ENEWS > FALL 2007

Questions About Using ACT!?

Q. How do I add data fields to the Contact Record?
A. Adding data fields to contact records is a two part task. You must first add the field to the database and then place that field on the layout to use it. Also, you must be have an Administrator or Manager security role to perform this action in ACT!.

To add a data field go to the Tools menu then select Define fields… From the Define fields dialog you can create a new field or edit an existing one. Walk through the wizard to fill out the appropriate data type and attributes.

Once you’ve added the field the database you can go to the Layout editor, under Tools, Design Layouts, and place the new field in the appropriate location on the layout.

For more information on these procedures, see the Customizing your ACT! Experience Help Topic.

Q. How do I schedule meetings for multiple people at one time?
A. Open the Activity dialog by selecting the Schedule menu and then selecting the appropriate Activity type. This will bring up the Schedule Activity dialog. This dialog has a Schedule With field and a Contacts button next to it. Select the Contacts button and then choose Select Contacts… from the drop down. From the Select Contacts dialog you can choose from all contacts, the current lookup, or a selected group or company. Alternatively, you can enter a few letters of the person’s last name in the Look for field and it will jump to the corresponding last name in the list for quick selection. Move the contacts to the left side of the dialog to select them.

Q. Can old "users" be deleted from ACT! without taking out the associated data?
A. Yes. When deleting a user you are prompted with a choice to delete all data associated with the user or you can assign those records to another user you select. You’ll also have the opportunity to retain the user as a regular contact.

Q. How long does it take for Outlook e-mail history to get recorded? What can I do to ensure this history gets recorded promptly?
A. The Outlook history service takes up to 60 seconds to record a history, this allows the process to attach the record without interfering with the users workflow. This best way to ensure the history item is recorded after 60 seconds is to refresh the view in ACT! to view the new History item.

Q. I would like to have more than one database open at one time. Is this possible or do I need to run two different versions of ACT! on the same computer to accomplish this?
A. This currently isn’t possible with the desktop version of ACT!, however you can accomplish this using ACT! Premium for Web by opening up two browsers, each pointing to a different database.

Q. I use ACT! at my job but am not an expert yet. I have created Groups of prospects and would like to know how can I add a Note to this Group so that the note appears on each individual Contact Record in that Group?
A. To do this, create the new note and select the Contacts… button, which will open the Select Contacts dialog. Next select Groups from the Select from drop down. Select the Group of prospects. This will provide you with a list of contacts belonging to that Group. Next, select the double arrows to move all contacts to the right hand “selected” side of the dialog. Choose OK and these contacts will get added to the Note.

Do you have questions about ACT!? Ask us at act-guru@howdoyouact.net. Your questions will be answered in the next edition of eNews by ACT! Certified Consultants.