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Microsoft CRM is winning market share step-by-step from such the traditional CRM providers as Siebel, Saleslogix. In this article we’ll show Microsoft Business Solutions CRM potential in the VoIP direction.
Nowadays VOIP-based technologies and Instant Messaging Systems are getting wider and wider spread. Each work desk or each personal computer has one or another instrument of information exchange, belonging to the VOIP or instant messaging systems. Currently the mostly presented information exchange systems are:

• Skype (http://www.skype.com). Revolution system of sound compression - the tolerance to the bandwidth of the channel enabled VoIP amusement features to the general internet world-wide user with microphone and headset, Windows/Linux/Mac OS X operating systems, internet access and free registration with Skype. Plus Skype application has instant messenger between skype users. New features and services SkypeOut and SkypeIn allow you not only to call to the regular phones from your computers with very low rates, but also accept the calls on your skype phone number in the SkypeIn system.

• MSN Messenger (http://messenger.msn.com). Quite successful attempt of the Microsoft open the door to the instant messengers market. MSN Messenger gained market with the speed of light, due to the tight integration with Microsoft Windows. Every new version adds new functionalities - MSN Spaces integration, audio and video transfer etc.

• Yahoo! Messenger (http://messenger.yahoo.com). IM system of the Yahoo! portal, has standard set of features for communication, including audio and video stream transfer.

• AOL Instant Messenger (http://www.aim.com). This is one of the veterans of the IM system market. Considering the popularity of AOL as internet provider - AOL instant messenger holds substantial market share.

• ICQ - (http://www.icq.com). Yes - we do not have to give you additional comments, we are targeting this article to IT professionals who were working in the Clinton era of American internet miracle and booming. Let us just add that with the release of version 5 ICQ introduced new features of the audio and video conversation.

• VoIP & IM systems are popular not only in the home office environment, but are gaining popularity in the corporate market. One of the proves is the release of Microsoft Live Communication Server, which allows messages streams coordination and control. Natural idea - should we enable VoIP and IM conversation with automatic protocol? It is always good to have paper copy of the MSN conference, related to the project, product, in the form of MS CRM Activity. Or, from CRM interface to call your potential customer via Skype. Or accept the incoming call via SkypeIn and record the call to the CRM database to be accurate with the following negotiations. The usage is really unlimited and is currently restricted only by human conservative nature

Now, let’s consider the schema of MS CRM extensions to enable such a system:

• The main component is Albaspectrum Media Core for MS CRM - the module, providing media streams saving in the special database, interaction with the specializing connectors to IM/VoIP systems. Its function is also Activity creation in the Microsoft CRM system.

• The second important component is modification to these forms: Contact, Account etc. Modification is adding phones, addresses, Skype, MSN, AOL, Yahoo identifiers. Also we have to add SkypeOut phone calls service. In the future we plan PBX/PSTN support via MS Office Communicator 2005

• Planned addition - Answering Machine module, controlling incoming calls and messages from clients and saves them in Media Database. If manager is out of his desk, system will save the message and will create Activity in personal queue - you will not miss no one customer call! Plus all the calls from non-registered clients/prospects might be associated with one or another Account, Contact, Lead, etc.

Let’s consider the process of the phone call/receiving or message recording:

• CRM User opens client form and reads telephone or skype ID to place the call. If she/he would like to talk to skype user - Skype application must be installed of the local machine and she/he needs to be skype online user. If she/he calls to another Skype user, then we don’t have additional requirements. In the case when call is placed on PSTN number, CRM user needs to have SkypeOut active account. In both cases - when user picks up the phone or is absent - CRM activity will be created with the relevant status. If the call was accepted, automatic call recording will be switched on, activity will be created with the indication on the phone duration. For MSN, Yahoo!, ICQ audio conversations - all the mentioned above is relevant, except PSTN support (currently skype only).

• The above described process is similar for instant messenger conversations, recorded by MSN Messenger, ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger.

• CRM User could appeal to Full-Text Search upon the saving to Media Database of text talks directly from the MS CRM interface.

• For the users, who are accessing CRM over the internet we envision IM system support (as http://webmessenger.msn.com) in the MS CRM forms.

Good luck with integration! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew is Lead Software Developer in Alba Spectrum Technologies - USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving clients in Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, Denver, UK, Australia, Canada, Europe and having locations in multiple states and internationally ( http://www.albaspectrum.com )

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SyncUp, a file synchronizer is designed to assist the home and advanced users. The product has a simple and familiar windows explorer type interface for easy file handling. Further, the Scan Results provides a detailed preview of the files for synchronization.

SyncUp has a flexible filter system to facilitate the user to change the sync direction, copy and delete files etc. while processing the synchronization. With scheduler the user can automate the process of synchronization in the background at any specified date and time. It also allows the user to set multiple schedules for a single profile.

It allows you to synchronize files or folders from the Source location to Update location of the same hard drive, another hard drive, mapped network or across any removable media and vice-versa. It also lets you to synchronize files/folders between two PCs by using any one of the following cables: Parallel cable, Direct Crossover cable, Network LAN or US.

Experience the features:

User-driven profile management interface

Synchronization methods: Demand and Schedule

Supports folder sync between local and mapped drives

Filtering system maintains the sync process depending on different criteria

Flexible scheduler to run a profile at a specific date and time in the background

Supports inclusion/exclusion of file extensions

Windows explorer type interface helps in easy selection of folders

Requires installation in one PC only

Protects the system files and folder by default

Adjusts for different time zones and daylight saving time

Supports uni and bi-directional synchronization

Displays comparative scan results

Option to cancel the Sync process for selected files in scan results

Synchronize data to any remote location using UNC method and vice-versa

Supports removable media

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Data mining isn’t screen-scraping. I know that some people in the room may disagree with that statement, but they’re actually two almost completely different concepts.

In a nutshell, you might state it this way: screen-scraping allows you to get information, where data mining allows you to analyze information. That’s a pretty big simplification, so I’ll elaborate a bit.

The term “screen-scraping” comes from the old mainframe terminal days where people worked on computers with green and black screens containing only text. Screen-scraping was used to extract characters from the screens so that they could be analyzed. Fast-forwarding to the web world of today, screen-scraping now most commonly refers to extracting information from web sites. That is, computer programs can “crawl” or “spider” through web sites, pulling out data. People often do this to build things like comparison shopping engines, archive web pages, or simply download text to a spreadsheet so that it can be filtered and analyzed.

Data mining, on the other hand, is defined by Wikipedia as the “practice of automatically searching large stores of data for patterns.” In other words, you already have the data, and you’re now analyzing it to learn useful things about it. Data mining often involves lots of complex algorithms based on statistical methods. It has nothing to do with how you got the data in the first place. In data mining you only care about analyzing what’s already there.

The difficulty is that people who don’t know the term “screen-scraping” will try Googling for anything that resembles it. We include a number of these terms on our web site to help such folks; for example, we created pages entitled Text Data Mining, Automated Data Collection, Web Site Data Extraction, and even Web Site Ripper (I suppose “scraping” is sort of like “ripping”). So it presents a bit of a problem-we don’t necessarily want to perpetuate a misconception (i.e., screen-scraping = data mining), but we also have to use terminology that people will actually use.

Todd Wilson is the owner of screen-scraper.com (http://www.screen-scraper.com/), a company which specializes in data extraction from web pages. While not scraping screens Todd is hard at work finishing up a doctoral degree in Instructional Psychology and Technology.

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So setting up PC security on a budget involves usage of free antispyware, antivirus and firewall. Among free antivirus solutions you can choose from AVG (by Czech software company), Avast, Bit Defender, and some others. In the field of free antispyware the choice is limited and there are antispyware tools which are actually bundled with commercial adware and spying modules. However, SpyBot Search & Destroy is known to be a reliable solution, recommended by advanced users. And the consequences may be horrible.

What you should install on your PC is Anti-Spyware software as it will locate and destroy any Spyware that if finds on your computer. There are also a number of programs that claim to be anti-spyware that do not work. Worse these programs actually add more spyware to your system. Data loggers, key loggers and Computer Security What Is An External Threat are just a few vices which harvest info from your computer. Every day computer users are haunted by stories of people falling victim to identity theft. That is why every computer owner who’s worried about Computer Security What Is An External Threat needs Winclear.

Online Privacy With Erase Internet History: Computer Security What Is An External Threat. AccSent monitors account access attempts and issues a one-time PIN challenge to those coming from IP address ranges or browsers that differ from the last authorized account access. Your account was accessed from remoteip ‘202.74.73.70′ and a pin was sent to the email address on the account. The person logged into your email account and retrieved the pin, accessed your e-gold account and made an unauthorized spend from the account. Winclear is the only software which is capable of removing keylogger programs. Many people ask the question of whether cookies are harmful for their computers. Winclear has been the industry leader in fighting keyloggers and Computer Security What Is An External Threat for the last 8 years.

This technique includes contaminating a PC with a Trojan horse program. That is the reason why you need Winclear installed onto your computer, is to Computer Security What Is An External Threat. A little more sophisticated programs of this kind also capture text from windows and make screenshots (record everything displayed on the screen) - so the information is captured even if the user doesn’t type anything just opens the views the file. Find out more about Computer Security What Is An External Threat. Protect your computer security by using Winclear!

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Photoshop CS is no doubt the most momentous Photoshop progress which complements digital photographers. Real world Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS discusses exciting new features for general users, web designers, video editors and digital photographers. This book is authored by Bruce Fraser.

Bruce Fraser is a noted author having co-authored the penultimate Photoshop resource book Real World Photoshop from Peachpit Press. He is also a contributing editor for Mac World plus a regular contributor for CreativePro where he wrote his “Out of Gamut” articles. Fraser is also a co-author of Real World Color Management from Peachpit Press. He has also made a study of human vision and how it relates to reproducible color in photography and photomechanical reproduction. Bruce is a regular speaker and presenter at notable trade shows and conferences as well as Seybold and Thunder Lizard’s Photoshop Conferences. He has also consulted for an extensive series of major photographic and digital imaging companies.

Adobe Photoshop CS is the new version (Version of Adobe Photoshop. It is a part of the newly announced Adobe Creative Suite which combines new versions of Adobe Photoshop CS with ImageReady CS, Adobe illustrator CS, Adobe InDesign CS, Adobe GoLive CS, Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional, and the new “Version Cue” file version manager, which lets you track integrations quickly and locate files easily.

Camera RAW part of Photoshop 7 Adobe Photoshop Camera RAW & JPEG 2000 Plug-in Bundle is now an integrated part of Photoshop CS. This has added substantial power to Photoshop CS. JPEG 2000 delivers superior quality for the same compression ratios. Conversely, since no camera support JPEG 2000, support is available through a separate plug-in that ships with the software.

Depending on the camera brand, Raw may come in different flavors. Adobe Photoshop CS covers most RAW formats available today. However, RAW data may not be always read accurately. For example, the white balance of Nikon Coolpix 5000 images may have unnatural result which is not a case with Nikon Capture 3.5. To fix the white balance, click in a non-specular white area followed by a minor tint adjustment. Supplementary adjustments can be made through the advanced “Calibration” tab. The “Adjust” tab controls exposure, shadow, brightness and contrast sliders. Albeit Photoshop CS features now a new Histogram Palette, the RAW dialog box also features live histograms.

Noise reduction is not a problem with Photoshop CS. It has the color noise reduction and luminance smoothing sliders which allow you to reduce colors and luminance noise. Luminance noise should be use with caution because it can lead to an artificial “water paint” effect. The noise reduction performs very well and preserves the image detail and sharpness.

To remove chromatic aberrations, apply a local desaturation in the corresponding color channels. The Lens tab of the Raw dialog box provides effective ways of eliminating these aberrations.

To have additional knowledge of Camera raw with Adobe Photoshop CS, purchase a copy of this book. It will sure enlighten the dark areas of the subject matter.

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PsP handhelds are one of the newest and most fun ways to play games, watch movies and listen to music. PsP software downloads are just some things that you can do to improve your psp. PsP software downloads are fun and easy.

There are many places on the net were one can find psp software downloads. Some sites have you pay per download and sometimes charge up to a couple dollars for each download. Other sites require a membership and a monthly fee were user share files. This method sometimes can be frustrating when you are in the middle of a download and the user signs off before the download is complete.

I prefer to use sites that have a onetime membership for psp music, psp movie, psp games and psp software downloads. The best sites have their databases jammed pack with over a million songs, movies, games, and software available for downloading. Some of these sites have no limit to the amount of downloads you do per day.

There are some sites were the database does not have quality psp movies, psp music and psp software downloads and they might be very slow to download. I have placed a link at the top of this site for a one that has quality psp music downloads, psp movies, psp games and psp software downloads. You may want to check it out.

Once you have downloaded some psp music, psp movies and games you can take them anywhere you go. This is great when you have places to go or have long travel times to get somewhere. It really helps to pass the time away, while your having fun either listening to psp music or watching a psp movie or just playing a new game. There are so many games available you should never run out of games to play music to listen to and movies to watch.

Make sure that what ever site you choose either comes with a money back guarantee in case your not satisfied with their database of music songs games and software. I have been using the above site for over three months and never had the need to ask for my money back. I now have so many psp software downloads, psp movies, music and games downloaded that I often find it hard to decide which game to play, song to listen to, or movie to watch. If you’re wise and make the right choice you will be having fun all day long with your psp.

Please visit some of my sites PsP Music and PsP Music Downloads

For more info please visit my web site at PsP-software-dwonloads.blogspot.com” title=”PsP Software Downloads”>PsP Software Downloads

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Medical billing in the United States is fraught with many challenges and problems. The primary goal of medical billing is to receive fair compensation for the work that was performed in a timely manner. However, this is rarely the case. This series will explain those challenges and suggest possible solutions to these problems.

Patient Billing

Most practices today find it more time consuming and more costly to attempt collection of fees from patients then insurance carriers. For those practices that do take patient collection seriously, they may underestimate the toll on resources to complete the task.

Have you ever wondered how long it takes your staff to complete the print and mail function of sending out patient statements? Some practices choose to do weekly, biweekly or monthly patient statement processing. Manually processing a patient statement mailing dramatically affects your practice operations and revenue streams. Processing times can be lengthy, and delays are quite common due to lack of time and resources at most physician’s practices.

A careful analysis of the costs reveals some surprising numbers.

• $0.39 first-class stamp
• $0.08 envelope with window or label
• $0.08 return envelope
• $0.02 paper
• $0.10 printer ink or toner
• $0.25 labor (assuming $15/hour and 60 statements/hour)
• $0.92 Total

At $0.92 per statement to perform this operation in house, there may be a better solution for you.

Potential Solution

There is a solution; electronic patient statements. The process of sending patient statements can be as easy as sending electronic insurance claims. Electronic patient statements allow your staff more time to focus on your patients. When it comes time to print, fold, stuff, stamp, seal and bundle the statements, you can outsource this menial labor task. With electronic patient statements any patient that has a balance and is eligible to be billed, will automatically be sent a patient statement on time. With this automation, you will improve your accounts receivables timeline. Electronic patient statements also allow you to minimize mis-labeling errors and delays inherent with the in-house print and mailing functions which impacts your ability to bring your money in.

Your practice management software solution provider should have this valuable service available. Additionally, this service usually costs less than the postage and supplies outlined above. Usual automated patient billing service costs for electronic patient statements are $0.62-0.75 per statement.

Lori Anderson is an independent consultant with LAtech working with AntekHealthware on their DAQbilling Medical Billing Software and LabDAQ Laboratory Information System projects.

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Just stress testing one of the latest Linux distributions. Been testing it for about two months. You know, Linux has advanced some distance since 1992-1993. It looks great! Because Linux is customizable, I decided to change a few of the resident commands. These were not wholesale changes and everything worked out o.k. So I started thinking again. You know, that can lead to solutions you can’t get out of. In this instance, everything worked like a trusty timepiece.

Why customize it? It’s much easier to navigate all of the menus within KDE or Gnome. Set-up most commands with my personal, seven set-ups. With seven set-ups, my self scribed moniker for the upgrade; most applications are accessible with no more than seven key combinations. Open a file? Ctrl-Alt-A. If you want to search inside a sub file, just click, Ctrl-Alt-A, Ctrl-Alt-B.
This might look a little complicated. After you learn the several key combinations, it’s a snap. Forget the mouse, unless you’re designing high dollar graphics. Maybe something like this could give KDE, Gnome desktops that something extra.

Another something. If you’re developing the next generation platform, why not develop the programs/applications on older machines? This goes against conventional thought, but it works. Anything that runs at decent speeds on older machines, fast streams on newer chipsets. Be sure to keep that a secret! Now, who stole my keys?

Patrick Sadler has over 12 years of past Internet experience. He is sole proprietor of Knowledgeworks, Inc. Knowledgeworks manufactures and produces Developers Linux CDs, specializing on the latest stable versions of the Linux Networking Operating Systems. You are able to reach him at the factory website: http://knowledgeworks.org.uk

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I have always regretted how Microsoft price gouges and rips off computer users. I really regret Windows XP activation. I have always intended to convert to Linux, but it isn’t easy for a Windows user since version 3.0.

Recently, I purchased the book “Moving to Linux” by Marcel Gagne. The interesting thing about the book is that it includes a bootable Linux CD-ROM. “Knoppix” is a special version of Linux that you can run entirely from your CD drive. You can run Linux without uninstalling Windows or making any changes to your PC.

I tried the Knoppix CD on a Windows 2000 machine with a 200 MHz pentium II and 128 RAM, a very low power machine by today’s standards. Linux provides you with step-by-step status information, and I ignored several error messages as Knoppx was booting. It took a while for Linux to boot from the 52X CD-ROM drive, but then Windows 2000 also takes forever to boot on this machine.

To my amazement, Knoppix booted successfully, with the proper screen resolution and access to all the drives. To my further amazement, the CD-ROM contained OpenOffice.org 1.0. I used OpenOffice to create a file. I couldn’t save the file to the hard disk, probably because of access rights (NTFS or Linux), but I could save it to a floppy disk. Later, I opened the floppy disk file on a different Windows 2000 machine with the Windows version of OpenOffice.

In his book, Marcel Gagne gives you several tips to make knoppix start faster and work faster. For example, he provides a command that creates a Linux swap file on your Windows partition, and a command that saves Knoppix configuration to a floppy disk.

Note: If you have a broadband Internet connection, you can download Knoppix from www.knoppix.net (700 MB). You also need to know how to burn raw data to CD-R. The book gives you all kinds of information about the different Linux distributions, appications, and how to use Linux, plus the included Knoppix CD is all set to run, so I think the book is worth the extra cost.

If want you to explore and learn about Linux without uninstalling Windows or making any changes to your PC, Knoppix is the way to go. Maybe someday everyone will carry a Knoppix CD and a CD-RW to use on any computer they find. That day will truly be the death of Windows.

Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the resource box below is included.

About The Author

Copyright(C)2002 Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com. To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blank email to subscribe@bucarotechelp.com

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In many respects, e-learning has matured as a technology and industry. Today we will look at how web-based learning management systems can and are being used as part of the customer support function in a company or organization.

What is a learning management system?

Learning management systems (LMSs) are web-based software application platforms used to plan, implement, and assess learning processes related to online and offline training administration and performance management. LMSs provide an instructor a way in which to create and deliver content, monitor learners’ participation, and assess student performance. They also provide learners with the ability to use interactive features such as threaded discussions, web conferencing, discussion forums, and other methods of communication.

Where and why are learning management systems being used in customer support settings?

LMSs are being used in business-to-business, high process, value added, and technology-oriented business environments in industries like telecommunications, advanced electronic technology, semiconductor manufacturing, insurance, banking, medical products manufacturing, and others. Learning management systems are being used in customer support settings because they can be a cost-effective solution to providing customer and performance support for a company’s products and services.

Why is it cost-effective to use an LMS for your company’s customer support operation?

Learning management systems can be used to create a library of custom online courses that demonstrate how to use your company’s products and services. The course can be updated at will, so you’re not paying every three months to print new product guides and support manuals.

LMSs can be used to track and monitor your customers, instead of using a bunch of spreadsheets. This is very effective in scenarios where customers must be certified in order to use your products and services. The learning management system can be set up to notify a user when their certification is set to expire using an email tickler so they can recertify on your product.

What other features in learning management systems can be used for the customer support function?

A good LMS comes with a help desk feature that can be used for 24/7 customer support. Learning management systems can have integrated web conferencing technology which can be used in a number of ways to support customers such as synchronous training used in product implementation; a web conference on a new feature set that can be archived for later viewing; actual, on-the-spot tech-support using the “share your desktop” feature so your tech can go in and fix any problems necessary; and more.

LMSs can have a built in survey tool that allows you to query your customers with the results stored in the learning management systems database for later use. Learning management systems can have a single sign-on/e-commerce registration feature that can be used to sell add-on features. They also may have events management/seminar logistics add-on application that can help you manage both your off-site and onsite customer support training, and much more.

A company can realize effective resource planning and substantial cost savings by using learning management systems in customer support settings. Even greater gains in productivity and cost savings can be achieved using a learning management system in hosted business model environment. The virtual customer support campus is created to have the same look and feel as the company’s web site. Since the customer support campus is hosted and maintained on the learning management systems providers’ servers, the company only pays for set-up, its level of desired functionality, and usage. In conclusion, web-based learning management systems can be a very useful, cost effective way to manage a company’s customer support function.

Dave Boggs is the founder and CEO of SyberWorks, Inc (www.syberworks.com). He has been involved with computer-based and web-based training for more than twelve years. Before founding SyberWorks, Dave was the VP of Sales and Business Development for Relational Courseware. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Union College in Schenectady, NY, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

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