Put Your Contact List To Work For You!

I visited a some contractors that have GPS devices in their trucks today. Turns out all of those guys, and just about everyone else with a business, also has a contact list.  Did you know that RIDGIDConnect can turn your contact list into a file you can load onto your Garmin so that you never get lost looking for a customer again?  I am going to mention Outlook and Garmin throughout this, but other programs and devices will work as well.

First, we need to get our contacts into a CSV file.  Go to the contact section of Outlook, and select Import and Export from the File menu.  Select Export to a file followed by Comma Separated Values (Windows). Make sure your contacts folder is selected on the next screen and then specify where to save the file to.  (There are more detailed instructions on the Contact Upload page within the site.)

Now that we have a file we can upload, go log into RIDGIDConnect.  You will find the Contact Upload page within the my Contacts section.  From that page click Choose File.  Find the csv file you just created from Outlook, and then click Upload.  If you used Outlook, then all of the contact fields should be mapped automatically for you.  If you used another source, then this Match Columns page will allow you to align the fields in your CSV file with those defined in RIDGIDConnect.  Click Finish Upload, and now your contacts will all be available for you to use within RIDGIDConnect!

While you are in the my Contacts section, you can click on Download Contacts for GPS.  This will walk you through how to export your contacts so that you can use them in your Garmin.  This is another way RIDGIDConnect can save you time by enhancing some tools you already have.

While we are talking about GPS, I should point out that RIDGIDConnect has maps integration built in as well.  After searching for your accounts in the my Contacts section, click the show map button.  It will map out all of the location that are displayed on the page.  From any of the points shown, you can get driving directions to print or use from the site directly.  This feature is also available from the mobile site at m.ridgidconnect.com .