ENEWS > SUMMER 2007 > QUESTIONS ABOUT USING ACT!

Questions About Using ACT!

Q: I can go into the layout designer, and from this view, I can view a layout that I’ve created.  However, when I close the layout designer and switch back to the main ACT! interface, I do not see the changes I’ve made to my layout. 

A:  Go to the Contacts view in ACT!.  In the bottom left corner of the screen, click the Layout button.  You should get an options list of all layouts in the layouts folder for your database.  Select the layout you’ve edited from this list, and your modified layout should appear.

To fully understand how layouts work, you have to understand where the layouts are saved when you edit them.  When a database is created, a folder called the Database Supplemental Files folder is created.  This Database Supplemental Files folder is in the same folder where your database was created.  Let’s say your database is called MyContacts and is located in the c:\data folder.  Within the c:\data folder, you’ll see a folder called MyContacts-database files.  That’s your Database Supplemental Files folder.

Within the Database Supplemental Files folder, you’ll see a folder called Layouts.  The Layouts folder houses all of your contact layouts (.cly files), company layouts (.aly files), and group layouts (.gly files).   Each database has its own set of layout files. 

Q: Can I have more than one database with one license of ACT!?

A: Yes.  You can create a multitude of databases with your ACT! license.  Realistically, depending on your hardware, there’s probably a physical limit to the number of databases you can have on a computer, but you’ll probably grow tired of creating new databases long before you find the limit set by your hardware.  If you add additional users to a workgroup environment, you’ll need a license for each active user.

Q: How do I incorporate html templates into my ACT! e-mail campaigns? Does ACT! let me send e-mails that have photos, graphics and other items, and then send them off to all my leads?

A:  You can send a mass e-mail with ACT!, but if you’re sending a lot of mass e-mail communication, you should check out SwiftPage, a cool add-on that directly integrates into ACT!.  With SwiftPage, you can import an HTML template, and you can also use their simple online editor to create e-mail templates on your own. 

SwiftPage helps you create professional-looking HTML e-mails.  You can send these e-mails to your contacts right from ACT! with no send limit restrictions.  Best of all, SwiftPage tracks opens, clicks, opt-outs, and bounced e-mails.  Ever wonder who actually reads those newsletters you spend so much time putting together?  Without something like SwiftPage, you’ll never really know.   Log into your online SwiftPage account, and you can even see a ranked list of your most active contacts.  (SwiftPage knows when a contact clicks, opens an e-mail, or forwards to a friend multiple times.)

There are lots of other features included with SwiftPage as well – like the ability to schedule e-mail campaigns for future sends.  SwiftPage accounts start at $29.95 per month, and with that basic account you can send 1,000 e-mails per day.  If you need more capacity, larger accounts aren’t that much more expensive.

In our consulting practice, we rely on SwiftPage for all of our mass e-mails, and we don’t know what life would be like without it.  Go to www.swiftpage.com for more information.

Q: We recently upgraded to ACT! 2007 and are wondering how can get all the information that is stored in our previous version (10+ years old) into ACT! 2007?   

A: You can convert an ACT! 3.0-6.0 database to version 2007.  To convert an old ACT! database to the new 2007 format, move the ACT! 3.0-6.0 database to somewhere on your local computer or network.  Then, in ACT! 2007, click File> Open.  From the drop-down at the bottom of the Open dialog box, choose the ACT! 3-6 .dbf option.  Then browse to the .dbf file for your old ACT! database.  Follow the on-screen wizard.

I won’t convert an older ACT! database without first running Cornerstone Solutions’ Red Flags tool.  It’s an invaluable tool for analyzing an ACT! 5.0 or 6.0 database prior to conversion to the newer code base.  Red Flags looks through your ACT! 6.0 database for corruption, duplicate group names, and about 40 other issues that could prevent a successful conversion.  To get more information on Red Flags, go to www.cornerstonesolutions.com/redflag.html.

If you are running ACT! 2005 (7.0), or ACT! 2006 (8.0), all you have to do to convert the database to the new format is open the database after installing the new version.

Q: What issues will I encounter if I am using ACT! with Microsoft Windows Vista, Office 2007, and Internet Explorer® 7.0 ?
 
A: For important information regarding ACT! compatibility with Windows Vista, Office 2007, and Internet Explorer 7.0. I encourage you to visit www.act.com/vista2007 where you’ll find complete compatibility/non-compatibility information, additional system requirements for using ACT! on Vista, known issues, and more.

Q: I know that we have many duplicate contacts in my database; however, when I click Tools> Scan for Duplicates to find them, I get an error and have to reboot because the scan keeps running.  Help!

A:  It sounds like you may have some sort of structural problem with your database.  The easiest way to fix database issues is to run a Check and Repair.  Logged into your database as a user with an administrator security role, click Tools> Database Maintenance> Check and Repair and click OK.  Most of the time, running a Scan and Repair fixes quirky issues like this. 

If that doesn’t work, try reinstalling ACT!.  If that doesn’t work, you may need to have your database repaired.  Sage Software’s technical support department offers a database repair service, or you may want to contact an ACT! Certified Consultant to take a closer look at your database.  To find a list of ACT! CCs in your area, go to www.act.com/acc.

If the duplicates in your database are extensive, there are a number of companies that have programs that help consolidate duplicates in ACT!.  You should check out the Duplicate Contact Remover Wizard for ACT! 2005, 2006 and 2007 www.egenconsulting.com.  eGrabber also has a great duplicate removal tool www.egrabber.com.

Q: My company uses ACT! and I’m new to it. Is there a teaching tutorial or some other form to assist me in getting up to speed quickly?

A: If you’re looking for in-person training, there’s a whole network of ACT! Premier Trainers (APTs) in North America.  Go to www.act.com.  Hover your mouse over the Partners option on the menu bar, and choose the ACT! Premier Trainers’ option.  Many APTs offer public training classes. 

You might find the ACT! QuickStudy guide helpful too.  To buy a copy of this book, go to www.act.com/quickstudy.  In addition to this, I wrote a series of course manuals available for ACT! 2005, 2006, and 2007 that are available from Thomson Course ILT.  Go to www.courseilt.com and search for ACT!. 

Q: I am still having trouble using the templates for Avery 5164 4” by 5” laser shipping labels.  I have tried several of the templates and none have been formatted correctly.  Then the font was very tiny. Can I download these templates again in case they have been altered by editing? 

A: Label templates are saved as .lbl files within your Database Supplemental Files folder.  This Database Supplemental Files folder is in the same folder where your database was created.  Let’s say your database is called MyContacts and is located in the c:\data folder.  Within the c:\data folder, you’ll see a folder called MyContacts-database files.  That’s your Database Supplemental Files folder.  So, within the Database Supplemental Files folder, there’s a reports folder.  That’s where your .lbl files are kept.

If you have edited a default label template and would like to revert to the factory default, you might copy that .lbl file from the same folder from another database. You might find it easier to create your own label template from scratch. 

1. Within ACT!, click Reports> New Template 
2. In the Report Types list, choose Contact Reports
3. In the Templates list, choose Contact Labels
4. Click OK.  The screen that appears will let you specify the size and attributes for your sheet of labels.

On the subject of labels, you might also check out the Dymo LabelWriter.  This label printer lets you print one-off labels right from within ACT!.  If you are using ACT! 2007, you’ll need to make sure you’re on the latest version of the Dymo software.  The version of the Dymo software that works with ACT! 2007 is the same one that is compatible with Windows Vista.  Go to www.dymo.com for more information. 

Q: How do you print batch labels? How do you specify the range of contacts that should be included in the set of labels?

A: You can print labels in ACT! by clicking File> Print.  Select the labels option on the left, and choose the type of label that you’d like to print.  Before you do this, it’s a good idea to do a lookup.  Labels can be printed for all contacts, the current lookup, or a single contact. 

So, if you wanted to print labels for all contacts in Texas, you would click Lookup> State.  Type TX in the Search for area, and click OK.  At this point, your current lookup would be everyone in Texas.  Then, you’d click File> Print and run your labels.

Q: What’s the best way to transfer data from Maximizer™ into ACT!?

A:  If you’re just trying to get contact information to transfer from Maximizer to ACT!, it’s pretty easy.  Just export from Maximizer to a text file, and ACT! will be able to import this text file.  If you need notes, activities, opportunities, and other data, you should contact your local ACT! Certified Consultant for help.  You can find a list of ACT! CCs in your area by pointing your web browser to www.act.com/acc.

Q: How do I transfer ACT! 2005 data to ACT! 2007?

A: This one is easy. Just uninstall ACT! 2005, install ACT! 2007, and attempt to open your ACT! 2005 database.  The program will ask if you’d like to update the database, and after clicking Yes, the database will be updated. 

It’s a good idea to have a backup of your data before performing the update, but the process is pretty painless.

Q: I am using ACT! 2007 and when I print out a contact directory report, it sorts by customer last name. I need it to sort by company, then customer last name. How do I get it to print this way?

A: You will have to add a Company section to the report above the existing Contact section to obtain the desired sort.  Notice that if you edit the Contact Directory report and add a Company section it will put the section under (not above) the Contact section.  The trick is to add a Company section THEN add another Contact section.  This results in a section order of:  Contact - Company - Contact - Detail.  Next, remove (delete) the top Contact section leaving you with the correct section order:  Company – Contact - Detail.

Timothy Kachinske
Innovative Solutions
ACT! Certified Consultant

Do you have questions?  Ask us!  act-guru@sage.com