ACT Contact Management Software Profile & Review

Act! is the product of SageCRM and without question, the most popular CRM Solution in the world.  The product is in it's 9th version currently and has a loyal user following because of the ease of use, the robust features, and the low price.  You can buy ACT! in pretty much every big box store around the country or on the internet and millions of sales professionals have used ACT! at one point or another in their sales career.

Act! is not like a Salesforce or Salesboom in the fact that they primarily target small businesses and independent salesreps.  Since it's software, smaller businesses simply install the software on their computer and call it a day.  It has gained a fantastic reputation for it's ease of use and affordable price.

One of the downsides of ACT! is that it is a software program.  More and more companies are looking for a web based crm software and since Act! does not offer a hosted solution, it's probably going to fall behind in the marketplace as more and more salespeople and managers are looking for the ability to access their records anywhere there is internet access.  Right now, there are companies available that will host your version of ACT! for you, but it is much more expensive than simply going with a hosted solution.

Sage recently introduced Act! 2007 9.0 which has received less than stellar reviews from the general public.  Reports are that the software is full of bugs, clunky, and will completely bog down your system if it's running.  Obviously, not something you want to hear if you are the company behind this brand.  When new software is rolled out, it's not exactly uncommon for it to come out without a few bugs, so if you have your heart set on buying the new software, you have a few options.  You could buy an older version of the software at an online site.  You could also hold off until an new update comes out and they've fixed some of the bugs in the system.  Or you could simply go with another CRM Software that fits your needs.

Overall, I'd give ACT! overall a positive rating, but you might want to hold off on the current version for now.