ACT! 6.0

As a single user/small business on one PC...
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This product has a lot to offer when the database is not shared. It is easy and extremely intuitive to use and has all the typical features that one would expect from CRM software.

Recording and tracking client interactions is easy and the interface between ACT and your mail software (especially outlook) is relatively simple.

The phone settings can be a pain always defaulting to a standard format... but you can disable/change this is preferences.

As multiple-user enterprise CRM software...
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This is where the product is really difficult to use. Invariably after only a few weeks of use you arrive at the common question... "Do we do things in Act! or Outlook?".

All the regular features like new contacts, grouping, searching writing single letters are fine, but the problem comes when you want to share a Act database which may have 5 users with a company of 15 people. Exporting the database so that you can import it into Outlook is tricky and laborious at the best of times even when you work in the IT profession.

The enterprise options within Act! are where it really falls over.

We also use Act! with the rather expensive third party web interface in order to make the product mobile and versatile. this certainly adds a degree of usability, but does not sufficiently address the lack of transferrability of the information.

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The ultimate verdict... great for single user, disappointing as an enterprise solution.

If you have these addons - great

If you don't you may have to consider using this program solely in place of the others although they all have features that are useful.

As with everything there is a lot of give and take in balance if you do alot of mail merging or can afford the addons a good program, especially the web orientated add-ons. If not think carefully before reaching into your pocket as it could prove to be an expensive address book.

Act is an easy to grasp database tool for pratically everything you need to do with contacts. I have now linked my Palm and can access all e-mail addresses, telephone numbers and addresses for everyone wherever I am. The great thing is we used to put all the family address in the book and now I can access all our family friends when I am on the road. Superb for emergencies as I used to carry one or two numbers about now I have everyone.

Links to mail and you can now attach pictures which is neat. The product is well worth the investment to organise everyone in one place and back up all those details I never used to get roound to putting on to the PC.