I will eventually upgrade, but when my clients and students ask me if they should upgrade to ACT! 2010 these are the things I ponder on their behalf before I advise them:

1.)    The software is new and it might have bugs, so as a rule of thumb I tell people to wait about three months before they even consider upgrading.  Let the early adopters be the real beta testers.  This is my advice for all software upgrades, not just ACT!.

2.)    What’s broken (if anything) with your current version?

3.)    What are you not accomplishing today that you think the new version will help you accomplish tomorrow?

4.)    Are you rich?  If so spend the money.

5.)    What new features in the new version are really new?

6.)    What is it that would make you more effective and efficient every day?  For example, if you could reduce the amount of time you spend on processing your daily email, would you be better served to focus on that first?

7.)    Do you have time to burn?

8.)    Are you the type that has to have the latest and supposedly greatest?  If so, you are going to do it regardless of what I advise.

9.)    How many customers do you have in your database?  When is the last time you called them to say hello?  When is the last time you emailed them?  If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then focus on getting the answers before you upgrade.

10.)  Do you use any other products that work with your current version of ACT! that you will need to upgrade if you upgrade to the newest version of ACT!?

In my next post, I’ll review the pros and cons of ACT! 2010.

1. Do you know how many contacts you have in your ACT database and who they are?
2. How many clients are in your database?
3. When is the last time you contacted your clients?
4. How many prospects are in your database?
5. When did you last contact your prospects?
6. Do you have a plan in place to contact your clients?
7. Do you have a plan in place to contact your prospects?
8. Is my time better spent purchasing new software or organizing and maximizing my investment in the version I now possess?
9. What are my goals for the data I now possess?
10.  Before I upgrade, what is ACT going to do for me that I can’t do now?

It is my belief that ACT is but a tool, and if you use that tool wisely you can accomplish great things.  The key is setting goals and mastering the fundamentals.

Computer training professionals say the industry has evolved dramatically in recent years. As personal computing has become ingrained in everyday life, the need to teach basic skills has waned considerably. At the same time, the Internet has opened up new avenues for teaching skills to workers.

“Ten years ago, e-mail was new, the Internet was new and even Microsoft Word was new to a lot of people,” said Tony Holowitz, the founder and president of John Anthony Group in Arlington.

Holowitz’s firm now offers an online training option to all clients as well as in-person training in skills such as the contact management program ACT, Web-design programs and other applications.

“When you talk to the trainer, do they speak in technical jargon that’s going to difficult for employees to understand?” he added. “You’ll also want to know if they use the software they’re teaching on a regular basis. I teach QuickBooks and ACT to a lot of small businesses and, because I use them on a regular basis to run my own business, I can really relate to how people want to use them.”

A good training firm will also offer a variety of options for training, perhaps using a combination of in-person training and online support. Web-based options may enable employees to learn at their own pace, which may suit some worker’s learning style better while others may need the immersive experience of in-person, classroom-style teaching.

Here is a link to the entire article: http://www.johnanthonygroup.com/Tony_Holowitz_Boston_Business_Journal.pdf

I’ve used their Add Email Address product that automatically adds a contact to your Outlook address book when you reply to a person that has sent you an email.  I suggest replying with something as simple as a “thank you” to quickly add a person to your address book.

They have more than 30 products and you can get a free trial by visiting: www.sperrysoftware.com/outlook/downloads.asp.

Here is some more information: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/928091