I have read the complaints that some have regarding Daylite and I have to agree that the program is not perfect. However, I have used every CRM program for the Mac and can say that there are no programs, that I am aware of, that can compare. It is the most sophisticated Contact Management Program available on for the MAC.
Here are some of the reasons I like this program:
1. A RELATIONAL DATABASE: It is a relational database that intuitively links every aspect of your interaction with a contact and his organization. For example, it keeps track of all To Do's associated with a contact and even the contacts employer or organization. It keeps track of every appointment you have ever had or communication you have had with a person or organization. It links multiple contacts to one organization and even links multiple contacts together. <P>
2. BUILT IN WORD PROCESSING: It has built in word processing that allows you to generate custom designed merged letters and reports for mailing or presentation.
3. IT LINKS CONTACTS TO APPLE MAIL: Imagine being able to instantly tell a contact about every email he has ever sent you or received from you. It does this with almost no involvement by you. You tell Daylite what you want it to keep track of and it does it! This is really powerful if you are a person that deals with many contacts.
4. POWERFUL TASK MANAGEMENT: The Task List (To Do List) Management is also very powerful. I read one comment from a person who complained that a program required to many clicks to complete simple tasks. With Daylite, setting up tasks and appointments are very simple. You will even have the option of having the program email notifications to you or just beep or display a message on screen. And unlike many Task Lists such as that which is provided in iCal, it will allow 5 levels of prioritization. I think that is ridiculous to have a task list with only "Very Important", "Important" or "Not Important" as priority levels. That is the arrangement that is set up in many programs but not Daylite. If you have a lot of Tasks to complete on a daily basis, you know that 3 levels of priority just will not do!
5. APPOINTMENTS ARE WELL IMPLEMENTED: The calendar in this program is well integrated with the rest of the program. Rather that giving you a separate program like "Now Contact", the calendar and appointments are linked automatically with the contact and the contact's organization.
6. YOU CAN EMAIL DIRECTLY FROM DAYLITE: This is a great feature! I have about 4,000 contacts in my database and sometimes have to email to hundreds at a time. There is no other program that I know of that will allow this to happen with just one or two key strokes!
7. IT SYNC'S WITH ICAL, ADDRESS BOOK, PALM, AND ALMOST ANY OTHER PROGRAM OR DEVICE THAT USES APPLE SYNC SERVICES: If you are like me, you want to take your information with you everywhere. When I am not in front of my computer, my Palm has all the information on it. This includes every appointment, task, contact, company, etc that would be accessible from my computer.
8. IT AUTOMATES A SERIES OF TASKS FOR YOU: If you have a series of things that you need to remember to do [such as hire and train personnel; make sales presentations, set up patients in a medical facility, prepare legal briefs; or almost any series of appointments, tasks, etc] Daylite can schedule all of your appointments and tasks associated with a particular activity for you over days and weeks in advance - and all with just a few key strokes. I have never seen any program operate like this.
9. THE DEVELOPERS ARE FREQUENTLY UPDATING AND IMPROVING THE PROGRAMS PERFORMANCE: If you read some of the replies to the complaints posted on this website, you will see that they themselves have made replies to the apparent difficulties that some have had. They are constantly working on cutting edge innovations for the program. I loved the simplicity of Now Contact and still own the most current version. But, when was the last time you have seen any updates coming from it's programmers. I have been waiting to see the result of Night Hawk which they say will be a huge improvement over their current product. But, this has been a long time coming.
THE TRUTH IS THAT I COULD GO ON ALL DAY WRITING ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF USING A PROGRAM LIKE THIS!!! I have used Entourage, Daylite, Palm Desktop, the Apple programs, Now Contact and Now Up To Date and many others for years. None of them deserve to even be compared to this product.
THE DOWNSIDE: There is a learning curve that comes with purchasing Daylite. It is not like every other program that you have used!!!! It is not the CRM Program for Dummies [No Insult there] Sometimes I wish it were. I want a program that I could use mindlessly, without learning anything. But, because of all the sophistication that is built into this program, you have to read the manual. The programmers have even made many training videos that you could watch that will bring you up to speed. It is easy to use for the basic and simple things like set up an appointment or task, but this programs offers so much more! You can do WORD PROCESSING, Calendar Management, Contact Management, Project Management, Opportunity Management, Tasks, Notes, and more.
This program, like any other, is a work in progress. But, comparing it to any other program would be like comparing a Mercedes to a Yugo.
T. Maxwell
Bankers Mortgage Corporation - New Jersey Direct Lender - Bankers Mortgage Corporation
Top