Act! Dashboard - Find New Contacts in Two Clicks
For Act! 2010+ users, the dashboard offers a visual reporting tool. One client wanted to know whether sales reps where adding new leads or making changes. With Act! dashboard, it's two clicks away.
How to Create Company Records with Act!
If you want to manage multiple contacts at one company, Act! uses a company record feature.
For Act! v16+, you can automate company record creation by going to Tools -> Preferences -> Admin -> Company Preferences and change the threshold from 0 -> 2+. Legacy owners of Act! can look at this app to automatically convert contacts to companies.
The embedded guide shows you how to manage company records and helps manage existing contacts from Act! version 2010+
Our method uses the "linked contacts" method to connect contacts to companies, so you when you find additional contacts at the same company, select Contact -> Duplicate Contact and everything stays together as expected.
Act! Reports - Easy First Step
The first step for Act! users is getting the data in effectively. Use history (CTRL-H), not notes. Why? Notes don’t allow Act! to do all the analysis. But a history classifies entries as “Call Completed”, “Meeting Held” or “On-Site Presentation”. Then, the report tools count history entries by type, date, sales rep etc.
In version 17.1+, you can change the default result from “Appointment Completed” to something else like “Call Completed”. Here is how:
- Tools -> Preferences
- Click Startup Tab
- Under History, select a history type as default
Then, you can create an ad hoc report using the History List View (v16+ )
Introducing Act! Connect
Introduced in v18.2, Act! Connect is a new feature in Act! that allows any web developer to make updates to Act! records via the REST API. Think of the REST API as a "universal translator" between disparate websites and applications hosted on the Web.
For non-coders like us, we'll use Zapier instead. Zapier is a service that helps you connect different applications without knowing how to code. Zapier offers a free version with some billable upgrades that integrates Act! and hundreds of other apps without learning code.
Here are some ideas:
- When a new lead comes in from your website using WuFoo, automatically create a contact in Act!. Sample
- Scan a business card into Act! from your mobile phone
- Automatically adding new subscribers (contacts) from MailChimp automatically go into Act! as contacts
- Automatically adding new contacts from Constant Contact sign up forms automatically go into Act! as contacts
- Automatically add Google Contacts to Act! contacts
- Automatically add Eventbrite attendees as Act! contacts
System Requirements:
- Act! Premium v18.2+ with a current subscription.
- A free account with Zapier
Tech notes if you want to know more:
- The REST API for Act! was introduced in v17.1, and if you installed Act! Premium for Web; then, the REST API was available. However, 90% of Act! clients didn't have this. So, in Act! v18.2, Swiftpage partnered with Cloud Elements that creates all the work to enable the REST API without installing the infrastructure locally.
Act! Business Card Scanner for Android, iPhone or Blackberry
After struggling for several years to find an affordable solution to create an Act! business card scanner for Android, Blackberry or iPhone to take a picture of a business card; then, get it to Act! without being a coder or selling expensive hardware that sits on a shelf for one purpose.
Here are the system requirements:
- Act! v18.2+ Premium with a current subscription
- Create a free account from Zapier. The free option suits a typical Act! installation
- Create a free account from FullContact, The free version suits our requirements
- This procedure assumes an Act! Premium for Windows (not Web) installation
Steps:
- Install Act! Premium v18.2+ as a full install. An inline upgrade won't activate the URL needed for the Web API
- In Act!, find Act! Connect (View -> Act! Connect), and copy the URL in the top screen
- In Zapier, create a Zap from FullContact to Act! Premium as shown in the video.
- Download FullContact business card reader to your smartphone.
- From the FullContact app, take a picture of a business card. Their service includes 10 free transcriptions, or you can just translate to text manually
- Once the card is saved, it will show up in Act! without your intervention!
If you need help setting up Act!, Zapier, FullContact , freel free to contact us.