Group Grope, Paper Bagging, Tying One On

Three reveiws of software packages that target brainstormers, paper pushers, and road warriors.

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New software packages target brainstormers, paper pushers, and road warriors. Here's how our reviewers rate them

Software
Co-motion Lite, from Bittco Solutions Ltd., Ardrossan, Alberta, Canada (800-265-2726; bittco@ccinet.ab.ca; $78 for 10 users; $2,000 for custom version), group-brainstorming software for use over the Internet

Reviewer
Pat Heffernan, copresident of Marketing Partners Inc., a three-year-old research, marketing, and public-relations firm in Burlington, Vt.

Requirements
A SLIP or PPP Internet connection; a Macintosh computer; System 7; 1 MB RAM

At Marketing Partners we regularly run what we call "marketing brain trusts" for our clients. Say a natural-foods seller wants to improve the shelf appeal of its product. We might sit down with a natural-foods broker, a natural-foods retailer, and an FDA-knowledgeable package designer to think up new strategies. The upside of the sessions is that a wealth of invaluable information is produced in one fell swoop. The downside is that it takes a tremendous amount of time to coordinate the meetings and travel costs skyrocket when you have to bring distant specialists to a central location. So we were curious to see if a virtual version of one of those meetings would enhance the advantages and minimize the disadvantages.

We decided to use Co-motion Lite for Autumn Harp Inc., a client at a marketing crossroads. A manufacturer of natural, petrochemical-free skin-care products based in Bristol, Vt., Autumn Harp has suddenly broken out of its niche market -- health-food stores -- with its Un-Petroleum brand of lip-care products. The formerly tiny company now has to get its message across to general audiences in chains like Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and CVS. Hence the central question on our screen: "What are the key messages for AHarp & Un-Petroleum?"

We set a date and a time for the talk, and arranged for Autumn Harp's brand manager, marketing director, CEO, and advertising manager to contribute. The participants had to install the software, dial up their usual Internet access provider, launch the application, and select "link" at the predetermined time to connect with the host location. All participants had a view of the discussion-session window, so they could see the ideas as they were being posted. To comment on an idea, they merely double-clicked on it and a window opened, inviting responses. Icons such as a bull's-eye to indicate a main point helped them move through the discussion. All contributions were anonymous. And at any point users could rank the ideas on a scale from 1 to 100, save the session, or produce a variety of reports.

The program accelerated the brainstorming process by sharpening our concentration and our thoughts. The result? An enormous number of ideas in a one-hour session. The anonymity granted by the software liberated our thinking. Our client appreciated the immediacy of an attractive report with ranked ideas, average score per idea, standard deviation, and comments. The software gave new life to an otherwise draining and costly task.

Software
PaperMaster, from DocuMagix Inc., San Jose, Calif. (800-362-8624; $99), a paper filing, faxing, and copying system

Reviewer
William Floyd, executive vice-president of Investors Financial Group Inc., a $30-million financial-services provider based in Atlanta

Requirements
386 or higher IBM-compatible PC; 8MB RAM and 4MB swap file; DOS 3.1 (or higher) and Windows 3.1 or 3.11; a mouse; TWAIN or ISIS compliant scanner

My industry lives on the consumption of timberland, so 10 years ago, when I was toying with my first computer, I couldn't wait till everything went digital and I could do away with paper. Somewhere along the way, however, I took a wrong turn, because the very technology that was supposed to make my life easier made it more cluttered. Now at the push of a button, I can generate reams of paper memos, paper letters, and paper reports to show how productive I am.

To save myself from drowning, about a year ago I purchased an inexpensive imaging system for the office that allows us to scan almost everything into our computers. The catch is the documents can't be filed unless we first convert them, page by page, from images into graphic files. They just sit there in a virtual pile.

Enter PaperMaster, a program for filing, organizing, and retrieving documents on-line. Simple to install, it has an attractive, intuitive visual interface that offers considerable flexibility in constructing drawers and folders for easy filing. But what makes PaperMaster unique is its search, AutoFiling, and direct-printing features.

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