http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/ MatchBlog is a weekly blog about MatchBox CRM and other topics, such as the entrepreneurial life, business lessons, news, updates and other interesting anecdotes on the industry. en-us http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/script/blog.xml Are you spending your day responding to situations, or taking the initiative to create change? http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=106 In search of happiness, a lonely inventor toils away on his visionary invention, only to find that success comes at a price. A brilliant short film nominated for the 1999 Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=105 When it comes to translating your business name into another language, it's best to double-check with someone first. Especially if you're using web-based translators! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=104 A few months back, we came to the realization that the MatchBox service is beyond just Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Thus we decided on a rebranding effort to "MatchBox Lite". More details inside. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=103 Users can now "personalize" the MatchBox CRM interface with their own business logo. Sweet! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=101 The Files & Documents module now automatically identifies images and displays them as thumbnails for instant recognition. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=100 http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=99 Have you ever stumbed upon a series of unlikely coincidences, and felt that it's because Life wanted to get a message across to you? For MIKE TEE, the message was clear! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=98 The Tasks module in MatchBox CRM has always been embedded within its own Cases - which we realized affected its usefulness because it was buried too deep. So we made some changes. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=97 Just in case you needed a little inspiration :-) http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=96 The world is increasingly reliant on software, but it's reliability has not gotten any better. In a software industry notorious for bugs and errors, NASA shows the way in producing programmes that achieves "software perfection". http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=95 All else being equal - would you rather buy from someone you know, or someone you don't? MIKE TEE learns something new during a weekend shopping experience. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=94 We've recently updated the main Cases page, which offers several new improvements. The new page is cleaner, and makes the most important stuff easier to access. Gone are a lot of detailed information that made the page very "noisy". http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=93 Few businesses are as successful as IKEA - and it certainly doesn't hurt to learn a thing or two about how the company comes up with its products. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=92 http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=91 In a refreshing twist to the 80/20 rule of business and life, successful wine entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk reveals HIS own secret of success - and quite possibly the biggest contributing factor to his ability to grow a small local liquor store into one with hundreds of employees! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=90 It really doesn't take much to improve the quality your service. Introducing small bits of practices, a little at a time, will eventually create a better overall experience for your clients. Here's one. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=89 Solo entrepreneurship and self-employment can be a very lonely path. That's why, once a month in Houston, self-employed professionals get together not for fun or drinks, but to co-work. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=88 Running through the DVD stash to wittle away the weekends, MIKE TEE stumbles upon the Steve Carroll / Morgan Freeman comedy Evan Almighty and came away a little bit wiser. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=87 Conventional thought would have it that money, status, power and relationships may bring about happiness, but a recent scientific experiment may prove otherwise. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=86 Trust the Japanese to come up with the creative twist to improve something as mundane as product barcodes! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=85 Apple's decorated CEO Steve Jobs shares his thoughts on the company's success, culture and products. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=84 The latest update to MatchBox CRM introduces some additional search filtering options. MIKE TEE explains. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=83 Who says you need a big team to run a company that generates revenues in the millions? Information Week covers the story of successful solo entrepreneurs, working mostly on their own to build successful businesses. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=82 The Reminder module gets some significant and useful updates. MIKE TEE explains. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=80 Back in mid-December, we posted an update on automated e-mail verification in MatchBox CRM. A new patch has been installed to detect valid e-mail accounts with seldom-used top-level domains. www.yourcompany.coop, anyone? http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=79 A minor annoyance with MatchBox CRM's Calendar application is solved by having the Calendar field pre-selected when creating new calendar items. MIKE TEE explains. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=78 Common perception among business owners and decision-makers is that useful software are usually complicated and costs millions of dollars. In many cases, investments in large, complicated and expensive IT systems end up costing companies more than just money. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=77 Only the second month of the year, and your New Year resolutions have already gone down the drain? If this sounds familiar, read on. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=76 MIKE TEE stumbles upon a bunch of creative adverts that's bound to put a smile on your face. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=75 Our development spirits are in high gear - and following the Lead Source Management release barely a few hours ago, we are setting loose an early version of the reporting section, called Analytics. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=71 MatchBox CRM presents a useful feature update for lead source management. Keep track of how and where your clients came from. MIKE TEE explains. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=70 MatchBox CRM now checks for valid e-mail formatting in the Companies & Contacts section to reduce the chances of human errors in data entry. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=69 "You know why mister? You drove a Hyundai to work today, I drove an 80,000 dollar BMW. *That's* my name." A 7-minute clip of a hard-hitting sales talk by Alec Baldwin from the movie Glengarry GlenRoss. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=68 The Calendar application now support Multiple Calendars, which can be very useful for project planning and team management. MIKE TEE explains more. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=67 You e-mailed an invoice to a client, but was it received? Has she opened and seen it? With the new read receipt function, now you'll know! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=66 The name Tetris really needs no introduction, but have you ever seen the game being played by the world's fastest player? The video's 6 and a half minutes long, but you can forward it to the 5-minute mark and see it being played at its most breathtaking pace. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=65 The Companies & Contacts module gets some usability improvements. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=64 MIKE TEE discovers how important it is that a lot of the updates and upgrades on MatchBox CRM were inspired by the team using it as users, not developers. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=63 Although drowning in work, MIKE TEE got inspired and decided to junk all work aside to implement a Natural Date Recognition feature in MatchBox CRM. Read on to see how it works. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=61 In the first of a 2-part series, MELVIN SOO shares his thoughts on why it makes more sense to dedicate an equal amount of attention, if not more, to retaining your existing customers rather than finding new ones. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=60 Simple imagination goes a long way, as illustrated by these wonderfully creative Lego print ads! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=58 In the second article of a 2-part series, MELVIN SOO runs thru a couple of steps that will greatly help in putting your name at the top of your customers' minds. Here's Part 1 of the article. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=57 MIKE TEE runs thru one of the most important upgrades in MatchBox CRM - Team Collaboration & Cases. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=56 We've been hard at work over the Hari Raya weekend installing new modules into MatchBox CRM. Check them out! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=55 Please take note that in conjunction with the Hari Raya weekend, we will be disabling access periodically to MatchBox CRM to allow for maintenance works and system upgrades. Except to see a cleaner layout and new modules to enhance your productivity while working with MatchBox CRM - all at no added costs!We would also like to take this opportunity to wish all our Muslim friends a Selamat Hari Raya, and to the rest - have a great weekend and drive safe! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=54 Exporting your MatchBox CRM customer database to MS-Excel just got better with an improved "Export to Excel" functionality. MIKE TEE explains. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=52 In the first part of two blog entries, MELVIN SOO discusses the pros and cons of entrepreneurship. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=51 In the 2nd part on the pros and cons of entrepreneurship, MELVIN SOO highlights the positive points on life as an entrepreneur. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=50 Always in admiration of business that dare to be different, MIKE TEE highlights a Singaporean company that sells soft drinks with a twist. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=49 Inspired by the excellent Springwise blog, MIKE TEE offers some ideas to help you innovate your business, and make it stand out from the competition! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=48 We've been a little quiet on the updates lately, but that doesn't mean we're staying idle. In fact, we've been busier than ever! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=47 "The Last Question" is a short story that author Isaac Asimov thought was his best work ever, with an ending that packs one heck of an impact. MIKE TEE wholeheartedly agrees. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=46 MIKE TEE shares an issue common among many small businesses - old and new, and how MatchBox CRM offers a simple, logical solution that anyone can use. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=45 After running your business for awhile, you may suddenly realize that most of your invoices and quotations contain pretty much the same things! MELVIN SOO shows how you can save time via the COPY function when creating new invoices and quotations. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=43 As the nation approaches its 50th birthday, MELVIN SOO thought it would be most appropriate to dedicate a blog entry towards a subject closer to home. Something about Malaysia, and especially, the heart and soul of her children. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=41 Anthony Robbins, well-known the world over for his motivational seminars, gives an awe-inspiring talk on why we do the things we do. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=40 What do Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Roger Federer have in common? They're star players for sure, but they also have some qualities that you should look for in your team. MIKE TEE explains. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=39 Viewing calendar items have been made easier with the new "Legends" feature. MIKE TEE shows how. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=38 Tired of constantly not having enough time to pursue your interests? Getting stuck in life wishing you could do more? MIKE TEE stumbles upon a productivity method that will squeeze many productive hours out of your busy lives! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=37 If your work involves computers, chances are, you get tons of emails flooding your Inboxes daily. MIKE TEE offers a solution by using Outlook to prioritize those emails and to-do's. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=36 General usability enhancements to the Calendar module that will make it easier and friendlier to use. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=35 As companies rely more and more on MatchBox CRM to keep their businesses running, MELVIN SOO offers some back-up and contingency plans for those times when things go wrong. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=34 MELVIN SOO offers some thoughts on the importance of differentiation for businesses, and why innovation is often the best way to differentiate. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=33 A very important update to the Sales & Billing module now allows users to Cancel invoices, so that they still have a record of the voided invoice instead of deleting it. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=32 Accessing MatchBox CRM thru your mobile phones / PDAs. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=31 MELVIN SOO shares the "Stepping Back" technique to shed new lights on your business. Very often, it can often bring you back on track and get you even further. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=30 Users have experienced difficulties in working with Invoice Listing Reports due to a lack of billing details - and we've responded! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=29 Users of the Price Quotations and Sales Invoice modules may have experienced long waits when loading certain pages - especially when creating a new record or editing an existing one. Hopefully, we've now solved the problem for good. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=28 Double updates to the Quotations module this time - update of Status, and optional Grand Totals. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=27 As computer users, we've all been thru those times when we wanted to kick ourselves repeatedly for not saving our work-in-progress documents. It could be a college report, or a PowerPoint presentation. Computers have a nasty habit of getting into trouble and losing our data after hours of hard work - and had forgotten to save. We're taking a step forward to eliminate that. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=26 Organization of Companies & Contacts records just got easier with the new "Labels" feature. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=25 Usability enhancements to calendar date picker - use dropdown menus to quickly navigate between months and years. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=24 Error prevention update for SMS Sender ID's, in case user enters a space in the field. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=23 After a lengthy absence, the SMS History tab has been made available again. The new screen now shows the Sender ID and MatchBox Credits used. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=22 Similar to Quotations and Invoices - you may find yourself re-creating very similar Reminders over and over again. Use the new Copy Reminders to duplicate a reminder, then just edit from there! http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=21 Payment Receipts can now process invoices with a value amounting to 0.00 - which some of our customers use to notate goods which they give away for free. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=20 We've followed up on the very useful Copy Invoice tool, and implemented it into Price Quotations. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=19 Major usability fix that solves the problem of users getting logged out after a few hours, even while in the process of keying in data. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=18 This minor update to Activity Logs will arrange each log by latest replies. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=17 Need to know how often your customers have purchased from you, how much they are still owing - or when was their last transaction? http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=16 We give MatchBox CRM a cleaner look by removing menu clutter. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=15 The SMS module has now been upgraded to support Sender IDs. This means, your SMS recipients can see your name as the sender, instead of the anonymous "36399" number. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=14 The Reminders module is now presented as its own module, solving the problem of accessibility as it was previously buried inside the Companies & Contacts section. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=13 New security upgrades. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=12 Minor font compatibility fixes for Mozilla Firefox users. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=11 Most businesses have a core set of products and services - and after awhile, will realize that they issue very similar invoices all the time! MatchBox CRM recognizes this, and provides a useful way of creating invoices quickly and easily. Yet another perk of eating our own dog food. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=10 To a business, sending an invoice to request for payment, and actually receiving the money are vastly different things. That's why we've added another useful reporting tool called the Payment Receipts Report. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=9 The new Sales Invoice Reports feature can help business owners and decision makers learn about the sales performance of their company. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=8 MIKE TEE learns some interesting lessons from 7 years of climbing rocks, which can easily be applied to our lives. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=7 Can't remember the email addresses of your clients when sending Invoices via email? This new MatchBox CRM update fixes that problem nicely. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=6 MELVIN SOO takes a step back in life and reminisces of the pre-MatchBox CRM days, and how life has taken a change since implementing the solution at Density Professional. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=4 Tired of the constant negativity and price-throwing culture in the market, MELVIN SOO discusses the Asian business mentality and its problems. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=3 MELVIN SOO believes that e-Billing is the next big thing for small businesses, and he shows how we've implemented MatchBox CRM as a solution to our own woes. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=2 An introduction to MatchBlog, and a little info on the bloggers behind the postings. http://www.matchboxcrm.com/web/main.php?section=blog&page=blog_view&article_id=1