Using the Act! History List

Posted on by stephen

Original webcast date March 8, 2016 Geoff of Twelve/Three will review a great new feature of Act!, the History List. The History List was introduced 2 years ago in v16 as a way to view a consolidated list of all histories in the database. It is a very fast and instant way to generate flexible […]

Act! Compatibility with Windows 10

Posted on by stephen

Microsoft has released Windows 10 on July 29th 2015.  Here are some considerations before your upgrade.

This article is updated thru October 1st 2015.

Summary:

  • Windows 10 will be officially supported by, and the main focus of, Act! v18.
  • Act! Premium for Web doesn’t work well in the new Internet Explorer Edge browser, but standard IE 10 is included with Windows 10 and works normally.  This is promised to be fixed in v18.
  • Act! v16, Sage ACT 2013, and all prior versions are highly unlikely to ever get a Windows 10 compatibility update.
    • Note:  these versions can be installed in Win 10, and run, but have cryptic errors that won’t be resolved.  Such errors include the documents tab, and an error message every time you close the program.
    • You can install these versions at your own risk.  They are functional, but far from perfect.

Known Issues:

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:

  • “Object reference not set to instance of an object” upon Act! close.  Message can be dismissed. — FIXED in latest HotFixes
  • required to manually start SQL Server ACT7 instance after a reboot.
  • Act! will open the phone info dialog when launching the program
  • Act! crashes when opening a document — Microsoft Interop Word error — FIXED: apply latest v17.2 HF 0 HotFix
  • An RPC Server error appears when attaching documents to a contact — FIXED: follow steps in KB 38199

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.”

For Best Results:

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!

Act! Tips & Tricks

Posted on by stephen

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 […]

Act! v17 Road Shows: Buffalo & Rochester

Posted on by stephen

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, […]

Act! version comparisons (Act! v18 through ACT! by Sage 2005)

Posted on by stephen

Release Enhancements Chart

All versions include features of prior versions, in addition to those listed.

Version Features
Act! v18
  • Compatible with Windows 10, Office 2016, and Chrome and Internet Explorer 11 browsers
  • Web API platform enabled, allowing for meaningful connections to business productivity tools
  • Advanced subscription management and easy access to the newest features and updates available for Act!
  • Act! emarketing and Call List improvements including advanced administration for user roles, and new filters for Call Lists
  • Fresh, modern look for Act! Premium for Web
  • All-new Act! Premium Cloud Trial includes the ability to upload and add your own data to your own secure database – no downloads or installs needed
Act! v17
  • Enhanced emarketing, including Team access, Lead Capture, and new Smart Task options.
  • Productivity enhancements such as new Outlook® sync options, integration with popular business tools, and more Smart Task options help you save time and stay organized.
  • New streamlined configuration and access options give you faster access to support, easier onboarding, and peace of mind – making deployment a snap!
  • Discover the new, modern look of Act!, and easily access resources, tools, and a variety of apps that help you get more out of your solution.
Act! v16
  • Streamlined Company Management & Global Actions Increase Sales Effectiveness
  • New Calculated Fields Drive Prioritization and Maximize Customer IQ
  • New History View Provides an Insightful Look Back
  • Act! Premium Mobile9 Enhancements Drive Productivity in the Field
  • Usability and System Improvements for Speed and Peace of Mind
Sage ACT! 2013
  • Sage ACT! Premium Mobile10 – now includes Opportunities
  • Social Updates11, view and interact with customers’ LinkedIn® and Facebook® profiles from within their contact record
  • Smart Tasks now run offline12 and include data/field triggers13 for automatic updates
  • Optimized download and install experience, identifies and installs missing technology components
  • Usability improvements based on customer feedback
  • New wizards to help create a remote database, moving and sharing a database
  • Mobile clients work with Android™ Device Browsers 2.2, 2.3, 3.0, and 4.0, and Safari® for iPad® and iPhone® iOS4, iOS5, and iOS6
  • Works with Windows® 8, Windows Server® 2012, Windows® SBS 2011m Internet Explorer® 10, and iOS 6
Sage ACT! 2012
    (April 2012)

  • Sage ACT! Premium Mobile14, real-time access to Sage ACT! Premium contact and calendar details from iPhone®, iPad® or Android™ device
  • Automatically post e-marketing messages to LinkedIn®, Facebook®, and Twitter® with Social Sharing15
    (September 2011)
  • Sage ACT! Scratchpad, a convenient, virtual notepad
  • Expanded Universal Search
  • Seamless interaction with Gmail™
  • Google Contacts™ and Google Calendar™ sync
  • Mobile access to Sage ACT! contacts and calendar with Sage ACT! Connect16
  • Connections Page provides central access to web-based services, including Sage Connected Services
  • Works with Internet Explorer® 9 and Firefox® 4
Sage ACT! 2011
  • Smart Tasks, which is like workflow, only easier
  • Leads with Sage Business Info Services for ACT!17 powered by Hoover’s™
  • Outlook®® contact and calendar sync
  • Direct import from Excel®, no .csv required
  • Works with Office 2010 and Windows® 7
ACT! by Sage 2010
  • View LinkedIn®, Facebook®, and more from within Sage ACT!
  • Email marketing with Sage E-marketing for ACT!18
  • Reports view
  • Simplified navigation
  • Welcome page with feature tours, help, and news from Sage
  • Customizable opportunities
ACT! by Sage 2009
  • Related contacts
  • Seamless interaction with Microsoft® Outlook®® email
ACT! by Sage 2008
  • Graphical dashboards
  • Duplicate checking by first and last name
  • Duplicate checking for groups and companies
  • Advanced Queries for groups and companies
ACT! by Sage 2007
  • Last email field
  • Specify linked contact and company fields
  • Field-level security19
  • En masse security for notes, history, and opportunities
ACT! by Sage 2006
  • Customizable opportunity field names and types20
  • Citrix® and Terminal Services
  • Automatic database backup and sync21
ACT! by Sage 2005
  • Multi-select values
  • Customizable drop-downs
  • Rich text formatting
  • Attach documents to activities, notes, and history
  • Groups with dynamic group membership
  • Company records
  • Multiple calendar views
  • Opportunity list view
  • Instant quotes using supported versions of Microsoft® Excel® and Word
  • Sample sales processes
  • Graphical sales pipeline
  • Preformatted reports
  • Export to Excel®
  • Query-based sync

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