The problem has alway been that the user needs to know the various things to type in when setting up Outlook, specifically the Exchange server name along with an exact spelling of his or her account name.

The Office 2003 resource kit (and presumably other Office version RKs) allow you to create a transform file for customizing various preferences (including the ones mentioned above) during the installation of Office 2003. Unfortunately, at least to my knowledge, it does not let you tune pre-existing installations. I do not have the site address but the resource kits are available for free from the Microsoft web site. After configuring the transform file (done using a wizard), it tells you the exact command line to use to install Office in a way that incorporates the transform file preferences.