When I start helping a client with ACT! it is commonplace to find that the client does everything with ACT! except email. One of the best features of ACT! is that it can keep a record of all correspondence sent to a contact, including email.
How can you stay completely organized when you are dependent on two software programs to complete one task? In my opinion you can’t, so allow me to suggest a strategy to work with email and ACT!.
Because ACT!’s email program is mediocre, I advise my clients to use ACT! with Microsoft Outlook, which is an excellent email program. Together they form a powerful combination.
I use Outlook to check and reply to my email, but with a twist. I’ve set Outlook to use Microsoft Word as its default word processor (Tools | Options | Mail Format | Use Microsoft Word to Edit Email Messages) because Word can accurately check your spelling and grammar. Outlook has its own word processor, but it doesn’t have the strength of Word. In addition, Word has features like autotext and autocorrect, which can make common tasks, such as replying to emails, much easier to accomplish.
Having said that, I still use ACT! to send email when I want to create a record of the event in ACT!’s note and history section. (Note: if you don’t use Microsoft Word as the default word processor, you can send emails from Outlook, using ACT!’s address book, and have them attach to the contact in ACT!).
Does your Internet Service Provider limit your email?
If you do a great deal of email marketing, you might run into restrictions on the number of emails you can send because your Internet service provider may limit the number of emails you can send blind carbon copy (bcc). This can severely limit how you market to your customers and prospects.
Last quarter, I started testing SwiftPage EMAIL, which works within ACT! and allows you to send up to 1000 emails at a time, as often as you like. In addition, SwiftPage enables you to stay compliant with CAN-SPAM laws and ensures clean lists through opt-out suppression files. SwiftPage has additional great features that will help you utilize ACT! to its fullest potential.
