It’s impossible to recall everything we need these days to sell, service and operate a business. Actually, the key is not remembering everything but knowing where to find it.
A manager’s success depends on their people having access to the information they need to do their job. The issue boils down to access – quick and easy access!
One of the most valuable features GoldMine offers is a powerful solution to the challenges of managing and sharing information. Meet the InfoCenter. The InfoCenter is found under the View pull down menu.
Within the InfoCenter you’ll see that there are tabs for KnowledgeBase, PersonalBase and What’s New. Think of the KnowledgeBase as the general view and the PersonalBase as every user’s individual view. What’s New is where you’ll find a list of every new or updated entry in the KnowledgeBase in descending order. GoldMine User Preferences can be set to have the list of “What’s New” pop open when a User logs to alert them.
The InfoCenter is organized in outline format with bodies of knowledge presented graphically as a book, which makes everything easy to find. Within each book there are pages, or folders with pages in them. Clicking on books and folders drills down to the pages under them and displays associated content to the right. Files can be linked to the topic and launched directly from the InfoCenter. (Right click or select the icon.) Linked files can be every type of format including word-processing, spreadsheet, multimedia, graphics, or you name it!
The InfoCenter has its own toolbar and local command menus. Search capabilities let you search topic names, folders, key words and text. You can print or fax topics. You can even link contact records to a topic for situations when the two relate to one another (e.g. a price list and the relevant distributor’s/manufacturer’s GoldMine record). Security features let you limit read and update access to topics.
The actual task of building and maintaining your organization’s InfoCenter is simple and easy. Using it is also simple. The challenging part is taking the time to put it together and keep it up-to-date. As with any new tool, it takes effort and reinforcement to condition users to look in the InfoCenter when they need information.
Like records in GoldMine, the InfoCenter is also shared. Contents within the InfoCenter, including linked files, synchronize to remote laptops or servers. The InfoCenter is a powerful way of disseminating information in an organized structure that you know is instantly accessible when the time comes.
With information properly stored in GoldMine’s InfoCenter rather than relying on memory or floating on paper, everyone has the ability to instantly recall everything they need to know in order to do a smart job of selling and servicing your prospects and customers.
