Business Contact Manager For Outlook - 2013 ((free))

Business Contact Manager (BCM) for Outlook 2013 was designed to bridge the gap between simple email management and complex CRM systems. While Microsoft has since transitioned many of these features to newer platforms, understanding how to utilize, install, and troubleshoot BCM for Outlook 2013 remains vital for businesses maintaining legacy systems.

The following guide covers everything you need to know about this powerful productivity tool. What is Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2013?

Business Contact Manager is an add-in developed by Microsoft to provide small business owners with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) capabilities directly inside the Outlook interface. Unlike the standard Outlook Contacts, BCM allows for:

Lead Tracking: Monitor potential customers through a sales funnel.

Project Management: Organize tasks, emails, and documents by specific business projects.

Marketing Tools: Create call lists and track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

Financial Integration: Syncing with tools like QuickBooks to view customer payment history. Key Features of BCM 2013 1. Sales and Pipeline Management

BCM allows you to track sales opportunities from the initial lead stage to the final handshake. You can assign "probability" percentages to deals, helping you forecast revenue directly within your inbox. 2. Information Centralization

Standard Outlook stores contacts individually. BCM links emails, appointments, notes, and phone logs to a single "Account" or "Business Contact" record. This ensures that any team member with access can see the full history of a client interaction. 3. Customizable Dashboards business contact manager for outlook 2013

The software includes a "Gadgets" feature that provides a visual overview of your business health. You can view charts for: Sales by stage Top performing employees Recent marketing leads 4. Marketing Campaign Tracking

You can launch mass email campaigns or track telemarketing efforts. BCM tracks who responded, allowing you to calculate the Return on Investment (ROI) for every dollar spent on outreach. System Requirements and Installation

To run Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2013, your system must meet specific criteria: Software: Microsoft Outlook 2013 must be installed.

Database: BCM uses a SQL Server Express instance to store data. Operating System: Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10.

Memory: Minimum 2GB RAM (4GB recommended for smoother database performance). Installation Steps:

Download the BCM 2013 setup file from the official Microsoft Download Center (or your volume licensing portal). Run the installer to set up the SQL Server database.

Launch Outlook; you should see a "Business Contact Manager" tab in the navigation pane. Common Challenges and Troubleshooting

Despite its utility, BCM 2013 is known for being resource-intensive. Users often encounter these issues: Business Contact Manager (BCM) for Outlook 2013 was

Add-in Crashes: Sometimes BCM will disable itself if Outlook crashes. You can re-enable it via File > Options > Add-ins > Manage COM Add-ins.

Database Connection Errors: Since BCM relies on a SQL database, firewall settings or a stopped SQL service can prevent it from loading.

Compatibility: BCM 2013 is not compatible with Outlook 2016, 2019, or Microsoft 365 versions. The Future of BCM: What Comes Next?

Microsoft officially discontinued development for Business Contact Manager after the 2013 version. For businesses looking to modernize, the recommended paths are:

Outlook Customer Manager: A lightweight successor (now also retired).

Dynamics 365: A robust, enterprise-grade CRM that integrates deeply with Office.

Microsoft Lists: A flexible way to track leads and projects in the modern 365 ecosystem.

If you are struggling with a specific error or need help migrating your data, I can provide more targeted advice. To help me give you the best information, let me know: Business Contact Manager adds specialized record types to

Are you looking to install BCM for the first time or fix an existing error?

Is your database stored locally on one PC or on a shared network server?

Are you considering moving to a newer CRM, and if so, what is your team size?

Here is the complete story of Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2013—a tale of a promising vision, a confusing implementation, and an inevitable end.

4. History and Linking

The most powerful feature was the "Link to" function. Any email you send or receive could be linked to a specific Business Contact, Account, or Opportunity. This created an immutable history log. If a salesperson left the company, the next person could open the Account in BCM and see every previous email, meeting, and phone call.

2. Basic concepts & data model

• Business Contact Manager adds specialized record types to Outlook:
  • Business Contact: extended contact for companies and individuals (customer, vendor, partner).
  • Lead: potential customer; used for qualifying and conversion.
  • Opportunity: potential sale or transaction you’re tracking.
  • Project: multi-step engagement tied to an opportunity or contact.
  • Business Project: templated project type for repeatable work.
  • Activities: Tasks, Appointments, Phone Calls, Emails linked to records.
  • History: a timeline of communications and actions associated with a record.
• Database:
  • BCM uses a local SQL Server Express database (or remote database in multi-user setups).
  • Single-user: local database stored on the machine.
  • Multi-user: database hosted on a server; users connect for shared CRM data.

Part 2: Core Features of BCM for Outlook 2013

If you are currently using or considering installing BCM for Outlook 2013, here is precisely what the feature set looked like:

3. Project Management

Small businesses often juggle sales with project delivery. BCM included a project management module that allowed users to:

• Create projects linked to specific clients.
• Track project tasks and deadlines within the Outlook calendar.
• Manage project-related revenue and costs.

5. Integration with Other Microsoft Products

| Product | Integration Level | |---------|------------------| | Word 2013 | Mail merge using BCM contacts/accounts. | | Excel 2013 | Import/export BCM data; use Excel as data source for leads. | | Lync/Skype for Business | Click-to-call from BCM contact; log call as activity. | | SharePoint 2013 | Link documents in a SharePoint library to BCM records (via hyperlink). | | Power BI (limited) | Export BCM data to Excel then load to Power BI. |

Note: No native integration with Dynamics CRM or Salesforce.

Abstract

Business Contact Manager (BCM) for Outlook 2013 was a customer relationship management (CRM) add-in developed by Microsoft. Designed specifically for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), BCM extended the native contact management capabilities of Outlook by adding sales opportunity tracking, marketing automation, project management, and detailed business history. Although Microsoft discontinued BCM after Outlook 2013 (it is not compatible with Outlook 2016 or later), the system remains a significant case study in integrated desktop CRM. This paper details its architecture, core features, data management capabilities, synchronization mechanisms, and practical deployment considerations.

Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2013 — Comprehensive Guide