no future andI
don't hear any development person jumping up and saying NO! NO! we are
working on this problem or that and this will be fixed by ?? date. The
developers don't even keep their blogsite up to date.

So how good is the  MSCRM product at integrating with Ooutlook 2007 and
synching with a Win Mobile Professional smartphone for a SMB client?








- Show quoted text -

For legal reasons, Microsoft teams generally cannot talk about future
products. So, I would take the team's lack of blog posting as an
indication that they're working on the next release.

 

[runner]

Does Microsoft has a concept for her CRM-activities? I see the (offline)
normal Outlook 2007, the Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2007, and
online Office Live Small Business with a Business Contact Manager, too, who
is not compatible with the BCM for Outlook 2007. Then there is the great CRM
4.0 for bigger business with the Windows Mobile-versions, and Business
Contacts for the sync with BCM 2007. All these programms are not really
working together and synchronises the data. online or offline. Are they
working on an integrated system? I think that is the great chance to get off
the competitors...

Cos-tech,

After 5 years, I am quite in agreement with you that BCM is really a yawner
of a bureaucratic after-thought coming out of Redmond. A red-headed step-
child. A ill-thought out, entry level CRM bone packaged among select
versions of Office and tossed out to these users in lame attempt as
enticement to remain loyal to the Office platform. Most of these users do
remain because even if the so-called, "seamless" integration is anything but,
it still beats out the alternatives in many cases. In other words, BCM will
often continue to be tolerated by default. BCM is a great idea conceptually
and its implementation has been improved (ever so painfully slow) over the
first 2 laugher released versions, but the current release still reflects a
very painful disconnect and lack of real world design saavy in certain
important areas.

The lack of a coordinated sync solution is just a shameless example of one
department not able or willing to work with another. Outlook is a corporate
sacred cow and messing with Outlook's PST/Exchange flat file legacy platform
appears to be off limits. It just ain't gonna happen. If I were you, I
would have your clients consider either a good hosted MSCRM online option or
I would recommend the very Exchange-friendly option available at:
www.avidian.com. Avidian's prophet is gracefully Outlook-Centric and offers
the power of a SQL db add-in but does not stupidly force the user into
managing and trying to sync 2 separate contact dbs.

Future for BCM? With the mega-trend toward cloud computing, hosted SAAS, I
believe that the user base tolerance for BCM's existing design intent and
subsequent, built-in limitations to be very low.

Best wishes,

-THP

Thanks for your reply Luther. One of the indications to me that a product has
no future is when the BCM team blog has had one update in three months.Sounds
like no development is happening or there is no team leader for the product.

Another indicationis when there is only one person answering these tech
support questions. No a good sign! But I do appreciate your help so don't
think I am unappreciative. Still some questions go unanswered for three or
four days and some just don't get responses at all.

BCM and Outlook should share the same database on a PDA and or PC. The fact
that proper integration with a device like a Windows Mobile Professional 6.0
smartphone does not exist after this length of time.

Shouldn't I expect to be able to dial a contact phone number or see alerts
no matter what database a client exists in? Regarding Vista and Windows
mobile there have been numerous complaints about sync not working everytime;
or you need to buy 3rd party software to sync BCM to Win Mobile 6.0.

Thes are just some of the issues that make me think BCM has no future and I
don't hear any development person jumping up and saying NO! NO! we are
working on this problem or that and this will be fixed by ?? date. The
developers don't even keep their blogsite up to date.

So how good is the MSCRM product at integrating with Ooutlook 2007 and
synching with a Win Mobile Professional smartphone for a SMB client?

Looking at the "Business Contact Manager Team Blog" shows that no one is
posting with any kind regularity. Nothing new since May 08. Is Mukesh Agarwal

[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]

What specific integration issues are you concerned with.

 

[Luther]

Does Microsoft has a concept for her CRM-activities? I see the (offline)
normal Outlook 2007, the Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2007, and
online Office Live Small Business with a Business Contact Manager, too, who
is not compatible with the BCM for Outlook 2007. Then there is the great CRM
4.0 for bigger business with the Windows Mobile-versions, and Business
Contacts for the sync with BCM 2007. All these programms are not really
working together and synchronises the data. online or offline. Are they
working on an integrated system? I think that is the great chance to get off
the competitors...

Cos-tech,

After 5 years, I am quite in agreement with you that BCM is really a yawner
of a bureaucratic after-thought coming out of Redmond.  A red-headed step-
child.  A ill-thought out, entry level CRM bone packaged among select
versions of Office and tossed out to these users in lame attempt as
enticement to remain loyal to the Office platform.  Most of these users do
remain because even if the so-called, "seamless" integration is anything but,
it still beats out the alternatives in many cases.  In other words, BCM will
often continue to be tolerated by default.  BCM is a great idea conceptually
and its implementation has been improved (ever so painfully slow) over the
first 2 laugher released versions, but the current release still reflects a
very painful disconnect and lack of real world design saavy in certain
important areas.  

The lack of a coordinated sync solution is just a shameless example of one
department not able or willing to work with another.  Outlook is a corporate
sacred cow and messing with Outlook's PST/Exchange flat file legacy platform
appears to be off limits.  It just ain't gonna happen.  If I were you, I
would have your clients consider either a good hosted MSCRM online option or
I would recommend the very Exchange-friendly option available at:
www.avidian.com.  Avidian's prophet is gracefully Outlook-Centric and offers
the power of a SQL db add-in but does not stupidly force the user into
managing and trying to sync 2 separate contact dbs.

Future for BCM?  With the mega-trend toward cloud computing, hosted SAAS, I
believe that the user base tolerance for BCM's existing design intent and
subsequent, built-in limitations to be very low.

Best wishes,

-THP

Thanks for your reply Luther. One of the indications to me that a product has
no future is when the BCM team blog has had one update in three months..Sounds
like no development is happening or there is no team leader for the product.
Another indicationis when there is only one person answering these tech
support questions. No a good sign! But I do appreciate your help so don't
think I am unappreciative. Still some questions go unanswered for three or
four days and some just don't get responses at all.
BCM and Outlook should share the same database on a PDA and or PC. Thefact
that proper integration with a device like a Windows Mobile Professional 6.0
smartphone does not exist after this length of time.
Shouldn't I expect to be able to dial a contact phone number or see alerts
no matter what database a client exists in? Regarding Vista and Windows
mobile there have been numerous complaints about sync not working everytime;
or you need to buy 3rd party software to sync BCM to Win Mobile 6.0.
Thes are just some of the issues that make me think BCM has no future and I
don't hear any development person jumping up and saying NO! NO! we are
working on this problem or that and this will be fixed by ?? date. The
developers don't even keep their blogsite up to date.
So how good is the  MSCRM product at integrating with Ooutlook 2007 and
synching with a Win Mobile Professional smartphone for a SMB client?
Looking at the "Business Contact Manager Team Blog" shows that no one is
posting with any kind regularity. Nothing new since May 08. Is Mukesh Agarwal
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
What specific integration issues are you concerned with.

- Show quoted text -

If I remember the story behind BCM v1 correctly, they initially looked
into making a BCM an MSCRM-lite. BCM would use an MSCRM database,
stored in the cloud, and managed by Microsoft. But after studying the
requirements of small businesses vs mid-sized organizations, they
decided that the two types of users had different requirements;, small
businesses preferred a product that could just work on a disconnected
PC, and the top features desired by each set of customers was so
different, that a single product could meet the requirements of both.

I understand that MSCRM has tools to migrate databases from BCM to
MSCRM when a small business grows to a size where MSCRM is a better
product.