Features by Version from 2005 to 2013

Sage ACT! Feature Improvements

Introduced since ACT! 2004 (Version 6)

2005 Version 7

·         Tabs: Separate Notes and History tabs

·         New Secondary Contacts Tab: Add unlimited secondary contacts associated to main contact

·         Contact Notes and History: Shared between/among multiple contacts

·         Customization: New field types-Picture/Yes-No/Email/URL, field drop-down with multi-select option, dropdown shared by multiple fields

·         Text formatting: change/add colors, bullets, graphics, URL links in notes, histories and activities

·         Attach documents: To activities, notes, and history

·         Groups: Group hierarchy views for up to 14 subgroups, dynamic group membership rules, contact scheduling from group

·         Lookup: Save lookup as a group

·         Companies: Link multiple contacts to an single Company entity

·         Opportunities: List view, Lookups, Quote from opportunity, Graphical sales pipeline report, edit/import product list

·         Synchronization: Query-based sync

·         Contact List View: Export lookup to Excel

·         Contact Views: Access to specific contacts defined by rules (limited access)

·         Security-five security levels for users make notes/histories/opportunities private

·         Calendars: 5 Views and global event view

·         Spell-check:  Notes, Histories and Emails

·         Email: Add ACT database as an Outlook Address book, email address verification and correction while processing mail merge

2006 Version 8

·         Email: Integration with Outlook, Outlook Express, Lotus Notes

·         Tree views for Groups and Companies

·         Contact Detail View: View all group associations for contact and add/remote contact from group or company at contact level

·         Contact List View: Link contacts to a company en masse, hyperlink companies to contacts

·         Lookup: Find contacts by user or team access

·         Customization: Edit/create new opportunity field names, more field types

·         Contacts: View team membership

·         Synchronization: Sync attachments tied to contacts or companies for remote users utilizing defined sync sets

·         Security Improvements: Support for non-local machine Administrators and improved sync data security, customize user permissions to define user rights to delete data and/or export data to Excel, definable administrative rights for remote users

·         Silent Install

·         Citrix® and Terminal Services Supported

·         Administration: Automatic database backup and sync

·         Mobile Support: Blackberry sync

·         Grant contact access en masse if utilizing limited access features for users.

·         Scheduled sync for remote users based on specific date, time and frequency

·         Scheduled backup based on specific date, time and frequency even if database is in use or closed on Server.

2007 Version 9

·         Lookup: Lookup Indicator, last email field lookup option added

·         Advanced Keyword Search:  Lookup key words in fields, notes, histories & zoom to exact location of the search result in a contact, group or company view.

·         Query: Edit or copy an existing saved query

·         Notes tab: Split note preview in contact detail view

·         Security: Update company field’s data linked to contact fields

·         Customization Specify linked contact and company fields, create field-level security (read only and no access options),

·         Outlook Integration –create an ACT history of emails sent to contact, send an Outlook email from contact view, create an ACT contact from an Outlook message, sync ACT Calendar to Outlook Calendar -manually or automatically, attach an Outlook email to any ACT contact history, define ACT history type when attaching Outlook email to a contact

·         Maintenance: Schedule to automatically run based on specific date, time and frequency

·         Security: Password expiration options, password complexity rules and password reuse limitation, define security level en masse for notes, history, and opportunities

·         Network: Support for network load balancing to maintain optimal performance in multi-server environments

2008 Version 10

·         Dashboards: Reporting in graphical views in dashboards format, ACT Premium Dashboards show Team data

·         Calendar: One click calendar copy, improved printing options, visibility improved

·         Contact List View: Now allows for field editing in a cell by cell methodology

·         Opportunities: Link to multiple contacts, user edit for product cost manually, naming of Opportunity optional

·         Customization: Opportunity fields now support dates, company field label new editable

·         Documents Tab: associate a local or network document to a contact with shortcut

·         Duplicate Checking: Check by first name/last name and in companies and groups

·         Advanced Queries: Run in groups and companies

·         Outlook Integration: Use Word as email editor, user option to make an email private when attached to ACT Contact, attach emails en masse to a contact

·         Advanced Query: “Does not Contain” query filter added

·         Synchronization: Group and company record limitations, improved sync set options, suspend sync option for remote users feature, improved remote database deployment

·         ACT for Web Improvements: Activity Series Support, Duplicate checking for groups and companies, ACT Dashboard Views and Group and Companies:  Tree views shown

·         Compatibility:  Vista and Office 2007

·         Tables: Design and view tables in Contacts, Groups and Companies (third party add-in needed to design table)

2009 Version 11

·         Installation: Streamlined installation using typical or custom options

·         Relationship Tab: Associate contact to contact without the use of groups or companies

·         New System Field Types: Two new system fields, import date of contact record and Is Imported (fields of data at import)

·         Lookup: View “Previous Lookup”

·         Backup: Option to exclude attachments from database backups (smaller backup file)

·         Synchronization: Improved user synchronization progress view, improved deployment or remote databases

·         History Icon on Toolbar: Add to all ACT views

·         Customization: Ability to edit “Regarding” dropdown list when recording a history

·         Opportunity: New filtering options

·         Calendar: Popup displays an activity scheduled for multiple contacts, activity alarm shows both contact  & company, “Go To (contact)” option in alarm works with single or multiple contacts (create lookup for multiple)

·         Mail Merge: Recalls last used options (template, merge list, etc.)

·         Attachments: Ability to mouse over an attachment icon and see details of attachment (type, creation date, etc.)

·         Backup: Automated backups with option to specify default location for backup files

·         OS Support: 64 bit Windows Versions

2010 Version 12

·         Contact Detail View: Welcome page, simplified navigation, improved Nav Bar on left panel, consolidated menus, big easy button bar,

·         Usability:  Instant search access from any view, contact list view appears after lookup, set color scheme preference,

·         Dashboards: New Dashboards

·         Web Info tab: Contact website viewing, social networking integration

·         Marketing Tab: ACT E-marketing feature added-email marketing from within ACT,  automatic contact history recorded, statistical results of marketing campaigns sent to user by email, email surveys, drip marketing campaigns

·         Customization: Create unlimited custom opportunity fields/dropdowns

·         Opportunities: Attach notes/histories/activities/documents, create opportunity without link to any ACT entity, create custom tables for Opportunities (third party design tool required), customize product detail view, and limit access to opportunity using limited access rules

·         iCalendar: Users can send calendar invites via iCalendar format, enhances calendar options in Outlook and ACT to import invites sent by email to ACT user.

·         Vcard: Create a Vcard from ACT contact data, send Vcard info to others via Outlook email

·         Reports: 13 new report templates, streamlined reports view with Favorites option

·         Data access: New OLEDB Provider – allows enhanced reporting from outside of ACT, data from groups/company membership and activities data

·         ACT Premium for the Web: Mail Merge with Word enabled, sales opportunities create Word based quotes

·         Synchronization:  Remote database creation modified to support creation of up to 50 remotes at once

·         Currency: At database creation specify currency type to be used within database

·         Multi-Language Support: ACT Users with locally installed language specific ACT version (French, German) can both view data in the same database in their preferred language version

·         ACT Mobile Live: View ACT data on mobile devices using ACT Mobile Live (fee based)

2011 Version 13

·         Usability: Redesigned Welcome Page, Toolbar Enhancements-Back and Forward Buttons, faster database creation

·         Business Info Tab: See Web based information on Contacts and Companies provided by Hoovers (D&B Company), purchase marketing lists based on specific demographics (fee based), import list directly into ACT after purchase.

·         Smart Tasks: Workflow feature for routine task automation

·         Outlook: True Outlook Integration of contacts, mail, calendaring and scheduling, full contact and calendar sync in Premium Workgroups and Web versions, improved security in email attach feature

·         Import: Data import from Excel, adds ability to create new fields on the fly, also synonym mapping of field names

·         Security: Improved security during backup and attachments saves

·         History Tab: Filter added for filtering by history type

·         Keyword Search: Option to include ALL record types

·         Task List: Location column option added to view

·         Compatibility: MS Windows® 7 & MS Office 2010

2012 Version 14

·         Installation: Improved installation wizard which shows exact install times and components installed during the process

·         Connections Nav Bar Tab: Learn about ACT Connected Services in one place (fee based)

·         Universal Search: Search entire database for keyword or phrase, filter options to narrow global search parameters

·         ACT Hosting: Provided by Sage ACT (fee based)

·         ACT Pro Users Mobile Device Access: Sage ACT! Connect (fee based) provides access to contacts and calendars from anywhere

·         ACT Premium Users Mobile Device Access:  Sage ACT! Premium Mobile available at no charge (installation of feature required)

·         ACT E-Marketing: Social Networking integration included

·         ACT! Scratchpad:  Convenient, desktop based virtual notepad with task import to ACT option

·         Google Integration: Gmail Integration as email client, Gmail Contacts and Calendar synchronization with customizable sync options

·         Open Database Wizard:  Improved prompts when opening and sharing databases, wizard shows all databases attached to local SQL instance and most recently used databases, allows database sharing to be enabled, option to open database not installed on local hard drive.

·         Import: Import Wizard provides details of successful and failed imports, gives an option to quickly cancel import if needed.

·         Compatibility:  Internet Explorer® 9 and Firefox 4 (MAC or PC) supported in all version of ACT and ACT Mobile products

·         Office Integration: User is prompted when Outlook integration fails due to installed 64 bit Office.

·         ACT Premium Web: Database Administrator tasks now available in this version. Includes: Managing users, setting passwords, managing teams and locking/unlocking database

·         Security: Provides Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) when using Sage ACT! Premium (access via web) feature and Google Sync feature

2013 Version 15

·         Installation: ACT! Premium Mobile: Now supports opportunities in contact view

·         Social Networking Updates: Viewable in ACT Contact via Web Info Tab

·         Smart Tasks: Can be run automatically without User login, data/field triggers will run Smart tasks without User intervention

·         Usability: Improved installation file download experience and streamlined install process, improved synchronization user interfaces and views, advanced logging, new wizards for remote database creation and database moving and sharing.
·      Works with Win8, Server 2012, and Office 2013 (with SP1)
·      Premium Mobile includes opportunity records,