There have been a lot of changes going on in the Act! world. In addition you’ve probably been receiving some scary messaging from the folks at Act!. I’m hoping I can explain them to you as easily as possible.
Question: I’ve been getting messages about my version of SQL; does that mean Act! will stop working:
Answer: No! You can read more about that here.
Question: I have Act! v24 which is no longer supported. Can I continue to use it?
Answer: Absolutely! Act! v24 will work on either Windows 10 or 11.
Question: I have an older version of Act!. Can I go ahead and upgrade my existing computer to Windows 11?
Answer: Emphatically NO. First of all, your old computer may not be up to the challenge of supporting Windows 11. You may run into all kinds of issues software and hardware issues. You might have trouble running or activating Act!.
Question: I don’t want to pay for an annual CRM subscription. Are there any perpetual CRM systems?
Answer: It is no longer possible to purchase a Perpetual License of Act!, and I don’t know of another CRM product that sells Perpetual Licenses. However, there are a number of great low-cost CRM systems available besides Act!.
Question: I’m moving to another CRM system but I can’t export my Act! notes. Can you help me?
Answer: Absolutely, and we can convert your Act! data into formats that can be easily imported into other CRM solutions. Read more here.
Question: Anything else I need to know?
Answer: Yes. If you’re using Act! Marketing Automation and host your own database you need to be aware of the fact that “Act! Connect” (the connector between AMA and Act!) is going away in December so if you plan on continuing to use Act! Marketing Automation you are going to have to make some changes to your system.
Still have questions? I probably have the answers! Feel free to send me any questions you might have on your own unique situation.
Can I still get a simple contact management software from a version of ACT! without all of the CRM component. I need to track contacts, emails, documents, and do not need CRM or sales tools. I am an engineer and just need to contact the clients, suppliers, references, partners, …. not sales stuff!
Act is a contact manager. The least expensive version is Act Cloud at $360/year plus tax. You could also use the desktop version at $468/year plus tax.
Alternatively you could go to a less expensive option like Zoho that starts with a free edition and works up to the Professional version at $276/year (no tax). There is also a product called Bigin with prices ranging from $84-$144/year. All Zoho plans can also be paid monthly.
Zoho is a full scale CRM product which includes contact management. That said, you can turn off any features that you don’t need. The biggest question I have is your need for “documents.” Generally, document storage is not a function of contact management and is not included with Bigin.