Outlook 2011

My gmail account works well on mac mail, but I am having huge issues with it on outlook.
1. Does not sync regularly - does not send receive. My mac mail gets emails much earlier, sometimes hours earlier.
2. To get mail on outlook I have to actually quit outlook and reload. Hitting send receive multiple times does not help.
3. While Mac Mail is receiving mails, outlook continues to give errors that it can't find gmail imap server or check DNS setting...blah blah blah.

Now I really like outlook so need to have it. But its a pain to shut it down and reload only to send receive emails.

Please help!