Act! CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a powerful software program-primarily based device that allows businesses to control and nurture their relationships with clients. It affords a centralized platform to shop customer records, tune interactions, and streamline communique. It is also a marketing automation platform therefore it is most often called Act! CRM marketing automation.
With Act! CRM, agencies can improve client satisfaction, grow sales productivity, and make knowledgeable decisions based totally on precious insights. In this weblog put up, we will explore the features and blessings of Act! CRM and the way it could rework your enterprise’s patron management manner.
A Brief History of Act! CRM
ACT! CRM, additionally known as ACT! (short for “Activity Control Technology”), is a popular customer relationship management software program that has rich records. Originally developed via Conductor Software in 1987, ACT! CRM quickly received a reputation amongst agencies for its capacity to prepare and manage purchaser statistics efficaciously.
Over the years, ACT! CRM has developed and tailored to the changing needs of corporations. In 1993, Symantec Corporation received Conductor Software and persevered to enhance the software’s functions and functionality. Symantec further accelerated ACT! CRM’s abilities through introducing integration with famous e-mail customers and different business packages.
In 2013, Swiftpage obtained ACT! CRM from Sage Software and have become the sole owner of the software program. Swiftpage centered on modernizing ACT! CRM via introducing cloud-primarily based variations and cell apps, making it more reachable and consumer-friendly for groups in the past.
Why Choose Act! CRM?
If you’re looking for a value-powerful CRM strategy to file and organize prospect and purchaser details, tune conversation, manage customer support, and streamline income activities, encompassing smartphone calls, conferences, emails, files, and comply with us. Then Act! CRM is a quality solution for you due to its huge range of functions and advantages at a low charge.
Key Features and Benefits of Act! CRM
Here are a few key capabilities and advantages of Act! CRM given beneath:
| Features | Benefits |
| Customer Relationship Management | Enhanced purchaser relationships |
| Powerful Sales Force Automation | Improved sales performance |
| Contact and Account Management | Efficient control of contacts and debts |
| Record and Action Activities | Comprehensive tracking of purchaser sports |
| Groups & Companies | Organized categorization for centered engagement |
| Create Quotes | Seamless quote advent |
| Calendar & Activity Tracking | Efficient scheduling and monitoring of sports |
| Sales Process Automation | Automated repetitive sales obligations |
| Opportunity Management | Effective control of income opportunities |
| Sales Pipeline Management | Streamlined monitoring of income pipelines |
| Manage Sales Teams and Targets | Efficient sales crew control and intention-monitoring |
| Manage Sales Leads | End-to-cease control of sales leads |
| Territory Management | Strategic agency of sales territories |
| Reports and Interactive Dashboards | Valuable insights via specific reports and dashboards |
| Act! Companion | Convenient access at the go with the Act! Companion app |
| Integration with Outlook®, Google™, & more | Seamless integration with famous platforms |
| Act! Contact Link | Enhanced connectivity and record sharing |
| Ask Act!™ with Amazon Alexa | Voice-activated interactions with Amazon Alexa |
| Act! Connect | Extended functionalities through Act! Connect |
| Unlimited Customizations | Tailored CRM to fulfill specific business wishes |
| Instant Online Access | Quick and stable get admission to CRM information online |
| Backups & Recovery | Data integrity warranty with dependable backup and healing |
Which Version of Act! CRM is Right for Your Business?
Act! CRM is available in three variations, each offering various degrees of CRM functionality, from primary to comprehensive capabilities in the cloud. Act! Provides extraordinary flexibility to cater to your enterprise necessities, deployment options, and accessibility desires.
Act! Pro
This CRM version is designed for novices, mainly small groups or individuals, supplying a start line for those new to CRM.
- Download and start the use of it on your PC immediately.
- One-time fee for a perpetual license.
- No routine subscription charges.
- Includes Act! E-advertising.
- Upgrade best when you’re prepared to expand or want updates for integration or obsolescence reasons.
Act! CRM Premium
Ideal for agencies in search of superior flexibility with the introduced benefit of accessing CRM information from any region.
- Unlimited facts capability.
- Unlimited fields for complete data customization.
- Automation of sales procedures for performance.
- Customizable and function-wealthy dashboards.
- Powerful API integration for seamless connectivity.
- Marketing Automation capabilities.
- Act! Connect for extended functionalities.
- Act! Companion for handy on-the-pass get right of entry to.
Act! CRM Premium Plus
Formerly called Act! Premium Cloud, Act! Premium Plus gives all of the features of Act! CRM Premium, on the side, brought the advantages of custom tables and tailored templates.
- Custom tables for personalized statistics business enterprise.
- Tailored templates for particular business wishes.
- Unlimited information for large records storage.
- Unlimited fields for exact customization.
- Sales process automation for streamlined workflows.
- Rich, customizable dashboards for insightful facts visualization.
- Powerful API integration for seamless connectivity.
- Marketing automation talents.
- Act! Connect for prolonged functionalities.
- Act! Companion for convenient on-the-cross get entry to.
Act! CRM Pricing
Act! Adopts a wonderful pricing model providing only plans—Act! For Cloud and Act! For Desktop.
- Act! For Cloud: $30 per month
- Act! For Desktop: $37.50 per month
| Product | Features | Price | Free Trial |
| Act! Premium Cloud | Cloud-based CRM, Automatic Updates, and Backups | $30/Month | 14-Day Free Trial |
| Act! Premium Desktop | Offline Access, Self-Managed Security, Update Control | $37.50/Month | 14-Day Free Trial |
How Does Act! CRM Pricing Compare?
Let’s dissect how Act! CRM measures up in opposition to pinnacle competitors in terms of pricing and features.
Here’s a contrast table given under:
| CRM | Price (Per Month) | Free Plan | Marketing Automation | Customer Management | Reporting & Analytics |
| Act! | $30 | No | Powerful | Great | Advanced |
| HubSpot CRM | $30 | Yes | Limited | Great | Advanced |
| Pipedrive | $21.90 | No | Limited | Basic | Basic |
| Less Annoying CRM | $15 | No | Limited | Basic | Basic |
Act! CRM Pricing Tips
Annual Plans Save
Opting for Act! CRM’s annual plans provide financial savings, streamlining your business costs by doing away with concerns about month-to-month payments or hidden expenses.
Monthly Plans Save
When it involves Act! CRM pricing, it could no longer be really helpful to opt for month-to-month plans for certain reasons. Monthly plans lack the stability and financial savings of annual plans, as they require constant month-to-month funding. Additionally, switching carriers or canceling a month-to-month plan can bring about sudden penalties or expenses. It is essential to carefully consider your commercial enterprise needs and budget before deciding on a CRM pricing plan.
Free Trial
Recognizing the importance of attempting a product earlier than committing financially, Act! Provides an awesome 14-day loose trial. This length allows you to explore the platform’s powerful features and determine if it aligns with your commercial enterprise wishes.
What’s new in Act! CRM since your version?
Explore the important things and new capabilities added inside the current Act! CRM releases to apprehend the benefits of upgrading to the state-of-the-art version.
Act! V.17 New Features
- New synchronization options with Microsoft Outlook.
- Integration with Dropbox for seamless document management.
- Enhanced keyword filtering for sports and notes.
- Improvements to Act! E-Marketing for more powerful electronic mail campaigns.
Act! V.18 New Features
- Web upgrades for Act! Premium.
- Improved safety and manipulation features.
- Enhancements for Act! E-Marketing capability.
- Speed and performance updates for better person revel in.
- Capability to control favorite contacts.
- Compatibility with Chrome and Internet Explorer 11.
- Explore extra about the new functions in Act! V18 for specific information.
Act! V.19 New Features
- Over 30 refreshed well-known reviews for distinct insights.
- Act! Companion for mobile gets entry to Act! CRM.
- New e-commerce connections for improved business abilities.
- Improved compatibility with Microsoft Office 2016 and 2013.
- Act! Premium touch link for improved connectivity and statistics sharing.
Act! V.20 New Features
- Improved new look for a refreshed person interface.
- Industry-specific templates for tailor-made answers.
- Dashboards for Act! Insight presents complete visualizations.
- Better control of custom-designed tables for more suitable statistics organization.
- Next-generation Outlook integration for seamless collaboration.
- Ask Act! With Amazon Alexa for voice-activated interactions.
Act! V.21 New Features
- Enhanced Act! CRM now features dynamic sales pipeline management.
- Marketing Automation is now integrated, making Act! Even extra effective.
Act! V.22 New Features
- Numerous enhancements are incorporated to decorate the consumer’s enjoyment.
- Enhancements follow to Act! Deployment on computer, internet, and cloud platforms.
Act! V.23 New Features
- Notable updates consist of a revamped Outlook Add-in, a brand new Word Add-in, and improvements in Act! Marketing Automation.
- The v23.0 launch for Act! Desktop & Web addresses computer virus fixes, particularly in high-usage characteristic regions like Outlook upload-in, Word upload-in, and Act! Marketing Automation.
- Act! Will help the Act! E-Marketing cease-of-lifestyles initiative, disposing of AEM references and navigation routes inside the v23.0 release for both Desktop and Web.
- The launch aligns with the latest rebranding efforts, removing in-product references to Swift-page, and updating copyright strings, and iconography.
Act! V.24 New Features
- Act! V24 introduces turbocharged overall performance with a sixty-four-bit local structure.
- User-pushed Office integration enhancements enhance usability for an extra optimized experience.
- New marketing automation skills foster more collaboration and allow dynamic advertising outreach.
Act! V.25 New Features
- Act! V25 complements enterprise effectiveness with a complicated dashboard builder.
- Introduces new SMS text messaging talents for stepped-forward purchaser communication.
- Easily create analytics dashboards to benefit significant insights and adapt to converting enterprise conditions.
- Platform improvements attention on growing universal overall performance and usefulness.
Pros and Cons of Act! CRM
Here are some pros and cons of Act! CRM is given below:
Pros
Here are some pros of Act! CRM which are given below:
- Lots of gear that does things automatically
- Good at maintaining the music of contacts
- Easy-to-use calendar and assignment supervisor
- Cool manner to peer and apprehend records
- Helps control the stairs in selling stuff nicely
Cons
Here are a few cons of Act! CRM is given under:
- No free model is to be had
- The way it looks and works is a bit old-fashioned and not so smooth
- You cannot trade or customize a whole lot
- You get one choice for how much it fees, whether you operate it online or on your PC.
Who is Act! CRM Best Suited For?
Act! CRM is good for 3 distinctive varieties of agencies, which can be explained in greater detail beneath.
Small Businesses
Act! CRM is an ideal solution for small businesses seeking to successfully control their patron relationships. With its person-friendly interface and low-priced pricing, small business proprietors can effortlessly arrange their contacts, track interactions, and streamline their income procedures. This allows them to be cognizant of nurturing purchaser relationships and growing their business without the complexity of large organization-degree structures.
Midsize Businesses
Act! CRM is pleasant and ideal for midsize organizations that are seeking out a comprehensive consumer dating control answer. With its robust functions and scalability, Act! CRM can efficaciously manage consumer information, track interactions, and streamline income techniques for corporations of this length. Its user-pleasant interface and customizable alternatives make it a treasured device for midsize companies searching to enhance their purchaser relationships and drive increase.
Marketing Agencies
Act! CRM is well-suitable for marketing groups, supplying sturdy functions that help them manipulate leads, possibilities, and pipelines efficiently. The platform presents equipment for tracking sales sports, setting reminders for observe-ups, and producing insightful reviews to measure overall performance.
Who is Act! CRM Not Suited For?
To offer the most candid assessment, it is critical to note that Act! May not in shape all and sundry’s desires.
Startups
Act! CRM might not be an exceptional preference for startups because of its complicated features. These functions might not healthy the restricted assets that startups normally have. Startups usually need a CRM solution that is more flexible and adaptable to their changing needs, which Act! CRM may not provide.
Enterprises
Act! CRM won’t be suited for huge organizations with complicated and substantial client courting management desires. It can also not be the first-rate fit for businesses that require advanced integrations with other software structures or have a high extent of statistics to manage.
Tech-Savvy Users
Act! CRM’s interface won’t be best for tech-savvy customers who are accustomed to modern, sleek designs and intuitive consumer reports. While the platform is strong in phrases of functionality, its consumer interface would possibly sense previous or less consumer-friendly compared to a few modern-day CRMs available inside the marketplace.
How Can Act! CRM Help Drive Sales?
Act! CRM can help drive income in several approaches.
Act! CRM can assist drive sales by way of offering a centralized platform for dealing with customer data and interactions. This permits income groups to have a complete view of every client’s records, possibilities, and needs, allowing them to tailor their technique and offer personalized solutions.
Additionally, Act! CRM offers effective contact control functions, making sure that no ability lead falls through the cracks and assisting sales groups to live organized and maintain a constant conversation.
With included e-mail advertising and marketing capabilities, sales reps can create focused campaigns and nurture leads, in the long run driving extra sales.
What is Act! Companion?
Previously referred to as Act! Mobile, Act! Companion continues you connect to clients, contacts, opportunities, and calendar info at the same time as you are on the move.
Designed for cellular devices like iPhones, iPads, and Android devices, it is protected at no more price with the Act! Premium subscription.
Whether you have access to information in actual time or running offline, you can synchronize any adjustments once a connection is established.
How Can Act! CRM enables you to Manage Your Sales Processes and Sales Pipeline.
In Act!, you could cope with your sales steps with customers through the use of income possibilities. You have the power to customize the income technique to fit your corporation or use the default settings.
In the Act! Sales module, you may song sports like conferences, calls, to-do gadgets, prices, emails, and more for every level of the sales method.
By keeping that information up to date, your income team can efficiently manipulate the income pipeline, providing insights into character and group overall performance.
How Can Act! Help you Up-promote and Cross-promote to Existing Customers?
ACT! Income force automation software program offers a precious gain with the aid of permitting corporations to promote more to cutting-edge customers. This takes place because Act! Maintains all contacts and clients in a single principal database.
Sales teams can get admission to account history and notes, allowing them to recommend extra products that fit each client. They can also create precise companies for clients and contacts, making it easier to create centered income campaigns.
How Can I See a Demo of the Act! CRM?
Online Demos
Act! CRM offers online demos for potential users to discover its functions and functionalities. These demos are accessible via a reliable website and provide a comprehensive review of the software program’s capabilities. Users can navigate via one-of-a-kind modules, consisting of contact control, sales pipeline monitoring, and advertising and marketing automation, to understand how Act! CRM can streamline their enterprise tactics.
Requesting Personalized Demonstrations
In addition to online demos, individuals interested in Act! CRM have the choice to request personalized demonstrations tailored to their unique desires. This includes scheduling a session with an Act!
Does Act! CRM integrated with Sage 50?
Act! CRM integrates with Sage 50, making it less complicated for users to control purchaser relationships and monetary records. This integration allows for the sharing of critical facts between the 2 systems, decreasing errors and the need for guide information entry.
With this integration, companies can get the right of entry to consumer details, income history, and economic information multi-function location.
For instance, whilst developing rates or invoices in Sage 50, customers can easily discover patron touch info from Act! CRM without switching between applications.
What Training is Available for Act! CRM?
Training is an important aspect of a hit Act! Implementation and Alpha-Logix present 3 Act! CRM training publications.
Introduction Course
The introduction route for Act! CRM is designed for beginners who are new to the software. This schooling covers the essential functions and functionalities of Act!, supplying customers with a strong basis to navigate and make use of the platform correctly.
During this course, individuals will discover ways to create and manage contacts, schedule sports, and use basic reporting equipment.
Administrator Course
There are numerous training alternatives available for Act! CRM administrators. These consist of online guides, webinars, and in-character schooling classes. These training packages offer complete instruction on a way to efficiently use and manipulate Act! CRM, ensuring administrators have the vital abilities to optimize their CRM device.
Advanced User Course
The Advanced User Course is designed to offer skilled users in-depth information and talents. It covers superior troubleshooting, machine optimization, customization, and superior productivity equipment. The course includes arms-on practical sporting events to apply the information in actual global eventualities.
Upon completion, members may be ready with know-how in complicated tasks, device optimization, customization, and superior productiveness skills.
What are the Limitations of the Act! CRM?
Limited Customization
Act! CRM has restrained customization alternatives, which may be a downside for organizations with precise techniques or unique requirements. This may make it difficult for the software to shape into positive commercial enterprise environments. It might not be capable of accommodating widespread adjustments to align with a company’s workflow.
Integration Challenges
Another problem of Act! CRM is its integration capabilities. While it offers integrations with famous tools and systems, which include Microsoft Outlook and Gmail, there are probably obstacles whilst trying to hook up with more specialized or enterprise-particular software solutions.
How to Get Started with Act! CRM
Setting Up Your Account
To begin the usage of Act! CRM begins by means of putting in your account. This involves developing a username and password, providing fundamental company information, and selecting the functions you need to utilize. Once your account is set up, you can customize it according to your precise commercial enterprise wishes.
After creating your account, it’s crucial to enter all applicable touch info into the machine. This consists of names, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and every other pertinent statistic about your contacts. You can also import present touch lists from spreadsheets or other CRM systems for seamless integration.
Navigating the Interface
Once the whole thing is set up and your contacts are in the region, get yourself up to speed with the Act! CRM interface. The dashboard gives an outline of your sales pipeline, upcoming responsibilities, and recent activities. Take some time to explore every segment of the platform to understand where different features are placed.
Is Act! CRM Easy to Use?
Although Act! CRM offers powerful functions for streamlined client dating control, its user interface appears truly dated and lacks the intuitiveness discovered in a few other CRM structures, making it much less person-pleasant.
Here are some areas in which improvements to the user interface can be beneficial:
- Navigation: The modern-day navigational shape is particularly cumbersome and complex, posing demanding situations for customers looking for brief get entry to specific records or functions.
- Dashboard format: Although the main dashboard is comprehensive, its overwhelming amount of records may be confusing. An easier, less cluttered format could enhance the user experience.
- Visual attraction: The usual aesthetic of the user interface feels dated. A design update ought to make the platform greater modern-day and visually attractive, thereby boosting personal engagement.
Act! CRM Customer Service and Community Forums
Customer Support
Good customer service is essential for software users, mainly in CRM structures wherein masses of statistics are handled. When you face issues or want guidance, customer service is there to assist. It provides a range of customer service alternatives to ensure customers get the guide they need.
Act! Affords a number of customer service alternatives to ensure clients get hold of the assistance they need.
This consists of the following:
- Access to beneficial academic films.
- Utilize an understanding base for additional assistance.
- Participate in webinars for interactive learning.
- Reach out for assistance via electronic mail assist.
- Submit help tickets for particular troubles.
Community Forums
It has online boards where users can join, proportion ideas, and get recommendations. These forums are useful for its customers to talk about topics, trade pointers, and resolve issues together. By joining these forums, users can learn from the network’s information and revel in it. The forums additionally let customers communicate with others going through comparable demanding situations or working in similar industries.
Conclusion:
Act! CRM can make your business run very differently. Using its functionality, you can improve the business performance and achieve the development of your company. This is why it is a mandatory tool for any business that aspires to prosper in today’s competitive market environment. Enjoy the advantages of Act!CRM and watch what it can do to revolutionize your own business.
