LexisNexis(R), has? announced that InterAction(R) 6.0 for Microsoft Outlook will be available by December at the 2010 International Legal Technology Association’s annual meeting in Las Vegas.
The product, we’re told, embeds features and functions of InterAction(R), a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application for professional services, directly within Microsoft Outlook.
The announcement marks the company’s second major collaboration with Microsoft this year and is part of a broader effort to deliver LexisNexis(R) tools and resources via popular Microsoft Office desktop applications.
Here’s the press release in full
InterAction 6.0 users will be able to view and access firm-wide InterAction content including contact details, mutual connections, upcoming meetings, information updates and personal notes using only Microsoft Outlook — making it easier for lawyers and other professional services firms to build stronger client relationships and drive business development efforts as part of their natural workflow.
“By providing access to InterAction resources directly within Outlook, InterAction 6.0 will proactively equip users with information to strengthen their relationships and drive greater participation in CRM efforts across the law firm without requiring users to launch and learn a new application,” said Brad Sidwell, vice president and general manager, LexisNexis.
InterAction is the award winning CRM solution preferred by 80 percent of the AmLaw 100 firms in the U.S. To develop InterAction 6.0, LexisNexis involved more than one hundred law firm partners and associates to understand how they use Outlook and to address their need for more efficient, timely and effective client interaction.
“InterAction 6.0 for Microsoft Outlook represents the most recent achievement in our efforts to collaborate more closely with our customers to create innovative tools that match the way they work,” said Mike Walsh, CEO for LexisNexis U.S. Legal Markets. “Both InterAction 6.0 and Lexis for Microsoft Office, which we launched earlier this year, integrate valuable legal content and services from LexisNexis and other resources into the Microsoft Office desktop applications legal professionals use every day.”
How InterAction 6.0 Works
Users will have access to their firm’s InterAction CRM data directly within the e-mail, calendar and contact functions inside Outlook. Key benefits include:
— Saves time. An InterAction toolbar will appear inside a new panel displayed within Outlook that enables users to hover their mouse over a toolbar to surface contact information, identify mutual relationships, see upcoming meetings or activities, view organization or information changes and browse notes summarizing previous interactions with any recipients of the e-mail. Because each of these functions is performed within Outlook, users avoid the time consuming need to go back and forth between Outlook and InterAction.
— Easy searching. The search field function enables users to quickly search for contact details about clients and prospects shared by others across the firm without leaving one’s e-mail inbox.
— A more complete understanding of client interactions. The “Add Activities” feature allows users to log contact “events” (emails, notes, calendar items etc.) directly from within Outlook to the InterAction database where that information can be seen and accessed by colleagues via their own Microsoft Outlook account. This feature gives others in the firm a more complete and up-to-date understanding of firm-wide interactions with a given contact to ensure coordination of efforts and help avoid potentially embarrassing situations.
— Valuable insights. When researching a contact, the “Mutual Connections” feature enables users to see who among their firm already knows and has interacted with that contact before — all from within Outlook. This gives the user valuable insight into who might be able to make an introduction or provide additional background information on the contact.
