Soft Skills, Inc.

A Sweet Little ACT! Add-on

softskillsadmin — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:48:05 +0000

We tend to collect so much data in our CRM of choice that we can easily miss key data. Such is true with ACT!, where data can be spread (and easily overlooked) among the ever-growing number of Tabs on the lower-half of the screen. Durkin Computing overcomes that problem with “Tab Indicators”, a $29.00 add-on that displays, with graphic icons and/or number-counts, whether there are Notes, or Histories, or Activities and more on those Tabs:

Here I’ve simply opted to display the counts of Notes, Histories & Activities on the Tab – a quick glance down, without having to click through each Tab, tells me whether I need to click in to review any data in each Tab.

And here I’ve added colored icons to really grab my attention:

You can select the color and style of the icon from among 6 choices, and whether to include the count alongside the Tab name. For those Tabs with fields, like the Contact Access Tab in the example above, I’ve set a Red Indicator to appear if the Contact is set to Limited Access, which saves me from having to click on that Tab each time to see whether it’s been set to Limited Access. You could design a simple rule to turn the Tab Indicator Red if an important piece of information was missing, such as an e-mail address.

I love this add-on because it saves me clicks, and clicks=time, and time=money. Visit http://www.durkincomputing.com/TabIndicatorforACT.aspx to download the evaluation and/or purchase a license.

What is Microsoft SQL and why does Sage ACT! need it?

softskillsadmin — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:13:57 +0000

There’s always been confusion over the purpose and role of Microsoft SQL (MS SQL) with regards to ACT! It would help to first understand what Microsoft SQL is by way of analogy. When you visit your local library, you check the Card Catalog, find the book numbers that you need and then walk the shelves to find your books. If you’ve ever visited the main branch of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue @ 42d Street, you still check the Card Catalog, but you fill out a Call Slip and hand it in, where it is retrieved by a ‘Page’ who knows right where your books are, and returns them via conveyors or dumbwaiters to you while you wait, or do other reading. (Despite movies to the contrary, Pages don’t wear skates to travel quickly through the stacks.) The old versions of ACT! were like your local library, where ACT! did all of the leg work. Since ACT! 2005, Sage ACT! is like the NY Public Library, where MS SQL acts as the ‘Page’ and gets the record(s) that ACT! needs to fulfill your request. It’s much more efficient, faster and splits the workload. (For a fascinating explanation and tour of the NYPL, please visit http://www.nypl.org/blog/2010/12/21/stack-tour)

SQL, pronounced either S-Q-L or Sequel, stands for Structured Query Language, and isn’t the exclusive property of Microsoft. Several companies, like Oracle, make SQL databases, but Sage chose Microsoft’s MS SQL database for use with ACT! Microsoft offers several versions of SQL, from free to $ to $$ to $$$. Sage ACT! Pro includes MS SQL Express – the free version that has ‘speed governors’ on it to differentiate it from the $$$ versions. Sage ACT! Pro will only support up to 10 users, so MS SQL Express is perfectly fine. Sage ACT! Premium, which has no upper limit on the number of users, also comes with MS SQL Express and Sage advises that MS SQL Express is adequate for up to 30 users, but if you plan on having more that 30 users, it’s recommended that you upgrade to MS SQL Standard, the $ version. Sage offers a bundle of Sage ACT! Premium with MS SQL Standard, or you can BYOS (Bring your own SQL). If you already own the right version of MS SQL Standard, you can use that for your Sage ACT!

Sage ACT! is very fussy as to what version of MS SQL and what service packs it needs. It also insists on it’s own instance and won’t share it’s instance of SQL with other applications. To avoid frustration and unexpected incompatibilities, engage us early to help you plan and configure the right installation to fit your needs, without overspending. We’re experts in MS SQL and we’re here to help you.

Sage ACT! Premium Mobile

softskillsadmin — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:55:28 +0000

Coming soon: Sage ACT! Premium Mobile – get your key contact information while out of the office on your iPhone, iPad, Android phone and tablet, Blackberry and Mac. No more messy synchronization, no more limits on how many contacts you can sync, make changes in real-time, stay in touch. Schedule appointments and reminders for yourself and others and check your calendar, all while away from your desk. I’ve been participating in the Beta test for this important new product and I am thoroughly impressed. This is what I’ve been asking for, for several years. Sage has included the key functions that I need while away from my office.