CRM Blog

Sage ACT! 2011 Premium has come out with a great, long list of improvements. Then again, ACT! 2010 also came out with a huge list of improvements.

Overall, these last 2 versions have completely redefined ACT!.  ACT! is now trying to play in the same space occupied by the big players in the world of CRM – Salesforce.com, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, SugarCRM, SalesLogix CRM, NetSuite, and Zoho among others.

And they aren’t just trying anymore. It has become a reality. With features such as completely flexible customization via Custom Tables, Lead Generation via Hoovers, Workflow automation via Smart Tasks, as well as carefully integrated synchronization with Microsoft Office (Exce, Word, Outlook, IE) – ACT! is moving upstream from Contact Manager towards true CRM.

For a complete list of ACT 2010 improvements as well as ACT 2011 improvements, click here.

Users have been begging for more Security features within ACT, and each year ACT has responded! With existing, cutting edge security options, ACT has now added even more possibilities:

(1)    Restrict emails from being attached to user records, while allowing attachment to non-user records

(2)    Restrict email attachments in the database

(3)    Restrict file attachment in the database: i.e. Word, Notes, Histories, Activities, Mail Merge, Sage ACT! Email

Insider Tip: With A bit of custom programming, you can even lock down fields and layouts more than ever!

Do you need more information or a web CRM demo? Do you need to understand the differences between the various versions of ACT or the differences between ACT! and other CRM solutions such as SugarCRM, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage SalesLogix or Salesforce.com? Please don’t hesitate to call or email us. We would love to help you properly compare so that you are empowered to choose the ideal CRM Business Software system for your organization.

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Brendan Read,  Senior Contributing Editor of Customer Interaction Solutions, selects Sage ACT! 2011 as the Contact Center Solutions feature article for September 1st.

Click here to read the entire article.

Highlights include:

• Small-midsized businesses “SMBs” face the most pressure in a struggling economy to do more with less; they lack even the thin financial cushions of larger enterprises. Every task that they can automate and make more efficient means conserving resources: time and money that they can employ more productively elsewhere. Any means that they can find to obtain more opportunities results in keeping their businesses alive, and hopefully growing.
• Sage North America has come out with new tools to enable just that in new Sage ACT! 2011 contact and customer manager along with the Sage Business Info Services for ACT!: the latest Sage Connected Services offering for SMBs.
• The new solutions have come about by listening to SMBs. Larry Ritter, senior vice president and general manager, Sage CRM Solutions reports that the firms uses an online community to communicate with its Sage ACT! Customers, resulting he says in dozens of customers’ enhancement suggestions that have been baked into the Sage ACT! 2011.
• “Sage ACT! 2011 builds on the momentum created with last year’s edition,” explains Brent Leary, principal of CRM Essentials. “Sage Business Info Services for ACT! is a great connected services addition to Sage E-marketing for ACT!. Importing prospect lists from Hoover’s (News – Alert) database of 85 million contacts directly into ACT! streamlines the lead gathering process and works nicely with new smart task capabilities so users can further automate common sales and marketing tasks.”

Need a web demo of this fantastic CRM business software? Do you need access to our personal contact management software reviews? Please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love to advise you and help you understand the differences between ACT and other leading CRM Systems such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM or SugarCRM.

Sure, users want to know how Outlook integrates, and Managers are interested in how easy it is to get KPI reports or Sales Pipeline funnels out of ACT. 

But Administrators are also curious about the new version of Sage ACT! Premium. They’re the ones who need to support it and make sure it is up and running at all times. So, we’ve compiled a list of the top 7 features that Database Administrators need to be aware of:

(1)    Option to install ACT without installing SQL. If you understand this, then great. If you don’t, then ignore it and forget you ever read it. Don’t try this unless you are really sure you know what you are doing! This is only for customers who access a database on a server. It is a Preference in the custom installation wizard. Installing SQL after this will require an uninstall/reinstall. The features in ACT 2011 that are affected by a SQL-less installation: DB Creation/Restore, Save/Copy As, Synching Options

(2)    ACT 2011 installs SQL 2008, Release 2. It no longer installs SQL 2005.

(3)    ACT 2011 installs .NET 3.5 and uses Windows Installer 4.5

(4)    ACT! Link for Palm and ACT! Link for PocketPC will not be in Sage ACT! 2011 because ACT! Mobile Live will be available

(5)    ACT will focus on developing Firefox and Internet Explorer. Safari 3.5 and IE 6 are no longer supported.

(6)    Office 2010 is supported by ACT 2011, as are Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 – along with Office 2003-2007

(7)    ACT! by Sage will now be called Sage ACT! Pro. ACT! by Sage Premium as well as ACT! by Sage Corporate Edition will both now be called Sage ACT! Premium.

Do you need more information or a CRM demo? Do you need to understand the differences between the different versions of ACT or the differences between ACT! and other CRM solutions such as SugarCRM, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage SalesLogix or Salesforce.com? Please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love to help you properly compare so that you are empowered to choose the best CRM Business Software system for your organization.

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Do you get intimidated by the term “Workflow”. Well in ACT by Sage 2011, you no longer have to worry. ACT as a corportate CRM has introduced “Smart Tasks” – which is much easier than Workflow. Here are the 3 steps:

1. When (Triggers) – You select a Scheduled Time. Then you select a Manual Trigger.
2. Who (Filters) – You select your Query Parameters. For example, show me all Sales Opportunities with a value of $10K or greater.
3. What (Action) – Now you select which action is to be taken based on the records returned by the query. For example, Send an E-mail or schedule, Activity or Send with an ACT! E-marketing template.

Better yet, ACT 2011 provides 10 pre-filled templates for common tasks (such as birthday letters). These are easy to edit and personalize – and designed to boost sales.

Another key strength of these Smart Tasks is the Designer Interface. If you have tried using the Workflow Interface within some leading web CRM software packages, you have likely become frustrated. Yet within the highly usable Designer Interface, ACT has given you the easiest visual designer available. Do you like to drag and drop? No worries. You see what you get and you get what you see!

Managing Smart Tasks has been made simple. At any time users can pause or activate Smart Tasks. They are always one-button away from viewing all pending Smart Tasks.

Lastly, Smart Tasks have been designed within the Windows Workflow Foundation and are fully integrated with ACT! E-Marketing from the get go. No integration nightmares.

Do you need more information or an online CRM demo? Do you need to understand the differences between the various versions of ACT or the differences between ACT! and other CRM solutions such as SugarCRM, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage SalesLogix or Salesforce.com? Please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love to help you properly compare so that you are empowered to choose the optimal CRM Business Software system for your organization.

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