However, many times a single ACT! user calls lamenting that he can’t open his ACT! database because he  has forgotten his password.  I could charge the person to recover the password but, kind-hearted person that I am, I offer these tips that recover the password more often than not.

• Typically the user name is the users first and last name.
• The password is CASE sensitive, the user name is not.
• When prompted for your password, try leaving the password field blank.  If you can’t remember your password chances are good that you never had one to begin with.

So why does this happen?  Every ACT! database requires at least one user.  And, if the database only has a single user without a password, you will not be prompted to officially “logon” to the database.  However, if you add another user, upgrade to a newer version, restore a backup or move to a new computer you will have to supply your entire user name and password.  And that password might be blank.

In other cases, users include a checkmark next to the Remember password option which means they were able to open and close their ACT! database hundreds of times without ever having to supply a password.  Which leads me to wonder:  what’s the point of assigning a password if anyone can access your confidential data by just clicking OK? Absence may make the heart grow fonder but it doesn’t do a whole lot for your memory.  When you run into a situation where you’re required to cough up that password you may just find that you no longer remember what it is.

One finally tip:  if you do assign a password to your database avoid using common ones such as password or 123456.  These two passwords consistently rank as the most commonly used passwords year after year.

As most of you know, I’m probably one of the biggest ACT! cheerleaders around.  However, sometimes I run across an ACT! feature that makes me slap my head and wonder “what were they thinking??”  A case in point is the Documents tab.  I love the ability to create shortcuts to my documents so that I can easily access them from the contact’s Document tab rather than grappling around searching for files while talking to a client.  However, what I’d really like to do in some cases is get to an entire folder of information at the click of a button.  Unfortunately, this is not an option in ACT! – or so I thought before speaking to  two long-time ACT! Consultants, Chuck Cutler and Rita Kogstad.  They provided me with what turned out to be a very simple solution to a bothersome problem.

Follow these steps to create a link on the contact record to a data folder:

1. In ACT!, create a new URL field and place it in your contact layout.
2. Launch Windows Explorer (or My Computer).
3. Navigate to the folder you wish to link.
4. Right-click the folder, choose Properties from the contextual window and copy the folder’s location into the Windows clipboard
5. Type file:// in the new URL field and then paste in the contents of the clipboard.  For example, to navigate to my own documents folder I’d place file://C:\Users\Karen Fredricks\Documents into my ACT! field.

The next time you want to quickly get to the folder simply click it; the folder will pop open in seconds.

I like that little trick but there’s also a way to get a folder to show up on the Documents tab as well that ACT! Consultant Art Russ shared with me that and doesn’t necessitate the need to create a new field:

1. Launch Windows Explorer (or My Computer).
2. Navigate to the folder you wish to link.
3. Right-click the folder and choose Create Shortcut from the contextual menu.  You will now be on a shortcut file.
4. Use your mouse to drag and drop the shortcut file to the contact’s Documents tab.
5. Double-click the shortcut in the Documents tab to view the contents of the linked folder.

There are lots of cool shortcuts in ACT! that users take advantage of every day to make ACT! even more powerful than it already is.  If you have discovered other shortcuts that you’d like to share please let me know!

Oh, alarms – how do I hate thee?  Let me count the ways.  First of all, too many of you routinely snooze your alarms.  Secondly with all those alarms going off none of them really stands out so that the really important stuff is mixed in with the not so important stuff.  Finally, what happens if you forget to set an alarm or an activity?  The floodgates open and a deluge of information is lost forever.

Don’t believe me?  Research shows that at least 25% of the average database is dead wood.  And part of the reason for that dead wood is that we let too much important information fall through the cracks in our database.

Fortunately, the use of ACT’s dynamic group function provides a simple solution for plugging those holes.  A dynamic group will work automatically and require less time on your part than the more traditional method of scheduling tasks.  The contents of a dynamic group change dynamically when the information in your database changes.  For example, you might create a dynamic group for each of your sales people.  When you assign contacts the sales force they will automatically appear in the appropriate group; if you reassign contacts the groups will realign automatically.

Here’s what you’ll need to do to create those dynamic groups:

1. Determine the purpose of your existing alarms.  My solution will work for activities such as following up with new prospects or reaching out to customers that you haven’t spoken to in the last two months.
2. Create a group in ACT by going to the Groups Detail View, clicking the Groups menu, selecting New Group and giving the group a name.
3. Right-click the new group from the list of groups on the left side of the Groups Detail View, select Group Membership, choose Add/Remove Contacts and then click the Edit Criteria button.

At this juncture you’re ready to create a simple query to automatically find the contacts that match your criteria.  I particularly like to build my queries based on a date field so that I can automatically find customers with expiring maintenance contracts, or orders that are still waiting to be shipped.

You might find it helpful to see the new prospects that have been added to your database in the last two days to insure that they don’t “fall through the cracks”.  Here’s what that query looks like:

Once you get the hang of creating dynamic groups the sky’s the limit.  Just think – the only alarm you’ll have to be snoozing is the one next to your bed!

We had a great turnout to the webinar.  I was particularly surprised by the number and quality of the questions that we received.  There is indeed a black hole area in the minds of many ACT users.  And, although I’ve been synching my ACT database to my phone for years, I learned a few new tidbits that I thought I’d share with you.

Many of the questions revolved around picking the “best” phone.  The bottom line is to pick the phone that you like best with a few minor concessions:

1. Some phones are dumb. Literally.  A smart phone by definition is one that contains an operating system such as Blackberry, Apple, Android, and Palm.
2. Only smart phones can synch to a large database such as ACT.  It’s not that dumb phones are really dumb, they’re just not big enough to hold all that data.
3. Your cell phone carrier determines the phones that are available to you. If you’re lusting for an I-Phone you’ll have to move to AT&T.  If you stick with Verizon you’ll have a huge selection of Androids to choose from.

The next set of questions involved the synching process itself.  To sum it up, there are three basic scenarios for synching your ACT data to your cell phone:

1. Synchronize using a direct connection between your phone and your computer – your information data will flow directly from your database to your phone.  This requires a piece of software like Companion Link. This is probably the most traditional way of synching ACT data.
2. Synchronize wirelessly using the new free Google service.  This is the coolest way of synching but perhaps the most confusing as it contains two separate parts.  You’ll use Companion Link to synch your ACT database to a free Google account.  From there Google will automatically update your phone with your ACT information.  As complicated as it sounds, you actually only need to click a single button to synchronize your data and you won’t need to hunt for any cable wires.
3. Synchronize wirelessly using a paid monthly service. This is a great option for folks who want the latest and greatest changes on their phone – but don’t have the time or patience to wrangle with the technology.

Finally, there were lots of questions about Outlook, multiple databases and multiple users.  Can you synch both ACT and Outlook to your phone?  Yes!  Can each ACT user sync to their own phones even though they are all using the same ACT database?  Yes!  Can I synch just a portion of my ACT database to my phone?  Yes!

If you’d like to listen to the webinar you can access it online by clicking here. And as always, if you have a comment or a question please feel free to post a reply.

Karen Fredricks
blog@techbenders.com
www.techbenders.com

I moved across town last summer.  Although the move went smoothly, dealing with the various service providers didn’t.  Six months down the road and I’m still receiving monthly bills from Comcast for my old address.  The message that AT&T promised would play for a year providing callers with my new phone number stopped working after 30 days.  My lender closed its doors 30 days into the mortgage; the new lender routinely disconnects incoming calls and provides support via a third-world company with very poor connectivity.

Alternatively, I recently purchased some software from Staples online and found it the next day at my local Costco for $75 less.  I made a call to Staples and was put on hold; I expected to hear the usual drivel about restocking fees and software returns.  I was shocked when the rep came back a minute later and informed me that she had just made an $80 credit to my account.  My, that was easy!

So when did we start the downward spiral from idyllic support to customer service nightmare? And more importantly, is there anything we can do about it?

My dad always said that if you point a finger at someone you’re actually pointing two fingers back at yourself.  Try it, you’ll see what I mean.  Having been in the software industry for over 20 years I can’t help but think that I helped to contribute to this mess.  After all, I’m guilty of wanting to get the absolute best price around.  In turn, my comparison shopping cuts into the revenue stream of the companies I do business with.  Small wonder that the lines are now longer and the support folks less knowledgeable.

Software companies are in the same boat as your local hardware or office supplies store.  Hard as it may be for the average consumer to believe, software companies are in business to make money – or at least to remain solvent.  For example, ten years ago there were very few players in the CRM market; today there are virtually hundreds.  And, like the independent candidate that chips away at a front-runner’s lead, each of those companies represents a bit less revenue for the major players.  The math becomes simple – either raise the price of the software or cut back the services.

I’ve decided to start my own one man campaign to try to improve upon customer service.  I’m going to compliment great service (Staples, Staples, Staples) to my friends, neighbors and anyone else who will listen.  Rather than complaining about poor service (Comcast, Comcast, Comcast) I’ll give them two chances to correct the problem; if that doesn’t work I’ll do a search for “investor relations” on the Net, contact the President’s office, and let them know how lousy their service is.   When given the choice, I’m taking my business to the company that offers the best service, even if it’s a bit more pricey.  After all, if I don’t continue to support the one man shops I’ll have no one to blame but myself when my only recourse is to shop at a Superstore where I’ll have to deal with both long lines and poor service.

Finally, when it comes to software I’ll remember the words of my father – and those two fingers pointing back at me.  If I do something to mess up my computer (like simultaneously install 3 different Betas), don’t know how a program works, or try to get my latest piece of software to work with my oldest piece of hardware, I will call tech support.  And I will be willing to pay for their services.

Who knows, maybe my grass roots effort will catch on.  Now I wonder if that Obama guy needs some help with health care reform.

Karen Fredricks
www.techbenders.com
blog@techbenders.com