> I'm trying to avoid her having to do anything beyound click a button - I
> could do without making myself hated by the reception staff!
>
> I'm now just trying to learn how to invoke the msg facility from within
> Access; I want to be able to give Reception a list of my appointments so that
> when they hit the button it pulls up cmd.exe, fills in the username and
> message, including the client's name (from the database), and sends the
> message. I'm not a developer, so this is all new to me. So far I've got a
> button and I've got it to open the command prompt window, but I can't yet
> find out how to get it to insert the data and send the message. I guess this
> is really a question for either an Access or a VB forum...
>
> "Bob I" wrote:
>
>

>>
>>Widmerpool wrote:
>>
>>

>>>"Brian Tillman" wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>

>>>>Widmerpool discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>

>>>>>Bear in mind that many of our staff are resistant to using any
>>>>>technology newer than the pencil; but at the moment we have to go
>>>>>down to reception to check if a client has arrived, then (if they're
>>>>>late) either do it again five minutes later or hang around. Clients
>>>>>often don't know the name of who they're there to see. I'd like us to
>>>>>have a (voluntary) system where the receptionist can see our
>>>>>calendars (yes I know how to share calendars) and somehow use them to
>>>>>let us know when a client is there. Not email - I ideally want
>>>>>something where the receptionist just has to click on a button and an
>>>>>alert pops up on my screen and sounds a tone. Anyone know anything
>>>>>like that in Outlook? We're using Outlook 2003 (v.11.56)

>>>>
>>>>I don't think Outlook has the ability you describe, but there are IM
>>>>solutions and Windows itself contains the MSG command that might suffice if
>>>>you all use a shared server or you might be able to use the NET SEND
>>>>command.
>>>>--
>>>>Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]

>>>
>>>
>>>Thanks for that, Brian, that was very helpful. I've tried it out at the
>>>command prompt, >msg "widmerpool" "testing" and it works nicely. I
>>>can't expect the receptionist to do that; so I'll write a quick piece of
>>>Visual Basic to do the job.
>>>
>>>Maybe MS could put this feature into Outlook?

>>
>>Just a thought, but can she add an appointment to your calendar that
>>would trip the reminder alarm?
>>
>>