Usage for salesman

Hi there,
2 days ago we purchased DT Pro and with S1500M scanner I am pretty clear that we did right thing. I mean purpose is well defined and software is delivering.

Now on other note I need some advice. I am salesman. I sell smart cards, security items and similar products. For longest time I want to keep electronic log of calls and events. So far I couldn’t find proper software for that purpose. Tried more than few and didn’t like it immediately or later.

Let me explain how I do it now. I keep open note book in front of me whole day. Every day I start new page date it on top, note USD/CAD/EUR exchange rates in beginning of day. When somebody calls I try to write time of the call, name of the person and take few short notes what was it about, like parts, prices offered, phone, fax numbers, e-mail address … It works pretty well. I can go back and find something noted that becomes important later.

As you can guess my system sucks when I have to go back months or more than 6 months and find something important. There is no technique for that other than flipping pages but good part is that info is there, buried in pages. Every year is new note book (4 bucks in Staples).

That’s my story, now questions. Is DT Pro good software for daily note taking as described? Many people compare it with EverNote. Tried EverNote and didn’t get comfortable with it.
Do I need to get DevonNote or I already have everything I need in DT Pro? Is there pre-set template for application like mine?

Thanks,
Zack, Canada

The short answer for one part of your query is that DTP does everything DN does; the reverse is not true. Having said that, some users, Bill the DT Evangelist on these forums for one, use DTP or DTPO and use DN. Perhaps one of these users will address in more detail why they use both.

OK, thanks for making this clear once for all.
What about other part of the question, could DTP be used comfortably as a note taker? Is there a possibility to automatically date/time stamp the record so it’s visible on the page?
Maybe somebody made up template or setup for such usage of DTP?

DT Pro/DT Pro Office include a number of smart templates. For example, a Phone Note template that stamps the date and time of the call, with space to summarize the discussion. Other templates can set up iCal events or to-dos, with a hyperlink back from the calendar to a document in the database. Suppose, for example, you wish to set up a calendar event for a meeting with a customer. You could create a new note with information about the customer use the template script to create a calendar event for the meeting, with a link in the calendar back to your notes about the meeting. Afterwards, from the calendar, click the link back to your note and summarize the results of the meeting in the note. In this way, your computer helps you keep up with your calendar schedules, and DT Pro or DT Pro Office helps you keep associated notes about the calendar items.

The Annotate smart template can be useful to create a searchable note that’s linked to another document. Suppose, for example, you have a PDF resulting from a scan of an order or contract (DT Pro Office can OCR the scan to make the text searchable). You might find it useful to use the Annotate template to create a new rich text note linked to that order or contract, in which you add notes about the customer, delivery dates, whatever. Suppose you want to create a To-Do reminder in iCal, that links back to your note. There’s a smart template script for that.

As you are adding comments to a note about an order, press Shift-Command-D to enter the date and Shift-Command-E to enter the time. Now you have a reminder of when you entered the additional information.