ACT 2005!

Act 2005 the new interface.

For an interactive tour, check out their web site for more information and an interactive detailed tour. Just be ready to see a number of features missing, along with some many needed revisions.  This could be a great application once the kinks are worked out and the difficulties resolved.

Friday, October 01, 2004

ACT 2005!

www.bestsoftware.com

www.act.com

 Suggested Requirements 

1. Windows XP, XP Pro or Windows 2000 Professional
2. Pentium Four Processor, preferably with Hyper Threading
3. 300 MB of hard drive space
4. 512 of Memory
5. CD-Rom Drive for program installation

 When I noticed the “face lift” given ACT 2005 ! – along with a slew of new features that Best Software was adding – I knew that this was going to be a much anticipated update.  Apparently I was not the only one.  A number of people were quick to jump aboard and see what new features this venerable favorite would have.  As it has turned out, Act 2005 has been a big surprise for everyone. 

For those uninitiated into the many three letter words that denote applications like ACT!, allow me to get you up to speed.   ACT, and programs like it, are known as C.R.M’s or more fully Customer Relations Management programs.  Think of them as an address book on steroids. Much more powerful than a standard File-O’-Fax, applications like Act allow you to schedule meetings, attach documents to contacts, and make very detailed notations on those you deal with in business.  You can also think of C.R.M.’s as P.I.M’s with a great an atomic power boost.  P.I.M,’s yet another three letter abbreviation, Personal Information Management programs, are usually designed for the individual in mind.  Microsoft’s e—mail program Outlook is a good example.

 Where P.I.M.’s and C.R.M.’s differ is in detail and their business aspects. Many of the features common to C.R.M’s  work extremely well for individuals.  If all you ever do is keep up with a few names, you are more than likely better off with an address book or a P.I.M.

 If you are operating a small to medium sized business, organize large groups or have to deal with more than say twenty or more people and need to keep track of detailed information, programs like ACT can work in both a business setting and a personal one.  With this said, now it is time to look at ACT version 2005.

 On the plus side, ACT 2005 looks great!  Abandoned is the appearance of looking like a hold over from windows 95. Crisp clean icons and a more contemporary interface are the first signs that ACT has been reconsidered. 

 As is becoming more common, ACT now demands the installation of NET  Framework, Microsoft’s answer to Java, as a prerequisite for installation.  In this edition, there is little backward compatibility.  ACT now only works with Windows XP, XP pro and 2000.  For those still working with 95 to ME, this application no longer supports those platforms as the previous version of Act had done.

 No doubt incorporation the new features has had something to do with this. In terms of new features, the biggest is the much needed overhaul of notes, which now allows spell check and formatting directly within the application and the ability to add numerous contacts to a particular contact. These are all  necessary changes. 

As much as I like looking at and interacting with the new ACT, the down side is there are some aggravating problems.  Best has admirably tried to update and re work this old standby into something contemporary. However the end result is a product that is a bit “buggy.”

 In sharp contrast to version 6, which recognized Symantec’s Winfax Pro version 10.03, the new replacement failed to do so.  It did not recognize windows own fax software, thus making faxing an impossibility.  Although the email program built into the 2005 model works with Outlook 2003, it was not a smooth interaction.

 Even on a Pc with over a gig of memory, a Pentium Four Hyper Threaded processor and plenty of hard drive space to spare, the entire application takes over 100 minutes to open.  Refreshing between screens is a bit awkward, and if you add a contact to a group, the screen automatically leaves the contact window and opens the group window. 

 On the plus side, the program performs admirably well and the shut down is smooth. There are no spinning hour glasses when you exit. In terms of actual performance, the program has made some gains.  Some functions are improved, but there are losses of functionality.

 From reports I have heard, there have been installation errors, problems contacting tech support for clear answers and other issues that have turned a number of users completely off to the application.  I have also heard that Best Software is good about refunds, and there is a trial version.  The only downside to the trial version is that it is a huge download of over 100 megabytes.

I do know the program works best with the most current machinery.  I tried to install it on my two year old Pentium Four machine and I could not even get through the install program. After looking over tech support pages and sorting through my registry, I finally resigned myself to the fact that this program is only going to work on machines that are  at most only a year old.

 While I find all of this frustrating, I am optimistic that Best Software will come up with a fix and soon.  Many of the same problems I hear now also accompanied version Six.  The difference this time is that there is serious competition.  With everyone being very aware of price points and upgradeability, a solution should be forth coming or Act 2005 could be in for some very rocky times ahead.

 Summation

If you can get it installed,  Act 2005 feels less like a  finished product and more like a Beta in need of a serious revision.  As much as  I like Act and wanted to like this one, I do suggest great caution in using it, or at least waiting until the kinks are ironed out first.

For those that are running ACT 6 and are happy, you may want to wait this one out until the big fix comes. With new releases one expects problems. However, these problems are not small irritations.  Loss of the ability to create two way communications with hand held devices, loss of Winfax pro integration and many other feature losses or alterations is problematic.

Should you be a first adopter type, and you just hate looking at ugly software, ACT 2005 is a pleasure to look at and work with daily.  Should you be lucky enough to get it up and running, it is relatively stable.  In some areas is a bit faster and the new functionality is much needed.  On the flip side, it is very buggy, the email integration needs work and some of the older functionality needs to be returned.

 By all means, test drive version 2005 first.  It is an interesting look at what a C.R.M. has the potential to be.