A business card scanner is an electronic device that can capture and organize information from business cards. There are two types: one creates an electronic image of the card, while the other captures key data and organizes it in an address book format. Business card scanners can save time and effort for salespeople and anyone who needs to keep track of contacts.
In an age where many of us rely on electronic information sources to keep us going, having a business card scanner makes sense. Here is some basic information about business card scanners, how they work, and why the business card scanner can be a very useful tool in the office and at home.
As the name suggests, a business card scanner is an electronic device that allows you to scan the information found on a business card. There are actually two types of business card scanners. One type simply creates an electronic image of the card, so you can keep it for future reference. Essentially, the equipment took a snapshot of the card and saved the entire likeness for you.
The second and more common type of business card scanner is more interested in the data on the card. Key elements, such as company name, person name and position, address, phone number, email address, and fax number will be captured and organized in an address book format. When you scan a business card, the system captures the vital data and downloads it into a delimited file which you can then download into your chosen address book.
Given the different arrangement of information on many business cards, you may find that you need to enter and move some address book entry data for a particular individual. However, this still saves a lot of time as the scanner makes manual entry of all data obsolete.
Business card scanners tend to work with both Windows and Mac operating systems and will also interact with almost any email program. Additionally, many business card scanners will create file formats that will upload to popular sales databases, as well as a number of popular spreadsheet programs.
The business card scanner is of great help to sales and marketing people, who tend to collect a number of business cards while visiting current and potential customers, attending trade shows and job fairs, or simply exchanging cards with people who they meet on the street. Often, a good salesperson will return from a convention or show with hundreds of business cards. Using a business card scanner to enter data into an address book will allow the respectful salesman to quickly generate letters to everyone he spoke to on the trip.
A business card scanner can also be of great help around the house. You can scan the business cards of friends, the vendors you use for home repairs, the businesses you like to frequent, and the cards of anyone you want to include in your address book. At home or in the office, a business card scanner can save you a lot of time and effort.
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