For existing users
Deciding whether to buy or not What to consider before buying a database? Why would we choose contactLINK? Why wouldn’t we choose contactLINK? Can we try it out before deciding? Basic & Advanced - what's the difference?
What hardware/software does it need? How many users can it cope with? Can we access it from outside our offices? We’ve more than 1 office – will that work? Is it ‘web based’ – can we access it via the internet?
How do we uninstall contactLINK?
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Training, Support and Upgrades What documentation do you provide? How often will we get updates? What if we buy the 'Basic version' or a 'limited users version' and want to upgrade later? What if we want changes to the system? What if we want a report that doesn’t exist?
Can we use the data we already have? We want to include our Outlook contacts
Any other questions? Email us or phone and talk to us! We’re not a huge company and we rely upon individual clients being satisfied - so we really do like talking to you! Call us on 01364 649290 or email us |
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Answers Deciding whether to buy or not
"What to consider before buying a database?" We have produced a document called Choosing a Database which covers this (as well as other topics) in detail. To view it or download it - please go to this page
"Why would we choose contactLINK?" contactLINK is a low cost, and yet high quality database with the emphasis on being easy to use
"Why wouldn’t we choose contactLINK?"
"Can we try it out before deciding?" You can look at screenshots, on-screen video-style demonstrations and even download a full working demo version. See our Demos page. The demo version comes with a few example records (made up Individuals and Organisations) so that you can start using it immediately and get a sense of what it can do, without having to enter lots of your own information. You can also enter your own information (up to a limit of 100 contacts).
"Basic & Advanced - what's the difference?" The Advanced version of contactLINK includes Events, Room Hire, Product Sales and advanced Membership management
"What else is available?" We have produced a document called Choosing a Database which covers this (as well as other topics). To view it or download it - please go to this page
"What hardware/software does contactLINK need?" Microsoft Access 2000, 2002 or 2003 (it also works with 2007 but requires some customisation) Windows 98, 2000, XP (as well as Vista - please note that we currently recommend most small voluntary organisations avoid upgrading to Vista where possible - call us to discuss this if you need to)
"Can it run on Apple Macs?" No, contactLINK has not been designed to run on Apple Macs. You may be able to find an Apple Mac specific database, but your best bet is probably to consider an 'on-line' or 'web based' database.
"Will it work over a network?" Yes, contactLINK will work on a single PC or over a network. It works best on wired rather than wireless networks.
"How many PCs can it work on?" As many as you want! Its limitation is concurrent users - that is people using it at the same time. And your copy of contactLINK is licensed for concurrent users. So there's no limit to how many PCs and laptops you load it onto.
"How many users can it cope with?" Approximately 15 users. Although this also depends upon your network. If you're considering using contactLINK for more than 10 concurrent users then talk to us about this.
"Can it be accessed from outside our offices?" This is called 'remote access' and is possible. We currently have clients accessing contactLINK remotely from home and from other offices.
To handle remote access will require some 'tweaking' of your server, and at a simple level you will be limited to one remote user at a time.
However, contactLINK has been designed to be a 'server based' or 'office based' database. And if many people need to regularly access the data from outside your offices you probably need to look at 'web based' systems.
"We’ve more than one office – how will that work?" See the answer above.
"Is it ‘web based’ – Can it be accessed via the internet?" No it is not 'web based' and cannot be accessed via the internet. See answer above.
"What exactly is installed?" contactLINK consists of just 12 files (shown below). No changes are made to your registry and no hidden files installed.
"How do we get a copy?" Simply contact us We'll then make sure you have everything you need and that contactLINK is right for your needs. We'll discuss any training and data transfer issues. Then we'll email you (or post you a CD) with your copy of contactLINK "How do we uninstall contactLINK?" Because contactLINK consists of just 11 files to uninstall contactLINK you simply delete the files.
That's it!
Training, Support and Upgrades
"What training might we need?" We offer as much training as you need and can offer face-to-face training as well as phone training/support. For full details see our Training page
"What documentation do you provide?" Most of the documentation we provide is online (which we are currently in the process of implementing). However we do have a basic guide for some of the more basic features.
"How often will we get updates?" Updates contain new features and fix problems (bugs) that arise. An update is simply a file (zipped up). We'll send it to you via email and/or it will be available for download from this site. You simply unzip and copy the file it into the contactLINK folder. Its that simple!
contactLINK is still in a process of development. During this period you'll get updates as we add new features and fix any problems that come up. You can expect an update at least every 2/3 months. After this period you will receive fewer updates, but you should still expect a minimum of one a year.
"What if we buy the 'Basic version' or a 'limited users version' and want to upgrade later?" Simply pay the current difference between the two versions and we'll send you an upgrade.
"What support do you provide?" This is covered by the yearly support contract:
So you can call us:
We do not provide free support for your equipment or any of the other software on it. For example, if the problem is due to faulty hardware or you've upgraded to software that contactLINK doesn't work with (see What hardware/software does contactLINK need?).
However, we won't just put the phone down on you! We'll either quote you and sort it out ourselves, or help you to find someone else who can sort it out.
"What if we want changes to the system?" On the one hand - contactLINK is an off-the-shelf package, and not a tailor-made system On the other hand - we do accept suggestions from users and are continually improving contactLINK On the other hand - we will only make changes that we feel benefit a large proportion of our client base so that contactLINK doesn't get overloaded with small specific features which will make it harder to use - defeating its original design values On the other hand - good ideas from you - the real users - are invaluable to us
So in the end it comes down to ... talk to us!
"What if we want a report that doesn’t exist?" If a report you require is not available we will design it for you. Once a report has been produced, it will then be available to all other users free of charge.
Data Transfer issues
"Can we use the data we already have?" Yes. We can transfer any information you already have into the database for you. So no extra typing for you!
We'll even check your data for obvious discrepancies if you want us to, such as duplicate records, mis-spelt towns and counties etc.
Send us your data and we will provide a quote for you, so that you can decide whether to go ahead.
A few databases/programs do not allow you to export your data. In which case we would obviously not be able to do the transfer for you. However, most can. So, if you are in doubt, tell us what you've got and we'll tell you whether its possible. We can certainly work with the following packages/formats (and if you don't understand any of this - just call us and we'll sort it out for you):
"We have data in spreadsheets" No problem. We can transfer it. See the answer above.
"We already have a database" No problem. We can transfer it. See the answer above.
"We want to include our Outlook contacts" No problem. We can import them. See the answer above.
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