Act 6.0

Once installed, you can either start entering your data manually or use the import wizard to import data from an existing source. ACT! allows you to store a vast array of information about your contacts. You can even attach letters and documents that relate to a given contact. Key to ACT! are the sales and opportunities features that allow you to keep track of where you are with each contact. ACT! can either be used as a standalone tool, or a work group can share a single database, with individual usernames and passwords.

Where ACT! really excels is in its ability to integrate with existing applications. From within ACT! you can send e-mails using the software's own e-mail function, or using Outlook or Outlook Express. You can also send faxes with WinFax Pro. Documents can be created using ACT! or your usual word processing program. With suitable hardware you can even have your phone dial your contacts directly with a single mouse click.

Finally, ACT! includes a tool that allows you to synchronize data between different databases. This lets laptop users update their local records and then have the changes copied to the office master file.

ACT! is just the thing for any individual or business that has sophisticated contact and task tracking needs. The integration with your existing applications, plus the sales-orientated features, make for a powerful combination. --Iain Laskey, Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com Product Description
ACT! 6.0 organizes all your customer information in one place to give you instant access to every detail of every customer relationship. You'll be able to find anyone or any detail in seconds, including names, phone numbers, addresses, notes from previous conversations, upcoming appointment details, call histories, a list of follow-up activities, and much more.

ACT! even manages your sales pipeline with forecasting tools and built-in reports, and allows you to safely share complete customer information with your workgroup. It even works with Outlook, handhelds, and paper planners to propel your business to a whole new level.

The real problem is the bugs. It causes unrelenting problems on my XP system. I have 1 GB of RAM and a 2.8 processor! Yet somehow it manages to cause memory shortages and locks up regularly. I've almost stopped using it because it's as much an annoyance as help. I've never had a software program that I evaluate before launching: do I have time for a lock up? NONE of my other software programs cause these kinds of problems, and I run some heavy-duty graphics programs.

I'm at the point of looking for another contact manager, which is too bad because I was a solid ACT user for so many years.


Regret Ever Upgrading to ACT! 6.0   July 16, 2003
B. Stallings (Evansville, IN United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

As a long time user of ACT!, we were enticed to do the 6.0 upgrade to finally get a useable integrated e-mail capability. Interestingly enough, the e-mail piece is the only real upgrade worth noting in 6.0... what a shame that it stinks! At least the old 5.0 e-mail module worked, although primative. 6.0 e-mail is buggy, crashes the computers, is a resource hog, slow, in fact, there is nothing good to say about it, even the html capability doesn't work. In my view I'd go back to 5.0 in a heartbeat. Don't waste your time or money.


Regret Ever Upgrading to ACT! 6.0   July 16, 2003
B. Stallings (Evansville, IN United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

As a long time user of ACT!, we were enticed to do the 6.0 upgrade to finally get a useable integrated e-mail capability. Interestingly enough, the e-mail piece is the only real upgrade worth noting in 6.0... what a shame that it stinks! At least the old 5.0 e-mail module worked, although primative. 6.0 e-mail is buggy, crashes the computers, is a resource hog, slow, in fact, there is nothing good to say about it, even the html capability doesn't work. In my view I'd go back to 5.0 in a heartbeat. Don't waste your time or money.


Disappointing   May 21, 2003
I switched from a Mac as my main platform a couple of years ago, and had to abandon InTouch and NowContact. For a while I used an Excel spreadsheet and AOL's address book, but decided to buy ACT as it seemed to be the Windows leader. I use a laptop and desktop, and have been disappointed by the cumbersome interface, data synchronization, need for two copies of Act for two computers (when I obviously never use both at the same time - note Intuit's response to this issue), and lack of integration with AOl mail. My guess is that I will never fully implement ACT.