How2 Use Contact Manager

By Joe Rand | November 12, 2013

How2 bugWe have created the Contact Manager program as a utility for real estate agents to manage their contacts for the purpose of engaging in a personal contact or mailing campaign.  The program is relatively easy to use and fully integrated into other Randcenter programs.

Some of the advantages of the Contact Manager Program:

  • It’s simple to use.  It may not have all the features of a fully-powered commercial program, but it’s designed for real estate use by people who are not computer experts.
  • It’s fully integrated into the other Randcenter programs.
  • It’s available from any computer connected to the internet.

We recognize that this is not a commercial program, so it does not have all the features that you could get from a fully-featured software that might cost you a few hundred dollars. But we know that most agents never learn how to use such software, because those programs are not customized for real estate agents and do not integrate with the other programs you use for your business. If you have ideas of features you’d like to see in Contact Manager, let us know.  We’re always interested in improving it.

Below are the instructions for how to use Contact Manager.  Read this document while sitting at a computer connected to the internet, while logged into the Randcenter home page.  Click on the link for Contact Manager and enter the program. These instructions will take you through the entire program.

After an overview of the home page, we take you through each of the functions along the right hand side of the home page, to show how to use each function.  Each instruction includes practice pointers that advise you about common questions people have about the program.

 An Overview of the Contact Manager Home Page

Here are short descriptions of all the features and functions available on the Contact Manager Home Page. We use “CM” as shorthand for “Contact Manager”.  Here are the important features on the home page.  Again, it’s easier to follow this is you read this while you have the program open.

List View

List View shows you all the lists that you have created in CM.  If you’ve not created any lists, the default lists are Sphere of Influence and Active Leads.  You can see how many contacts are in each list.

Rolodex View

In Rolodex View, you have the opportunity to see the contacts in each list.  You can select any of your lists, and the contacts will be displayed below.  Above the list of contacts is a pull down menu that allows you to choose a different list to look at in the Rolodez View, or to view all your contacts at once.  To the right of each contact, you will see “[E/D]” which are actions you can take on individual contacts: “E” stands for “Edit”, which will pull up the Contact Manager Entry Detail Page and allow you to make changes to the contact.  “D” stands for “Delete,” which will allow you to delete the contact (you will be asked to confirm if you really want to delete the contact, to protect against accidental deletion).   If you click on a contact, you will see the details of that contact displayed in the box to the right.

Calendar View

The Calendar View is mostly used to view whether you have contacts with upcoming birthdays or closing anniversaries.

Search

The Search function just allows you to search for a particular name in your CM.  If you cannot remember what list your contact is in, this will pull up the contact for you. The Search function searches all lists, not just the active list that is open on the page.

Edit Contacts

The three Edit Contacts choices give you an opportunity to work on individual contacts, either to add new contacts to your list or move contacts around between lists.

  • Enter New Contacts.  The Enter New Contacts function will open up the Contact Manager Entry Detail Page, which allows you to enter new contacts by hand.
  • Import CSV File.  The Import CSV File function allows you to upload what’s called a “comma series delimited file,” a form of a data file (very similar to an Excel spreadsheet).   The program allows you to upload lists that you’ve exported from other systems.  This function should only be used if you have an established set of contacts that are in a spreadsheet format that you can easily upload into the CM.  Otherwise, you are much better off simply entering new contract by hand through the Enter New Contacts action.
  • Move to Different List.  This function will move contacts from one list to another, pulling up a new screen that will show the source list and the destination list.  You can then move selected contacts to a different list.  The source list will be whatever list you have pulled up at the time. 

Edit Lists

This section allows you to do actions on particular lists, either to create new ones, rename existing ones, or delete old and unused ones.

  • Create New List.  This is what it sounds like – the function allows you to create a new list.  You will then see a new screen that will ask you to name the list, and ask you how you want to enter contacts into the list.
  • Rename List.  This function allows you to rename an existing list.  You cannot rename either the Sphere of Influence or the Active Leads list.
  • Delete this List.  This function allows you to delete an existing list.  You cannot delete the Sphere of Influence or the Active Leads list.  YOU SHOULD BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO ACCIDENTALLY DELETE A LIST YOU WANT TO RETAIN.  The delete list will delete the active list on the screen, so be very careful that you delete the correct one.  You will be asked to confirm that you want to delete the list.

Actions

The Actions functions allow you to take lists and do productive things with them.

Create Call Sheet

This function allows you to create a call sheet with the selected list.  Once you click on it, you will be asked to confirm which contacts you wish to use in the call sheet.  Once confirmed, you will generate a PDF file that can be printed for your use.

Send to Direct Mail

This function used to send contacts to our Direct Mail program, but now it is simply a link to the Xpress Docs program.  All your Contact Manager lists are in Xpress Docs.

Create Labels

This function allows you to create labels for your list.  Once you click on it, you will be asked to confirm which contacts you wish to use.  You will then generate a PDF file that can be printed onto standard labels in your printer.

Create Letter Through Mail Merge

This function allows you to enter the letter-writing program. Once you click on it, you will be asked to confirm which contacts you wish to use.  You will then be in the letter-writing program that will perform a mail merge with a letter you can customize, and will ultimately generate letters in a PDF file that you can print.

Send Email

This function allows you to send an email to your list.  Once you click on it, you will be asked to confirm which contacts you wish to use.  You will then be able to write an email that will be sent to you, with blind copies to everyone on your list.

Send R4L Report

This function only shows up in your system if you are in the Realtor for Life mailing program. If so, you’ll see a link that allows you to send an email to a list with a link to the Quarterly Market Report.  Once you click on it, you will be asked to confirm which contacts you wish to use.  You will then be able to write an email that will be sent to you, with blind copies to everyone on your list.  The function will also create a link to the report, which you can copy and paste for other uses.

Send R4L Events

This function only shows up in your system if you are in the Realtor for Life mailing program. If so, you’ll see a link that allows you to send an email to a list with a link to the Seasonal Event Guide.  Once you click on it, you will be asked to confirm which contacts you wish to use.  You will then be able to write an email that will be sent to you, with blind copies to everyone on your list.  The function will also create a link to the report, which you can copy and paste for other uses.

Export to CSV File

Use this function to back up your list to your hard drive.  Once you click on it, you will be asked to confirm which contacts you wish to use.  You will then save the selected contacts in a CSV file on your hard drive.  It’s a good way to back up your data, in case you accidentally delete a list.  Do it once a week or whenever you make substantive changes to your lists.

How to Enter New Contacts into a List

The fundamental activity you need to perform in CM is entering new contacts into a list.  We advise you to do so by entering in each contact manually.

To enter a new contact:

  1. On the CM home page, select the list you wish to add contacts to by clicking on it either in List View or Rolodex View.
  2. Look at the Edit Contacts area and click on the function Enter New Contact.
  3. This will open up the Contact Manager Entry Detail Page, with all the fields that you need to enter new contacts.  You will notice that the List Name identifies the list that you chose to enter new contacts.  You can pull down a different list if you wish to change the list you’re entering contacts into. If you haven’t created the list you wish to add contacts to, you need to start over and create a new list with the Create New List function first.
  4. Start typing up the appropriate contact information into the appropriate fields. If you do not have certain information, you can leave the fields blank.
  5. You will see that there are choices for Contact Classification.  This function is not currently active in the program.
  6. You will see that you can add Contact Notes to your contact. This is for putting additional information that you wish to retail – dates you called, information about their family, reminders to yourself.
  7. Contact History is not a field you can enter information into.  In the future, this section might contain information about mailings you’ve sent to that contact (it’s not active yet).
  8. Hit Submit Changes when you’re done to save your changes.

 Practice Points 

  • IMPORTANT: The CM program defaults to the home address for all mailings, contact sheets, and other actions, so if you plan on mailing exclusively to your contact’s business address, you should add the business address in as the Home Address. If there’s a business name, enter it into the Home Address 1 field, and the street address as the Home Address 2 field.
  • If your contact is a couple, and you want to treat the couple as a unified entity, you should enter both of the client’s names in the First Name field.  For example, if “Bob and Mary Smith” are friends of yours, and you wish to mail to both of them at the same time, you should enter “Bob and Mary” as the first name of the contact, rather than entering “Bob” as the first name and “Mary” in the Spouse field.
  • If at any time you wish to change the contact to a different list, just pull down the new list and hit Submit Changes.

How to Import Contacts from Another File

We do not advise you to enter data into CM with the Import CSV File unless you (a) have a comprehensive list of contacts in already in another database program, (b) you are comfortable with Microsoft Excel, and (c) you are computer-literate and are comfortable working with CSV files.  If you do not know what a CSV file, then you should enter your new contacts by hand, even if you have a lot of contacts in another database.  Or have someone in the office manage the upload for you.

If you wish to continue, here are the steps.  If at any point you don’t understand these instructions, you probably should enter the data by hand.  We also advise you to be connected to the internet through a wired connection, not wireless, because any break in your internet connection can disturb the upload.

  1. Open up your database in the spreadsheet program that you’re currently working in.
  2. Some programs will not allow you to export contacts.  If they don’t allow it, then you cannot import into CM.  If they do allow it, there is probably a function under the File menu of the program that allows you to export data.
  3. When you have successfully launched a window to export the data from your source program, and it asks you which format you wish to use, export the data in a “comma series delimited” or “CSV file.”
  4. You will then be prompted to save your new file on your hard drive.  Save it to your desktop with the name “CM import file”.
  5. Open up Microsoft Excel.
  6. Find the “CM import file” on your hard drive and click on it.
  7. Clean up the file by making sure that there is a “header row” on the file that describes the appropriate column.
  8. We recommend that you do any editing on the file while it’s open in Excel, rather than try to do the editing in Contact Manager.
  9. Make sure your header rows are as descriptive as possible. For example, don’t use “name,” identify it as “first name”.
  10. Also, make sure that you do not combine fields.  Don’t put first and last names in the same column, don’t put city and state in the same column.  You want a column for each individual field.
  11. Save the “CM import file” as a CSV file.  Do not allow Excel to change the file to an Excel file.
  12. Go to the CM program and click on Import CSV File.
  13. You will be prompted to Browse for a file on your hard drive.  Find the “CM import file” and hit Upload List.
  14. You will now be asked to map the fields on your existing files to the CM entry fields.  If you have properly labeled your columns in your “CM import file”, the mapping should be self-explanatory.
  15. If you have column fields in your “CM import file” that do not correspond to the CM fields, then don’t import them – leave the button on None.
  16. Hit Process File to complete the import.

Practice Points:

  • Again, we do not advise this unless you are very good with computers.  It is generally a good idea to start from scratch, rather than import various mistakes that you might have in an older database file.
  • Make sure you have a wired internet connection.
  • If you have notes in your old database, there is no way to import them into CM.  You’ll have to cut and paste them into the individual entries.

How to Move Contacts to A Different List

This function allows you to take multiple contacts and move them from one list to another.  Remember that a contact can only be in one list at a time.  You cannot have the same contact on multiple lists.  If you want that for some reason, you’ll have to create a second contact for that person.

To move contacts from one list to another:

  1. On the CM home page, click on the list that you wish to pull contacts out of.
  2. Go to the Edit Contacts area and click on the Move to Different List function.
  3. You will see that the list you identified as the source list is labeled as the Original Contact Location.
  4. Pull down the list that you wish to move the contacts into.  If you haven’t created a destination list, you need to start over and create a new list with the Create New List function first.
  5. You will see that all the contacts in the list have been checked.  If you wish to move a lot of the contacts from the old list to the new list, leave it that way.  If you only wish to move a few contacts, click the Click Here to Uncheck All Records and you’ll be able to select the contacts you wish to move individually, contact-by-contact.
  6. Select the contacts you wish to move.
  7. Hit Submit.

Practice Points:

  • This is very helpful to those of you who have a lot of contacts to move from one list to another.
  • Remember you can always move an individual contact by editing the individual contact and then pulling down a different list to include that contact.

Create New List

The Create New List function is for those of you who wish to create additional lists.  It’s very simple.  To create new lists:

  1. Go to the CM home page, find the Edit Lists area and click on Create New List.
  2. You are asked to name the new list.  Do so.  If you don’t name the list, you’ll have an unnamed list on your collection of lists.
  3. You are asked how you wish to add new records to the list.  Just leave that button defaulted to the Input New Contact choice.
  4. You’ll now have the opportunity to add a new contact by hand.

Practice Points:

  • There are other ways to add new contacts to the new list, but we do not advise that you try to do that unless you are very good with computers.

Rename List

This function simply allows you to rename a list.  To do so:

  1. Go to the CM home page and select the list you wish to rename in the List View.
  2. Find the Edit Lists area, and click on Rename List.
  3. Specify the new name of the list.
  4. Hit Submit.

Delete This List

This function allows you to delete a list. BE VERY CAREFUL DELETING A LIST, BECAUSE ONCE YOU HAVE DELETED THE LIST YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET IT BACK.

To delete a list:

  1. Go to the CM home page and select the list you wish to delete.
  2. Double-check to make sure you have selected the correct list.
  3. Now triple-check it, just to be absolutely sure.
  4. Find the Edit Lists area, and click on Delete This List.
  5. You will be asked if you really want to delete the list.
  6. Stop.  Make sure you have the right list.
  7. Hit Okay.

Create Call Sheet

The Create Call Sheet function allows you to create a PDF document that will include all the contacts on the list.  You can print out the PDF and keep it with you so that you always have it handy.  It prints out the name, phone number, and home address of the contact.  For the program to work, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader, a program freely available on the internet.  If you need to install Adobe Reader, you can find a link to it in the Download Center on Randcenter.

To create a call sheet:

  1. Go to the CM home page and select the list that you wish to create a call sheet for.
  2. Find the Actions area and click on Create Call Sheet.
  3. You will be asked to confirm the contacts you wish to include.  You will see that all the contacts in the list are checked.  If you wish to exclude certain contacts, then un-check the check-box next to the contact to exclude them.  If there lots of contacts that you wish to exclude, then you can also hit the Click Here to Uncheck All Records blue button right above the contacts to uncheck all the contacts and then just check the ones you want to include.
  4. When you are done selecting contacts, hit Submit.
  5. This will open Adobe Acrobat Reader, which will open a PDF file creating the call sheet.
  6. Go to the top left of the program and pull down the File menu and pull down the Print command.  This will allow you to print the call sheet.  If you wish to save the call sheet to your hard drive, pull down the File menu and pull down the Save As command.

Practice Points:

  • Print up a call sheet when you are done entering all your new contacts into your main sphere of influence list. Keep it with you and make your calls when you have down moments during your day.
  • The call sheet right now prints out on multiple pages.  We are working on a call sheet that will only have phone numbers and will print on one page.

Send to Direct Mail 

This function just takes you to Xpress Docs to do direct mail.  Once you are in Xpress docs, you will have access to all your lists.

Create Labels

The Create Labels function prints out labels for your list.  You’ll need standard labels in your printer.  To create labels for your list:

  1. Go to the CM home page and select the list that you wish to make labels for.
  2. Find the Actions area and click on Create Labels.
  3. You will be asked to confirm the contacts you wish to include.  You will see that all the contacts in the list are checked.  If you wish to exclude certain contacts, then un-check the check-box next to the contact to exclude them.  If there lots of contacts that you wish to exclude, then you can also hit the Click Here to Uncheck All Records blue button right above the contacts to uncheck all the contacts and then just check the ones you want to include.
  4. When you are done selecting contacts, hit Submit.
  5. This will open Adobe Acrobat Reader, which will open a PDF file creating the labels.
  6. Go to the top left of the program and pull down the File menu and pull down the Print command.  This will allow you to print the call sheet.  If you have a LOT of contacts to print, you might just print out one page (select just “print this page” in the Print menu) to test your printer to make sure you placed the sheets correctly.

Practice Points:

  • Sometimes, you will have people on your lists for whom you do not have addresses.  Always check the contacts in the Confirm Contacts page to exclude any contact that doesn’t show an address.  No point to making labels without addresses.
  • If you have a lot of contacts, remember that the PDF will be big and will take a few moments to open.  You should only do a big file if you have a wired internet connection, because any lapse in the wireless connection can corrupt the process.

Create Letter Through Mail Merge

Contact Manager has a terrific mail merge program that takes a lot of the hassle out of sending a letter to your contacts.  You can write your own letter, or use one of the preformatted letters we have provided to you.  You can even customize the preformatted letters, and insert letterhead giving your office address!  It’s a simple, elegant way to send letters to anyone on your lists.

To create a letter through a mail merge:

  1. Go to the CM home page and select the list that you wish to send a letter to.
  2. Find the Actions area and click on Create Letter Through Mail Merge.
  3. You will be asked to confirm the contacts you wish to include.  You will see that all the contacts in the list are checked.  If you wish to exclude certain contacts, then un-check the check-box next to the contact to exclude them.  If there lots of contacts that you wish to exclude, then you can also hit the Click Here to Uncheck All Records blue button right above the contacts to uncheck all the contacts and then just check the ones you want to include.
  4. Make sure all the contacts you select have proper addresses.  You can see the addresses listed next to the contacts name.
  5. When you are done selecting contacts, hit Submit.
  6. You will now be in the Create Mail Merge Letter page.  You will see that there is a text box that has a lot of information in it.  That information is all dynamic, meaning that you can change it, add to it, and completely customize it.
  7. You will see that there are a lot of entries with little marks on either side that look like this: < >.  These are position holders for the fields from your contacts.  For example, <<firstname>> is a position holder for the first name of your contact. You should not delete any of the field position holders, because they’re crucial to the mail merge.  However, if you want to rearrange things, or build from scratch (which we don’t recommend), you can delete the place holders and insert your own order by using the buttons on the right of the text box – those buttons insert mail merge place holders for your fields.
  8. Where the letter says “Insert your text here”, you can add your own text for the letter.  Make sure you delete the phrase “insert your text here” or it will show up on your letters.
  9. If you wish to use one of the preformatted letters, such as the letters for the Realtor for Life program, look to the Select Preformatted Letter Templates at the top of the text box and pull down the appropriate letter. The text will automatically be inserted into the text box.
  10. You can then customize the letter however you wish.  Be careful not to add too much to a preformatted letter, because you might make the letter run over to a second page.
  11. If you wish to change the closing from “Very truly yours” to something else, you can change that.
  12. If you wish to change your name, you can change that (to add a nickname or something).
  13. At the bottom of the text box, you will see that the program will insert a Better Homes and Gardens Rand letterhead onto your letter.  The letterhead will print in green ink off a color printer, or print in grey text on a black and white printer.  If you want to use your own letterhead, click on the button that says Use Your Own Letterhead.
  14. Click on the button Create Letters.
  15. The program Adobe Acrobat Reader will open, and a large PDF containing all your letters on a separate page will open.  You can preview all your letters by paging down the PDF file, but you cannot edit your letters at this point.  Always preview the letters to make sure the mail merge worked correctly, before you print and waste paper (save the trees!).
  16. Now that you are in Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can print your letters. Go to the top left of the program and pull down the File menu and pull down the Print command.  This will allow you to print the call sheet.  If you have a LOT of contacts to print, you might just print out one page (select just “print this page” in the Print menu) to test your printer to make sure they will print correctly.
  17. After you have printed your letters, if you wish to print labels, go back to the screen with the text box and click on the Create Labels button.  This will open up a new PDF with your labels.  Print the labels on standard labels, and again print a test page to check that you’ve inserted the labels correctly into your printer.

Practice Pointers

  • To conserve on letterhead, we ask that you take advantage of the Use Better Homes and Gardens Rand Letterhead function that will imprint letterhead right onto the letter.
  • The date inserts automatically at the top of the text box.  It will print out in your letter at the top left of your letter.  You can change the date if you’re not going to send the letter for a few days.  You can also delete the date if you wish. However, you cannot move the date to the right-hand side of the letter – it will always print flush left on the page, which is acceptable in business or personal correspondence.
  • Always proofread your letter before you send it.
  • When you are writing a letter, make sure you don’t leave your computer for an extended period of time or your Randcenter login will expire and you’ll have to start again.
  • If you have people on your list who are couples, and whom you wish to address as “Mr. and Mrs” or “Dr. and Mrs” or something like that, you can select ONLY those addresses on the confirmation page and then write in the words “Mr. and Mrs.” before the <<firstname>> placeholder field in the letter.  Only do that, though, for the contacts you wish to address that way, or the “Mr. and Mrs.” salutation will be on ALL your letters.

Send Email

The Contact Manager allows you to send an email to everyone on one of your lists, provided that you have the email addresses included in your contact information.  The email cannot include an attachment, but if you wanted to send everyone on your list some sort of email notification, this is an easy way to do it.

To send an email to your list:

  1. Go to the CM home page and select the list that you wish to send an email to.
  2. Find the Actions area and click on Send Email.
  3. You will be asked to confirm the contacts you wish to include.  You will see that all the contacts in the list are checked.  If you wish to exclude certain contacts, then un-check the check-box next to the contact to exclude them.  If there lots of contacts that you wish to exclude, then you can also hit the Click Here to Uncheck All Records blue button right above the contacts to uncheck all the contacts and then just check the ones you want to include.
  4. Hit Submit.
  5. You will see all the email addresses you are sending an email to.  Write your subject line and your message, and hit Submit.
  6. The email will go out to you, with blind copies to everyone on the list.  They will not see the other recipients.

Practice Pointers:

  • We do not advise using the email feature to do regular mailings to your list, because it could be perceived as spam.
  • You cannot send attachments through this method.

Send R4L Report

Send R4L Events

The Contact Manager allows you to send an email with the most recent Realtor for Life mailing, if you are in the R4L program.  Follow the instructions for sending an email.  Note that this function actually creates a link for your R4L report, and you can cut and paste that link into other media.  For example, you may wish to send the email from your Outlook, rather than through CM – you can just copy the link from CM and put it in Outlook.

Export to CSV File

The Contact Manager provides you with an easy way to export your contacts into a CSV file.  This is a great way to back up your database to your hard drive, in case you are worried about the security of your data.  It’s important to back up your data in case you accidentally delete a list.  We recommend you do it once a week, or whenever you make significant changes or additions to your CM program.  The export will be saved on your hard drive as a CSV file, which can be opened by Microsoft Excel.  Should you ever decide to use a more commercial database program, the program should be able to import your contacts from the CSV file.

To back up your file:

  1. Go to the CM home page and select the list that you wish to back up.
  2. Find the Actions area and click on Export to CSV File.
  3. You will be asked to confirm the contacts you wish to include.  You will see that all the contacts in the list are checked.  If you wish to exclude certain contacts, then un-check the check-box next to the contact to exclude them.  If there lots of contacts that you wish to exclude, then you can also hit the Click Here to Uncheck All Records blue button right above the contacts to uncheck all the contacts and then just check the ones you want to include.
  4. Hit Submit.
  5. You will be prompted to click on the Click here to download your file.  Click on it.
  6. A new page will open with all your contacts.
  7. Go to the File menu and pull down the Save As command.
  8. Decide where you want to save the file, and name it.  It will save as a CSV file.
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