Ah, the 1990s—a simpler time when your biggest tech worry was whether your dial-up modem would scream its way to a connection. Back then, if your computer misbehaved or you needed to install software like ACT! CRM, help often came in the form of a living, breathing tech support agent. That’s right: a human being…
Every year many of my clients ask me if there is a way to get holidays loaded into their ACT! database. Unfortunately, holidays do not come pre-loaded in the ACT! calendar. Obviously, some holidays such as the Fourth of July and Christmas are easy to add manually. However, other holidays such as Easter and Chanukah…
Yes, it’s true. Effective September 15, 2023 you can no longer purchase a copy of ACT! Pro. I’ve had no less than 3 dozen phone calls in the last 3 weeks from ACT! Pro users expressing their dismay, concern and/or outrage. And they all have the same questions: Where can I get a copy of…
I’ve written 14 books on various CRM products as well as created training videos for LinkedIn Learning. There are 10 pitfalls I see all the time; learn simple ways to avoid them! Whether you use Act, Zoho or another product, most CRM users struggle with the same issues and questions. Join me as I share…
I am both an Act! Consultant and a Zoho Consultant. Or, as I like to say, I cover CRM software from A (Act!) to Z (Zoho). I am not saying that one product is necessarily better than the other; they are just “different.” My Act! users tend to represent smaller business (1-15 users) while my…
Over the last several years I have converted hundreds of Act! databases to Zoho. Once you’ve made your decision to move from Act! to Zoho, converting your Act! data is easy. I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t lose one drop of your Act! data. However, the hard part begins after your Act! data…
Act v21 Pro is no longer available. Sorry. It’s been discontinued. David F wrote this email to me today: “I’m using version 20.1.120.0 Update 8. I’ve been using Act! almost from the time of it’s entry into the marketplace. As I understand the situation, Act! Pro version 21 will become unsupported after Nov. 30, 2021 and…
Last week my phone started ringing off the hook; Swiftpage had sent out an email announcing the release of Act v24 and the demise of Act v22. The message started, “As you’ve likely heard, Act! v24 was released last fall, and as an Act! subscriber, you have access to all new versions released, including v24!…
In the course of writing 14 CRM books, and working as a full time CRM consultant for the last 20 years, I am fortunate to be blessed with a fairly constant stream of new CRM clients. I have observed that they fall into two very different categories: Those that have forged ahead on their own,…
I recently received this email recently from a client with a whole lot of questions about Act v24 Pro: Are you aware of any enhancements / bug fixes in v24 Pro, or did they just rebuild it for 64 bit? This is not an upgrade of v22 Pro is it? The $449 is for a…
I have consulted in Act for over 20 years. As a result I am often asked by my clients whether they should remain in Act or move to Zoho. The response varies on a case by case basis. Here are a few things to ask yourself when deciding between Act! or Zoho: What am I…
Act! or Zoho: which is the best way to go? I received the following emails from one of my clients this week. It’s typical of what I have been hearing from so many of my clients lately. They are not happy with Act but don’t know what to do. “Karen, I’ve been using ACT for…
One of my clients recently reached out to me asking if there are any CRM addons or other features that he should be considering to go with their CRM installation. My first thought was I didn’t fully understand what they found lacking in their CRM, or what they were looking for. On second thought I…
Please note that ACT v22 PRO is no longer available. Please contact us for other options. Q: How can I purchase Act v22 Pro? A: Sorry, ACT v22 Pro is no longer available for purchase. Q: Can I continue to use Act v22 Pro after June 30? A: Yes, and you’ll be able to purchase…
An Act! consultant can get you up and running quickly so that you will soon be able to see the benefits of Act for yourself.
Act License Error Message In November I held a webinar about the changes that were being made to the ACT! license services sometime after December 31, 2018. In the webinar I showed you how to update your ACT! version if you were on ACT! v18 – v21. This update would automatically change your existing license…
We recently repaired a corrupted Act database for a client. In fact, it’s the SECOND time we’ve repaired his database. Needless to say he was not a happy camper, although he was thrilled to get ALL of his data back safe and sound. Needless to say, we wanted to make sure this never happens again…
I am asked to compare Constant Contact vs Act E-Marketing several times a week. My explanation revolves around all the benefits you receive from using Act Emarketing. Constant Contact and Act Emarketing are both “email service providers.” That means that these products send out your messaging using their servers. Typically you must pay a fee…
Register for the Act Database Cleanup Webinar Can you perform an Act Database Cleanup? Are you plagued by duplicate contacts in your Act database? Is your Act database filled with obsolete contacts? Wish you could organize your mess of a database into a lean, green marketing machine? You can – with the help of this…
I know what some of you are thinking – another year, another Act! version. Like it or not, technology is not standing still and one of the reasons that the Act! software product has thrived for over 30 years is that Act! has always kept up with the times. In fact, you might even argue…
Who says you can’t take it with you? Not the Act Consultants at Tech Benders! We will be conducting a meeting of the Act Virtual Users Group to illustrate Act Companion which installs FREE phone apps that will allow you to view your Act Premium v19 contacts and calendar on your smart phone. When: Thursday, June 29…
I recently discovered that the Lynda.com training library is available free of charge at most local libraries. And Lynda.com includes my Act! training videos. A number of years ago, I created a series of Act! training videos for Lynda.com. Lynda offers online training videos on just about any software product you can imagine including Act!.…
I’ve been personally using Act! Premium v19 for my own production database since it came out earlier this month and feel that Act! v19 is “ready for prime time.” However, there are still many Act! users of prior Act! versions who have not as yet upgraded to Act! v19. My e-mailbox has been flooded with…
The Act! software is a great tool for businesses, but you may be having a hard time getting the most out of it. If you find your operation struggling with the expansive software, you should consider bringing in a certified Act consultant to assist you in operation of the software. These professionals are here to help…
Using Zapier to import data into Act! is an easy-to-set up method for adding information into Act! from your various other business sources. Zapier does this by performing ‘zaps’ that automatically collect useful data from commonly used applications such as PayPal, Woofu, and Slack and transferring that data into your Act! v18.1database. The most obvious…
Whether your business is large or small you know the amount of time it takes to keep organized, track customers, follow-up with them, and market your products to them. It can be overwhelming to keep track of all the details and have everyone in your organization on the same page. This is where customer relationship…
Hiring an Act consultant is a smart investment if you own Act! and want your business to grow. Sales are the lifeblood of any business and having a good sales pipeline along with a good foundation of clients is important if you hope to make your business more successful. An Act! consultant can customize your…
Act! software can benefit any type of business. It’s never too late to get started building processes into your database that will make you more productive and profitable. Using your Act! database as an electronic rolodex and calendar is not a viable option, particularly if you find that contacts and opportunities are “falling through the…
As the author of 14 books on various CRM software applications and the creator of the lynda.com Act! training videos I am often asked to compare the various CRM products. Potential CRM users aren’t sure which product to choose, and existing CRM users often want to “jump ship” to another CRM solution. In the final…
We’re really excited about this version of Act! because it adds more new features than any previous release.
As one of the top Act! resellers, I wanted you to be aware of this news: Starting on May 15, 2015 Act! Premium moved to a Subscription platform. Starting then, you will have two options for purchasing Act! Premium software: Pay an Annual Subscription that you will need to renew annually. If you don’t renew…
When I work with Act users with either Swiftpage E-Marketing or Act E-Marketing I like to point out that there are two separate but equal processes: Composing and sending an e-blast Reporting on the results If you are sending an E-mail blast in Act to more than 50 contacts I strongly recommend that you use…
I had someone call me last week who was enraged that Act! Support was not able to help them convert their Act! 5 database (circa 1999) to the latest version, Act! v17. Another customer couldn’t understand why Swiftpage wasn’t willing to convert their 1997 Maximizer database to Act. The customers felt that this service…
Now that you have purchased Act! v17 for your business you may think that hiring an Act! consultant is a waste of time and money. The software does it all already doesn’t it? Wrong! Act! is only beneficial to your business if you utilize it properly, and that is what an Act! consultant can help you…
You’ve seen my posts about the benefits of bringing Act! CRM into the workplace, the help it can provide in customer management and organizing the office, and how it can not only save you money but increase it by making your business more efficient. You decided your business couldn’t do without it, so you bought…
It seems these days that everyone wants to have use Act hosting so they can view their Act! database in the clouds. We provide Act! web hosting and think we do a great job of it: We provide you with all the support you need to get started We give you with the ability to…
No, Virginia, there is not a version of Act! for “the Mac.” In fact, there has not been a version of Act! that was Apple compatible since Version 4. And yes, I agree, it would be nice to have one. So please, don’t call me looking for a Mac compatible version of Act!. And no,…
Customer Relation Management (CRM) systems have come a long way. Did you know that this sector is growing at an impressive 6% rate per year? The demand for quality CRM systems is growing at a fast pace because these tools help businesses boost their sales and productivity. There are a plethora of CRM tools on…
Whether you’ve been using ACT! for years or are fresh in the game, there is always something new to learn. Now that you’ve upgraded to ACT! v17, you’ll need to make sure everyone on your team receives the proper training. Even a beginner can figure out the basics, but often times there are some fields…
On Thanksgiving, we take pause to appreciate what we have and to celebrate with family and friends. Numerous customers and even vendors impart the feeling of Thanksgiving within your company and your Act software makes it easy to thank them. As we begin to anticipate the new year, it’s the perfect time to think about…
The holiday season is quickly approaching. Your events calendar is filling up twice as fast. Between the marketing meetings and researching your target market for segmenting, you barely have time to breathe. The note you wrote yourself about the lunch meeting with a long-time customer was accidentally thrown away and it completely slipped your mind…
We’re really excited about this version of Act! because it adds more new features than any previous release.
The major focus of my business comes from being an Act! consultant. With all due modesty, I am great at what I do. I often come up with the perfect solution to a client’s problem in an extremely timely fashion. I did not garner my CRM knowledge through osmosis; I spend quite a bit of…
The Contact field can prove to be surprisingly confusing for both new and old Act! users alike. Although the field seems very straightforward at first glance, it contains a bit of “magical Act! functionality” that can prove to be either a help or a hindrance. Let’s start with the Salutation field. I often ask Act!…
One of my favorite Christmas carols is a parody called “The Bathroom Door Said Gentleman” (sung to the tune of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman.” During the course of the song we find out what happens when an unsuspecting male accidentally wonders into the Ladies Room because the signs had been reversed. I laugh every…
Implementing a CRM solution can be a daunting – and expensive – proposition. Many organizations are already using tools including Outlook and Excel spreadsheets and can’t justify the expense involved in transitioning to a true CRM solution. As a CRM consultant advise prospective CRM users to “keep their eye on the prize” and remember the…
Every year many of my clients ask me if there is a way to get holidays loaded into their ACT! database. Unfortunately, holidays do not come pre-loaded in the ACT! calendar. Obviously, some holidays such as the Fourth of July and Christmas are easy to add manually. However, other holidays such as Easter and Chanukah…
I personally use an importing product and recommend that you use one as well if importing into ACT on a regular basis.
ACT 2010 is here and it’s all about social networking!