ACT!ion eNews: Winter 2011

eNews_ACT… · 02-06-2011

Winter 2011

SAGE ACT! COMMUNITY

You are viewing this ACT!ion eNews edition in the Sage ACT! Community



	Get More from Sage ACT! Learn How to Find Targeted Sales Leads in a New White Paper
	Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru Put Sage Mobile for ACT!¹ Into Your Workflow to Reduce Lead Leakage

	Your Business in Mind Leverage Mobile CRM Technology to Enhance Sales and Marketing Activities

	What's New with Sage ACT!? Stay Connected with Sage Mobile for ACT!¹

	Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers Recorded Books, LLC Increases Sales With Sage ACT!

	Now Showing at Sage ACT! Webcast: Sage Mobile for ACT!¹: Contact Management On the Go

	Sage ACT! Technology Corner Sync Your Sage ACT! Contact and Calendar Data with Mobile Devices

Get real time answers to your questions.

SAGE ACT! SUCCESS STORIES

See how our customers are making the most of Sage ACT!

SAGE ACT! WEBCASTS

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Thoughts for upcoming Issues of ACT!ion eNews? We invite you to share them here in the Sage ACT! Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

¹Requires additional subscription

Important Note: Review Sage Mobile for ACT! system requirements at www.act.com/mobilesystreq. Sage Mobile for ACT! requires an active data plan. You are responsible for all data related charges to your mobile device. To facilitate device setup, Sage Mobile for ACT! sends a text message to your mobile device. Based on your wireless plan, you may receive an extra charge from your carrier for this text message.

© 2011 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logos, ACT!, and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc., or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners

eNews_ACT… · 02-06-2011

ACT!ion eNews> Winter 2011

Sage ACT! Technology Corner:

Sync Your Sage ACT! Contact and Calendar Data with Mobile Devices

With the release of Sage Mobile for ACT!¹ users can now synchronize their Sage ACT! contact and calendar data between an online, always available platform and their mobile smart phones; keeping their data within reach and up-to-date at all times. The process of setting up this synchronization is straight forward, but there are some items to be aware of that can affect how quickly you can be up and running, including the number of records you are synchronizing, mobile device type, and connection speed.

Unlike a desktop computer, mobile phones are limited in the availability of memory and processing power, which in turn places limitations on the number of records that can be stored in the phone's address book and calendar. At this point, you may be saying, 'This doesn't apply to me, my phone has 32 gig of storage.' What we have to keep in mind with mobile phones is that they function in the same manner as a desktop system and have not only a limitation on the storage space, similar to a desktop hard drive, but also in the available system memory or RAM.

So, how many records can your phone handle? Sage Mobile for ACT! will allow you to synchronize up to a hard limit of 2,500 contact records, however, many variables come into play, so limits on specific phones may vary. If you are trying to synchronize a lot of records as part of the initial synchronization (over 1,000) we recommend that you start with a smaller set of records first. If all goes well, you can then return to the synchronization setup and increase the synchronized records by changing the synchronization set.

In addition to limitations on the phone platform, mobile synchronization is impeded by the bandwidth the phone has available for the transfer of data, and transferring large amounts of data across a cellular network can be both time consuming as well as error prone. For example, stepping into an elevator will more than likely stop the initial Sage Mobile for ACT! synchronization. Don't worry though! The synchronization will pick up again at the next scheduled interval and continue to sync until all data has been transferred. Keep in mind, however, that depending on the number of records and the cellular network speed, this first synchronization could be a lengthy process. Most cellular phones now support WiFi connections, and Sage Mobile for ACT! is able to make use of WiFi when connected. We highly recommend connecting the mobile phone to a WiFi network during the initial synchronization to drastically improve synchronization performance and have your data mobile in no time.

With Sage Mobile for ACT!, you can have instant access to your Sage ACT! contacts, calendar, meeting notes, conversation history, and upcoming activities via their mobile device or online portal at www.sagemobileforact.com. No more missed meetings, misplaced phone numbers, or forgotten customer details simply because you're out of the office and away from your computer. For more information or to sign up for a free 30-day trial visit us online at www.sagemobile.act.com.

Jason Risch
Sage ACT! Development Manager
Sage

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

Important Note: Review Sage Mobile for ACT! system requirements at www.act.com/mobilesystreq. Sage Mobile for ACT! requires an active data plan. You are responsible for all data related charges to your mobile device. To facilitate device setup, Sage Mobile for ACT! sends a text message to your mobile device. Based on your wireless plan, you may receive an extra charge from your carrier for this text message.

¹Requires additional subscription.

eNews_ACT… · 02-06-2011

ACT!ion eNews> Winter 2011

Now Showing at Sage ACT!:

Webcast: Sage Mobile for ACT!¹: Contact Management On the Go

February 24, 2011

9 – 10 AM Pacific Time
12 – 1 PM Eastern Time
Register Now

Sage Mobile for ACT! has not only changed its name, but has several new improvements. Join us for a webcast on the new Sage Mobile for ACT! service offering.

This webcast is tailored for existing Sage ACT! customers on versions 2010 and 2011 interested in mobile solutions that let them stay connected while out on the road. as well as Sage ACT! prospects interested in learning more about Sage ACT! and our Sage Connected Services portfolio.

Register for the Sage Mobile for ACT! webcast.

Reminder, you can access the entire portfolio of Sage ACT! webcasts here.

Brian Benner
Marketing Director
Sage

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

Important Note: Review Sage Mobile for ACT! system requirements at www.act.com/mobilesystreq. Sage Mobile for ACT! requires an active data plan. You are responsible for all data related charges to your mobile device. To facilitate device setup, Sage Mobile for ACT! sends a text message to your mobile device. Based on your wireless plan, you may receive an extra charge from your carrier for this text message.

¹Requires additional subscription

eNews_ACT… · 02-06-2011

ACT!ion eNews> Winter 2011

Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers:

Recorded Books, LLC Increases Sales With Sage ACT!

For more than 30 years, Recorded Books, LLC has been supplying products and services to school districts and libraries all over the United States. Headquartered in Prince Frederick, Maryland, Recorded Books, LLC has earned the distinction as the country's premier audio book publisher of popular fiction, nonfiction, and a variety of in-print genres. To manage and track its customer relationships and opportunities, Recorded Books, LLC relies on Sage ACT! as part of its strategic business solution.

Using Sage ACT!, Recorded Books has increased sales and improved communications between the corporate office and the field thanks to remote access and synchronization. The company also now enjoys easier reporting and better time management. With Sage ACT!, Recorded Books, LLC is able to measure its sales efforts with 50+ reports and dashboards. Being able to provide a deeper analysis of sales performance has been a huge advantage for Recorded Books, LLC and improvement from past practices.

“Since I started using Sage ACT!, I have increased my sales comfortably by 12% over the last year.”

–Dan Morris
Western Regional Sales Representative
Recorded Books, LLC

Read the full story

Jennifer Holm
Product Marketing Manager
Sage

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

Customer is a participant in the Sage Customer Reference Program and may be eligible for participation-based incentives. For more information regarding the Customer Reference Program, please click here.

eNews_ACT… · 02-06-2011

ACT!ion eNews> Winter 2011

What’s New with Sage ACT!?:

Stay Connected with Sage Mobile for ACT!¹

ACT! Mobile Live has a new name—Sage Mobile for ACT! — and a new look. Sage Mobile for ACT! is a cloud-based mobile service that delivers Sage ACT! to your BlackBerry^® and Windows Mobile^® devices. Use it to access customer information, notes, history, and your Sage ACT! calendar. It's perfect for busy, on-the-go professionals.

Not only can you access Sage ACT! from your phone, you'll have access from the Sage Mobile for ACT! online portal. This gives you online access, plus a backup in case your phone is lost or stolen, or you switch phones later. We're pleased to announce that the online portal has been improved to make it even easier to get the information you need on your mobile device. These portal enhancements include:

Streamlined layout
Improved search functionality
Hover pop-ups that display contact and calendar details
Drag-and-drop calendar controls
Single contact view with synchronized listing of notes and histories
Administrative functions now accessible on the portal homepage

With Sage Mobile for ACT!, you keep the details with you. You'll always have your Sage ACT! contacts, calendar, meetings notes, conversation history, and upcoming activities, because all of this is easy to find and update from your phone. No more missed meetings, misplaced phone numbers, or forgotten customer details simply because you're out of the office and away from your computer.

Ready to go mobile? Setting up Sage Mobile for ACT! takes just three simple steps. Sign up. Set up. And sync your data. You can go live today and enjoy the convenience of paying on a 12-month basis, because Sage Mobile for ACT! is a subscription-based service that costs just $10 per month when purchased in an annual subscription. Get started at http://sagemobile.act.com.

Not sure? Try it FREE for 30 days!

Brandon Balsley
Sr. Product Manager
Sage

ACT! Mobile Live customers: If you currently use ACT! Mobile Live, you have received prior communications from Sage with instructions for downloading the new Sage Mobile for ACT! PC client. After February 2, 2011, the ACT! Mobile Live portal will transition to the new Sage Mobile for ACT! portal and the old PC client will no longer work. If you haven't downloaded the new client, please read this Sage Mobile for ACT! Knowledgebase article for additional instructions, or call Customer Support at 1-800-927-3989.

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

Important Note: Review Sage Mobile for ACT! system requirements at www.act.com/mobilesystreq. Sage Mobile for ACT! requires an active data plan. You are responsible for all data related charges to your mobile device. To facilitate device setup, Sage Mobile for ACT! sends a text message to your mobile device. Based on your wireless plan, you may receive an extra charge from your carrier for this text message.

¹Requires additional subscription.

eNews_ACT… · 02-06-2011

ACT!ion eNews> Winter 2011

Your Business In Mind

Leverage Mobile CRM Technology to Enhance Sales and Marketing Activities

If your company is looking to get more out of its sales and marketing efforts, take a closer look at your mobile device. Over the last few years, technology has found a way for companies to deliver new and richer content to the "third screen." It's smart business, considering there are over 4.6 billion mobile phones in the world, according to CBS News. In fact, a 2010 study by the Centers for Disease Control revealed more than 1 in 4 U.S. households are now "mobile phone only" with no landline in the home.

More and more CRM software providers are offering mobile solutions so that sales teams can have total access to customer data—anytime, anywhere. And mobile marketing is also becoming an important part of the marketer's toolkit. As mobile technology becomes more pervasive, companies need to learn how to leverage mobile technology to enhance sales and marketing activities–or risk missing out on the benefits of this powerful communication vehicle.

Empower your dynamic sales team

In order to help your sales force be the best they can be, it's imperative that they have immediate access to customer data and the ability to provide the most up-to-date information. Mobile CRM technology makes it possible for your sales team to access customer records, calendar, meeting notes, conversation history, upcoming events, and more right from their mobile device while on the road, on location, in transit—anywhere.

Sales representatives can stay informed and even add new details while they're out. No laptop or Internet connection required. With this flexibility and immediate access to information, your sales team can provide an extraordinary customer experience that builds loyalty.

Mobile marketing: Cost-effective, personalized communication

There is a lot of buzz and excitement surrounding mobile marketing. A report from Informa Telecoms & Media suggests that the global market for mobile advertising could reach $24 billion by 2015. Why is it gaining so much popularity? Mobile marketing provides businesses with a low-cost way to quickly share quality content with consumers. More than that, mobile marketing can help you identify and cultivate the customers who are most engaged and active through individual devices or user accounts.

Mobile marketing can help your company maximize marketing efforts with the ability to:

Cross-promote your brand to increase response and awareness
Develop and send localized messages, also known as "geotargeting"
Offer personalized messages to customers

Mobile technology offers more than flexibility

With mobile technology, your company's sales and marketing efforts gain more than just flexibility. In addition to anytime, anywhere access to information, mobile technology delivers direct consumer access and enables you to send targeted, personalized information.

Deborah Norloff
Osborne Communications

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

eNews_ACT… · 02-06-2011

ACT!ion eNews> Winter 2011

Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru

Put Sage Mobile for ACT!¹ Into Your Workflow to Reduce Lead Leakage

When you make contact with a new prospect, you want to be sure the lead gets appropriate follow-up. That's probably a major reason why you purchased Sage ACT! in the first place. Many small businesses struggle with lead leakage—leads that come in the door and are initially handled well, but fall out of the sales funnel somewhere along the line. Leakage can be very costly if it happens often enough.

Solving the problem requires marrying the right types of technology with a good workflow process that takes into account the many varied types of lead contacts that take place in small enterprises. Your current workflow for a sales professional working at his or her desk in the office is probably solid; he or she answers an incoming call (or makes an outgoing call), speaks to a potential lead, and notes the encounter and contact information in your Sage ACT! system. How does that pattern change when the contact occurs randomly at a social function such as a Chamber of Commerce meeting or a party? Does information get captured if your sales professionals receive or make calls from their mobile phones? These are examples of possible situations where lead leakage occurs—despite the best of intentions.

Sage Mobile for ACT! can be easily slipped into a business professional's daily process to help increase productivity and better serve customers. Mobile technology is a great way to capture incoming and outgoing customer interactions so that important notes and follow-up are easily captured and automated.

Let's take another look at an out-of-the-office scenario. You're attending an industry event and meet another business owner whose services might be a beneficial fit for a partnership with your company. Immediately after speaking with this potential partner and receiving their business card, you take out your mobile device and enter the contact information and a note about your conversation. You can even set up a follow-up meeting on your calendar.

What about when mobile calls come in? A sales professional receives an incoming call on her mobile device because she's on the road. After speaking to a potential customer, she hangs up and selects 'Save to Record', enters the contact information, a note, and sets the category to 'Prospect.' Choosing this category will put the new prospect into an automated follow-up track that keeps new leads fresh.

In both of these scenarios, Sage Mobile for ACT! wirelessly syncs the new contact and note with Sage ACT!. For the contact that is marked with the category 'Prospect', a pre-configured Smart Task picks it up, automatically sending a follow-up email, and scheduling a reminder for a follow-up call on the sales professional's calendar. When the business owner returns to her office, she'll see the meeting she arranged with the potential partner on her Sage ACT! calendar.

By ensuring that you and your team have the tools and process in place to capture and sync all leads—even the ones that come in while you're away from the office—you can prevent lead leakage and stay on top of all new prospects. Sage Mobile for ACT! and small changes in your routine can help you automate your sales activities, become more productive, and improve the bottom line.

Brandon Balsley
Sr. Product Manager
Sage

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

Important Note: Review Sage Mobile for ACT! system requirements at www.act.com/mobilesystreq. Sage Mobile for ACT! requires an active data plan. You are responsible for all data related charges to your mobile device. To facilitate device setup, Sage Mobile for ACT! sends a text message to your mobile device. Based on your wireless plan, you may receive an extra charge from your carrier for this text message.

¹Requires additional subscription.

eNews_ACT… · 02-06-2011

ACT!ion eNews> Winter 2011

Get more from Sage ACT!

Learn How to Find Targeted Sales Leads in a New White Paper

Sage Business Info Services for ACT!¹, powered by Hoover’s™, is a cloud-based service that enables you to access reliable sales leads, as well as company, financial, and competitor information for more than 68 million businesses. Once you identify the leads that are right for your business, you can easily add them to your Sage ACT! contact database. Learn more about Sage Business Info Services for ACT! when you download our new white paper Feeding Sales: Find targeted leads with Sage Business Info Services for ACT!, powered by Hoover’s.

Read this guide to learn:

Why it’s difficult to find a reliable source of leads.
The benefits of Sage Business Info Services for ACT!.
How Hoover's™ keeps data accurate and up to date.
What types of information you can look up.
How to estimate the time and money that Sage Business Info Services for ACT! could save your company.

Download the paper now.

Jennifer Osborne
Owner
Osborne Communications

Important Note: Import functions for Sage Business Info Services for ACT! must be performed on the web server when using Sage ACT! Premium (access via web).

Did you find this article useful? Let us know by posting your thoughts here in the Sage ACT! Online Community. You must be a registered member to reply or post. To reply, click on the reply link at the top of this post.

¹Requires additional subscription.

mtoalson · 02-22-2011

What about that insignificant (not) device called an iPhone? I don't see any mention of it....are you kidding me?

dedington · 02-22-2011

how much does mobile cost?

ACT!ion eNews: Winter 2011

Sage ACT! Technology Corner: Sync Your Sage ACT! Contact and Calendar Data with Mobile Devices

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

What's New in this Issue

Sage ACT! Online Community

Sage ACT! Success Stories

Sage ACT! Webcasts

Sage ACT! Technology Corner:

Sync Your Sage ACT! Contact and Calendar Data with Mobile Devices

Now Showing at Sage ACT!: Sage Mobile for ACT!: Contact Management On the Go Webcast

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

What's New in this Issue

Sage ACT! Online Community

Sage ACT! Success Stories

Sage ACT! Webcasts

Now Showing at Sage ACT!:

Webcast: Sage Mobile for ACT!1: Contact Management On the Go

February 24, 2011

Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers: Recorded Books, LLC Increases Sales With Sage ACT!

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

What's New in this Issue

Sage ACT! Online Community

Sage ACT! Success Stories

Sage ACT! Webcasts

Spotlight on Sage ACT! Customers:

Recorded Books, LLC Increases Sales With Sage ACT!

What’s New with Sage ACT!?: Sage Mobile for ACT!

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

What's New in this Issue

Sage ACT! Online Community

Sage ACT! Success Stories

Sage ACT! Webcasts

What’s New with Sage ACT!?:

Stay Connected with Sage Mobile for ACT!1

Your Business in Mind: Leverage Mobile CRM technology to Enhance Sales and Marketing Activities

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

What's New in this Issue

Sage ACT! Online Community

Sage ACT! Success Stories

Sage ACT! Webcasts

Your Business In Mind

Leverage Mobile CRM Technology to Enhance Sales and Marketing Activities

Empower your dynamic sales team

Mobile marketing: Cost-effective, personalized communication

Mobile technology offers more than flexibility

Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru: Put Sage Mobile for ACT! Into Your Workflow to Reduce Lead Leakage

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

What's New in this Issue

Sage ACT! Online Community

Sage ACT! Success Stories

Sage ACT! Webcasts

Listen to Your Sage ACT! Guru

Put Sage Mobile for ACT!1 Into Your Workflow to Reduce Lead Leakage

Get More from Sage ACT!: Learn How to Find Targeted Sales Leads in a New White Paper

Welcome to ACT!ion eNews

What's New in this Issue

Sage ACT! Online Community

Sage ACT! Success Stories

Sage ACT! Webcasts

Get more from Sage ACT!

Learn How to Find Targeted Sales Leads in a New White Paper

Re: Sage ACT! Technology Corner: Sync Your Sage ACT! Contact and Calendar Data with Mobile Devices

Re: Sage ACT! Technology Corner: Sync Your Sage ACT! Contact and Calendar Data with Mobile Devices

Webcast: Sage Mobile for ACT!¹: Contact Management On the Go

Stay Connected with Sage Mobile for ACT!¹

Put Sage Mobile for ACT!¹ Into Your Workflow to Reduce Lead Leakage