Business Software Made Easy - Time Saving Tips

Change the Contact Sort Order in ACT!

Sun, 9 Nov 2008 21:19:15 GMT

Originally Posted November 9 2003

If you are using ACT! you may have wondered why your contacts are sorted the way they are. Usually when you are browsing through your contacts one-at-a-time and they don't appear to be in a consistent order. Here's what you can do to change the way your contacts are sorted in the order you want.

In all versions of ACT!:

Edit > Sort ...

Select the first criteria in the 'Sort by:' field (perhaps Last Name)

Select the sort order

Select the first criteria in the 'Sort by:' field (perhaps First Name)

Select the sort order

Select the first criteria in the 'Sort by:' field (perhaps Company)

Click OK

-This will sort All your Contacts according to Last Name, First Name, and Company

-You can also sort by: Company, Last Name, First Name which will group your Contacts according to their Company then in Alphabetical Order by Last Name

Note: When you change the sort order it affects only your view of the ACT! database. In otherwords, if you are using an ACT! database that is networked (where other people can access the same database), it only affects your view of the database.

Cut and Paste to manage your ACT schedule

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:09:46 GMT

Originally Posted October 12 2008

If you are using ACT and take advantage of its calendar to manage your schedule, you probably know about some of its handy features like; linking appointments to specific contacts to track their history, setting up reoccurring appointments that propagate through your schedule and even assigning appointments to other members of your team. There is another handy feature that you may not know about.

If you scheduled an appointment and perhaps want to schedule a similar appointment, for a different day and time there is a short-cut - use the copy and paste feature.

For example, let's say for just this week you have schedule some time to review a list of prospective clients that you received from a trade show. After first glance, you think it will take more time than you initially thought so you need to schedule additional time to review the list. Instead of scheduling a new appointment, just use the Cut and Paste feature.

In ACT!

1. Click once on the appointment to select it

2. Edit > Copy

3. Click on the day you want to schedule the additional time

4. Edit > Paste

This works on all versions of ACT! from 2000 and newer.

That's it!

Keep your ACT To-dos off your calendar

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:02:09 GMT

Originally Posted June 22 1008

If you are already using ACT, you are probably using it to track your activities for all your contacts information. One feature that you may find annoying is that when you schedule a To-Do to make sure you send the product brochures to your latest prospect, research restaurants near your hotel for your upcoming trip, or set a reminder to pick-up the laundry this Wednesday it gets scheduled on your Calendar. If you are like me you probably want to keep them as a list and not in your calendar.

In ACT (2005 and newer)

1. Tools > Preferences...

2. Click the 'Calendar and Scheduling' tab

3. Click the 'Scheduling Preferences...' button

-In the Activity type settings window

3. Click 'To-do'

4. Change Duration to 0 minutes

For good measure:

6. Uncheck 'Enable activity conflict checking'

Also

7. Make sure 'Default to timeless' is selected

8. Click OK

That's it!

Backup your ACT! database today!

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 22:37:08 GMT

Originally Posted April 6 2008

If you are using ACT!, you should backup your database regularly. If you have ACT 5.0 or 6.0, you may already get regular reminders when you open ACT. Either way, here's how you do it.

In ACT! 5.0/6.0

1. File > Backup...

-The Backup window appears

For good measure, click the 'Options' tab

1a. Select all checkboxes

1b. Select Reminder

1c. Set a reminder for at least every 7 days

1d. Click the 'General' tab

2. Name your backup file (your database name)_(today's date).zip

-This will be easier to find if you need to recover it

3. Click 'START'

In ACT! 2005/2006/2007/2008

1. File > Back Up > Database...

-All your supporting files will be included in the backup

2. Name your backup file (your database name)_(today's date).zip

3. Click 'OK'

This process can be automated. If your database is too important to be without it, please give me a call at 512-451-9720. I would be happy to schedule an appointment to assist you with this - so you can sleep better at night!

Save your typing, just paste your Contact's info into an e-mail

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 19:50:55 GMT

Oct 10 2007

It has been a little while since I last gave a tip on ACT. Here's one that I that I think you will like.

Let's say that a colleague asked you for the Contact info for someone you have in your database. You probably know that you can send their info as a .vcf attachment, but there is alternative. Here's how:

In ACT! all versions

1. Lookup the Contact who's information you want to send in your ACT! database

2. View their Contact record (the screen that depicts only their info)

3. Press CTRL + C (copy) - nothing will appear to happen

4. Create a new blank e-mail in either ACT email, Outlook, etc.

5. Press CTRL + P (paste)

The Contact's basic contact info is inserted into the body of the email.

If you are wondering how to insert a Contact's information as a .vcf attachment (this includes more complete information and the recipient can then just open the attachment and save them directly into their ACT! database) here's how:

In ACT! all versions

1. Create a new e-mail in ACT! E-mail

-In the new e-mail window

2. Insert > Contact...

3. Locate the Contact you want to attach

4. Click 'Add>'

5. Click 'OK'

6. Complete and send the e-mail as normal

That's it!

So You Think You Are Still Ready for Vista?

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 21:23:32 GMT

Sept 24 2007

I wanted to follow-up to a previous Tip from Feb 25 'So You Think You Are Ready for Vista?' of this year regarding the software compatibility problems with Microsoft's Vista. Here are the updates since that time:

iTunes:

iTunes is now Compatible with Vista. You can download the latest version 7.4.2 at: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

Palm:

Palm Desktop software and HotSync is compatible with Vista with a few limitations. You can download the Vista compatible version at: http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/. Download the Palm Desktop and HotSync after selecting your Phone model and Carrier.

QuickBooks:

QuickBooks 2008 compatible with Vista

QuickBooks 2007 compatible with Vista

QuickBooks 2006 NOT compatible with Vista

Here's the compatibility chart of supported QuickBooks versions from Intuit.

ACT!:

ACT 2008 compatible with Vista

ACT 2007 limited compatiblility with Vista after download and installation of the Windows Vista HotFix

ACT 2006 NOT compatible with Vista

ACT Premium for Real Estate NOT compatible with Vista

Here's the compatibility chart including links for addtional support and download information from Sage Software.

If you are still considering Vista, be sure that ALL YOUR PROGRAMS will run on Vista especially your PRINTERS, SCANNERS, CAMERAS, and anything else you plug into your computer.

Print Labels in ACT!

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:24:39 GMT

July 23 2007

One of the most common questions I get about ACT! is if there is a way to print labels. If so then how?

In all versions of ACT! 5.0 - 2007

**Be sure to complete a Lookup of the contacts you want to print before starting these steps

1. File > Print...

-Under 'Printout Type' in the left column

2. Select 'Labels'

3. Select your label type according to Avery standard

-Office Max and Office Depot labels will state their equivalent Avery type on the package if you are using those brands

4. Click 'Print'

5. Select 'Current Lookup'

**Best practice is to leave 'Preview' as the selected output in case something is wrong with the selected contacts

**If printing on an incomplete sheet of labels, you can select the starting position of labels under the 'Position' tab

6. Click 'OK'

-Review your Labels

**Load your printer with labels

7. Click the Printer button to print

You're done!

The Print Label feature isn't easy to find - even in the latest versions of ACT!. But, it does exist and is very handy when completing a mail merge.

Can't insert merge fields in your Mail Merge template in ACT! 2007?

Sun, 3 Jun 2007 21:49:53 GMT

June 3 2007

If you are using ACT! 2007 (Standard or Premium for Workgroups), have Microsoft Word as your default word processing program, and tried to create a Mail Merge template you may have discovered something missing - the ACT! Merge Fields. Fortunately, Sage addresses the problem with a downloadable Hotfix for this version of ACT!.

Installing the HotFix is a two-step process. First, the download:

1. Go to: http://www.act.com/community/profile/login/index.cfm?type=profile&Host=www.act.com&Path=/support/updates/index.

cfm&QS=&CFID=36296765

2. Create an account If you haven't already (I know this is annoying, but they didn't ask me)

-After you have logged in

3. Click: http://www.act.com/support/updates/index.cfm?DOWNLOAD=349

4. Click 'Download Now'

5. Save it to your computer that is easy to find, like your Desktop or your My Documents folder

*It may be a good idea to save it to a network or shared drive if you have to install this Hotfix on other computers or you can just copy the downloaded Hotfix onto a USB Flash drive.

Second, the installation:

1. Close all programs including ACT!

2. Double click on the downloaded Hotfix file to start the installation

-The HotFix is installed

That's it!

Scan for Duplicates in ACT!

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 22:27:41 GMT

April 23 2007

You may have noticed that the latest versions of ACT! (2005, 2006, and 2007 - heck even ACT 5.0/2000 and 6.0/2004) have a Scan for Duplicates function. But when you run it, it finds contacts that aren't even duplicate contacts or even doesn't identify duplicated contacts that you know are there. If you are wondering why, read on...

The Duplicate Scan function has a set of three criteria that it uses to search for duplicates. By default the criteria is to set to find duplicated contacts based on:

If ACT! is finding contacts that are not true duplicates, it may be because it is finding contacts where the Company field is blank.

In this case try changing the criteria to something like:

If you are not finding duplicates that you know exist try loosing up the criteria like:

You can even just change the criteria to just:

That's it!

So you think you are ready for Vista?

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 18:41:44 GMT

February 5 2007

Q: I recently bought a laptop that came with Windows XP, but I was wanting to upgrade to Vista. Do you think this would be wise thing to do?

A: So you think you are ready for Vista? Do you have a computer that is labeled Vista Compatible? Well before you take the plunge, be sure you and your computer are ready.

First you can download a handy program from Microsoft that will evaluate your computer's status, recommend which flavor of Vista will be best for your computer, and provide an outline of which of Vista’s new features it will be able to run: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?

familyid=42B5AC83-C24F-4863-A389-3FFC194924F8&displaylang=en

Second, prepare to purchase more RAM memory. Even if your computer is Vista compatible, be sure you have enough RAM. If you have 512MB that isn't even enough. You will want to get at least 2GB of RAM (just to start) if not just purchase the maximum amount of RAM memory your computer will hold.

Third, make sure that all your software will run on Vista. Unlike other software of the past, some programs won't run specifically on Vista:

-ACT! 2006 or older (ACT! 2007 will, but you need a download). Please see the following from Sage Software:

http://itdomino.act.com/act.nsf/1b3cab81ad2ef30207256bb300662231/

80fc1eeb75b3e71307257272005014ac?OpenDocument&Highlight=2,vista

-QuickBooks 2006 or older with exceptions. Please see the following from Intuit:

http://www.quickbooks.com/Helpcenter/vista/ProductCompatibility.aspx

-Here’s a statement from Apple regarding iPod and Vista:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/ptech/stories/

020307dnbusapplevista.9ae915.html

-Here’s some info regarding Palm & HotSync:

http://promosearch.palmone.com/search/promosearch?sp-q-required-1=

1&sp-a=sp10032ba7&sp-x-1=country&sp-q=vista&sp-q-3=knowledgebase&sp-x-2=

Model&sp-q-2=&sp-t=cat_search&sp-q-1=us&sp-x-3=col&sp-p-2=all&sp-i=1

Check all your software manufacturer's websites to verify Vista compatibility or if any additional downloads may be needed.

This is certainly a lot of areas to cover, but the time you save preparing will save you hours of troubleshooting and perhaps some frustration.

Automatically manage your ACT! Contact Groups

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 23:16:59 GMT

July 31 2006

Q: I noticed that my ACT! 2006 [standard] has a ‘Dynamic Members’ feature available for each Group I create. What is it and how can I use it?

A: The latest versions of ACT! (2005 and newer) have included some very handy features including the one you just mentioned – Dynamic Members. This feature will automatically scan your Contacts for a criteria that you define and add them (or even remove them) from a Group. This feature will definitely save you time. For example, let's say you have a Group named ‘Newsletter’ that you use to manage your newsletter subscription list. You want to have all your contacts with 'Customer' in your ID/Status field included in this Group by using the Dynamic Members feature. Here's how you use it:

In ACT:

1. Click the Group (or Companies) button in the left-hand margin

2. Select/Highlight the 'Newsletter' Group in the hierarchy tree (or find it in the Hierarchy field (ACT! 2005)

3. Click the 'Contacts' tab at the center of the screen

4. Click 'Add/Remove Contacts...'

-The Add/Remove Contacts... window appears

5. Click the 'Edit Criteria...' button

-The Group Criteria window appears

6. Enter the following criteria:

Type: Contact

Field Name: ID/Status

Operator: Equals

Value: Customer (you may need to type in)

7. Click 'Add to List'

8. Click 'Preview'

-A preview of all your contacts are displayed at the bottom of the window

9. Click 'OK'

Now, any Contact with 'Customer' in the ID/Status field will automatically be added to the Newsletter whether you change an existing Contact or add a new one.

**Note: Strangely, when you use the Dynamic Members feature the Group (or Company) that the Contact has been added to under the Groups/Companies tab will not be displayed. Go figure.

Get all those scheduled calls off my ACT! calendar

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 16:46:48 GMT

May 1 06

Q: I manage several important contacts using ACT!, but when I schedule a reminder to Call Contact in ACT!, ACT! automatically schedules a 30 minute block of time on my Calendar for that particular day. This is helpful if it is truly a scheduled call (like a conference call) but for calls that I merely need to remind myself as a follow-up, this becomes cumbersome. Is there a way in ACT! to have all my scheduled Calls default where they don’t show up on my calendar?

A: Yes. Here’s how:

In ACT! 6.0

Edit > Preferences…

Click the - Scheduling tab

Select ‘Calls’ from the drop down list in the ‘Settings for’ field

Select ‘0 minutes’ in the ‘Duration’ field

Click ‘Apply’

Click ‘OK’

In ACT! 2005 and newer:

Tools > Preferences…

Click the ‘Calendar & Scheduling’ tab

Click the ‘Scheduling Preferences…’ tab

Select ‘Calls’ in the ‘Activity type settings’ field

Select ‘0 minutes’ in the ‘Duration’ field

Click ‘OK’

That's it!

Let's go to the map...

Mon, 8 Jan 2007 15:01:01 GMT

Mar 13 2006

Q: I loved ACT! 5.0. So much so, I upgraded to ACT! 2006. I haven’t had enough time to explore all its features but I heard there is a mapping feature that will bring up a map for a contact. How do you use it?

A: ACT! is a great program to help you track your contacts, especially if you are in Sales or Marketing and have several to keep track of. Starting with ACT! 2005, Best Software included a handy feature called Display Map. This feature will pull up a map for the Contact you are currently viewing using a Mapquest map. This is all you need to do to use it:

In ACT (ACT! 2005 or newer)

1. Find a Contact you need in your ACT! database using the Look-up, then

2. Contacts > Display Map... (by 'Contacts' I mean the Contacts drop-down menu between Lookup & Groups)

-That's it!

How to attach an entire inbound email to a Contact in ACT!

Mon, 8 Jan 2007 09:12:31 GMT

Feb 20 2006

Q: Is there a way I can get ACT! to record an entire email under the History section of a specific Contact?

A: Yes. You probably realize that ACT! records the subject and time/date stamp for all outbound emails sent to your Contacts when you create the email starting from their contact record. You may find times when you need to record an email in its entirety sent to you.

Here’s how you do it in ACT! 5.0 and newer:

In your ACT! Email:

1. Go to your Inbox (this will also work with when you are in ANY email folder)

2. Find the email you want to attach to the contact

3. Right click on that email

4. Select ‘Attach to Contact…’

5. Select the contact(s) to whom you want to attach the email

6. Click OK

That’s it!

The email is saved in its entirety under that Contact’s Notes/History or History section. You can attach an email to one or several Contacts at once. After a while, you may find that you won’t need to create so many folders in your Inbox!

Two clicks away from your Contact's phone number

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 15:49:55 GMT

Oct 10 2005

Q: Is there a fast way to look up the phone number of a person with whom I have Meeting scheduled on my ACT calendar?

A: In ACT:

-While viewing your Calendar

1. Right click on the Icon (Two hands shaking) for the scheduled Meeting on your Calendar

-The mouse menu appears

2. Select ‘Go to Contact’

-That Contact record is automatically pulled-up

That’s it!

Bonus:

You can use the same technique when looking at your Task list too!

Link a scheduled Meeting to multiple contacts in ACT!

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 07:48:15 GMT

Sept 5 2005

Q: I use ACT! 6.0 to manage my contacts. Sometimes I need to schedule a meeting that involves more than one contact and I would like to ‘link’ that meeting to all the individuals involved so it can be tracked in their Notes/History section. How can I do this?

A: ACT! is a great software to track and record historical activities with all your contacts. Instead of creating individual meetings for each contact involved with a specific meeting, you can create a single meeting and link it to all contacts in one motion. Here’ how:

In ACT 2004/6.0 and 5.0

1. Contact > Schedule Meeting

2. Add any details about the meeting you would like to record

3. Click the 'Contacts' button at the right hand side of the window – about mid way down

-All the contacts in your database are displayed in the left column

4. Select ‘Contacts...' from the drop-down menu

5. Select/Highlight on the Contacts you want to 'link' to this Meeting

6. Click the 'Add >' button

-When all the contacts are selected

7. Click 'OK'

8. Click 'OK'

ACT 2005/7.0:

1. Schedule> Meeting

2. Add any details about the meeting you would like to record

3. Click the 'Contacts' button at the right hand side of the window – about mid way down

4. Select/Highlight 'Select Contacts...' from the drop-down menu

-All the contacts in your database are displayed in the left column

5. Select/Highlight on the Contacts you want to 'link' to this Meeting

6. Click the '>' button

-When all the contacts are selected

7. Click 'OK'

8. Click 'OK'

Quickly Record an In-bound Phone Call in ACT!

Sat, 9 Sep 2006 17:19:25 GMT

August 8 2005

Q: I use ACT! to manage the contacts for my business. When someone calls that is in my ACT! database I usually record the conversation as a Note, but I know this isn't the best way to do it. How can I quickly record the phone call in this situation?

A: Recording a phone call as a Call and not a Note is a better practice when using ACT!. In addition to having your Calls saved in the Notes section (ACT 2005 & 2006) it also won't update the Contact Record System Fields - making contact management a more difficult. You can record your in-bound phone calls as Calls very easily by:

In ACT!:

1. Find the Contact in your Database

2. Contact > Record History...

-Under ‘Activity type:’

3. Select 'Call'

4. Enter any details relevant to the call. Perhaps include a reminder to follow-up.

That's it!

Rescheduling a meeting in ACT! is just a drag-and-drop away!

Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:27:35 GMT

June 20 2005

Q: I love my ACT! 6.0, but hate having to open a meeting just to reschedule it?

A: Yes, there is a fast way to reschedule meetings in ACT! versions 5.0/2000 through ACT! 2005

Here's how:

In ACT!:

1. Open your Calendar (Daily, Weekly, or Monthly whatever)

2. Find the Meeting you want to reschedule

3. Click and drag the 'Handshake' icon located on the scheduled Meeting to the new time within the same day or onto the new day.

*You can even reschedule the Meeting into a new week by dragging it into the appropriate day on the mini calendar at the upper right hand side of the window (Strangely, this works only with ACT! 5.0/2000 or ACT! 6.0/2004)

How can I fast forward through the mini-calendar in Outlook?

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 09:32:04 GMT

May 2 2005

Q: In Outlook, how can I quickly move ahead several months with in the Mini-Calendar (for clarification, I consider the Mini-Calendar the month calendar either at the upper right or left hand side of your screen when you are looking at your calendar folder)?’

A: All you need to do is:

1. Click on the name of the month in the Mini-Calendar

-A list of months before and after the current month are displayed

2. Drag the Pointer to the desired month then

3. Let go

That’s it!

*Bonus: This Tip also works in ACT! 6.0 - 2006 if you Right Click on the name of the month.

To revert to the current day in Outlook:

1. Right Click on the Day displayed (Ex. ‘Sunday, May 01, 2005’)

2. Select ‘Today’

I hope this Tip saves you time!

Let your fingers do the walking

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 11:29:03 GMT

February 28 2005

Q: I use ALT + TAB combination for manuvering between my open windows, but I have to stop and use my mouse when I get into programs that have windows inside them like QuickBooks and ACT!. Is there a way a similar key combination that will allow me to manuver within the open windows in these programs?

A: Yes. In QuickBooks and ACT! 6.0 all you need to do is press CTRL + Tab.

These program have windows within their main window. For example, ACT! will have Contacts, Calendar, and To-dos while QuickBooks, you will have Account List, Vendors, Invoices etc.

I noticed that this tip won't work with the latest versions of ACT! (2005-2006), but it will likely work with other programs. You will just have to do a little experimenting to find out all the ones which do.

Print a fax cover sheet in 3 clicks!

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 23:58:19 GMT

January 17 2005

Q: How can I create a Fax Cover Sheet for the Current Contact in ACT!?

A: All you need to do is:

-In ACT!

1. Lookup the Contact for whom you want to create the cover

2. Write > Fax Cover Page…

3. Click the 'Print' button and you're done

Email Search in ACT! - Finally!

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 08:15:24 GMT

May 15 2006

Q: Is there a way that I can search for a specific email(s) in ACT!

A: If you are using ACT! 2005 or newer, you're in luck. For those who don’t know, ACT! (a very popular contact management database) can be configured to use your existing Outlook, Outlook Exchange, or Outlook Express email accounts. You can even set it up as a stand-alone email program. The only problem is that there wasn’t a feature that could Find/Search for Email. In the 2006 version of ACT! that is no longer the case.

Here’s how to use the Email Search feature in ACT!:

-In your ACT! Email program

1. Right click on the Email Folder you want to search

2. Select ‘Find Message…’

3. Enter any criteria you want to use to search for that Email like; Who its from, who it was sent to, any part of the Subject, or any part of the Message (body)

4. Click ‘Find Now’

-The Emails that meet the criteria are displayed at the bottom of the Find Message window. Just double click on any Email and it is automatically displayed!