Some Handheld Contact for Act! tips #ActCRM

 

Recently, I’ve been asked a few common questions about Handheld Contact, so I thought I would put them all in this single article.

First, a couple of worthwhile articles to read:

• How it works and ensuring your data is up-to-date
  http://support.handheldcontact.com/knowledgebase/article/View/133/6/syncing-how-it-works-and-ensuring-your-data-is-up-to-date
• Technical and Security Overview:
  http://support.handheldcontact.com/Knowledgebase/Article/View/118/0/technical-and-security-overview

 

How to upgrade to the current version of Handheld Contact?

 

Updating the HHC console on the PC/Server

If there is a later version, here are the steps needed to update the PC/Server HHC console:

If you are unable to access Handheld Contact on the PC or server, go directly to http://www.handheldcontact.com/downloads.php to obtain the latest installer for your version of Act!

1. Open Handheld Contact on your computer or server.
2. Once you are in Handheld Contact click on Help-->Check for Updates
   A pop-up should be displayed on the bottom right of the screen.
   If it says:  "Download available click here to download" click on it.
   If the pop-up does not appear, see above to obtain upgrade install file.
3. You will be taken to the Handheld Contact Downloads page (mentioned above).
4. On the downloads page click on the Act! version that matches your installed database.  If you do not know this, open Act! first and click on 'Help' and choose 'About Act!'.
5. Download file "HHC-3_x_x_x.exe" (for Act! 12.0/2010 to Act! 14.0/2012) or "HHC-4_x_x_x.exe" (for Act! 15.0/2013 and higher) and save it to the desktop.
6. Once the file has been downloaded close the Handheld Contact application on the Desktop/Server (if it is still open).  It cannot be running while the upgrade is started.
7. Find the HHC-3_x_x_x.exe (or HHC-4_x_x_x.exe) file and run it.  When prompted, choose yes to update 3.x.x.x (or 4.x.x.x) to this version.
8. Once the install has completed, click Finish and Handheld Contact should open automatically.
9. Then click Maintenance-->Synchronize Users, select the checkbox beside all users accounts and then hit Sync Now. This will take some time to send the current Act! data to each of the devices.

Updating HHC on the mobile device

Apple iOS - Includes iPhone and iPad

In order to upgrade the software on this device, you must do it through the 'App Store'.

1. Open Safari.
2. Go to: www.handheldcontact.com/ota 
   This will redirect you to the Handheld Contact app on the Apple App Store.
3. You can also go directly to App Store and click on 'Updates'.
   Click on Handheld Contact Professional, then click on 'Update'.
4. Enter the Apple ID and then the download/upgrade will begin.
5. No reboot is required.

Android

Upgrading Handheld Contact will be performed through Google Play.

1. Go to www.handheldcontact.com/ota on your device's default Internet browser
   This will re-direct you to Handheld Contact on Google Play.
2. If not, go directly to the Google Play Store and search for 'Handheld Contact'. 
   From there you can press 'Upgrade'.
3. You may be required to enter your username/password for Google Play.
4. No reboot is required.

Note: For Android users there is an option for 'Allow automatic updating'.  This is found within the Google Play Store when viewing Handheld Contact (after installation).  If this option is selected, then the upgrade will take place automatically.

BlackBerry 10

1. On the BlackBerry 10 device, open the Browser icon.
2. Go to: www.handheldcontact.com/ota 
   This will re-direct you to the Handheld Contact app on BlackBerry World.
3. Select Download/Upgrade button in the top right to begin the process of upgrading.
   This will overwrite the previous version installed.No reboot is required.

What are the default fields that sync with Handheld Contact?

Below is a listing of all the default fields that sync with Handheld Contact Professional.  You have the ability to add up to 42 more custom fields.  The total number of fields that will sync are 73.

Company First Name Last Name Title Department E-Mail Personal Email Phone Extension Fax Phone Home Phone Mobile Phone Pager Alternate Phone Alternate Extension

Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 City State ZIP Code Country Spouse Home Address 1 Home City Home State Home Zip Code Home Country

Web Site ID/Status Last Results

How many characters can sync in a field between  Act! and a handheld device?

When making changes in Act! and syncing to the device (or back to Act!), Handheld Contact has some character limitations (including spaces) that must be met.  Please see below.

Syncing from ACT! to device:

• Activity Regarding Field - 256 characters.
• Activity Details Field - 985 characters before truncation - HHC will show "(Truncated)(RO)" - 'RO' meaning Read Only.
• Notes - 1500 characters.
• History Regarding - 256 characters.
• History Details - 985 Plus HHC will show "(Truncated)(RO)" - 'RO' meaning Read Only.
• Contact Character Field - 450 character MAX due to Act! limit.  Go to Tools - Define Fields to determine field max limit.
• Contact Memo Field - 236 characters before truncation - HHC will show "(Truncated)(RO)" - 'RO' meaning Read Only.
• Contact Location Field - 128 characters.

Syncing from device to Act!:

• Activity Regarding Field - 256 characters.
• Activity Details Field - 1000 characters.
• Notes - 1000 characters for iOS devices, 1500 for Android/BlackBerry devices.
• History Regarding - 256 characters.
• History Details - 1000 characters for iOS devices, 1500 for Android/BlackBerry devices.
• Contact Character Field - 450 character MAX due to ACT! limit.  Go to Tools - Define Fields to determine field max limit.
• Contact Memo Field - 236 characters.  Handheld Contact on device does not limit what can be entered into the field but if you exceed the max, the contact changes do not sync into Act! and no errors are produced.

Most Common Issues with Handheld Contact

 

Desktop/Server (console) application:

1. Error message when syncing: "Communication with sync engine failed! The syncing process has been aborted! HHC Service is not running or doesn’t have the required permissions". Click here for solution.
2. Message Queuing Service is not installed.  The error message is "Unhandled Exception occurred: Message Queuing is not installed or running on this PC".  Click here for solution.
3. Logon Error when attempting to sync.  Error is "The user: {ACT NAME} failed to log on to the ACT! database: {DATABASE NAME}".  Click here for solution. 
4. Cannot get beyond "Act! Administrator" screen on set up. Click here for solution. 
5. Upgrading the desktop software.  Click here for solution.

iPhone/iPad:

1. Getting caller ID on device by exporting Contacts. Click here for solution.
2. Handheld Contact on the iPhone/iPad unexpectedly closes.  Click here for solution. 
3. Close Handheld Contact and restart it properly.  Click here for solution.
4. The Contacts, Task List and Calendar icons are not available on the device.  Click here for solution.
5. Syncing with both iPhone and iPad.  Click here for solution.
6. Upgrading the device software.  Click here for solution.

Technorati Tags: Act!,CRM,iOS,iPad,iPhone,Android,Blackberry,Handheld Contact,HHC

New Security options for Handheld Contact

As mobile demands grow, so do security concerns, and organizations using Handheld Contact have been asking for more control over their ACT! CRM data.

Limiting features and data access is an excellent, proactive approach for organizations to protect their data. And today — thanks to popular feedback from clients — we are excited to introduce two new security features that enable Handheld Contact administrators to do just that: One-Way Sync and Export Contacts Control.

 

One-Way Sync

With One-Way Sync, a Handheld Contact administrator can disable data modifying and adding on a per-user basis. The end-user still gets to take advantage of Handheld Contact's powerful interface to access the data they need, and the organization can improve the security and integrity of their ACT! database by limiting functionality.

 

Export Contacts Control

Export Contacts Control allows a Handheld Contact administrator to disable the Export Contact feature on a per-user basis. Once disabled, ACT! data on the end-user's mobile device cannot be exported from the Handheld Contact mobile app to the device's built-in contacts app. The device's built-in contacts app is accessible by other services and third-party apps, so by disabling the Export Contacts feature, you eliminate the risk of ACT! contacts falling into the wrong hands.

 

Using One-Way Sync and Export Contacts Control

These new security features are available for you to use today and are conveniently accessible from the Handheld Contact computer application. Simply upgrade the ACT! server with the latest Handheld Contact computer application and all the associated Handheld Contact mobile devices with the latest mobile app and you're ready to go.

 

Technorati Tags: ACT!,ACT! CRM,Handheld Contact,Smartphones,Tablets,iPhone,iPad,Android,Blackberry

Taking your ACT! on holiday

As we approach the festive season many of you will have your minds turning to travel … some of you to warm climates enjoying beaches and swimming, while others to cooler areas that might involve building snowmen or some skiing. So I thought it would be useful to discuss a couple of important areas before you finalise your plans:

1. Have you checked your backups?
2. Will you have access to your Sage ACT! data if you need it on the road?

 

Checking your ACT! backups

• If you have not already done so, set up the Sage ACT! Scheduler to automate your backups as per this ACT! Knowledge Base article:
  How to Use the ACT! Scheduler to Automatically Back Up Your Sage ACT! Database
• If you have done this, make sure you check the Scheduler logs to be sure it’s running ok as it doesn’t notify you if it’s been failing
• As an extra precaution, use another backup utility to store the backup in the “cloud” in case of a disaster. One easy way is to use Dropbox and backup to the Dropbox folder.
• Before you go, do a test restore from your backup … use “Restore As” and restore to a different name or folder, then test you can log in and access your data. You really should do this about once a month anyway.

 

Accessing your data on the road

While most of us prefer not to think about work while we’re having our much needed rest and relaxation, for those of us in small business we know this simply isn’t a realistic wish. It’s pretty certain that when we don’t have access is when something will arise that needs your data on hand.

There are some things we need to consider to ensure that we have that data and can use it:

• For those of you travelling outside of metro areas, you might find yourselves without decent WiFi or cellular data (or the costs to access these might get prohibitive). This could mean you can’t rely on access to web browser versions of Sage ACT!. So it’s always best to have your Sage ACT! data synchronised to a mobile device (smart phone or tablet).
• If you’re travelling to another country, many of the sync links to ACT! do not properly support international country codes and dialling rules to dial in the country you’re in or to dial back to contacts in your country.

The product I use that does the best job of keeping my Sage ACT! data with me is Handheld Contact. It syncs data to iOS (iPhones, iPad, iPod touch), Android (phones and tablets) and Blackberry (phones and Playbook). It fully supports international dialling and has many other benefits that will save you time as well as taking away the stress of being away from your data so you can enjoy yourself.

For more information or assistance with this, please contact your local ACT! Certified Consultant.

Wishing you all a very relaxed, happy and safe time over the holidays and a successful and prosperous new year.

 

 

Technorati Tags: ACT,Sage ACT!,Backup,Handheld Contact,iPhone,iPad,Android,Blackberry,Xmas

SaaS/Cloud software and Regional Internet access

Regional road trips. No doubt you’ve, “been there, done that before” and experienced what a nightmare it can be to get any internet coverage. No matter what the reasons for our travels out of town may be, one thing is certain: We still need our connection to the big, busy world via our trusty iPhones or Blackberries – or in my case, both!

A short time ago, I had the pleasure of attending a friend’s birthday party on the Gold Coast of Queensland and spent 10 days there to catch up with some old friends.

I was based in Ormeau. For those who don’t know where this is, it is about 1 hour’s drive south of Brisbane (Australia’s third largest city) and is in Australian’s largest growing region.

I had a great time catching up with friends in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast (North of Brisbane).

And of course, being me, I needed to have constant and regular access to my ACT! contacts, to email, and to various other office and on-line services and forums.

I was carrying an iPhone4 and a Blackberry Pearl (both with Handheld Contact) to give me the remote access I needed and hoped to find Wi-Fi connections where convenient to sync and to access my other information.

I suffered serious regional culture shock

Now don’t get me wrong. Like most people, I love getting out of town and escaping the hustle and bustle, but coming from Sydney, I’m used to the comforts of being connected at anytime of the day or night. I’m used to having a 30Mbit connection and 3G/4G network coverage. That’s not the reality though for my regional friends as I discovered while on my road trip. Here’s what I discovered on my travels:

• Mobile access was shocking: I had to wander from street to street, just to get a measly 1-2 bars on either the iPhone4 or Blackberry. As a customer of Telstra - this country’s largest telecommunications provider - it felt way short of my reasonable expectations for adequate coverage. It could have been worse – I could have had no coverage like any other poor person with the other carriers!
• Not all regional areas have ADSL coverage: Telstra has only put in enough lines for about half the properties in this new estate so the place where I was staying only got access after a neighbour moved out – the new resident in their neighbour’s place would be out of luck.

As frustrating as it was for me venturing out into this regional area...

...These frustrations are also being experienced in metropolitan areas of Australia!

There is “business park” in Brisbane itself (Australia’s third-largest capital city), that has virtually no broadband access at all …

Read that again if you need to, because the mind boggles. Even in a city like Brisbane, a business park doesn’t necessarily have broadband internet access. You can check out: Brisbane's NBN 'will transform people's lives' to get the lowdown on that story

For now though you might be wondering how this is relevant to this blog dedicated to Sage ACT!, CRM and IT?

Well, much in CRM is about mobility… and recently a lot of the press have jumped on the “trendy” technologies of cloud based computing – both for phone/tablet access and for general access.

For those of us who have been in the computing industry for long enough, we remember that the PC was originally viewed (by IBM) as little more than a slightly more intelligent “dumb terminal” to main-frame applications. Later, as the power of PCs increased, more of the data was stored locally and out of IT control. This lead to a gradual pull-back of control via networking, and then via various remote solutions.

These remote solutions are collectively referred to as “cloud computing”:

• ASP – Application Service Provider
• On-demand software
• SaaS – Software as a Service

To be honest, I’m not sure how to really define the differences of those … other than that they are buzz-words from different decades.

They are usually accessed via one or more of these methods:

• Remote Desktop Protocol Connection (Terminal Services or Citrix)
• Virtual Desktop (VMware, etc)
• Virtual Private Network
• Browser based applications

 

Cloud-based technologies do have some benefits:

• The data is live to the remote users
• Software integration issues are largely eliminated from the client side
• It can be platform independent – although, this can depend on browsers / versions that are supported
• Key software systems are kept up to date, available, and managed for performance by experts
• Improved reliability, availability, scalability and security of internal IT systems
• A provider's service level agreement should guarantee a certain level of service
• Access to product and technology experts dedicated to available products
• Reduction of internal IT costs to a predictable monthly fee
• Redeploying IT staff and tools to focus on strategic technology projects that impact the enterprise's bottom line

But there are also some serious disadvantages:

• The client must generally accept the application as provided since vendors only fully customize solutions for the largest clients
• The client may rely on the provider to provide a critical business function, thus limiting their control of that function and instead relying on the provider
• Changes in the market may result in changes in the type or level of service available to clients
• Integration with the client's non-hosted systems may be problematic
• Accessing data to convert to another system later maybe costly or not-available
• Loss of control of corporate data
• Loss of control of corporate image
• Insufficient vendor security to counter risks
• Lack of internet access (even temporarily) prevents users’ access to their data
• What happens when the provider suffers problems? Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Salesforce and many others have been in the press during the past year for being down for periods of time. Or some, like Google for losing data.

So where does that leave potential CRM users looking for remote access via the cloud?

I wrote an article a year ago on “Supporting Remote Users with ACT! by Sage”. In selecting the best method for a specific site, there are two questions you need to ask:

1. Will the master and remote users always have reliable connection when they need access? If not (especially in the case of regional access as per the beginning of this article), then you should look at a sync-solution. The users work off-line and sync the changes with the master
   This is especially important for smartphone and tablet users who may want to do work in areas not covered by their phone carrier or Wi-Fi (eg on a plane, some buildings and areas)
2. Do you have the necessary reliable bandwidth and access to IT skills to self host or do you get it hosted by a third-party for an on-going fee? This is a bit more complex and can depend on:
   • How good is your internet connection (for host and remote)?
   • How responsive are your support options (in-house or out-sourced) if the server has issues?
   • For hosted solutions:
     • How reliable are they?
     • How good is their tech support? Do they provide a service guarantee?
     • How financial are they?
     • What happens to your connection and data if their business or service fails?
   • If the third-party host is down for a day, how much will the loss of access cost you? Will it be less if the remote users are using sync to local copies?
   • How secure is the connection? At a minimum, must use one or more of SSL, VPN, RDP
   • If you want to change application, will the hosted provider allow you to access ALL of the data in a format suitable for importing into other systems?
   • How customisable is the application? Can you integrate it with your legacy systems or add functionality that you might require?

In Conclusion:

While SaaS/cloud offering will be suitable for many users, there are some questions that you need to ask to determine if it’s the best solution for you.

I feel certain that SaaS offerings will become more viable as time goes by, but right now I’m reminded of the line that for those on the bleeding edge of technology, that “a pioneer is frequently the guy with an arrow in his back!”

Technorati Tags: ACT,Sage,Sage ACT!,SaaS,Cloud,Remote,Smartphones,CRM,SageACT!

Problems with Sage Mobile for ACT! (new ACT! Mobile Live)

Part 3 of The Seven Day Blogging Challenge - Write a blog post on the same topic as one my most popular posts

Well, the most popular posts previously have been:

• Why I prefer Blackberry over iPhone for business
• Getting ACT! on your phone

So I thought I would do another on mobile CRM with Sage ACT!.

I have always supported ACT! as a mobile product … both with sync to laptops and remote offices and with sync to PDAs and smartphones. Over the years, I have purchased new devices along this path to use, test and support other users:

• An HP95LX in 1992 for ACT! for HP95
• Apple Newton in 1995 for ACT! for Newton
• Handheld PC running Windows CE in 1997 for ACT! for Windows CE
• Palm M505 in 2002 for ACT! for Palm OS
• Blackberry in 2000 here I used Companion Link
• Another Blackberry in 2003 using Handheld Contact
• Since then, I have used various devices using Blackberry, iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Windows Mobile operating systems.

I believe in the benefits of being able to access and enter my ACT! data wherever I am and understand the problems that mobile users have.

Since 2003, I have been using Handheld Contact. But I have still tested other products to be satisfied that no other product is better for me to switch to.

Despite ACT! for Palm being the best PDA/smartphone solution for ACT!, the ACT! developers have concentrated on products linking to the native address books and losing much of the functionality that real ACT! users should want. Without this, they may as well be using Outlook for their CRM.

They have had “ACT! Mobile Live” in beta and release for around three years and recently renamed it as “Sage Mobile for ACT!”. It still has many of the bugs and issues I reported in the first beta.

So I thought I’d let you know why I really don’t think users should consider it for their use.

• The country code is not supported in phone fields - this means:
  • You can't dial international numbers
  • You can dial any numbers when travelling overseas
  • You can't enter contacts with international numbers
  • It causes problems if also using ACT! for dialling/faxing with other services
• If sync's with Exchange, Outlook or Google, changes to the outlook profile will either delete records from the ACT! database or duplicate them ... results can be inconsistent
• Some activity types are incorrectly handled causing data changes back in ACT!
• Some activity time-zones cause activities to move
• No formatting of fields
• Not a multiuser service... so can't work with web or hosted environments
• No tracking of History on calls, emails and sms made from the phone

There are a number of other bugs and functional omissions but as the challenge (as mentioned top of this post) is for a limited number of words, I’ll do a longer post on this later.

Considering Handheld Contact is only $50 more, I think the choice is a no-brainer

Technorati Tags: ACT!,Sage,Sage ACT!,CRM,Blogging,Mobile CRM,Blackberry Vs iPhone,iPhone,Sage Mobile

Getting ACT! on your phone

A comparison of various PDA links for ACT! by Sage

This is an excerpt of the PDF: Getting ACT! on your phone

Mobility has been one of the great driving forces behind the use of ACT!. From the ability to sync to laptops (originally supported with ACT! 2.0 for DOS) to PDAs (since the HP95LX version in 1992) and even Web versions, people have found the need to provide access to remote users and to staff on the road to be an essential aspect to their management of customer relationships and of their staff.

I previously described many of the options for remote access of ACT! by Sage in the post:
Supporting Remote Users with ACT! by Sage

With the high uptake of "smart phones", there are now a wide variety of options available depending on your needs and I thought it would be useful to take a look at these and compare them.

The contents of this document are the result of over 60 separate installs in various configurations over a two month period.

Disclosure: I have been using Handheld Contact (on both Blackberry and iPhone) since switching from CompanionLink nearly ten years ago. I also support Handheld Contact resellers and users in Asia Pacific. However, I shall endeavour to provide an accurate an un-biased analysis of all the products.

 

The products included in this evaluation:

• Handheld Contact - Professional and Basic
• 123 Synchronizer
• CompanionLink Professional and Doublelook Enterprise
• ACT! Mobile Live – from Sage
• ACT!Link for Palm OS and Pocket PC - free with ACT!

Testing environment:

• Windows XP Professional SP3 (with all updates) on domain
• Office 2007 SP2 (with all updates)
• Exchange 2003 6.5 SP2 (with all updates)
• Blackberry Pearl 8100 with OS 4.5.0.102 via BES
• iPhone 3GS 32GB with OS 3.1.3 via Exchange OWA
• HTC Touch Duel with Windows Mobile 6 Professional via ActiveSync 4.5
• All regional settings set to Australia, Sydney

Areas included in evaluation:

• Supported ACT! versions
  • Method of sync
  • USB
  • Wireless via sync server
  • Via other software such as Outlook, Exchange, Google Apps
• What ACT! data is supported
  • Contact fields
    • number of fields
    • data types and formatting
    • pull downs
    • field level security
  • Activities
    • linking to correct contacts (or multiple contacts)
    • clearing activities
    • viewing and scheduling for other users
    • custom activities
  • Notes / Histories
    • viewing
    • creating on the road (including from emails, phone calls and SMS)
    • linking to multiple contacts
  • Sales Opportunities - viewing and creating
  • International issues - date and phone number formats
• Other functions
• Administration
  • Ease of setup and implementation
  • Ability to control what each user has access to
  • Data reliability
  • Security
• Support issues

 

Conclusions

After doing far more testing that I had planned for this document, my recommendation for the best product is Handheld Contact Professional for the following reasons:

• It is by far the easiest and fastest product to setup and implement and it's just as easy for a single user setup on a local PC as for a 100+ user setup on a network using a computer dedicated to Handheld Contact
• It is the easiest product to administer and maintain without technical skills
• It provides the most "ACT!-like" experience on the phones it supports
• It is a fully integrated application with Contacts, Activities and Notes/Histories in the one interface
• Using its own application means that recording of emails, sms and call history can be automatically tracked and synced back to ACT!
• It is one of only three products I couldn't cause to duplicate data in the ACT! database - the others being Handheld Contact Basic and 123 Synchronizer
• It is one of only two products that operate using a Windows service, which I think is important for network security. The other being ACT! Mobile Live

* A useful point to note for the future: Handheld Contact is working to incorporate the full Sales Opportunity tables as well as those of Accounts Master! towards the end of this year. That will mean Handheld Contact Professional users will be able to view the sales history with their customers, but also to be able to create invoices from the road. Accounts Master! will integrate many accounting/ERP systems into ACT! and Handheld Contact.

It's only negatives are that it's limited to specific devices (Blackberry, iPhone, Windows Mobile Professional) and that the amount of data it requires means that on Blackberry there is a lower contact limit... although this limit is about to be significantly raised in an expected upgrade

My 2nd choice was, to be honest, a surprise to me. I hadn't played with 123 Synchronizer before and was surprised how solid it appeared. If you are using devices that are not supported by Handheld Contact Professional or if your business wants their ACT! data to synchronise with Outlook/Exchange, then this is the way to go.

• It is the only product other than Handheld Contact where I didn't manage to cause to duplicate data in the ACT! database
• While it didn't run as a service, it does have the option to be called from a command line and run without requiring a user account to be logged into Windows.

The only negatives I found are that it can be quite complex to set up in some configurations - I recommend using an ACT! Consultant - but check that they have done implementations of this product first. Also that it relies on Outlook/Exchange and possibly another product if you want wireless - while this would suit most users, you should check this before selecting it.

If you are running ACT! versions prior to Sage or using a device not supported by Handheld Contact and also not using Outlook, then Companionlink is the choice. But be careful to keep good backups in case of duplication issues. Doublelook really needs to have the option to run as a service to be really considered as an “Enterprise” product.

The free links should really be treated as a one-way option (from ACT! to the phone). The ability to cause problems in ACT! going both ways makes this a poor choice

Regarding ACT! Mobile Live, having supported ACT! since 1987, it really pains me to say I would not advise users to consider this as a realistic option under any circumstances. It has been 20 months since Sage first publically announced the beta of this product. They would be doing a favour to their users and VARs if they either started from scratch or dropped it and purchased one of the other products.

For full details, please see:

 

Technorati Tags: ACT,ACT! by Sage,CRM,PDA,iPhone,Blackberry,Pocket PC,Android,CompanionLink,Doublelook,ACT! Mobile Live,123 Synchronizer

ACT! Fanatics LinkedIN Group 1000th member prize

The LinkedIN ACT! Fanatics Group was created as a place where ACT! users, resellers, add-on vendors and Sage staff from around the world could communicate and share their knowledge of using ACT! by Sage

The success of this is proven by the huge volume of valuable information that has been shared and now we are rapidly approaching 1000 members.

As a special present, some of the add-on vendors who are members of this group have offered to put together two packs of ACT! add-ons:

• One for the 1000th member to the group
• One for a random member of the group at the end of the week that the 1000th member joins
  To be eligible for this prize, you must post a reply to the News article referring to this offer in the LinkedIN group stating why you would like to use any of the add-on products in this promotion.
  The decision on the winner will be made by me in conjunction with the add-on vendors taking part

Both packs can be used by the winners or, if won by a reseller, Sage staff member or a user unable to use them, they can be sold at their retail values.*

The following products are included in both packs:

Handheld Contact – Professional Edition (1 yr)	Handheld Contact wirelessly syncs and manages your ACT! Contacts, Activities and Notes/Histories from your BlackBerry, Pocket PC, or Treo Smartphone - it's like having ACT! with you anywhere, anytime! *iPhone version now in beta and due soon
itDial – Advanced	Enhanced calling interface from ACT! via TAPI phone systems and/or Skype VoIP. itDial for ACT! makes keeping track of telephone calls easier than ever. Using  itDial, ACT! users can dial and answer calls, update contact information, add new contacts, create history, and schedule activities for incoming and outgoing calls with just the click of a mouse.
Company Wizard	Mass update and build company records based on a Lookup of Contact and create the contact links
Duplicate Contact Wizard - Expert	Powerful De-duplicating Contacts and Companies in your ACT! database while retaining the extended data (Notes, Histories, Activities, Attachments, etc).
ACT! E-marketing (6 months)	ACT! E-marketing helps you reach out to your contacts, grow your database, qualify new leads and automate your business processes. The offer will be 6 months of: Pro service level Silver Drip Marketing 1 user on the account 1,000 email per day send limit
Stonefield Query (6 months)	Stonefield Query for ACT!® is a user-friendly database report writing, query, and data mining tool designed specifically for ACT! putting Business Intelligence reporting in the hands of the end-user where it belongs. Stonefield Query has been customized specifically for ACT! giving you an intuitive, easy-to-use BI reporting solution that you will love!

* Option to resell does not apply to ACT! E-marketing or Stonefield Query

Technorati Tags: ACT,ACT! by Sage,CRM,Handheld Contact,Blackberry,iPhoney,PocketPC,LinkedIN

Updated: Why I prefer Blackberry over iPhone for business

Now updated for iOS4, iOS4.2 and iPhone4 … would like to add Blackberry 6.0 if I can get a Torch

After many years using Blackberry phones (several 7xxx models and, until recently, an 8100 Pearl) I have reluctantly had to switch to an iPhone (3GS 32GB) in order to test some software.

I thought I would give it some time before posting this blog as I wanted to make sure my issues weren’t just a question of not having found how to perform the functions I was used to.

Having now spent 3 months on the iPhone, I am at a loss as to how anyone would choose this device for business use or if email is really important to them. There are so many functions that I relied on that are just not available on the iPhone. I acknowledge that some of these might be specific to my carrier and some might be due to the actual way I prefer to operate. I have come to use, and rely on, my Blackberry as a virtual office and communications centre that allows me to be fully in touch when on the road.

So I thought I would put together a list and see if any of the iPhone experts can tell me if I'm doing it wrong or if this device is really so flawed and I’m immune to the cool-aid.

Note: For users of Sage ACT! who want to put their ACT! data on their phone, see this: Comparison of various smart phone links for Sage ACT! (4.0 and later)

Hardware

• The device certainly seems well-built and solid… like most of the Blackberry phones (except the Flip). But dropping the iPhone on it’s face (without a protective case) will likely need a replacement
  * iPhone4 has a much harder screen and I haven’t heard of any screen cracks from an accidental drop
• Having to use a pin to insert/replace the sim card just seems odd. Not having this “Ikea special tool” I had to wait a day to get a pin before I could use the device
• As does having no way to replace the battery. This became a real issue when I found how limited the battery life is compares to the Blackberry - about 7 hours in the iPhone compared to several days on the Blackberry. When travelling with the Blackberry, I’d take one extra charge battery and have over a week using it is my sole means of communications
  * iPhone4 improves battery by about 20%, but still poor compared to Blackberry
• Argh! A non-standard USB cable… and they don’t include a separate one for the power supply – so moving the phone from the PC to a wall power means buying another cable or carrying the supplied one with me. I can only see this an an artificial way for Apple to make some extra on the cable.
  * I’ve actually had two break on me
• No slot to use for an additional memory stick seems wrong for a supposedly powerful device. It makes sharing data with other systems and platforms much more limited
• Even with carrying the cable and without ability to use external memory, it has 32GB – but still can’t be used as a memory stick or external drive via USB (except for photos). What a waste! I should have purchased the one with 8GB
  * There are apps that allow it as a drive, but you need to have the cable and it installs drivers that might not be wanted on the other machines
  * The photos are completely unsecured… plug into any PC and connect as a drive.
• Shouldn’t all phone cameras now have a flash and zoom?
  * Flash rectified … zoom also, but very poor – best not to use and zoom on PC later

Setup

• I found the setup to be very easy. Although I am disappointed in having to use iTunes for everything
• There doesn’t seem to be a way to setup multiple devices for a business over the air
  * This can be done now, but not as functional or as integrated as Blackberry BES
• Connecting to my Wi-Fi was pretty easy once I’d changed the settings. My Wi-Fi supports IPSec security which the iPhone doesn’t
• Adding email accounts (Exchange and POP3) was remarkably easy – it was fortunate I have OWA
• No way to roll-out, administer, secure or wipe the device remotely
  * Wiping can be done with MobileMe subscription

Data

• Unlike the US, the iPhone is available here in Australia through all the major carriers. But, unlike with the Blackberry, none of them offer unlimited data. I guess this means more searching for Wi-Fi spots
  * Data limits have improved, but still not unlimited
• But don’t worry US… the call drop-outs and disconnects that people in the US seem to think are related to the AT&T network – they happen here with the iPhone on all networks.
• I’ve found that downloading the same amount of data (email, web pages, etc), the iPhone uses between 5 and 20 times the bandwidth. This might explain why carriers are reluctant to give unlimited data. It also explains why the iPhone is so much slower at performing similar tasks.

Security

• When it comes to security, there is no contest. See the Blackberry Official Statement
• On the other hand, the iPhone has been found to have some major security issues:
  • 4 iPhone Security Flaws
  • iPhone Hack Highlights Windows-like Security Risk
  • iPhone Security Flaw: Using a PIN Won't Help You 
    * iOS 4.2 addressed some 30+ security issues, but they still have a long way to go
• Additionally, the iPhone requires MobileME (additional subscription) in order to remotely wipe a lost phone. For remote-wiping on a BlackBerry, you can do this through BES, BIS or customers can opt for an emergency feature where their phone automatically erases all of its data if it’s been off the network for a set amount of time. This is powerful as it helps protect against someone who steals the phone and pops the sim card before trying to access the data.

Operation and Interface

• No multi-tasking. That means no back-ground sync for databases or the ability to have an application run a task in the background which doing something else in the foreground
  * iOS4 does allow specific tasks to be run in the background (not entire apps like Blackberry)
• This also means you can’t really use it for Instant Messaging with products like Skype, Live Messenger, etc as you can only receive messages when that application is the open one.
  * iOS4 allows this if app re-written for it… but a significant battery drain
• Not even task-switching. Applications close and have to re-open (then wait till they get up-to-date data). I have lost work when checking a received email or answering the phone.
  * iOS4 completely addresses this.
• Why can’t all Settings be accessed from within the applications. Having to check both the iPhone settings application and any option in an application itself just doesn’t make sense.
• The Blackberry menu makes accessing more common tasks faster.
• The scrolling, while pretty, actually makes it slower to get to the actual point you want
  * Still can’t go to a specific page or to the bottom of a large list/doc without a lot of scrolling
• The scroll wheels to set the time or alarm, while a pretty novelty the first few times take more time to set than just typing the digits.
• Maybe my thumbs are a bit big, but even after several months I keep pressing Shift or Del accidently (depending on the side of the screen) - even in Landscape. Worse, even though used to a much more narrow device, I still can’t get the right keys as fast in Portrait mode… but in same apps, Landscape isn’t an option – this slows data entry.
  * After all this time, still have this issue
• In these days of internet shouldn’t the period and @ be on the main layout? Sure it has the same double-space for period at the end of sentence, but this isn’t great for a URL or email address
• The spell check only gives one option… what about other words that are similar?
  * The iPhone spell-check errors have become legendary … hate to make some I’ve seen to a business contact
• The spell check on the Blackberry can also include all the data from the address book – your contacts names and companies. Makes typing much easier.
• Blackberry spell check allows manual adding and customisation of the words. iPhone rarely remembers common words.

Phone

• When you start entering the data in the Blackberry phone, it auto searches the address book (first, last and company name) and as you scroll, shows each contact’s numbers to click and call. With the iPhone, you have to go through additional steps with this
• The “End Call” button is large and seems to be right where my check touches the phone if not using hands free or via headset. This has caused me to accidently mute of hang up prematurely on a few calls
  * Still an issue with iPhone4. If I move my head and some light hits the sensor, the screen turns on and my cheek hits the mute, Facetime or end buttons

Contacts

• It is neat that you can add additional phone/address fields, but unfortunately these don’t sync back to Exchange.
• You can’t sort by Company or even view that field in the Contacts application. While you can search by that field it's a bit harder to find the right contact
• Searching for a Contact means you have to scroll all the way back to the top. With the Blackberry, you just start typing and it will show the contacts that have a matching First, Last or Company Name – no matter where you are in the list. The Blackberry search is also MUCH faster
• When my Exchange server was down, I couldn’t access any contact and they had to be fully downloaded when it was up again… shouldn’t these be stored locally? I haven’t tried to see if I lose all this data if I’m out of radio range.

Email (Exchange 2003 is my Primary server)

• An email received by Exchange, sent via BES to the Blackberry is nearly instantaneous. It can take considerable time to appear on the iPhone unless I open the folder.
  * BES Push much better than ActiveSync
• There is no Home screen notification of having received emails, requiring you to manually scroll through the email folders after having left the device alone or while in a meeting.
  * With 180+ folders and email auto moved to them, this still annoys me – iPhone only notifies of emails in Inbox. The BB has a home notification (irrespective of folder) and an Unread Mail folder (like Outlook)
• When viewing some wide HTML emails, you have the options of the text being way to small to read or zooming it and having to scroll back and forwards each line. The Blackberry method of the user being able to select the font for all emails might make the rendering less accurate, but makes the emails much easier to read and respond faster.
• I have about 180 folders in Exchange with rules that file incoming emails automatically. I had to manually select each folder for Push… and, when my Exchange server went down, other than having no local data. I also had to re-select all the folders for Push, manually! Why doesn’t this get stored?
  * Seems a bit better with iOS4
• The Blackberry Message List allows me to see all emails received (and include SMS in the list if you want), no-matter which folder - like Unread Mail in MS Outlook. But on the iPhone, I have to scroll through the folder list (the 180 I mentioned above) and know the unread figures of each folder to check for any new items. Nothing notifies you which account or folder has the new email.
• File to Email Folders - to file a message to a folder on the BB, I just have to type the first few characters of the folder. The next time I file a similar email, it remembers the folder I users for that user/subject from last time. With the iPhone I have to manually scroll down the list every time
• Blackberry has option to set detailed filters for which email you want (by sender, size, times, etc) so only important messages after hours. iPhone is all or nothing
• No option to set/change Exchange “Out of Office” auto reply
• From the email list on the Blackberry, I can also click and select to call the contact (if they exist in my address book) or to forward via another system (SMS, Facebook, etc). On the iPhone you have to open the email, then go to the Contact to call/SMS and can only Forward via email.

Browser

• While the iPhone does render many pages more accurately, this ironically makes many harder to read … especially pages formatted wide. To get the text large enough to read means scrolling back and forth every line
• When viewing wide pages, you have the options of the text being way to small to read or zooming it and having to scroll back and forwards each line. The Blackberry column view might not display a page as the publisher intended, but makes them considerably easier to read.
• Apple don’t seem interested in Adobe Flash whereas RIM and Adobe have announce a partnership to improve the support for rich content through these technologies - RIM and Adobe to Simplify Delivery of Rich Content and Applications for BlackBerry Smartphones
• The Blackberry menu makes it MUCH easier to copy a URL or even to send that URL via another app – Email, SMS or even non-core apps like Facebook, Twitter, other social media or Instant Messaging. With iPhone, you need to copy the URL, close the browser, open the other app and paste

Notifications and Ringtones

• The Blackberry LED displays in different colours to let you know of an event without even touching the device
• For more detail, clicking once on the keypad will show you how many items you’ve received – separated by emails, SMS, missed calls, Facebook Messages, Windows Messenger IMs or Skype chats. The iPhone will only show SMSs and missed calls until you open each app to check.
• Why do I have to stuff around changing the media formats in iTunes? The Blackberry can use any media file for a ringtone
• The Blackberry also allows different ringtones for each event type. The iPhone doesn’t allow different settings (ringtone, volume, number of repeats, etc) for each event
  * iOS4.2 now allows SMS ringtone, but you can’t change email, Facebook, Twitter, etc
• On the Blackberry you can create different Profiles to set all the notifications to the ringtone, volume, LED use, number of vibrations and how often to repeat. The iPhone doesn’t provide the flexibility of choices let alone the ability to change all the settings in a couple of clicks (eg when you go into a meeting)
• The Blackberry even allows exceptions for specific users … eg having the device in Silent mode except for certain important contacts

Multi-media

• This is an area where, with it’s heritage in the iPod, I would expect it to excel… but even here, there are items better done on the Blackberry. For example, the Blackberry allows you to jump to the previous track, beginning of the current track or next track by holding the volume controls on either phone or headset. Much easier than having to get the device from your pocket and turn it on to make those changes
• While they both play video, the wider screen of the iPhone is an area that it wins. Although I don’t watch enough videos or TV on the device to make this much of an advantage
• It’s annoying to have to go via iTunes to add/remove media. On the Blackberry, you can view it as a USB drive and copy the files into folders of your choosing

Social Media and Instant Messaging

• The lack of background tasks seriously reduces the option for Instant Messaging, which I prefer to SMS in many ways.
  * iOS4 improves this
• It also means when starting up a social media app you have to wait till it updates the information as the applications can’t sync in the background
  * iOS4 improves this
• While apps like Facebook, LinkedIN and some of the Twitter apps I have tested are comparable in the functions, the do miss some areas that reduces their effectiveness:
  • Notifications are only available from some apps… and even then are not reliable (as above)
  • Facebook only shows last Notification on Home screen. To see if you have more, you must go to the app
  • both Facebook and LinkedIN have the ability to import their contacts to the phone… but LinkedIN only as new contacts (I already have most in my address book) and neither can link to a Contact that I might have with a different name from their social media account.
  • The both take some time to sync, but at least on the Blackberry, this happens in the background
    * iOS4 improves this – doesn’t sync in background, but if app already loaded, starts faster
  • The FaceBook app won’t bring in the email address on phone (saying it’s a privacy issue), but this is done on the Blackberry
  • If using Social Media to schedule events, the iPhone can’t sync these with the calendar (the Blackberry does this and in the background)
  • The Blackberry API has permitted some applications to create dedicated fields in the address book to link the contacts to their social media profiles

Software Development

• The requirement for all apps to only install via their AppStore means that developers can’t get selected groups of users to test code before release. While this can be done by “Jailbreaking” the phone this is not something you want to tell users to do.
  Update: I’ve just been informed that it is possible to beta test software, although with an unnecessarily complicated procedure to create an Ad Hoc iPhone Apps Distribution
• The AppStore delivery requirement reduces the possibility for more complex licensing models
• Apple’s certification process seems to be easy for trivial apps (like iFart), but more stringent on more complex products. They also don’t seem to want to tell a developer if a particular function will pass till the product is complete and the money spent.

 

Technorati Tags: Blackberry,iPhone,RIM,Apple,Facebook,LinkedIN,Twitter,Skype,Social Media,Phones,Smartphone,smart phone,iPhone Vs Blackberry,Blackberry Vs iPhone

Supporting Remote Users with ACT! by Sage

With users like the Professional Sales Road Warriors that made up much of ACT!'s early user base to field service technicians, trades-people, telecommuters who work from home, remote offices and others who need access to their data while out of the office, ACT! has needed to make use of every changing technology so that the data can be provided to the users as they need it.
From it's creation in 1987, ACT! has been at the forefront of remote and mobile users. From the ability to merge

Technorati Tags: iPhone,iPad,Android,Blackberry Vs iPhone

databases with ACT! for DOS 2.0 in 1990 (where users would need to bring their databases into the office to sync) then through the HP95LX PDA version in 1992 and ACT! Mobile Link for laptop users in 1995, ACT! users have been able to access ACT! while remote from their office.
Over time advances in internet speeds, more scalable databases, browser technologies and other technological improvements have made it easier for organisations to implement and administer remote access solutions for their staff.
Currently, there are a range of options available to provide this remote access but users are often not sure how to determine the solution most suitable for them. So I thought I'd provide a selection of the most common options available... but remember, that for many sites, a combination of these should be implemented.
For some users, it may be better to have the database hosted externally, then using one or more of the options to provide access. One host providing this at very good rates is Conetix

Direct Access of the database via VPN

• Infrastructure
  • Requires the technical skills to setup and maintain VPN server
  • Needs higher than normal internet bandwidth as the VPN protocols use up a significant amount
  • Users lose access to the data if their internet connection goes down
• Installation
  • Sharing a database over a VPN is no different than sharing the database over a LAN. Each remote user must obtain a copy of the .PAD file for the shared database and have read/write access to the database folder and the Supplemental Files folders.
  • See - http://blog.glcomputing.com.au/2009/02/sharing-act-network-or-sync.html
  • Firewall exceptions on server should be same as for LAN
• Administration
  • Administration and Maintenance of the VPN needs to be done well. Many VPNs tend to drop out WINs and then ACT! won't be able to find the server
  • It is usually more reliable to use the IP address of the server in the PAD file rather than the machine name. But for most VPN implementations, using Sync is the best solution.
  • All users need to be using the same version and build of ACT! - so upgrades and patches need to be carefully planned
• Speed
  • Speed is dependant on both the bandwidth of the main server and the bandwidth that the users connect to the internet
  • Remember that most consumer internet connections don't have as fast an upload speed as they do download - if the server is also on a consumer grade connection, the actual speed will be the slower of both the user and server.
  • Due to the overhead of the VPN protocol most internet connections won't be adequate and users may be better using sync
• Security
  • If the VPN is set up correctly, this type of access is very secure.
  • User access to records can be determined by Limited Access in the Premium editions
  • Other security may need to be implemented if you wish to prevent users from exporting or reporting data that they have access to locally

ACT! Synchronisation Services

• Infrastructure
  • Remote users only need direct connection to the master database when they need to sync
  • ACT! by Sage does require ACT! to be open and logged into the Publisher database to sync but Premium editions can use Network or Internet sync servers to allow sync as a Windows service
  • Sync for remote users doesn't require Internet Sync server (which uses IIS). It can also be done with Network Sync server and port forwarding or VPN using a VPN server or Hamachi
• Installation
  • ACT! is set up normally, but then Remote Data Base files are created for each remote.
  • For more info, see:
    http://blog.glcomputing.com.au/2009/01/sharing-act-network-or-sync-part-1.html
• Administration
  • All users need to be using the same version and build of ACT! - so upgrades and patches need to be carefully planned. If using sync server, these should also be updated when patching ACT!
  • Note: If you update the local users, the remote users still access their local data and can sync when you update them.
  • If syncing a database larger than 4GB and wanting all data to sync, needs SQL standard at each point the database will be located
  • Sync can be automated with ACT! Scheduler - better if using Premium
  • The Administrative Dashboard can be used to determined when users sync
  • If using sync via VPN, administration and maintenance of the VPN needs to be done well. Many VPNs tend to drop out WINs and then ACT! won't be able to find the server
• Speed
  • Speed for each user is dependant on their local hardware (RAM and HDD speed)
  • Speed for the sync is dependant on the bandwidth between the user and server. If using VPN, speed is reduced due to the protocol overhead.
  • Sync speed depends on volume of changes and bandwidth of connection - especially if syncing a large number of attachments
  • As only the delta (changes) are sent, this uses less bandwidth than a direct connection
• Security
  • Users only have access to the records in their defined sync set and, if using the Premium editions, that they have access to
  • The sync process itself is reasonably secure as data is encrypted during the sync process (I have not heard of a breach)
  • Additional layers or security can be achieved by:
    • Using a different port for the sync process
    • Sync via VPN - this is a very secure protocol and removes the need for port forwarding from the internet to the database server
    • If using Premium Editions, putting the Sync server in a DMZ

ACT! Premium for Web

• Infrastructure
  • Requires a Windows server running Internet Information Services (IIS) - can be hosted by a third-party if the user lacks infrastructure or skills. If hosted, it is better to select a host who specialises in ACT! for Web hosting and knows how to maintain it
  • Remote users only need a supported web browser and internet connection
  • ACT! for Web is also the only solution for allowing access to MAC users (internal or remote) via the Safari browser support (currently Safari 3.0)
• Installation
  • Installed once on IIS server. Easiest and fastest install for IT with suitable skills
  • IIS must be set to 32bit if on a 64bit OS – can cause issues with other apps
• Administration
  • Easy to administer and maintain as everything can be on a single server. It's a bit more complex if using multiple servers
  • IT doesn't need to worry about remote users OS or hardware
  • Sharing of user preferences makes admin and backup a bit easier. while not the default, is done as per this ACT! Knowledge Base article
• Speed
  • Speed is dependant on the server speed, configuration and bandwidth
  • For large volumes of users, implementing one or more web servers separate from the database server allows better allocation of resources
• Security
  • As this is a Premium edition, users only have access to records according to ACT!'s Limited Access and Teams
  • Additional layers or security can be achieved by:
  • Using a different port for the web server
  • Putting the IIS server in a DMZ
  • Using HTTPS/SSL
  • Requiring Windows Authentication to the Virtual Folder before getting access to the ACT! for Web interface
  • Access Web via VPN
  • It is important to add additional security (preferably VPN) is users might connect via any public WiFi connection

Remote Desktop (Terminal Services, Citrix)

• Infrastructure
  • Requires Windows Terminal Server, Remote Desktop Services in Windows 2008 or Citrix - can be hosted if user lacks infrastructure or skills
  • Remote users only RDP client and internet connection
• Installation
  • Installed once on server.
  • Here are the steps to install on Windows 2008 Remote Desktop Services
  • Fully server based … emails sent from local Outlook not recorded in ACT! unless you also have ACT! for Web setup
  • Requires some additional work for Outlook integration. See: this ACT! Knowledge base article
• Administration
  • Relatively easy to administer and maintain as everything on a single server
• Speed
  • Speed is dependant on the server speed, configuration and bandwidth
  • For large volumes of users, implementing one or more client servers separate from the database server allows better allocation of resources
• Security
  • If using a Premium edition, users only have access to records according to ACT!'s Limited Access and Teams
  • RDP on TS and Citrix provide a range an additional security options

Included ACT!Link for PDA/Smartphones – no-longer available

• Infrastructure
  • Currently supports Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices (no Palm OS support for Windows 7, so no ACT! Link support)
  • Uses direct USB connection to full ACT! client - no support for Web or Remote Desktop (Terminal Services/Citrix)
  • Only supports fields and functions in PDA PIMs
• Installation
  • Installed on each user PC
  • Care needs to be taken for supported Phone OS and driver versions, depending on version of ACT!
• Administration
  • Can be complex to maintain with issues if user updates their phone OS or driver
  • Admin can only set if the users can sync via Manage Users
  • Administrator has no control over what is sync'd and connection issues are known to cause duplication in the ACT! database
  • No access to Custom Activity types
  • No support for Activities, Notes, Histories that link to multiple contacts
  • Calls, SMS, Emails sent from phone not recorded in ACT!
• Speed
  • Speed is dependant on the phone type and amount of data sent
• Security
  • If using a Premium edition, users only have access to records according to ACT!'s Limited Access and Teams
  • User can select to sync any records they have access to
  • Data on lost phones can't be wiped

Handheld Contact Sync to PDA/Smartphones

• Infrastructure
• Currently supports Blackberry OS, iOS (iPhone and iPad), Android 
• Uses a console with wireless sync - fully supports Web and Remote Desktop (Terminal Services/Citrix)
• Professional Edition adds support for up to 76 fields and many additional functions
• Field formatting and pull-downs maintain data integrity
• Can support very large numbers of mobile users from one console.
• Installation
  • Installed on ACT! server, it's own server or on user's PC
  • Easiest PDA solution to remotely configure and install remotely for one or more devices
• Administration
  • Very easy to roll out and maintain
  • Administrator controls what data is sync'd and how often.
  • Administrator can set contacts sync'd with each user based on Groups an Activities
  • No known issues with duplication or loss of ACT! data
  • HHC Professional supports ACT! Custom Activity types for activities and history
  • HHC Professional supports Activities, Notes, Histories and Email that link to multiple contacts
  • Calls, SMS, Emails sent from phone recorded in ACT! if instigated from HHC Professional
• Speed
  • Speed is dependant on the phone type and amount of data sent – typically faster than other link options.
  • As HHC can send items based on Groups or Activities, users can reduce the number of records they keep on the phone
• Security
  • Administrator has full control over what is sync’d to each user
  • Data on lost phones can be erased remotely by Admin, providing phone in radio range and turned on
  • Data is sent securely in small packets via https and encrypted

Technorati Tags: ACT!,ACT,ACT! by Sage,CRM,Remote,Web,IIS,Synchronization,VPN,SaaS,PDA,phone

Sage eSummit 2.0 – ACT! by Sage Agenda

Sage Business Solutions Australia is presenting their 2nd ACT! eSummit

Wednesday 12th August 2009

To see the recording of the webinar, click here

Title	Presenter	Description	Time
Sage Marketplace	Mike Lorge, MD, Sage Business Solutions	As the leading provider of business software for small to medium businesses, Sage has a range of solutions that can automate all areas of your business, including finance, warehousing, ecommerce, distribution etc. This short session will provide a brief overview of the complete range of solution offerings provided by Sage.	10.00 am - 10.15 am
Driving Revenue & Reducing Costs with Email Marketing	Bob Ogdon, Swiftpage	This session highlights a range of effective tips to make your email marketing campaigns easy, powerful, and cost effective.  Learn how Swiftpage, an integrated email marketing and Sales Force Automation solution for ACT! by Sage, allows you to deliver marketing messages to the right contacts at the right time directly from your ACT! database.	10.20 am - 10.35 am
Personalising ACT!	Allen Duet, Global CRM	Check out some of the awesome ACT! plug ins available to you on Devnet. This session will showcase how you can customise ACT! with some of these free plugins that work with the latest version. If you've always wanted to pimp your ACT!, this is a session you can't miss.	10.40 am - 10.55 am
Anywhere and Everywhere with ACT!	Mike Lazarus, GL Computing	Handheld Contact for ACT! allows you to take your ACT! database anywhere and access it from a mobile device such as a Blackberry,  Pocket PC, or Treo Smartphone . Learn how this ACT! mobility solution can increase the productivity of your mobile sales force and field force agents, while keeping them connected and up to date with company and customer records.  By providing simple, easy access to information through wireless devices you can greatly improve the level of service you deliver to your customers.	11.00 am - 11.15 am
Reduce Costs through Accounting Integration with MYOB	Josh Noonan, Red Onion Software	This session will highlight the benefits of integrating ACT! with your accounting system;, including:• Increased efficiency by streamlining workflows between accounts and front office staff• Increased sales opportunities by Integrating essential client information between ACT! and your accounting systems• Allow sales staff to monitor and manage customer credit• Eliminate dual entry of customer information • The complete solution for optimising workflow and increasing operating efficiency	11.20 am - 11.35 am
SMS Marketing with ACT!	Michael Bryant, ACT! Certified Consultant	SMS4ACT allows you to make sure your appointments are confirmed by sending SMS to your customers or contacts straight out of ACT!, this way you can ensure that your communication gets to the person and not caught up in the junk mail.  You can also conduct SMS Marketing to your database and letting them about an upcoming specials or events.  Improve the effectiveness of your communication through SMS, all the while tracking these communications against the contacts in ACT!	11.40 am - 11.55 am

Technorati Tags: ACT!,ACT! by Sage,CRM,Sage,Handheld Contact,Blackberry,Pocket PC,MYOB