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E-mails are great and fast, but there are times when you want an immediate connection to someone on your network or the ability to interact in real-time without threatening the limits of your Inbox or Outbox. QuickConference is an instant messaging solution to help you get results without wasting time and without the frustration of walking to another office only to find the person you need to talk with is away. If you are familiar with instant messaging programs from your online service, you will have no problem with QuickConference. QuickConference can pop-up a message on your screen in an instant. You also can see in a glance if the person is available for a message. There is no guesswork involved like there is with e-mail. With QuickConference, you don’t have to worry about being interrupted by a telephone call or someone barging into your office. You will have the ease and convenience of communicating with a colleague through your network. You don’t have to meet them at the water cooler, unless you actually need a drink of water. QuickConference is a good addition to any office network that demands real-time collaboration or requires the ability to act immediately. E-mail systems such as QuickMail Office, Eudora Pro, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Outlook, Netscape Communicator and many others can work with QuickConference. I found the installation of QuickConference a bit tricky, so you will need the assistance of your network administrator to properly configure it to work with your network. Once I overcame the obstacles in installation on our Windows server, all I had to do was install the QuickConference client software on the users’ workstations and add their account to the server. QuickConference will work with both Windows and Macintosh servers. When QuickConference is first launched on the users’ computer, the Login screen appears. Click on “OK” and you get the User Account Information screen to add the user to the program. Adding users to QuickConference is pretty much a breeze after that. If you are familiar with working in Outlook and working with panes, QuickConference will be easy to learn. From what I could tell, there really isn’t much training needed. There also are several options to further customize your instant messaging setup in QuickConference. You can create up to 30 custom address books or groups to make using QuickConference even quicker and easier for you. You can choose only those people you think you might instant message on a regular basis or you might choose an entire department such as criminal or civil. With a glance you will be able to tell who is online or not available for instant messaging. A refresh button updates the directory of users to see who is online. The software will refresh automatically every 10 minutes. If you are really busy and instant messaging is going to distract you from your current project, just turn on the “Do Not Disturb” feature to automatically reply to messages with your own custom response. You can create up to five phrases that will appear on the sender’s screen when you have the “Do Not Disturb” feature activated, such as: “Out to Lunch,” “Meeting with the Boss” or any phrase you need. If you want to save a conversation, you can display active dialogs and save them as text files. QuickConference also integrates with most e-mail systems so if you have a lengthy response or would rather send your message in an e-mail, you can double-click on the sender’s e-mail address in the QuickConference window or by selecting “Send Mail” from the “File” menu. When you receive an instant message, you also have some options on how you prefer to be notified. You can choose to bring QuickConference to the front so the messaging window is on top of what you are working on. You also can choose to have the computer sound a beep to alert you to the message or you might want to play a sound. You can either use the QuickConference sound or select a sound file on your computer. QuickConference is reasonably priced instant messaging software for both Windows and Macintosh networks. You will not need an Internet connection to use QuickConference. Prices range from $119.95 for five users to $799.95 for 100 users. Just about any law firm could afford QuickConference as an instant messaging solution for their staff. QuickConference can provide you with the ability to conduct a conference without the conference room. Just a few clicks and you can have a meeting about a case review or debate the agenda of those in political office. Either way, you can have instant communication at an affordable price. |
CE Software Inc. Price: $119.95 for five users; $199.95 for 10 users. Contact company for more pricing options. Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP; Mac OS 7.1 to 9.x; Mac OS X (client only). Reviewed by Milton Hooper, a litigation support specialist in Macon, Ga. PROS CONS VERDICT |
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