Description and Features

The Start Screen
The software starts with a screen that describes, in graphical network form, the functional options available to the user. This graphical network display is similar in appearance to that used for the branched network display of the output organisation.

The highest level in the network is a 'help' option. When this is selected, normally by the use of the computer mouse, it opens up a second small screen that advises the user on the options available. Because of the intuitive nature of the software, this is not normally required by the user.

Below this in the network are a number of boxes that indicate the principal functions, such as looking for electronic mail and the entry of information about individuals, their organisations and the projects with which they are variously associated.

Some of these boxes or buttons can be selected and will activate the appropriate section of the software. Some of them are not active, but indicate an intermediate process that cannot be activated directly from the screen, as it might be in a process flow diagram.

The Contact Input Accelerator
When one of these active functions is selected it will open up a form that invites the input of a piece of data that is to be filed, or to be used to search for information previously entered into the system.

These forms may be re-configured in a way that best suits the user's personal needs, but they all contain certain functionally-critical boxes. These may be
a) full name
b) any special (eg project) identifier
c) name of affiliate organisation
d) electronic mail address (if known)
e) other useful attributes such as telephone number
f) name of connection at the next upwards level in the organisation (such as supervisor)
g) number of other individuals at or below the selected hierarchy level.]

These boxes may be addressed in any order either by indexing from a keyboard or the mouse. As soon as any characters are entered into the box or field, the software commences a search of the appropriate area of the database to look for existing information that might match that being entered.

As soon as it finds a match it will open up a secondary screen that displays the options, if there is more than one. Otherwise it will automatically supply the sole matching word. This can be overwritten, or accepted as a valid prediction. Such a process is commonly called an auto-complete routine.

Once the first box has been completed, the software again searches for records in the database for the values that might be appropriate for the other boxes. If a valid match is found, then this can be either accepted, modified or ignored while the user completes the information in the next selected box.

If the first box to be selected is the e-mail address, then the entry of the e-mail address allows the software to make a prediction of the name of the individual, the name of his/her organisation and the web-site address of that organisation.

Once the box for the upwards-level connection is completed, the software is able to make any connections that it may have with other individuals in the hierarchy. As soon as this is achieved it is possible to display the organisation chart of those connected individuals in a graphical form that allows the user instant appreciation of the relationships within the groups.

Other functions

Exploit your electronic mail
This function mirrors conventional routines for managing e-mail. However, when an in-coming e-mail is received, the software picks up the e-mail address of the originator of the document, and of any individuals visible who were sent copies.

The e-mail Accelerator looks at each of these addresses in turn and attempts to identify them with known contacts already present in the database. If it achieves an apparent match, it offers this as a proposition to the user. If not, it offers the nearest match for checking or for amendment if necessary. This enables the user to create, for future reference, records of all individuals involved in activity relevant to him.

The software also invites the user to attach to the communication a project reference, or tag, which is also stored with all records for future use. The project label is obtained from a list of existing projects that is presented by the software. Otherwise the next numerical label can be used, and the appropriate record created.

The software will use the e-mail address to infer the best-guess data to enter into the new contact records, thus greatly saving on time needed to perform these functions.

Enterprise organisation
The software allows companies, divisions of companies, and other recognisable group entities to be displayed hierarchically under formal holding-company architecture; it may also be used for less formal structures such as Trade Associations, or even Market sectors. These groups are not created by sorting the records into tightly-defined pigeon-holes, but by creating links to the master records wherever they may be filed.

These features allow not just structured report to be generated, they also allow unstructured key-word searches to be undertaken and this can form the basis for a knowledge-based information collection and retrieval system.

Report accelerator
The user is likely to have need to generate documents describing the activities of groups of individuals, perhaps from a project meeting, or encountered at an event. The report accelerator provides a pro-forma that can be used to create any document such as visit reports, meeting minutes etc, in which are provided standard tables for entering the names of the attendees and their attributes.

The input accelerator assists in the creation of this input information from its database, while on the other hand it uses the accelerator to create new records for any individuals not already in its database.

Organisation charting
The purpose of the output organisation charting routines is to enable a user to rapidly appreciate the relationships that govern the behaviour of his target contacts and organisations. This assists in marketing decisions such as identifying the key influencers and decision-makers on any particular activity.

As an illustration: the name of a contact can be typed into the 'search for contact' box. If identified, the ContacTree software will auto-complete the entry. The user may then place his pointing device over one of the Org Charting boxes displayed on the opening menu screen.

If the Contact Org Chart button is pressed, a chart is automatically displayed of the contact and those around him in his parent company hierarchy.

If the Company Org Chart is pressed, then the relationships of his native company will be displayed in relationship to either a corporate subsidiary structure, or in an Industry association context, or in a Market context, according to what data are already present. Accelerator input table facilities are available to populate data sets not previously entered.

Pressing the Project Org Chart button displays the organisation of any project with which the contact is known to be associated using the acquired information of all the upwards relationships within the organisation.