I have been using the 2010 version of ACT! for a little over a week now, and so far, I really like what I see. The upgrade process worked flawlessly. I like the user interface changes and so far the program seems to be a little more responsive than the last version did on the same machine.
One of the new features of ACT! is the Web Info tab on in the Contacts and Companies sections. Shown below, the Web Info tab gives you quick access to several social sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Plaxo. You can also view the local weather for your contact as well as perform a quick Google News search as you are dialing the phone.
I really like the LinkedIn feature for managing my “cold” prospects. Typically when I have a list of prospects that I build from a service like ReferenceUSA, I will do a quick search in LinkedIn to see if I have any second level connections to the person or their company. If I have a second level connection I will ask for an introduction. Otherwise, I will just add them to my cold calling list. Since I import these lists into ACT! anyway, this new feature saves me a little bit of time on each contact and just makes the workflow feel a lot smoother.
ACT! does provide the ability to add your own links to the Web Info tab.
What’s your favorite ACT! feature?
Bill Brelsford Small Business Marketing Consultant
