The Sage ACT! 2012 Roadshow will be held on Thursday, July 28, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fort Lauderdale Westin Hotel, 400 Corporate Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The event will feature presentations by Karen Fredricks, the woman who wrote the book (actually 7 books) on ACT! and representatives from Sage North America which is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Prior registration is required and includes complimentary hors d’oeuvres. There will be raffles for free ACT! 2012 software, ACT! addon products, books, and training videos. Attendance will be limited to the first 100 who register at http://act2012.eventbrite.com/.

Attendees will have an opportunity to interact with Sage ACT! representatives and have a sneak peak at some of the new ACT! 2012 enhancements.

Karen Fredricks, an ACT! Certified Consultant, Platinum ACT! VAR and Premier ACT! Trainer, will conclude the event with a presentation of her Top 10 Favorite ACT! Tips & Tricks.

Attendees will have the opportunity to network with each other and the Sage representatives as part of the event.

According to Fredricks, “I like to think of the Fort Lauderdale Road Show as an ACT! celebration.  I held a similar event at the Westin in 2002 to launch ACT! 6.  Then, as now, ACT! users eagerly anticipated a look at the new ACT! features.  Ironically, the Scratch Pad feature is a modern version of the old Side ACT! functionality that was so popular in the earliest ACT! versions.”

For further information, contact Karen Fredricks of Tech Benders at 561-470-5450, Ext. 1.  To register for the event go to http://act2012.eventbrite.com/.

At least once a week, we receive a call from one of our ACT! customers saying that their calendar – which use to load in 2 seconds or less, is now taking 2 minutes to load.  Depending on the age of the database involved and how heavily the calendar is currently being used, we often find that there is an easy fix to this frustrating problem.

Here are 4 quick tips to help keep your calendar and ultimately you, working at optimum speed.

1. When using recurring activities, be sure to put an end date for when you want the activity to stop recurring. Recurring activities without an end date means that ACT! is working extra hard to load all the instances of that appointment for as far out as ACT! calendar can see.
2. Make sure you are clearing activities as you do them.
3. Purge cleared activities once you no longer need to see them on the calendar. I had one customer who had 10 years of activities still loading on their calendar. ACT! has a built-in utility that helps remove all cleared activities after a certain point.
4. Set your calendar filters for what you actually want to see on your calendar. If you do not need to set to do items on your calendar, set the filter to ignore them. This will help the calendar load faster as well as cut back on the clutter.

Following these few quick tips can help keep your calendar moving right along.

Many business people now own iPads.  Having recently purchased a new laptop, I now have doubts about whether I should I have purchased an iPad instead.  Based on recent testing conducted by The CRM Connection, we have concluded iPads are now ready for prime time mobile computing.

Here are results of our testing:

Our testing began with using a free Remote Desktop Connection app (downloaded to the iPad) to connect to our Terminal Server. The performance was too slow for our testers.

At the suggestion of our client, MiamiPhotoShop, we began testing Logmein.com. A free Logmein.com account was created on a computer in South Florida. We used our client’s iPad which had the Logmein.com iApp installed to connect to the computer. The performance was fast. Taking it a step further, we then used a Remote Desktop connection on the computer in South Florida to connect to our Terminal Server back in Denver. Again the performance was fast. The Logmein iApp has a button that brings up a keyboard that is usable, but we found the external keyboard for the iPad makes using ACT!, Outlook and other applications much easier.

Our conclusion is Logmein.com offers a fast, reasonably easy way to access applications in your office remotely, as long as the iPad has a cellular or Wireless network connection. At $30 for the Logmein.com iApp, this solution is definitely a viable mobile business solution.

Over the last few months, we’ve seen an increasing number of customer calls and problems stemming from trying to save ACT! templates on the network. The error message indicates that the template is in use.  This error occurs whether you are trying to create a new template, save changes to an existing template or saving an existing template with a new name. Unfortunately, the error message is misleading in the fact that rarely, if ever, is the document in use by someone else.

In doing research, we found this issue is actually a common problem with saving Microsoft Word documents to a network.  The error occurs when trying to save a file to a server using uniform naming convention (UNC) as opposed to using a mapped network drive. In layman’s terms, when saving the file with a format similar to \\actserver\act -database files\templates\template.doc, the UNC format is being used. When saving a file using a mapped network drive, the location may look something like this M:\act-database files\templates\template.doc where the M drive replaces the \\actserver.  The frustrating part of the error is that it does not occur all the time and can result in the document throwing the error not to be saved. 

The best way to prevent the error from is to launch the ACT! template folder through a mapped drive as opposed to using ACT!’s default opening method which is UNC. One simply way to do this is to create a shortcut on the computer desktop to where the ACT! templates folder exists out on the network. The key is to make sure that the shortcut is using a mapped network drive as opposed to using the UNC location. Whenever opening or savings these templates, always browse out to the desktop shortcut as opposed to using the default location ACT! provides. This will ensure that the mapped drive is used and avoid the untimely “template is in use” error message. 

Want some help doing this?   If so, please email me at tmm@stewarttechnologies.com and I’d be happy to provide you with screen shots to follow the steps listed above.  

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So one of the challenges in CRM, whether it’s ACT!, SageCRM or SalesLogix,  is data entry.   Let’s face it. Sales people do not want to be data entry clerks.

One of the great features of a CRM system is its ability to inspect for trends and act (ACT!) upon them.  With ACT!, you can use CTRL-H and get the “record history” dialogue.

A hidden challenge lies here.  It may be easy or second nature for IT professionals or those fluent with PCs to quickly whip through drop-down menus to make the right choices; however, some people believe that’s too much work.  Why bother with the details ? After all, the quota remains more important that data entry.

Now, the sales person puts in a quick history in ACT!, Result: Call Completed. Details: LM.  Now, ACT doesn’t know LM means “Left message”.  So, reporting will be skewed.  Now, the sales person has to go through another dialogue to schedule a follow up in two weeks with an alarm.  That may not happen as the sales person rushes to the next task.  Now, there is a chance for a sale to slip through the cracks.

This could also apply to field changes and managing opportunities.  CRM systems like ACT need to have clean data to  in order measure trends coming out.

So, why not make a single button like this in ACT! ?  Well, since there are many potential combination’s of macros including: History Result (Call Completed, Call Left Message, Meeting Held etc.), Regarding (Custom entry Here), Duration and the follow up activity can have a wide variety of answers, Sage didn’t make a “macro maker” or the ability to make “one button” replace “10+ clicks”.  The list of combination’s becomes quite large.

My solution around data entry for ACT was to use KPI (Key Performance Indicator) by Effective Solutions.

In about 30 minutes, I was able to create 10 macros which help my client measure outbound sales call performance.  My client does not want his rep to waste time detailing “A Cold Call” versus “Customer Service Call”. So, we made several buttons reflecting the different possible outcomes.

Then, I integrated Top Line Dash by TopLine Results to create effective dashboards whereby the company owner can see multiple reps’ performance with one click as well.

With an investment of $50 per User for KPI and $150 for each manager that uses Top Line Dash, my client spends less time on data entry while allowing management to instantly inspect for trends and act (ACT) upon them.

Mark R. Mondo
ACT! Certified Consultant
MondoCRM
v: 312-527-3133
e: mark@mondocrm.com

As most of you know, I’m probably one of the biggest ACT! cheerleaders around.  However, sometimes I run across an ACT! feature that makes me slap my head and wonder “what were they thinking??”  A case in point is the Documents tab.  I love the ability to create shortcuts to my documents so that I can easily access them from the contact’s Document tab rather than grappling around searching for files while talking to a client.  However, what I’d really like to do in some cases is get to an entire folder of information at the click of a button.  Unfortunately, this is not an option in ACT! – or so I thought before speaking to  two long-time ACT! Consultants, Chuck Cutler and Rita Kogstad.  They provided me with what turned out to be a very simple solution to a bothersome problem.

Follow these steps to create a link on the contact record to a data folder:

1. In ACT!, create a new URL field and place it in your contact layout.
2. Launch Windows Explorer (or My Computer).
3. Navigate to the folder you wish to link.
4. Right-click the folder, choose Properties from the contextual window and copy the folder’s location into the Windows clipboard
5. Type file:// in the new URL field and then paste in the contents of the clipboard.  For example, to navigate to my own documents folder I’d place file://C:\Users\Karen Fredricks\Documents into my ACT! field.

The next time you want to quickly get to the folder simply click it; the folder will pop open in seconds.

I like that little trick but there’s also a way to get a folder to show up on the Documents tab as well that ACT! Consultant Art Russ shared with me that and doesn’t necessitate the need to create a new field:

1. Launch Windows Explorer (or My Computer).
2. Navigate to the folder you wish to link.
3. Right-click the folder and choose Create Shortcut from the contextual menu.  You will now be on a shortcut file.
4. Use your mouse to drag and drop the shortcut file to the contact’s Documents tab.
5. Double-click the shortcut in the Documents tab to view the contents of the linked folder.

There are lots of cool shortcuts in ACT! that users take advantage of every day to make ACT! even more powerful than it already is.  If you have discovered other shortcuts that you’d like to share please let me know!

Karen Fredricks
Karen@TechBenders.com
www.techbenders.com

There are virtually hundreds of add-on products that work with ACT!.  Need calculations between two fields?  Got it.  Need to link ACT! to QuickBooks?  Done.  One of my favorite add-ons is the Call On CRM solutions that allows you to dial your phone directly from ACT!.

“What happened to the ACT! phone dialer?” is a question I’m often asked.  Some of you ACT! “Old Timers” remember back in the day how easy it was to call from ACT!; there was a dialer icon right up there on the icon bar.  The setup was also easy:  plug a phone cord into your computer and you were good to go.  But hold the phone (pun intended); that was back in the days when computers came equipped with a phone jack so that we used to connect to the Internet via a dial-up connection.  If you’re using a computer that’s ready for the Smithsonian you might still have one of those but the rest of us have moved on to faster connections and therefore can’t just hook our phones to our computers.

Ironically, what was so simple a few years ago has now become a complicated mess.  If you work in an office with a phone system you might be lucky enough to have a “TAPI compliant” system which is computer-speak for “connect my computer to a dial tone.” However, I find that once a company sells you a phone system the chances of getting them back in to your office to connect you to TAPI are slim to non-existent.  Enter VOIP (voice over IP).

Many people think of Vonage or Skype when they think of VOIP.  Those are “public” VOIP systems.  “Private” VOIP carriers are designed for business users and are generally cheaper than your local phone service.  Business class VOIP offers lots of cool features like “Auto Attendants” who direct callers to dial 1 for Sales or 2 for Leave me Alone, and what I affectionately call the “hunt me down like a dog” feature that will try your office, home or cell phone until you’re found.  Best of all, if the VOIP solution you use is “Broadsoft” compliant it can be easily connected to your ACT! database using the Call on CRM add-on.

Here’s how Call on CRM works.  When you want to call a contact in your database you simply click their number; when you complete your call the ACT! History window pops up.  You can either add a few notes or simply click OK and a history of the call (included the actual time spent) appears on the contact’s History tab.  The same thing happens when you receive a call; the History window pops up when you disconnect, you add a note and the History appears on the History tab.  You can even have ACT! schedule an activity for any missed calls you might have received.

Call on CRM includes a number of other cool features including the ability to send a text message to multiple contacts, transfer a call to a remote staff member and keep phone call logs.  Personally, I’m happy not to have to dial the phone or look up contact records. If you’d like more information you can find it at the Call on CRM website.

Karen Fredricks
www.techbenders.com
blog@techbenders.com

If you have ACT! 2010 or 2011 and you’re not using the Web Info tab you are missing the banana boat as we say in Florida. And, if you haven’t figured out how to use the Web Info tab in conjunction with your favorite social networking sites, then you’re in for a treat.

You’ll find the Web Info tab in both the Contact and Company Detail views. The Web Info tab is actually a browser that displays information based on data in various fields on a contact or company record.  ACT! comes with a number of links to sites including Google Search, Google Maps and Weather.com so you can instantly scour the Net for more information or just see what the weather is like in your contact’s location.  You can also easily add new sites; for example, many of my clients like to create a link between their contacts and Twitter.

By far my favorite web link is the one to LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site mainly used for professional networking; as of the latest count LinkedIn had more than 80 million registered users. The beauty of sites like LinkedIn is that they offer you another way to stay in front of your contacts; any posts you make on your LinkedIn site are visible to all of your LinkedIn contacts.  And, in the event that a contact leaves his place of employment and changes his e-mail address, you’ll still be able to connect with him.

Here’s how you can start building your own LinkedIn network in 5 easy steps.

1. Start by logging in to your LinkedIn account.
2. Create a Lookup of the ACT! Contacts that you’d like to add to LinkedIn.
3. Click the Web Info tab on the Contacts Detail View and select the LinkedIn link that runs along the left-hand side of the Web Info tab.
4. LinkedIn will search its database for matches to the current contact record.  Click the Add to Network hyperlink on the Web Info tab to send a LinkedIn invitation to the current contact.
5. Advance to the next Contact record and repeat the process.

Many ACT! users start out by creating a Lookup of all their customers and connecting to them.  If you’ve recently joined a networking group or attended a trade show you might want to “link up” with those contacts. Eventually you might get into the habit of checking the status of any contact you’re currently working with.

Social networking is becoming an essential method of communication.  If you’re an ACT! user you can stay in touch with your important contacts at the touch of a button.

Karen Fredricks
blog@techbenders.com
www.techbenders.com

It was a dark and rainy night – literally – in August of 2002.

Let me digress.  I was one of the 12 consultants nationwide that had been chosen to run an ACT 6 launch event.  I was given 6 weeks to secure a location, make audio/visual arrangements and run a trade show of ACT addon vendors.  Attendees were invited based on a circle of Fort Lauderdale; the “powers that be” didn’t realize that the only attendees coming from the east, west or south would be sporting fins so I scrambled to create my own invitation list.  August is probably the worst month to hold an event in Florida as almost everyone is on vacation somewhere escaping the blistering heat.

I had told the caterers to expect 500 people.  After a few lightening strikes literally rattled the windows of the Westin where the event was being held I figured my kids would be eating finger foods for the next week!

The doors to the trade show were scheduled to open at 5 PM.  At 3 PM as I was scrambling around the room in jeans literally running wires when a member of the hotel staff sought me out; he didn’t look happy.  Apparently folks started arriving early for the event.  So many people in fact that a line had begun to snake around the entire lobby.

By 5 o’clock when we opened the doors the place was packed.  We ended up having over a 90% attendance rate; the few “no-shows” were quickly replaced by the dozens of people who showed up without a reservation.  Needless to say, the event was a success!

I have to admit that the event was truly one of the highlights of my life.  It was amazing to see so many ACT “FanACTics”  clamoring for a sneak peak of the new ACT product. After all, it had been nearly 4 years since the last ACT release and users were clamoring to see the new changes.

I’ve often wondered if I could have pulled off an event of that magnitude for any other product launch.  QuickBooks?  Excel?  Outlook? I think not.

I am thrilled to announce that after 8 years I am once again holding an ACT event.  This time it’s part of Sage Software’s “ACT Road Show” initiative.  Sage is sending down a number of their executives to show ACT FanACTics some of the new ACT 2011  features as well as to answer their questions on anything from usability to future product enhancements.

I know I won’t have 500 attendees this time; I’m limiting the event to a mere 200.  But I’m really looking forward to once again seeing the loyal ACT followers “raising a glass” to the latest ACT version!

If you’d like to attend please go to http://actroadshow.eventbrite.com to register.

Karen Fredricks
blog@techbenders.com
www.techbenders.com

Most software packages, including the new version of ACT! 2011, don’t currently supporting the 64-bit version of Microsoft Office 2010.  However, ACT! 2011 does work with the 32-bit version of Microsoft Office 2010, Office 2007 and Office 2003.  Check out the compatibility and system requirements for both ACT! 2011 and Office 2010, and then check with your ACT! software consultant for additional information. I have included a link to the Microsoft website where you can read for yourself. What is making it difficult and expensive for software developers, like Sage to support the 64-bit version of Office 2010? 

Since 64-bit servers and desktops are becoming main stream, a lot of people are thinking they need to jump on the band wagon, and install the 64-bit version of Office 2010. Hold your horses! By default the 32-bit version of Office 2010 is installed even on 64-bit computers. That’s good because if you use any third party software add-ins or plug-ins, most of these programs are written for 32-bit computers. In fact developers are still writing the tools that are needed to write the 64-bit add-ins for integration with MS Office 2010.

Stay tuned; I am pretty sure Windows Mobile phones still can’t sync with Outlook 2010 at all. Remember there was a version of Office 2003 for 64-bit computers. Was there a 64-bit version of Office 2007? Answer is no. So take your time do some homework before you decide to install Office 2010.

Back to reality, if you’re like most of my customers you’re not opening 2 gig or larger spreadsheets in Excel. If you are opening huge spreadsheets, and you don’t rely on any integration from any third party developers, you should consider installing 64-bit version of Microsoft Office 2010. By the way 32-bit version of Excel 2010 will open 2 gig and larger Excel spreadsheets. Go ahead upgrade!

For more in-depth information use this link from Microsoft. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee681792.aspx This article was written back in May 2010, so some information maybe a little dated. Trying to find one source for good information was tuff. This link should save you trying  to sift through dozens of articles. Quick note of appreciation goes out to fellow Act! Certified Consultant Susan Luongo Stellar Technology Consulting, she found the above link.

I am thinking Sage ACT! 2011 is slightly ahead of most of the CRM competitors at this point, with the soon to be released ACT! 2011 which is supporting the 32-bit version of MS Office when released. Not even MSCRM claims to integrate with either the 32-bit or the 64-bit version of Office 2010 to date. System requirements for ACT! 2011 are available at the following link http://www.act.com/2011/system/actpro/

Arthur G. Russ
Act! Certified Consultant
Indiana
agruss@exec-info-services.com
317-843-0186
Member of the National CRM Alliance