Tag Archives: Customer Relationship Management

15 reasons to upgrade to ACT! v18.2

Contact Relationship Management, ,
20161013

ACT! version 18 offers many useful and valuable upgrades to business’s CRM systems.

 

Version 18 of Act! CRM software brings a new level of versatility to this trusted CRM application. It’s now possible to make a huge range of integrations with other Web services, and administrators have more control over their teams. The biggest differences are in the Web (Premium) version, which makes major advances in cloud readiness. Let’s look at a few of the reasons to upgrade.

 

Web API

  • A new API for Act! Premium Web allows integration with other Web applications. This allows changes in other Web services to automatically update information in Act! or vice versa. For example, a custom web form can submit information directly to the Act! database, or adding a new contact can generate an email notification. The API is based on REST, a simple but powerful way for Web applications to communicate. Programmers or advanced users can write simple scripts to integrate applications. This is new with version 18.1.
  • Act! Connect Link lets anyone use the API without writing scripts. With Connect Link, Windows users can connect Act! with online applications, such as Slack, Google Contacts, and PayPal. An Act! Premium subscription and a free Zapier account are necessary to use this feature, as well as an account with the site you’re linking to. Zapier does all the work to use Act!’s Web API to connect it to your account. (Some features of Zapier require a paid account.) This feature requires version 18.2.
  • Act! Connect View has been redesigned for the new API integrations.

Administrative features

  • Administrators have more detailed control of Team accounts. They can designate which users have permission to send email campaigns, sign up for marketing accounts, and set up Connect Link integrations.
  • More user preferences are kept in the Act! database, allowing administrators to set them for all users at once. This also lets users access their settings in Act! Premium.

Better contact management

  • The “Favorite contacts” list lets a business track its most important contacts and retrieve them quickly.
  • Segmented call lists allow easier management of different calling groups within a campaign.
  • Activities now have a creation date stamp to make it easy to see when an activity started.

Compatibility

  • Act! Premium Mobile now works with iOS 9.
  • Act! Premium is fully compatible with the latest versions of Chrome and Internet Explorer 11.
  • Act! 18 now supports Windows 10 and Office 2016. Previous versions of Act! have problems with these releases. If you want Act! to run smoothly with them, you need the upgrade.
  • Act! version 16 won’t be supported after November 30. If you want continued support and have version 16 or older, you need to upgrade.
  • Act! version 16 users need to upgrade by September 30 to keep their Loyalty Pricing. If they don’t, the cost to upgrade will go up.
  • Besides, version 17 brought some nice advances to the desktop application, so why are you still on version 16? With versions 17 and 18, administrators can create browse-only users who can view but not change data and hide inactive users in their lists. Template folders make the selection of emarketing templates easier. Lists of email opt-outs and bounces are available for convenient viewing, making it easy to remove or correct addresses as necessary.
  • If you’re on the subscription plan, Act! 18.2 is free! If you aren’t, the Act! Premium Cloud subscription is well worth considering. It includes cloud hosting, Windows and mobile client applications, automatic upgrades, up to 500 email marketing contacts, video training, and technical support. Monthly pricing is per user, and a free trial is available.

With the latest version of Act!, you get the latest Web features, the best compatibility, and ongoing support. It’s the way to go if contact management is important to your business.

SystemsNet offers a variety of options for managing and maintaining your systems. For more information, please contact us.

Why should you use ACT! to manage prospects and customers?

Contact Relationship Management, ,
20160909

ACT!’s powerful CRM software enables businesses to build stronger, longer-lasting relationships with their customers.

Managing your customer relationships is critical for your company’s growth and success.

Savvy businesses are taking advantage of powerful software tools to hone in on prospects, cultivate a relationship with customers, and benefit from insights that can boost sales and open up new opportunities. Recently, eMarketer reported that Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions are becoming an increasingly important part of marketing budgets across a variety of organizations.

Which CRM software should you choose? The software should perform a variety of important functions that you can adapt to your business needs. Your options include ACT! – a powerful CRM product that’s popular among small businesses.

Why use ACT! to manage my prospects and customers?

The following are some of the benefits that ACT! can bring to your business.

Stronger, more personalized customer relationships

Developing a stronger relationship with customers, and increasing customer retention and loyalty, will help your business thrive.

A recent article from Entrepreneur offers some of the supporting evidence – for example, one study that shows the following:

“…increasing customer retention rates by just 5 percent can increase profits by 25 to 95 percent.”

If your potential and existing customers feel that you’re welcoming to them and responsive to their individual needs, they’re much more likely to do business with you repeatedly. They can also spread the word about your company to their family, friends, colleagues, and social media followers.

ACT! helps you gather and organize and information about your customers, including their preferences, concerns, and purchase history. This knowledge, readily accessed, makes it easier for you to reach out to them at the right times and with the right content for each occasion. Customers are less likely to feel neglected or bombarded with emails that contain irrelevant content.

Opportunity tracking and increased sales

With its opportunities and sales tracking capabilities, ACT! gives you the means to easily manage every step of the sales process. You can monitor your progress with each lead, opportunity, or prospect and better understand your chances of closing a deal. You can review every interaction you’ve had, including the outcomes of email exchanges, phone calls, and in-person meetings. Having this information available helps you figure out what steps will bring you closer to securing a sale.

Helping your employees work as a team

With high-quality CRM software, your employees are all on the same page. They can access the most updated information on every potential or existing customer. Using the software, they share their own knowledge and insights with their coworkers. No one is left out of the loop, uncertain about the status of a lead or whether or not a customer complaint has already been addressed. If one employee needs to quickly fill in for another, they have all of the relevant information available to them on the spot.

Improved efficiency and productivity

One of the major benefits of CRM software tools is the ability to rely on automated processes. Whether it’s backing up your customer data or launching your latest email campaign, ACT! takes care of a lot of its functions automatically. You enjoy the power of oversight and management, but you don’t have to get immersed in all of the details. Based on your business needs and your directions, the program handles various tasks, freeing up your time and allowing you to invest your efforts in larger, overarching objectives. ACT! is also convenient in how it allows you to integrate its data with other tools you routinely use for work, including Microsoft Outlook, Dropbox, and iCloud Storage.

Please contact us for more information about how you can successfully use ACT! to manage your customer interactions and grow your business. As certified consultants for ACT!, we’ll make sure the software is customized to your company and working in a way that best suits your needs.

Why Use a CRM Product? How High-Quality CRM Software Will Benefit Your Company

Contact Relationship Management, , , ,
20160616

High-quality CRM software assists you with cultivating and maintaining strong customer relationships.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) can contribute significantly to your company’s success. When you develop the best strategies and deploy the best tools to strengthen your relationship with existing and potential customers, your company enjoys important benefits.

High-quality CRM software assists you with cultivating and maintaining strong customer relationships. Why use a CRM product? In the long-run, it can save you money and improve profits by attracting more customers, increasing customer retention, and allowing your employees to work more efficiently.

How does it give you these benefits?

1) It keeps you organized and better informed

CRM software integrates customer information from a wide variety of sources, including email, social media, and in-store and online purchases. All of this information is kept centralized and updated, with a record of your interactions with each customer, including calls you’ve made and emails you’ve sent.

You can also keep track of customers’ feedback, including complaints about your products or services. All of this information, gathered in one place, gives you an important overview of your relationship with customers. It provides you with insights for how to keep reaching out to them, meeting or exceeding their expectations and addressing their concerns.

2) It contributes to a more meaningful relationship with customers and clients

Because your CRM product keeps track of customer information, you can use it to help make your interactions with customers more personal and meaningful to them. You can remember their preferences, interests, personal characteristics, and purchasing habits. You’ll be in a better position to understand when they expect to hear from you and when they’ll next need one of your services or products. You’ll also have greater insight into the types of qualities or information that will convince them to make a purchase.

3) It helps make your response to customers more timely and prompt

With CRM software, you can consistently keep track of when you need to contact your customers. You can prioritize the calls and emails you send out based on impending deadlines, the urgency of your customers’ needs, the stage of the sales cycle, and any other factors you consider important. You’re more likely to stay in touch with customers, follow up with them appropriately, and not leave them hanging when they need to hear back from you.

4) It allows you to work with flexibility and efficiency

With high-quality CRM software, you can access the relevant customer information from any device and location. Whether you’re at home, in the office, or on the road, you have access to everything you need.

Your CRM product can also integrate with other software and seamlessly become a part of your business operations. Different departments in your company can tap into it and utilize its insights. Not just your sales and marketing departments but also, for example, your IT personnel looking for feedback that will help them improve your company’s website. Or your customer service department evaluating patterns of problems that lead to customers leaving your company for competitors.

Furthermore, CRM software can accommodate your company’s growth. It can encompass a growing number of customers and clients, and new sources of information about them. You can also customize the software to best serve your company’s needs.

Making your CRM product an important part of your company’s success

Ultimately, your CRM product will be part of a general approach at your company that emphasizes a stronger relationship with customers and positive customer experiences.

In November 2015, Consumer Reports published a survey on poor customer service interactions, with many consumers complaining about a lack of a response, irrelevant sales pitches, and rudeness. These kinds of complaints aren’t limited to customer service representatives. Customers and clients also get turned off by similar behaviors from sales representatives and marketers. If your company comes across as tone-deaf, neglectful or belligerent, you’re much more likely to lose customers.

Your CRM software can give you the resources and tools to reach out to customers in a favorable way and remain responsive to their needs. Don’t hesitate to contact us for assistance with installing and customizing high-quality CRM software. Your CRM product can significantly improve your sales and your customers’ satisfaction.