Commence RM 5.1 Feature Summary

Microsoft Office 64-bit support

Commence RM 5.1 now supports both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Microsoft Office for our most commonly used office integration features – mail merge letters with Microsoft Word and email logging with Microsoft Outlook.  Here’s what’s nice. The smart Commence installer automatically detects your version of Windows and the installed version of Microsoft Office and installs the appropriate files as needed. 

To keep things simple, a single Outlook Add-In supports both Outlook 32-bit and 64-bit programs.  The new Redemption64.dll is also included for seamless integration with the 64-bit version of Outlook.  All add-in files are conveniently located in the new ‘x64’ folder within your Commence program directory.

The Word macros are also converted to support both Word 32-bit and 64-bit versions.  The key files (Letters.dll and CmcMerge.dot) are redesigned to use the latest in .NET technology.  The latest macros are also backwards compatible with your existing letter templates, so no re-work is required.

Simply put, Commence integrates with whichever current Office version you are using whether it is 32-bit or 64-bit, and eliminates any extra implementation work on your part.

New Spell Checker for 64-bit Windows with Multi-Language Support

The built-in Spell Checker has been updated to work with 64-bit versions of Windows in addition to 32-bit systems.  The feature uses a modern spell check engine that also includes support for multiple languages.  At run-time, Commence automatically detects your regional language settings and loads the appropriate international dictionary.

Three dictionaries are included out-of-box, providing built-in support for US English, UK English, and French.  The new ‘Dictionaries’ folder is conveniently located in the Application Data Directory (aka, AppDataDir).  You may install additional dictionaries as needed and set your preferred language.

Expanded and Resizable Pop-Up Windows

The most frequently used screens in Commence now have a new clean, modern and consistent look and feel, making them easier to navigate.  The newly designed screens are more efficient, easy to read, and give you faster access to your data.  See the screenshots below for a preview.

Enhanced Tab Dialogs

The new vertically designed pop-up windows present users with a consistent left side menu for all options and settings, and replace the tabbed dialog boxes of earlier versions.  In addition, these new screens are resizable to show more information on larger desktop screens and to improve visibility on smaller mobile screens.  The system also remembers your selected tab and window position.

Edit > Preferences > Meeting

Customize > Design View> Fields

Grid Style views

The new grid-style windows provide added features such as the ability to click column headers for quick sorting, column resizing, help tooltips, and more.

Tools > Send Letter

New Report Writer Features from Active Reports 9

The product’s report writer has been updated to include the latest Active Reports features, allowing you to create professional reports as required by your business.  

·         Improved performance

·         New toolbar buttons to navigate your report page by page.

·         New Pan Mode, selection mode & screenshot mode.

The new report writer in RM 5.1 is also backwards compatible.  This ensures all your existing reports will continue to work and preserves your investment in any reports you may have already created.  

Report-to-CSV Export Shortcut

RM 5.1 now includes a new toolbar button which allows any report to be exported to a comma separated (CSV) file format with the push of a button.  The CSV format is directly portable to Microsoft Excel and extends your CRM integration to popular online web services such as email marketing services with Constant Contact.  The feature is quick and easy to use, similar to the Save as HTML feature.

Conclusion 

Commence product releases are designed with two objectives in mind. First, is to ensure that the software remains compatible with changes to current versions of Microsoft Office and Windows operating systems.  These changes are not always visible to the end user, but are critical to protect the investment and usability of the software.  In fact, RM 5.1 will provide the core foundation needed to support the upcoming Windows 10 and Microsoft Office 2015, which will be released next year.

Secondly, is to enhance the functionality and utilization of the software.  These modifications are traditionally driven by our global customer base who periodically interacts with our product management staff and makes recommendations for future enhancements. We appreciate their initiative and invite all customers to reach out to us with any recommendations you may have for future enhancements. 

We thank you for your continued support of our products and services and we look forward to continuing to ensure that Commence is helping you to better manage your business and your customer relationships.