Database Cleanup: ACT! vs Zoho CRM

Act! CRM has been around for decades—over 30 years! And many businesses have loyally used it just as long. But even the most loyal Act! users have likely faced this recurring issue: database clutter.

A few years ago, I shared some helpful tools available in Act! to help with cleanup—everything from deleting old histories to removing blank contacts. But how do these tools compare to what’s available in Zoho CRM, the modern cloud-based CRM that many businesses are switching to?

Let’s take a look:

🗃️ 1. Deleting Specific Types of Histories

Act! CRM:
Act! v19 introduced the History List, a life-saver for users looking to remove specific history types (like those 60,000 Thanksgiving card sent entries!). Prior to this, your only option was deleting all histories from a time period.

Zoho CRM:
Zoho doesn’t have a built-in History List. While you can filter by activity type and view email/event history, bulk deletion is a bit more cumbersome.

✅ Winner: Act! (for history deletion)

🔁 2. Scheduled Maintenance

Act! CRM:
With Act! Scheduler, users can automate database maintenance like backups and reindexing—just like taking your database in for a regular oil change. However, many Act users fail to set the Act Scheduler, or check to make sure it’s still working after a Windows update.

Zoho CRM:
Zoho automates much of this behind the scenes. You can schedule backups and use data administration tools. You won’t find a utility named “Scheduler”—because Zoho quietly keeps things humming.

✅ Winner: Zoho (Routine Maintenance is done automatically)

🧰 3. Advanced Database Tools

Act! CRM:
Actdiag is a power user’s tool for tackling database issues head-on—Reindexing, repairing, and database diagnostics.

Zoho CRM:
There’s no direct equivalent to Actdiag. Because Zoho doesn’t depend on SQL there is no need for Reindexing and Repairing your database. In addition, Zoho includes downloadable, easy to read backups and a Recycle Bin to recover accidentally deleted data.

✅ Winner: Zoho (for ease of operation)

📩 4. Email Marketing Cleanup

Act! CRM:
Basic Act! E-Marketing accounts come with the software. Once emails are sent, results (like opens, bounces, opt-outs) are logged in the database—making it easy to clean up unresponsive contacts. However, the onus is on you to find those contacts and change their records.

Zoho CRM:
Zoho Campaigns syncs with Zoho CRM to share campaign performance data. You can even create workflows to automatically remove or flag bad contacts.

✅ Winner: Zoho (for automation and integration)

📊 5. Segmenting Dirty Data

Act! CRM:
With Dynamic Groups and System Dates, you can create smart groups to identify stale or incomplete records.

Zoho CRM:
Zoho lets you create Custom Views, Advanced Filters, and Segments using any field or activity data. You can also automate tagging or updates based on conditions.

✅ Winner: Zoho (for flexibility and automation)

🧹 6. Deleting Blank or Useless Records

Act! CRM:
Deleting blank contacts is a common cleanup task—and Act! makes it pretty straightforward. One of my clients found over 2,300 blank entries thanks to a poorly trained admin.

Zoho CRM:
Use filters to find records missing critical fields (like Name or Email), then Mass Delete or run a workflow to clean them up. Even better, you can prevent bad data by using field rules and validation.

✅ Winner: Zoho (proactive + reactive cleanup tools)

🧠 Final Thoughts

While Act! CRM includes tools like “ActDiag” and the “Act Scheduler”, Zoho CRM is more forward-thinking with automation, integrations, and user-friendly filters. Zoho doesn’t rely on cleanup tools that users might not set up properly or forget to use; it gives you better prevention tools and scalable cleanup options that suit modern business needs.

Need help cleaning up your CRM data or switching from Act! to Zoho? Reach out and let’s make your database squeaky clean again.