The Global Adress List(GAL) is one of the best ways to store and access your business contacts from around the globe. Collection, sorting, and storing of contacts has come a long way. There was a time when contacts were stored in books and according to departments, characteristics or any other befitting description.
The modern way of doing it is however totally different. The use of technology has simplified and transformed the contact collection, organization, and even sharing. The Global Address Book (GAL) is one of the revolutionary platforms where so many contacts can be accessed through permitted applications.
Mobile devices have become part and parcel of our lives today. We’ve put together a few suggestions to help you sync Gal on your mobile phone.
Third-Party Solution
One of the easiest ways of syncing your contacts is using a third-party service provider. This makes the process of syncing global address list to smart phones much easier. Many tools that organizations attempt to develop in- house often get overran and hardly get the desired solutions. There are a number of third-party providers available in the market. However, you need to carefully check out the various features provided to ensure that they are adequately adaptable to what you are looking for.
Just like any other market, features will vary depending on the service provider. Most importantly, ensure that you are able to sync contacts with your smartphone and retrieve them for your use. GAL ordinarily provides a view-only option.
Up-to-date Contacts
The process of syncing GAL contacts to mobile can be considerably tedious and overwhelming This is specifically because Microsoft deliberately left out the option to sync contacts to mobile from either Outlook 385 or Ms Exchange. It, therefore, makes it considerably hectic to find a way of syncing your contacts.
This notwithstanding, having your contacts up-to-date at all times is a good way to start off. This ensures that you don’t have to repeat the tedious processes over and over. It may be costly both in money and time. For instance, if you have to use a third-party option to sync your contacts all the time, it might be expensive for business in the long run. The best option is to have your team update the contacts frequently and then do one-time sync once in a while.
Push contacts manually
It might be a cumbersome way to sync your contacts but could be the only way to sort it out. Remember that GAL contains essential contacts of organizations around the world. If you need to reach out to individuals in these organizations or do business with them, then you might consider acquiring the contacts manually even if it’s hectic.
The manual process involves the actual act of copying contacts from a GAL folder to your phone. The time you take will depend on the number of contacts there are and whether you need all of them. It will also be dependent on how efficient the individual carrying out the exercise is.
This approach also demands that you frequently check out whether there are any updates on GAL so that you make them on your smartphone as well.
Ensure you have up-to-date Software
Whichever way you eventually choose to sync your contacts, you will need to have properly updated software on your devices. This includes the computer from which you are accessing GAL as well as your smartphone.
One of the reasons for this is that it’s safer to work with the latest list of contacts. It will be wasteful to have a list only to learn that it isn’t up-to-date because your supporting software was not up-to-date. For instance, if you are accessing an email list, a properly synchronized Ms Outlook will ensure you have the latest list.
Ensure you are properly licensed
Before carrying out the synchronization process, ensure that all the software you are using is properly licensed. This also applies to any third-party support system that you may be used to access the list. It is important to note that accessing GAL is a paid-for service and any other supportive service may also require some form of licensing. Make a point of learning as much as you need to before you sync GAL so that it doesn’t turn out unused in the long run.
Conclusion
Smartphones have become a way of life and we use them constantly. Having essential corporate contacts on the go is a great option for business. Access to global contacts is still a developing phase of technology and we are likely to see more changes in the future. In the meantime, you can try the options discussed above as way of having GAL contacts into your smartphone phone. It’s also essential to be more experimental and keeping an eye on new developments.
