One of the major changes Swiftpage Act! is offering with their new subscription-based pricing model is unlimited free calls to gold support.
But they do draw the line – What kinds of things exactly can you call about?
In short, they’ll remotely help you:
This article is updated through March 10th, 2015.
This problem has been plaguing Act! for a few years now. It seems every time someone purchases a new laptop or Windows Tablet, we get a followup phone call that their Act! is not displaying properly.
UPDATE: There is finally a fix available! Download here. This fix will be included automatically with all Act! versions 18.1 and later.
If you’re reading this, you probably have already experienced these issues:
The cause is due to a combination of high resolution, and DPI / zoom settings. New displays have very high resolutions, which look great. But high res has a counter-effect of making things appear proportionally smaller. As a counter-counter-effect, manufacturers often set the DPI (dots per inch) setting to be 125% or 150% larger. This really throws off Act!.
The primary fix for this issue will be bundled up and included with version update 18.1, available in May 2016.
If you don’t have version 18, you can Download and run the executable file here. (Close out all running applications before applying the fix).
Credit goes to Act! forums user JagStyles for helping out the whole Act! world for this great dev work.
Numerous users are reporting great success with the above file.
There are other ways to tinker with your display to get it workable, if the above fix did not work for you.
We have mixed results with this one. If you’re lucky, it’s fixed. Often, nothing changes. If this did not help, then go back into the properties and un-check that box to undo the change.
Proceed onto fix #2…
Windows DPI Settings
Lowering your resolution is, of course, not an ideal solution. Nothing is really wrong with it — but it does limit you from using that nice fancy high-res display. The new settings should still be usable to you though. Test it for yourself — you can always roll back the change at any time.
As always, call us at 716-837-5727 for remote assistance!
Microsoft has released Windows 10 on July 29th 2015. Here are some considerations before your upgrade.
This article is updated thru October 1st 2015.
These issues will likely be fixed when Swiftpage rolls out their official Windows 10 support update. This list is collected from various user reports, is not necessarily consistent with every installation.
Some users have reported that:
Several of these errors do have associated knowledgebase articles that can repair them. But they are listed here as sometimes not working right “out of the box.”
Act! v17.2 seems to work well when it is a “clean” install, on a new copy of Windows 10. If you are upgrading from a previous version of Windows or previous version of Act!, these glitches seem more common.
If you purchase a new computer that has Windows 10 pre-installed, you should be able to install Act! v17.2 fresh, apply HotFix 0, and run it fine with no issues!
Please note that subscription pricing only affects ACT! Premium. The lower cost ACT! Pro version is still sold as a perpetual license with optional support. ACT! Pro is limited to 10 users and this may be cut to 5 users.
Introduced in 1987, ACT! was one of the original Contact Manager / CRM products. Back then software was something you bought periodically. You started with a new license and then bought an occasional upgrade every few years to keep your software up to date and compatible with all of your other programs. Upgrades were really new versions offered to loyal customers at a discount, usually 50-60% of a new license.
Let’s say your software costs $500 new and upgrades were $300. Your software expense over time might look something like this:
| Year 1 | $500 |
| Year 2 | |
| Year 3 | |
| Year 4 | $300 |
| Year 5 | |
| Year 6 | |
| Year 7 | $300 |
| Year 8 | |
| Year 9 | |
| Year 10 | $300 |
| Total | $1400 |
Later, in effort to develop more recurring revenue, Companies like ACT! began offering maintenance and support plans that gave you each year’s upgrade and some telephone support. The plans were usually 25% – 35% of the list price. So your software spend could look like:
| Year 1 | $500 |
| Year 2 | $125 |
| Year 3 | $125 |
| Year 4 | $125 |
| Year 5 | $125 |
| Year 6 | $125 |
| Year 7 | $125 |
| Year 8 | $125 |
| Year 9 | $125 |
| Year 10 | $125 |
| Total | $1625 |
A little bit higher, but you were always assured of being in the most recent version and getting some level of support from ACT!.
Now, with Software as a Service (SaaS) or “cloudy” apps, you can sign up for software and pay a monthly fee to use it. Although ACT! is most often installed on your equipment, they have built in the ability to remotely turn ACT! on or off.
With ACT!’s new entry into subscription pricing, you have two options. The first is a perpetual license similar to what you have now. You pay $500 for the license which include 1 year of upgrades and support. After that, you have the option of renewing maintenance for $250/year. If you choose not to renew, you can continue to use your existing ACT license forever or until it is no longer practical.
| Year 1 | $500 |
| Year 2 | $250 |
| Year 3 | $250 |
| Year 4 | $250 |
| Year 5 | $250 |
| Year 6 | $250 |
| Year 7 | $250 |
| Year 8 | $250 |
| Year 9 | $250 |
| Year 10 | $250 |
| Total | $2750 |
The second option is always subscription. You pay $250/year every year. If you ever stop paying, your ACT! service is turned off. 10 years of ACT will cost your $2500.
There are discounts for quantities of licenses and for people who are upgrading. For example, a company with 10 users get a 5% discount and if they are currently on ACT 2013, v16 or v17, they get the service for $180.50/license/year. Their total cost for 10 users is $1805/year or $18,050 over tem years.
So, like leasing a car, you’ll probably pay more with subscription than you did with the old “Buy & Hold” ACT software of the past. The Buy & Hold model is no longer offered by ACT!. ACT! is no alone in this practice. You’ve most likely noticed that Microsoft Office is now on a subscription model. When Windows 10 comes out in 2015, you’ll see a lot more service based software.
There are wrinkles to the plan depending on what version of ACT you have, how many and whether you are on an existing business care plan. Also, if you host your own ACT or want a ACT! or another hosting partner to host it for you. So many wrinkles that we cannot explain them all. Please call us to review your situation and needs and we’ll work out the best solution for you.
In short, ACT! is now bundling their upgrades and support into their product, causing the price to rise. In the past, these services were optional. ACT! is still a fairly low cost CRM system. Consider Salesforce at $65/user/month or $125/user/month for the Enterprise version. Twelve/Three also sells other SaaS CRM products such as Zoho CRM. You have plenty of options with ACT and even with other CRM products.
Act! can be installed on Surface Pro Tablets, but there are major downsides. Here are some of our concerns. Surface RT Act! can not be installed on the inexpensive, more “lightweight” Microsoft Surface RT. The Surface RT runs a version of Windows 8.1 that only has the metro interface – this means that it lacks the “full desktop”, […]
We host an Act! learning webcast every week. 100% free and always will be. Twelve/Three wants you to get the most out of your Act! software. That is why we created our Virtual User Groups. These VUGs are held every Tuesday morning via GoToMeeting at 9:30 am EST. The webcasts typically run 20 – 40 minutes […]
We want you to get the most out of your Act! software. Here is a quick list of some good practices to keep everything running smoothly! Clean out the history of your Act Contact Record – Every Act user has a contact record in Act. When you log into Act, your Record is the first one […]
Twelve/Three’s Act! Roadshow is Coming! See what’s new in the 2015 release, Act! v17. All attendees receive discounted upgrade pricing! Our Act! Roadshow is a free hands-on demo of the new software, where you can ask questions, network with business owners who use Act!, and learn a few things on the way. Not to mention, […]
All versions include features of prior versions, in addition to those listed.
| Version | Features |
|---|---|
| Act! v18 |
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| Act! v17 |
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| Act! v16 |
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| Sage ACT! 2013 |
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| Sage ACT! 2012 |
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| Sage ACT! 2011 |
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| ACT! by Sage 2010 |
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| ACT! by Sage 2009 |
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| ACT! by Sage 2008 |
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| ACT! by Sage 2007 |
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| ACT! by Sage 2006 |
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| ACT! by Sage 2005 |
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9 Act! Premium mobile requires setup and configuration of Act! Premium (access via Web). Data access available via active Internet connection from supported device browsers. Review Act! system requirements at act.com/systreq. You are responsible for all data-related charges.
10 Sage ACT! Premium Mobile requires setup and configuration of Act! Premium (access via Web). Data access available via active Internet connection from supported device browsers. Review Sage ACT! system requirements at act.com/SystReq. You are responsible for all data-related charges.
11 This feature is not available in Sage ACT! Premium (access via web).
12 Sage E-Marketing for ACT! steps will not run offline.
13 Data/field triggers are only available in Contact and Opportunity entities.
14 Sage ACT! Premium Mobile requires setup and configuration of Sage ACT! Premium (access via web). Data access available via active Internet connection from supported device browsers. Review Sage ACT! system requirements at act.com/SystReq. You are responsible for all data-related charges to your device.
15 Requires a subscription to Sage E-Marketing for ACT!.
16 Requires additional subscription.
17 Requires additional subscription.
18 Requires additional subscription.
19 This feature only available in Sage ACT! Premium
20 This feature only available in Sage ACT! Premium
21 This feature only available in Sage ACT! Premium
Access customer information in an instant With Act! Link for Sage 50 Accounting / Peachtree and Act!, you’ll have the details of your customers and vendors such as credit information, current balance, last invoice and payment, open quotes, sales orders, receipts, and more, right at your fingertips! Act! Link for Sage 50 Accounting is included […]
