I have been an Act! Certified Consultant since March 2008. Back then, Sage had just released the newest version of Act! that used SQL as the database engine which allowed for new and improved features such as more robust searches and Microsoft Office integration.
From then to now, we’ve seen many more features that really enhance the use of Act! and provides organizations with more options when developing their processes and workflows around Act!. We’ve seen a new user interface with the “Big Easy” buttons that makes it easier to navigate through ACT! and perform the most commonly used functions. We’ve seen the new Welcome page, new reports, new dashboards, and many more.
This year, Swiftpage acquired Act! and SalesLogix from Sage. This spawned a new era for Act! that we are all very excited about. Not only will you see new branding for Act!, you will also see tighter integration between Act! And Swiftpage and a deeper focus on mobility. The new version of Act! will be called Act! v16 (not Sage ACT! 2014).
After participating in the Beta testing for Act! v16, I can tell you that this is a very attractive release. It comes with more automation, easier access to the history items, increased mobility functions, and much more. Here is a sneak peak of some of the new features:
- Mobile Groups/Companies
- Access to your Groups and Companies from your tablet or smartphone
- Send emails to everyone in your groups
- Mobile Email
- Option to record history of emails sent from your device
- Eliminates the need for double entry
- Tablet
- Adds additional list views on all detail views
- Calculated Fields
- Create simple or complex calculations on a single record
- Company Management
- Automatically link contacts to existing companies or create new companies while linking contacts to them
- Set a threshold for automatic linking/creation. Once the threshold is met, the companies are created using the company name from the contact records and will link the contacts to the company.
- If company already exists, the contacts will be linked to that company
- Automatically link contacts to existing companies or create new companies while linking contacts to them
- History List
- Access to a filterable, exportable list of all the historical data
- Easy to generate quick excel reports or find data
- Create Lookup from Universal Search
- Robust search now able to create a lookup of contacts or companies
I will keep you updated as more information regarding the new version is released. I also will be posting how-to information on some of the features in the current versions such as making the most out of Smart Tasks and also highlighting some helpful add-ons. Be sure to check back!
If you are looking for a CRM solution for your business and are interested in using Act!, we can help you purchase, install, and configure Act! for your organization as well as train your team. Contact us here for more details.