Using the ACT! Company Feature to Manage Client Information

Challenge: As a software consulting  and IT firm, we are required to manage a myriad of information on our clients. Information that we need to manage at an application level includes:

1. Version of application(s) they currently have installed as well as what service packs or hot fixes they have loaded for that application.
2. Account number with the software manufacturer, in this case either Sage or Intuit.
3. Add-ons or custom programming the client currently has installed for that application.
4. Whether or not the client has corporate support or software renewals through the software vendor and when their expiration dates are.
5. For accounting software clients, tracking whether or not they do their payroll in house.
6. In addition to maintaining this information on behalf of the client, we also use this information to determine client elgibility for upgrades, service updates, hot fixes and also to notify clients when their support or software upgrade plans are coming up for renewal.

Options Explored:  Track information in spreadsheets either on a product line level or at a client level, build a custom access database to manage all the pieces of information that we needed to know or customize ACT! to track all of the information.

Solution: When ACT! introduced the company feature with ACT! 2005, we customized the company layout to track all of the client information that we needed. Our process was simple: we created one tab for each product line that we support. For each product line, we created custom fields that were specific to that client application. For example, our accounting software tabs includes checkboxes for Payroll and Credit Card Processing – items that are unique to the accounting software lines. For the CRM tabs, we created a large memo box to track all of our client serial numbers and added fields for clients whose database maintenance we perform.

In addition to adding customized tabs to the Company layout, we also created checkboxes that stretch along the top half of the screen: one box was created for each product line supported. The idea was that anyone in our office can see the company record and know what product we support  for that cleint based on the boxes that were checked.

To ensure this data was managed properly, we did develop a few rules as to when the company record was to be created and who was responsible for maintaining the information at the company level. Our workflow is as follows:

1. When a prospect becomes a customer, their information is entered into our accounting system and at the same time a company record is created.
2. At that point, the company record is filled out with all of the information we’ve accumulated on the client as part of our sales process.
3. Anytime a technician does work for the client, either the technician or managing partner goes in to update the company record with any changes (like service packs installed or upgrades done).
4. We also customized the company record to track how the client found out about us. At the end of each year, we run a source of referrals report in ACT! by company that tells us exactly where our business is coming from.  This allows us to determine where our marketing dollars should be spent in the upcoming year.

Over the years, the company record in ACT! has been a constant work in progress for us. We’re always making changes to the information we are collecting to ensure we are managing our clients more efficiently. It is a tool that I have come to rely upon heavily in regards to the day in and day out management of our clients.

Tagged as: act software, ACT! Company Records, ACT! Contact Management, ACT! Contact Manager, ACT! database