Earlier this month, Sage Software released service pack 1 for the ACT! 2010 product. I have worked with the product first in my own environment and with several customers now and wanted to share with you what you can expect with this latest update of the program. There are four main improvements that were most requested by users, and a few others that were worth mentioning from the customers I have the privilege to coach. Hint: it is all good.
My Impressions of ACT! 2010 Service Pack 1
With any software there will be bugs to iron out after initial release, and with ACT by Sage, it’s not different. Truthfully, there were several “hotfixes” released shortly after the program released last fall to address immediate customer needs, with a service pack they often introduce something more than just bug fixes, let me explain.
I put a video together highlighting some things in this ACT! by Sage software patch. If you can’t see it here it’s available directly on YouTube here.
Here are 4 items called out by Sage in their user community as a part of communicating what customers can expect from this update.
One – Group and Company Counts
Quickly understand how many contacts are in a selected group or company.
Two – Search Button Change
Search button on the “big easy” bar no longer restricts access to keyword search.
Three – More Descriptive Info on Mail Merge
This is true for many of the improvements, just making it easier for users to know what to do, or what will be done when an option is selected.
Four – “Location” Field Avail in Task List View
This makes it easier to see “at a glance” where various activities are taking place form the task list view.
Performance
It is worth noting that there are significant performance gains as well.
- Time to Launch ACT! improved by 2 seconds.
- Time to open the Opportunity View improved by 6 seconds.
- Time to perform a lookup by last name improved by 2 seconds.
- Time to run a contact report improved by 40 seconds.
- Time to perform a mail merge to email improved by 10 seconds.
- Time to open ACT! with the Dashboard as the default initial view improved by 27 seconds.
Things to Be Aware Of
- Make a Way Out!: Always backup before applying any software update.
- Use Experts: If working with an expert like an ACT! Certified Consultant, be sure to use so that you understand the full impact this patch has in your environment.
- Outlook: While I haven’t experienced this, in some cases Outlook integration may have to be reestablished (and other preferences), so keep that in mind.
- Training: Improve your ACT! skills by getting instant access to my friend Mark’s training here. It is top shelf professionally done, and reasonably priced.
Access to Download and Details
Here are the details on the ACT! 2010 SP1 Update.
If you want to download any apply the patch, you can learn more here.
Your Turn
Have experience with this support pack? Likes? Dislikes? Chime in the comment boxes below.
Hi, my name is Travis Campbell, I operate this site. A key to success in any business is to effectively manage your relationships. ACT! is a software product helping millions when it comes to doing just that. This Website is designed to assist both those considering ACT! software for their business, as well as to provide insight to ACT! users who want to effectively use it in their day to day operations. So login, post, browse and enjoy.
Nice to see they are continuing to improve performance of the software. Thanks Travis.
I couldn't agree with you more, the application flies compared to just a couple years ago.
Well done travis, stay warm!
Thanks, as always, for providing great information.
Thanks for the email, I LOOK for your stuff. Will Sage ever integrate accounting with their software? When did you go bald?
Thanks for the feedback. Wow, how to respond… Well, Sage already does integrate with accounting software. And as for your last question. I didn't go bald…my hair is just cut really short.
I had major problems with the update on 2 of my 6 computers. The common item seemed to be that the 2 that crashed had Peachtree installed. I wound up having to get them to give me a link to the full program file with the update installed and use their special uninstaller which resulted in my having to reactivate office 2007 each time. It also wiped out my original database folder with most of my backups and other files. I eventually got it but I wasted most of 2 days fixing it. Fortunately I had another backup to restore. What a nightmare. Be careful if the regular update doesn't work.
Don-
Thanks for chiming in with your feedback and experience. Hopefully what you experienced is more of an anomaly than the rule. That is why you always need to have a "way back" as they say, backing up the DB, and your system is important.
-Travis
Hi Travis, I am not currently a ACT user but tried out the demo version and was not at all happy with Sage's support. My main problem was that the calendar had a problem and all I could view were the miniature calendars. I was wondering if this was because I was using outlook 2003?
Thanks,
Seems odd. So are you saying that the calendar view didn't work at all. from that view you can see the calendar as daily, weekly, monthly, etc. F4 brings up what I call the 'mini' calendar. Please clarify.
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