ACT!

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ACT! by Sage

Developer(s)	The Sage Group
Initial release	1987
Stable release	ACT! by Sage 2009
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Type	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]

History

The company Conductor Software was founded 1986 in Dallas, Texas by Pat Sullivan^[2] and Mike Muhney^[3]. 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 "Activity Control Technology" then "Automated Contact Tracking", but it quickly became known as ACT!. During this era, the name of the company was changed to Contact Software International. 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 current release is ACT! by Sage 2009 (version 11). The development happens in Scottsdale, Arizona, with an office in Lawrenceville, Georgia and other regional offices around the globe.

ACT! is currently available in English (US, UK and Australia), French and German and is sold through resellers and ACT! Certified Consultants around the world

Timeline

• 1986 Mike Muhney and Pat Sullivan founded Conductor Software in Carrollton, Texas and developed QuotePro in Lotus Symphony.
• 1987 ACT! for DOS 1.0 (April 1) - previously codenamed “YES!” – a recursive acronym for "Yes, Everybody Sells!". ACT! was also originally an acronym - first for "Activity Control Technology" and later "Automated Contact Tracking", before becoming just "ACT!"
• 1988 Conductor Software renamed to Contact Software International
• 1990 ACT! for DOS 2.0 (August) - first version with network support
• 1991 ACT! for Windows 1.0 - CodeBase IV engine based on dBase
• 1992 ACT! for Windows 2.0 - Added network support for the Windows product
• 1992 ACT! for HP95LX - the first mobile version for PDAs
• 1992 ACT!PAK! - first add-on for ACT! developed by Oakhurst Systems
• 1992 1st ACT! - cut down version for OEMs and single users.
• 1993 Symantec purchased Contact Software International
• 1993 First on-line support forums for Consultants and users on CompuServe
• 1993 ACT! for MAC - compatible database with 2.0 for Windows
• 1995 ACT! for Newton^[4]
• 1995 ACT! Mobile Link - two way sync for remote users
• 1996 ACT! for Lotus Notes^[5] - later sold to original developers, ErgoTech
• 1996 ACT! 3.0 for Windows 95 and NT (November)^[6] - First Windows 95 product with added back-wards compatibility to run on Windows 3.1
• 1997 Symantec adds support for ACT! in WinFax Pro^[7]
• 1997 ACT! PalmPilot Link^[8] (later ACT!Link for PalmOS)
• 1997 ACT! for Windows CE^[9] (later ACT! Link for PocketPC)
• 1998 ACT! 4.0 - Added support for Windows 98 and Office 98
• 1998 ACT! for Psion by Advansys
• 1999 Symantec sold ACT! to SalesLogix (later Interact Commerce Corporation)^[10] - headed by Pat Sullivan, original co-founder of ACT!
• 2000 ACT! 2000 (5.0) - Windows XP support added
• 2002 QuickBooks Link for ACT! - the first accounting link FOR ACT!. Developed by Terry McKiernan of PinPointTools
• 2002 Interact Commerce Purchased by Sage Group Plc (Best Software in North America)^[11]
• 2002 ACT! 6.0 (later ACT! 2004) – Office 2003 support added after 6.0.3
• 2002 ACT! for Palm OS^[12]
• 2003 Handheld Contact adds support for ACT! on Blackberry - first wireless PDA sync (later adds Windows Mobile)
• 2003 ACT! for Web 1.0 for ACT! 6.0 - originally by dbDynamics
• 2004 ACT! by Sage 2005 (7.0) - Complete re-write with .Net 1.x and MS SQL 2000. Product split into standard, Premium Ex and Premium ST
• 2005 ACT! by Sage 2006 (8.0)
• 2006 ACT! by Sage 2007 (9.0) - Changed to .Net 2.0 and MS SQL 2005
• 2007 ACT! by Sage 2008 (10.0) - Vista and Office 2007 support. 10.02 added ability to add custom sub-tables via the SDK.
• 2008 Launch of Community.act.com site (January) – Much improved communication between senior management and users^[13]

New Dashboard. Significantly improved Outlook integration and major improvements in stability, reliability, ease of install and speed. Added Vista x64 support and Safari for MAC users. Also free plug-in to provide links to Social Media such as LinkedIN^[14]

• 2008 Sage repositions ACT! - moves from CRM group to Value group
• 2009 ACT! by Sage 2009 (11.1) – Added Relationship Tab.^[15]
• 2009 ACT! by Sage 2010 (12.0) - Expected to add more links to social media sites and accounting products as well as ability to share with other Sage solutions. ^[16]

Product details

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).

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)or a Windows Mobile device. Wireless sync with Blackberry and iPhone can be accomplished using ACT! Mobile Live or third-party sync software by Handheld Contact or CompanionLink.
• Web Access: View ACT! data using Internet Explorer or Safari 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).^[17]

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. You can also get the Fee based Support on 1866-903-0006

See also

• Sales force management system
• Category:Customer relationship management software

Notes

References

• Fredricks, Karen S. (2007-10-08). / ACT! by Sage For Dummies (9th edition ed.). New York, NY: J Wiley. 
• June 1988 article in Software Magazine
• Act for Dummies Books
• Act.com Main website