After ACT! 2010 launched with much fanfare in early September did it meet (or exceed) the hype?  Let’s take a closer look at a few of the enhancements.

User Interface: By most accounts the user interface has been well received.  In the past, it took too many clicks to execute certain functions, e.g. doing a contact lookup.  In this example, you can lookup a record by simply typing in the contact’s first and/or last name on the contact screen.  Other one-click examples include writing a letter, sending an email, adding contacts to groups, etc.  In fact, if you’re not happy with the links you can edit them to suit your needs.

We also like the modern look and feel.  It looks like a 2010 application instead of the old-looking applications of the 2005 era.  Nice job ACT!

End-to-End Marketing:  One of the most requested features from our customers was e-marketing.  In the past you had to purchase and install it separately.  In 2010 it is bundled with ACT! and you simply have to activate it.  Keep in mind that you still have to pay the monthly service but it is affordable and well worth it.  Our customers use it primarily for sending out blast emails but one of the most overlooked options is the marketing campaign module.  Imagine being able to have ACT run on autopilot and have your contacts be tracked “automatically”.  While this is an oversimplification of its capabilities, there is a lot of depth to this module – definitely worth a closer look.

Customizable Opportunities:  For those sales-oriented users of ACT! you can appreciate a good sales management tool.  With 2010 the folks at Sage finally got it right.  Because every company is different when it comes to managing their sales pipeline each company had specific needs when it comes to tracking the information.  ACT 2010 allows you to add as many custom fields to the module so if you need to track project start dates for example, and just about any kind of information, you can now do so.  For you techies, the sales module became its own entity table – similar to the contacts, company, and groups table.  This means you can have the sales opportunity be the “hub of the wheel” and history, activities, attachments, etc. be related to each opportunity.

Social Media Integration:  Social media is here and now and Sage has incorporated it into the 2010 application.  If you are a newbie to social media or a veteran, you’ll appreciate how simple it can be accessed in 2010.  There is a new tab on the contact record that shows you a list of the various social media services – LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. – and you simply click on the the link.  For example, if the contact record has a facebook record you can view his/her information.  Same for the other services.  You can also add other services to 2010 by editing the list.  You may require a little technical knowledge when linking certain services but that shouldn’t discourage you.  I anticipate Sage making the other services available “out of the box” in the future.

 

In summary, we really like 2010.  Take a look at it if you are still on the earlier versions.  One thing to keep in mind when upgrading is ensuring you have the proper hardware to run it.  Having a good desktop (and server if on a network) with a minimum of 1GB RAM (2GB on Vista) and a Pentium IV processor will minimize any headaches when you begin using the software.

Sage Software launched the newest version, ACT! 2010 on September 1 amid much fanfare from beta testers and ACT consultants.  Our own testing validated their enthusiasm.

The most pleasing feature is the new design of the interface.  Prior to the new design the interface seemed to be stuck in a 1990's world.  Not sure why it took this long for Sage to roll it out but it will make new users (and old) embrace a more user-friendly application and allow them to navigate the most important features in less clicks.  Our feeling is less clicks is better.

Another feature that is sure to get attention is the social media integration with such popular sites as Facebook, LinkedIn and others.  While many people are still trying to get their heads around social media, the folks at Sage didn't want to wait around while they figured it out.  We're big fans of social media and we'll write some articles/blogs about how it can be leveraged using ACT! 

There are too many more features in ACT! 2010 to list here but the other one that needs to be highlighted is the new and improved Sales Opportunity module.  The long-time ACT! user will appreciate the improvements made to this module which includes being able to create custom fields beyond the standard eight (8) fields in previous versions.  Most of our clients had to think long and hard and prioritize the top 8 custom fields.  Also, the opportunities layout can be completely customized to fit a company's needs. 

We'll have more on ACT! 2010 in future articles.

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