Archive for August, 2008

SMS Messaging using iMIS

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

SMS Texting has become a huge part of our lives. And it seems to be a technology that has widespread appeal not only with the business crowd, but also with younger generations.

SMS Texting is an easy and cost effective way to send text messages to large groups of people. It has the advantage of being able to touch people whereever they are - whether they are on the internet or not.

Savvy businesses and membership organizations understand the power of texting and are harnessing it to help drive revenues and memberships. Whether you are trying to organize a political rally, or help save the whales - if you need to get a message to your customers and members, then SMS Texting is a great option.

Metisc’s iMAIL for iMIS provides an easy to use, safe, secure and 100% legal way for iMIS customers to add bulk emailing, faxing and SMS messaging to their systems. This inexpensive and high value tool works with numerous third party communications and delivery systems including Xpedite (for fax and sms), Blue Hornet and Magnet Mail.

So if you are looking for a quick, easy and highly cost effective way to get started with SMS, Fax or  Email marketing campaigns, then look no further than iMAIL by Metisc.

Posted in Announcements, Email & SMS with CRM, Smartphones & Blackberries, iMIS Modules | No Comments »

Using iMIS with Blackberry Phones and Microsoft Exchange

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

You’ve all seen them. Hordes of smug business people running around with their Blackberrys like they are members of some elite crowd. Dashing off emails and looking like they own the world. Well, just maybe they do! Because how cool is it to be able to get your email and contact information any time of the day, any where in the world? Like totally!

So now have a rabid case of Blackberry envy. You rush out and pick up one for yourself, and may be a dozen or so for everyone else in the office. Perfect - you install the Blackberry Synchronization tools into Microsoft Exchange and in just moments you are up and running. Now your emails are popping up on your Blackberries 24×7 and you are in Blackberry heaven!

Or are you?

Hey, what about my iMIS contacts? My Blackberry is nothing more than a paperweight when it comes to working with my real contacts - those in my iMIS database.

Well fret no more, because Metisc has you covered. Simply install our MiSync software and you can be synchronizing your iMIS contacts into Microsoft Exchange in just minutes. And MiSync deals with the notoriously famous iMIS “Cell Phone Field” issue. With MiSync your Blackberries can be accessing iMIS contacts in minutes. This is a production proven solution that works for MiSync customers.

The elegance of this solution is that it reinforces Microsoft Exchange as your corporate communications hub. Countless businesses are already running Microsoft Exchange and RIM’s Blackberry Synchronization tools. It’s a known standard that works. Both Microsoft and RIM back their products with solid support. So using MiSync to bridge your iMIS system into your Exchange/Blackberry environment makes a lot of business sense. 

So if you are looking for a highly cost effective and simple way to integrate iMIS with Blackberries - consider using MiSync.

Posted in Microsoft Exchange, Smartphones & Blackberries, iMIS Modules | No Comments »

Accessing iMIS offline

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

This article might be subtitled, “HELP - The internet is down and im not in the office!”. 

When you are out of the office and not connected to the internet you dont have a lot of options when it comes to accessing your iMIS database. No Internet means no iMIS. Thats like a total “OMG - what are we going to do” situation. Thankfully Metisc gives you not one, but two clever options for accessing your data, iRemote and MiSync. So forget Cell Phone Broadband cards (and their very expensive data plans). And instead consider these easy, simple and 100% legal options for accessing YOUR data as and when YOU want!

With iRemote you can synchronize either a full or partial copy of your main iMIS database onto your laptop for use out of the office. If you have ever used a tool such as ACT, then you will understand the benefits of using iRemote. Its also a very handy tool to use if you are running reports and dont want to tie up your main production database - you can point your reports to run against your iRemote database instead of your main iMIS database.

The other option for accessing information offline is to use Metisc’s MiSync tool and Synchronize your iMIS contacts into an Outlook Folder (Syncing to Exchange is also fully supported). So when you are on that business trip and you need to access some information on a member record, simply open Outlook on your Laptop, and your contacts are at your fingertip. Synchronization can be run either on demand or at regular times (like 3AM in the morning).

Now you know how to access your iMIS contacts while you are out of the office, there is no reason not to book that business trip to Tahiti. Or maybe Fiji, or Bali (stop me, im about to start singing Enya’s Orinoco Flow…)

How totally cool is that?!

Posted in Remote CRM Access, iMIS Modules | No Comments »

Using Crystal Reports in your iMIS database - Is it a good idea?

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

You know the drill, someone needs a membership analysis report from your Customer Relationship Management System and so you decide to break out Crystal Reports. You start creating complex reports and all of a sudden your users are screaming at you because your CRM has become unresponsive.

 So you look for options. How can i gain access to my customer data for reporting purposes without slowing down my system?

You may consider database replication. Its certainly a good idea. You create a replica of the database which is either populated on a daily basis or even kept up to date in realtime. The challenge is the cost of the database licenses and the time involved in setting up and maintaining your replica.

Another option may be to extract your data using a tool such as iRemote. With iRemote you can synchronize your membership database from vendors such as ASI iMIS to your local hard drive. Install a copy of Crystal Reports or Business Objects and you can now create as many reports as you like without impacting other users in your office.

So the next time you need to create some complex management reports, consider using iRemote to create a snapshot of your production data and then report away without fear that you are going locking other users out of your iMIS system.

Posted in iMIS Modules | No Comments »

Open Source Drupal compares favorably to ASI iMIS e-Series

Monday, August 18th, 2008

Metisc today announced that it has developed a specific packaging of its products for those customers wishing to save money and deploy an industry standard and open source Content Management System.

To date there have been limited choices in the ASI iMIS & Content Management System’s worlds. While ASI e-Series may be a potential option, many organizations have looked for alternative for several reasons. No one can deny the popularity of free open source content management systems. Now, there is a standard, cost effective and powerful alternative for organizations wishing to integrate their websites with their membership databases.

Metisc’s Drupal MBO WebServices Kit provides customers with a fully functional website platform, built on the wildly popular open source Drupal Content Management System. The Drupal CMS is recognized as one of the most powerful and flexible Content Management Systems available today. It works on Linux, Solaris and Windows hosts, to provide your organization with a powerful community portal through which you can engage your customers.

Drupal is a free open source product, which can save cost conscious and savvy business owners litterally hundreds of thousands of dollars in software licensing and maintenance costs.

Pairing Drupal with Metisc’s cost effective MBO middleware platform ensures full integration with your ASI iMIS (or Microsoft CRM) database. Whether you are using V4, 10 or 15 - with iBO.NET or without, your Drupal CMS will offer your customers the ability to authenticate, renew memberships, view targeted content based on membership level and payment status, purchase products defined in iMIS and so much more.

From Unions managing membership Dues, through to not for profits who wish to drive value and engage customers in new ways, Metisc’s Drupal MBO middleware platform provide extreme value and convenience.

For further information contact www.metisc.com

Posted in OpenSource CMS & CRM, iMIS Modules, iMIS e-Series | No Comments »

MBO WebServices for ASI iMIS & Microsoft CRM

Monday, August 18th, 2008

Metisc today announces the availability of its MBO’s - A platform independant suite of web services designed from the ground up to allow developers easy access to common CRM functions.

Metisc’s MBO (pronounced embo) middleware allows web site and web application developers to easily create full featured applications that will work on a variety of popular CRM tools. Customers are enthusiastically embracing the platform so as to ensure they are not locked in to a single proprietary vendor. Should your organization later consider switching CRM systems, then your websites will continue to work largely unchanged.

 MBO middleware works with Microsoft CRM V3, V4 and iMIS V4, V10 and V15. If you have licensed ASI’s iMIS iBO.NET framework, then the MBO’s will work with ASI’s iBO’s, plugging numerous functional gaps and providing work around for most known problems with the iBOs. If you are an ASI site and have elected not to license the additional iBO.NET platform, then the MBO’s will connect directly to your database management system.  Additional support is being added for MYOB and Quickbooks - if you are using either of these platforms then contact the developer at www.metisc.com for status on new platform support.

The MBO platform also includes reference connectors to the popular Drupal Content Management System. Drupal powered Content Management Systems can now be fully integrated with either ASI iMIS or Microsoft CRM to undertake a variety of tasks including:

  • User Authentication
  • User Access and Role Management - Deciding what users can do in the CRM based on their membership type and payment status in your host CRM system
  • Self Service update of user profiles
  • Query members
  • Renew membership (using the correct payment API within ASI iMIS)
  • Purchase Products (Allows the purchasing of products defined in your ASI iMIS database)

All website and application developers are encouraged to consider using the MBO platform. For further information contact www.metisc.com

Please note, users of the ASI iMIS database management system should check with their ASI representative to ensure they have purchased the correct number of licenses if you are intending to connect your iMIS database to the internet - particularly if your users will be updating your iMIS database. For further information, read the terms and conditions in your ASI software license. Metisc advises all customers to be compliant with ASI’s licensing schemes.

Posted in Announcements, Microsoft CRM Modules, iMIS Modules | No Comments »

iRemote - View your iMIS 4,10 & 15 data in the office or on the road!

Monday, August 18th, 2008

Metisc today announces the availability of iRemote V1.0.4. iRemote is our popular tool that builds on the heritage of the successful iView/iFind tools originally developed by Metisc and licensed for global sale by ASI directly. iRemote is a brand new product, developed in the latest technologies and has been designed to allow users easy access to your iMIS membership data.

With iRemote you can easily view your member records when you are in the office. If you are traveling out of the office and are without an Internet Connection, you can use iRemote to synchronize a subset or full set of data from your central iMIS database to your laptop. This unprecidented level of access makes iRemote an invaluable tool for sales executives. iRemote is also extremely useful to check membership registrations at trade shows, company functions and industry events.

 iRemote can be installed on Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. It is approved by Metisc to work with iMIS Versions 4.x, 10.x (including 10.6) and 15, including versions 15.0.1 and later.

For further information on the product, contact Metisc at www.metisc.com

Posted in Announcements, Remote CRM Access, iMIS Modules | No Comments »