Instead of continually performing the same Lookups (or Advanced Queries for multiple field searches), consider creating a Dynamic Group that will automatically pull and list all contacts that meet the group's criteria. Dynamic Groups, once set up, are always easy to access and always contain up-to-date information from your database. To create a dynamic group, follow the steps below...

1. Go to 'Groups' in ACT! and create a 'New Group' with the title of your choosing.
2. On the Contact tab of the new group, click on the 'Add/Remove Contacts' button. The Add/Remove Contacts window will open.
3. To the right of the Dynamic Group heading, click on the 'Edit Criteria' button. The Group Criteria window will open.
4. Begin building your group criteria by:
   -  Selecting the Group Type (Contact or Opportunity).
   -  Select the Field name that you would like to use for group membership criteria.
   -  Select the Operator for the group membership criteria.
   -  Select the Value that the field should contain for group membership criteria.
   -  Click 'Add to List'.
   -  Continue to follow these steps to add each criteria your contacts/opportunities must possess
       to be included in the group.
   -  Click on the 'Preview' button to see a list of the contacts that would be included in the group
       based on the criteria you had selected.
   -  Remember to pay special attention to the 'And/Or' filter and adjust as needed if the results 
       showing in the Preview are not what you expected. The And/Or filter is the most common
       reason for unexpected or missing data.
   
5. Once your group is complete, click 'OK'. You will see your criteria listed in the 'Group Definition'      section of the  Add/Remove Contacts window.
   
6. Click 'OK' in the Add/Remove Contacts window to save the Dynamic Group member criteria and the contacts will be automatically added to the group. In addition, any future contacts added to your database that meet these criteria will also automatically be added to this group.

Here is an example. Let's say you are wanting to create a Dynamic Group that consists of all your primary contacts within a company that live in the Northeastern states for a monthly e-newsletter you will be sending, your dynamic group list would resemble the list in the image above.

How to Change ACT! Report Default Settings

Defaults are specific to each report. In order to change the default report settings in ACT!, you must edit the desired report template and change the report filter settings. Follow these steps for each report that you want to change:

1. Choose the Reports menu, and click Edit Report Template.
2. Select the report that you want to change, and click Open. The report opens in the report editor.
3. Choose the Edit menu in the top navigation bar (next to ‘File’), and click Define Filters. The Define Filters dialog box appears.
4. Set options as desired under each tab.
5. Click OK when you have finished making changes.
6. Choose the File menu, click Save, and then close the report editor.

If upon opening your task list, you discover that some of your tasks seemed to have vanished, don't fear! It may just require a simple adjustment of your filters. In the bar directly above the task list, you'll notice several filter options - Dates, Types, Priorities, and Users. Verify that each of these options accurately reflect the tasks you want to view. For example, if you want to view all tasks assigned to you, make sure that the filters are set to 'All Dates', 'All Types', 'All Priorities' and your user name. Or to view only high priority items assigned to you, change the priority filter to only list the high priority activities.

To make a backup in ACT!, click on the File menu and choose Backup - Database. (You need to have administrative rights to the database in order to make a backup). We recommend creating a backup daily, and taking the backups out of your office at least once per week. We DO NOT advise creating and storing the backups on the server that is hosting your ACT! database. Please place it on an external hard drive or other computer on your network... Read the full article >>

Busy searching for the perfect holiday gifts? This month we're going to reveal how to simplify your search - in your ACT! database at least - and find your contacts faster, and quickly create custom lists of clients, prospects, candidates, etc. You can search by any field in ACT!, either by right-clicking on the field, or... Read the full article >>

Season's greetings! Are you preparing to send holiday cards to your contacts? Follow the steps below to select your holiday card recipients and quickly create envelope labels.
1. Perform an All Contacts Lookup and click the 'Tag Mode' button.
2. Click on the names you wish to eliminate from your holiday list.
3. Choose 'Omit Selected'.
4. Uncheck the 'Tag Mode' box and check 'Tag All'.
5. Proceed to the File menu; select Print.
6. Select the labels icon, specify the appropriate label and print.

NOTE: You can do the opposite to select only a few people from the list. After clicking the 'Tag Mode' button, select only the names you want to remain. Then choose 'Lookup Selected'.

To customize your scheduling preferences, access the Tools menu in the top navigation bar and scroll down to 'Preferences'. Once the Preferences portal is open, select the 'Calendar and Scheduling' tab and click the 'Scheduling Preferences' button.Highlight each activity type and define the default settings for that activity as desired. Further, you can customize the display drop-downs and the alarms for your activities. Other scheduling options include the ability to create separate activities when scheduling with multiple contacts and to have a prompt launched to schedule an activity when a new contact is created.

Tailoring activity types to your company's needs allows you to better organize your activities and reports. To access your activity manager, click on the 'Schedule' tab in the top navigation bar. Scroll to 'Manage" and select 'Activity Types'. In the Activity Type portal, you can add, edit or delete selections. Once you've created custom activities, you can use them to filter your task list for a more organized view of your daily activities (or those of your staff).Note: You must have Administrator access to the ACT! database to create or modify activity types.

Before you make a client call or head to a prospect meeting, are you doing your research? Communication flows more smoothly when you have "ice breakers" you can use. Thankfully, ACT! has provided us a valuable tool for quickly finding out the latest info about our contacts before we call or meet with them - the Web Info tab. For ACT! 2010 and 2011 users, the Web Info tab allows you to:

     • find and connect with anyone in your database on their favorite social 
        media sites - LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.; 
     • locate your contacts and access driving directions using Google maps;   
     • visit your contacts' websites, look at the weather in their area, research 
        their company financials;
     • and more - all without leaving your ACT! database!

Multiple Activities Reschedule
The Multiple Activities Reschedule is a must-have ACT! add-on program if you consistently roll over your activities, and are over-whelmed by the growing number of items on today's calendar. With this tool, you can highlight multiple activities in your ACT! task list and reschedule them en masse to another day - not just roll to today,  but move to next week, next month, or whenever is convenient. BEST OF ALL, this add-on is offered at no charge! Get the Multiple Activities Reschedule add-on now >>


BatchGeo

Get a geographic view of your ACT! contacts! Use BatchGeo to create a virtual display of all your ACT! contacts on a map. Simply upload an exported contact list and see them plotted on a geographical map of your choosing. View the map privately or make it public for your colleagues to see too. BatchGeo is free and easy to use. Get BatchGeo now >>


Duplicate Remover Wizard

Are you frustrated by duplicate contact records in ACT!? Let the Duplicate Remover Wizard help you quickly and easily merge the duplicate records in your database. The Wizard allows you to:

• Specify up to 5 fields to be used to match records to find duplicates.
• Specify whether records where one or more of the match fields are blank are to be ignored.
• Specify whether the most or least recently modified record is the record that will be retained in full.
• Move all subsidiary data (Notes, History, Activities, Opportunities, Secondary Contacts, and Documents) to the retained contact.
• and more!

Call us with questions or to order today!


AddressGrabber Suite for ACT!

AddressGrabber Suite for ACT! will change the way you work. You will discover that anything you do with ACT! now gets done faster, easier and better. Discover the benefits that we love...

• Enter Contacts into ACT! Faster: AddressGrabber intelligently extracts all contact details of your customers or prospects from any website, emails and transfers it in seconds to ACT!.
• Instant Lookup of ACT! Contacts: Use Turbo Lookup you can look up any contact in ACT! by simply typing a partial contact name, phone number, company, email or combination thereof. 
• Time Zone Lookup for ACT! Contacts: Time Zone Lookup displays the current time and time zone for each contact as you navigate through ACT!. With this convenient feature you can prioritize your work or decide which if it's an appropriate time to call. 
• Speed Up Scheduling Activities in ACT!: With Quick Scheduler you can schedule activities for a contact in ACT! by simply typing the activity in plain English, eg.,"Meet John at 5 EST". AddressGrabber Suite for ACT! analyzes all the activities to be performed and assigns them to the corresponding contact in ACT! 

Call us with questions or to order today!