Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12322 in Software
• Color: ACT! 6.0 Upgrade
• Brand: Interact Commerce Corp
• Released on: 2002-08-16
• Platforms: Windows XP, Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me
• Format: CD-ROM

Amazon.com Review
Imagine Outlook on steroids and you're halfway to understanding what you can do with ACT! 6.0. Installation can take a little planning, as you can't start using ACT! until you have registered it via the Internet or by printing out your registration details. If your PC has neither a printer nor an Internet connection, beware. It is also essential to look through the Readme file before you start using ACT! to ensure you understand how it integrates with other applications. On the plus side, it does include a printed manual so you can find out what it does without having to wade through the online help.

Once installed, you can either start entering your data manually or use the import wizard to import data from an existing source. ACT! allows you to store a vast array of information about your contacts. You can even attach letters and documents that relate to a given contact. Key to ACT! are the sales and opportunities features that allow you to keep track of where you are with each contact. ACT! can either be used as a standalone tool, or a work group can share a single database, with individual usernames and passwords.

Where ACT! really excels is in its ability to integrate with existing applications. From within ACT! you can send e-mails using the software's own e-mail function, or with Outlook or Outlook Express. You can also send faxes with WinFax Pro. Documents can be created using ACT! or your usual word processing program. With suitable hardware you can even have your phone dial your contacts with a single mouse click.

Finally, ACT! includes a tool that allows you to synchronize data between different databases. This lets laptop users update their local records and then have the changes copied to the office master file.

ACT! is just the thing for any individual or business that has sophisticated contact and task tracking needs. The integration with your existing applications, plus the sales-orientated features, make for a powerful combination. --Iain Laskey, Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com Product Description
ACT! 6.0 organizes all your customer information in one place to give you instant access to every detail of every customer relationship. You'll be able to find anyone or any detail in seconds, including names, phone numbers, addresses, notes from previous conversations, upcoming appointment details, call histories, a list of follow-up activities, and much more.

ACT! even manages your sales pipeline with forecasting tools and built-in reports, and allows you to safely share complete customer information with your workgroup. It works with Outlook, handhelds, and paper planners to propel your business to a whole new level.

Customer Reviews

Don't do it!!!!
I am one of the MANY victims of this poor excuse for an update. Stick with Act 2000 if you have it. Just go to the ACT web site and check out the discussion forums. Everyone is mad as hell.

This upgrade is a joke. Stay away from it.
If you are planning to upgrade from Act!2000 think about it twice. Not worth a fifth of its price, and not totally debugged either. It messed up my Outlook e-mail, keeps hunging up in Win XP when you try to run reports previously defined in Act!2000 (that run like a jewel in the previous version) and more. Graphic interface is so bad that some of the icons leave you guessing as to what they are. Some of the features I appreciated from the previous version have been taken out. Thankfully it comes with a 30 day money-back guarantee. I got so upset with it that I claimed my refund.

How has it survived?!?!
In looking for a good, solid contact management program, I was drawn to ACT!. For personal use, Outlook was fine, but when it came to managing my business clients and contacts (the core of any business), Outlook wasn't sufficient. So I thought I'd take advantage of the powerful features that ACT! pitches.

Bottom line: Save the money. ACT! might be powerful, but it's hidden underneath a clumsy (VERY) interface and poor coupling with Outlook. In addition, its limited feature set proved the ultimate downfall, as I was unable to use ACT! as my e-mail client because their limited settings do not suffice for my advanced e-mail setup.

I suppose for basic contact management, ACT! would work. For someone who wants to spend less time managing their contact management program and more time managing their CONTACTS, I recommend you steer clear of this product.