In the field, information management
tools are where you find them — a pencil
and a scrap of drywall usually get the
job done. But if you make your money at
a desk, electronic information managers
begin to make sense.
Today, a variety of electronic Personal
Information Managers — or PIMs — are
available for computerized contractors.
The simplest PIMs are on-screen
"rolodexes" that let you store and
retrieve phone numbers and addresses
with a few mouse clicks or keystrokes. By
adding room to take notes, PIMs
improve on the rolodex, giving you a historical
"audit trail" of past conversations
for each name in the database.
More sophisticated PIMs add some
form of calendar or daily planner, and