ACT!
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ACT! by Sage | |
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| Developed by | The Sage Group |
| Initial release | 1987 |
| Latest release | ACT! by Sage 2008 |
| OS | Microsoft Windows |
| Genre | Contact management software |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www.act.com |
ACT! by Sage is a customer relationship management (CRM) software application which is used to keep track of client and prospect details in a single database that can be shared by multiple users. It integrates with Microsoft Word and Outlook (as well as other software) to generate and track communications with the contacts maintained in ACT!. It is distributed by The Sage Group and has a user base of over 2.7 million registered users, and more than 41,000 corporate customers.[1]
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[edit] History
The company Conductor Software was founded 1986 in Dallas, Texas by Pat Sullivan[2] and Mike Muhney. Its product ACT! was first released in 1987 and it became one of the pioneers in the contact management software category. The original name for the software was "Automated Contact Tracking", but it quickly became known as ACT!. During this era, the name of the company was changed to Contact Software. The original offices (an executive suite in the iconic "mustang building" in Las Colinas) were moved to a building off Freeport Parkway near DFW Airport. Beginning with the 2006 version, the name was revised to ACT! by Sage. The latest release is ACT! by Sage 2008 (version 10). The development happens in Scottsdale, Arizona, with an office in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
[edit] Timeline
- 1986 Pat Sullivan & Mike Muhney founded ACT!
- 1987 The first (MS-DOS based) version was released
- 1991 ACT! released the first version for the Microsoft Windows platform
- 1993 Symantec purchased ACT!
- 2000 ACT! was bought back by Pat Sullivan/SalesLogix (Company name was then changed from SalesLogix to Interact Commerce Corporation)
- 2000 PDA access was added to the product
- 2001 The Sage Group acquired Interact Commerce Corporation[3]
- 2004 ACT! was rewritten and based on Microsoft SQL Server and .NET platforms
- 2005 Web-based access was added to the product
[edit] Product details
[edit] Versions
ACT! is available in three versions:
- ACT! by Sage: Utilizes Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express and is limited to 10 active users.
- ACT! by Sage Premium: Utilizes either Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express or 2005 Standard. The Express edition is designed for small to medium-sized businesses with less than ~30 users. The SQL 2005 Standard edition utilizes multi processors and all of the server's RAM and is therefore specified for larger installations of 30 or more users.
- ACT! by Sage Premium for Web: Utilizes either Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express or 2005 Standard and is designed for businesses who want to access their data over the Internet on their own servers (without the need for hosting services).
[edit] Features
- Contact Management: Store contacts details in one place, yet can be accessed by multiple users. Can be used out of the box or customized.
- Calendar: Schedule activities (Calls, Meetings, To-dos, etc.) and manage daily responsibilities using calendar or task list views.
- Communication: Integrate directly with Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Word to create and track communications with clients or prospects. ACT! provides an alternate built-in word processor and e-mail software. Third-party software can also link to the database for mass mailings.
- Opportunities: Track multiple details of opportunities, allowing filtering, reporting, and/or exporting to Microsoft Excel for analysis.
- Dashboards: View graphical representations of key activity and opportunity data.
- Reporting: Create reports using the built-in report engine or other third-party software (such as Crystal Reports).
- Synchronization: Synchronize contact information with other offices or with remote users, using the built-in synchronization module. The data can also be synced to Microsoft Outlook, a Palm (PDA), a Windows CE device, or a BlackBerry.
- Web Access: View ACT! data using Internet Explorer with near identical functionality to the desktop version. It can be deployed on any server with a static IP address and therefore does not require hosting (and associated hosting fees).[4]
[edit] Partners
ACT! has over 600 active certified consultants (with over 400 in North America). There are also third party companies that develop add-on products to expand the functionality of the software.
[edit] Criticism
Recent iterations of ACT! by Sage have been criticized for poor usability and slowness. It is also known for obscure error messages and could be considered bloatware.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Fredricks, Karen S. (2007-10-08). ACT! by Sage For Dummies, 9th edition, New York, NY: J Wiley. ISBN 0-470-19225-9.
- June 1988 article in Software Magazine
[edit] External links
- act.com Main website
