Act 5.0 User Guide - MSB Technology Center

Transcription

User’s Guide
Windows 2000
Windows 98
Windows 95
Windows XP
Windows Me
Windows NT
ACT! User’s Guide
The software described in this book is furnished under a license agreement and may be used only in accordance with the terms of
the agreement.
Copyright Notice
ACT! is a registered trade mark of Symantec Corporation under exclusive license to Interact Commerce Corporation in the United
States and other countries. Portions of this publication copyright © 2000 - 2002 Interact Commerce Corporation. Portions of this
publication copyright © 1993-2002 Symantec Corporation under exclusive license to Interact Commerce Corporation™.
All Rights Reserved.
Released: 1/2002 for ACT! version 5.0.4 for Windows.
This document may not, in whole or in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or
machine-readable form without prior consent in writing from Interact Commerce Corporation, 8800 N. Gainey Center Dr. #200,
Scottsdale, AZ 85258.
ALL EXAMPLES WITH NAMES, COMPANY NAMES, OR COMPANIES THAT APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL ARE IMAGINARY AND
DO NOT REFER TO, OR PORTRAY, IN NAME OR SUBSTANCE, ANY ACTUAL NAMES, COMPANIES, ENTITIES, OR
INSTITUTIONS. ANY RESEMBLANCE TO ANY REAL PERSON, COMPANY, ENTITY, OR INSTITUTION IS PURELY
COINCIDENTAL.
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this manual. However, Interact Commerce makes no warranties with respect
to this documentation and disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Interact
Commerce shall not be liable for any errors or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing,
performance, or use of this manual or the examples herein. The information in this document is subject to change without notice.
Trademarks
ACT! is a registered trademark and SideACT! is a trademark under exclusive license to Interact Commerce Corporation by their
owner, Symantec Corporation, in the United States and other countries. Interact Commerce Corporation and not Symantec
Corporation has produced this publication and is responsible for the contents hereof. Symantec and WinFax are U.S. registered
trademarks of Symantec Corporation. WinFax PRO is a trademark of Symantec Corporation. Microsoft, MS, Windows, Windows
CE, Windows NT, Word, and Schedule+ are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or
other countries. Dale Carnegie Training is a registered trademark of Dale Carnegie and Associates, Inc. ECCO is a trademark of
NetManage Inc. ExpensAble is a registered trademark of Managemark, Inc. Palm is a trademark of Palm, Inc. GoldMine is a
trademark of Goldmine Software Corp. Janna Contact is the exclusive property of Janna Systems Inc. Maximizer is a registered
trademark of Modatech Systems Inc. Lotus Organizer is a trademark of Lotus Development Corporation. Quicken is a registered
trademark of Intuit, Inc. Sidekick is a trademark of Starfish Software. Sharkware is a trademark of CogniTech Corporation. Tracker is
a trademark of Softcode Pty Ltd. Yahoo! is a registered trademark of Yahoo! Inc. WordPerfect is a registered trademark of Novell,
Inc. CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe, Inc., and its affiliates. cc:Mail and cc:Mail Mobile are trademarks of
cc:Mail, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Lotus Development Corporation. Day Runner is a registered trademark of Day Runner,
Inc. Day-Timer is a registered trademark of Day-Timers, Inc. Netscape is a trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation.
Portions of ACT! are Copyright 1995 by Streetwise Software. All rights reserved.
Other product names mentioned in this manual may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are
the sole property of their respective manufacturers.
Printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5
4 3 2 1
INTERACT COMMERCE CORPORATION
ACT! LICENSE AND WARRANTY
NOTICE: INTERACT COMMERCE CORPORATION LICENSES
THE ENCLOSED SOFTWARE TO YOU ONLY UPON THE
CONDITION THAT YOU ACCEPT ALL OF THE TERMS
CONTAINED IN THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT. PLEASE READ
THE TERMS CAREFULLY BEFORE OPENING THIS PACKAGE,
AS OPENING THE PACKAGE WILL INDICATE YOUR ASSENT
TO THEM. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS, THEN
INTERACT COMMERCE CORPORATION IS UNWILLING TO
LICENSE THE SOFTWARE TO YOU, IN WHICH EVENT YOU
SHOULD RETURN THE FULL PRODUCT WITH PROOF OF
PURCHASE TO THE DEALER FROM WHOM IT WAS
ACQUIRED WITHIN THIRTY DAYS OF PURCHASE, AND
YOUR MONEY WILL BE REFUNDED.
USE OF SOFTWARE:
The software which accompanies this license (the “Software”) is the
property of Interact Commerce Corporation or its licensors and is
protected by copyright law. While Interact Commerce Corporation
continues to own the Software, you will have certain rights to use the
Software after your acceptance of this license. Except as may be modified
by a license addendum which accompanies this license, your rights and
obligations with respect to the use of this Software are as follows:
• You may:
(i) use only one copy of the Software on a single computer;
(ii) make one copy of the Software for archival purposes, or copy the
software onto the hard disk of your computer and retain the original for
archival purposes;
(iii) use the Software on a network, provided that you have a licensed copy
of the Software for each computer that can access the Software over that
network;
(iv) after written notice to Interact Commerce Corporation, transfer the
Software on a permanent basis to another person or entity, provided that
you retain no copies of the Software and the transferee agrees to the terms
of this agreement; and
(v) if a single person uses the computer on which the Software is installed
at least 80% of the time, then after registering the product, that person may
also use the Software on a single home computer.
• You may not:
(i) copy the documentation which accompanies the Software;
(ii) sublicense, rent or lease any portion of the Software;
(iii) reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, modify, translate, make any
attempt to discover the source code of the Software, or create derivative
works from the Software; or
(iv) use a previous version or copy of the Software after you have received
a disk replacement set or an upgraded version as a replacement of the prior
version, unless you donate a previous version of an upgraded version to a
charity of your choice, and such charity agrees in writing that it will be the
sole end user of the product, and that it will abide by the terms of this
agreement. Unless you so donate a previous version of an upgraded version,
upon upgrading the Software, all copies of the prior version must be
destroyed.
THIRTY DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE:
If you are the original licensee of this copy of the Software and are
dissatisfied with it for any reason, you may return the complete product,
together with your receipt, to the place of purchase, postage prepaid, for a
full refund at any time during the thirty day period following the delivery to
you of the Software.
LIMITED WARRANTY:
Interact Commerce warrants that the media on which the Software is
distributed will be free from defects for a period of thirty (30) days from the
date of delivery of the Software to you. Your sole remedy in the event of a
breach of this warranty will be that Interact Commerce will, at its option,
replace any defective media returned to Interact Commerce within the
warranty period or refund the money you paid for the Software. Interact
Commerce does not warrant that the Software will meet your requirements
or that operation of the Software will be uninterrupted or that the Software
will be error-free.
THE ABOVE WARRANTY IS EXCLUSIVE AND IN LIEU OF ALL
OTHER WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU
SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS. YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS,
WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.
DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES:
REGARDLESS OF WHETHER ANY REMEDY SET FORTH
HEREIN FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE, IN NO EVENT
WILL INTERACT COMMERCE BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY
SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT OR SIMILAR
DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS OR LOST DATA
ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE
SOFTWARE EVEN IF INTERACT COMMERCE HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME
STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF
LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY
TO YOU. IN NO CASE SHALL INTERACT COMMERCE
CORPORATION’S LIABILITY EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE
FOR THE SOFTWARE. The disclaimers and limitations set forth above
will apply regardless of whether you accept the Software.
U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS:
RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND. All Interact Commerce software and
documentation are commercial in nature. The Software and Software
documentation are “Commercial Items”, as that term is defined in 48 C.F.R.
§2.101, consisting of “Commercial Computer Software” and “Commercial
Computer Software Documentation”, as such terms are defined in 48
C.F.R. §252.227-7014(a)(5) and 48 C.F.R. §252.227-7014(a)(1), and used in
48 C.F.R. §12.212 and 48 C.F.R. 227.7202, as applicable. Consistent with 48
C.F.R. §12.212, 48 C.F.R. §252.227-7015, 48 C.F.R. §227.7202 through
227.7202-4, 48 C.F.R. §52.227-14, and other relevant sections of the Code
of Federal Regulations, as applicable, Interact Commerce's computer
software and computer software documentation are licensed to United
States Government end users with only those rights as granted to all other
end users, according to the terms and conditions contained in this license
agreement. Manufacturer is Interact Commerce Corporation, 8800 North
Gainey Center Drive, Suite 200, Scottsdale, Arizona, 85258, USA.
GENERAL:
This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of Arizona. This
Agreement may only be modified by a license addendum which
accompanies this license or by a written document which has been signed
by both you and Interact Commerce. Should you have any questions
concerning this Agreement, or if you desire to contact Interact Commerce
for any reason, please write: Interact Commerce Customer Sales and
Service, 8800 North Gainey Center Drive, Suite 200, Scottsdale, Arizona,
85258, USA.
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Using the online Help system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
About this guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ii
Chapter 1
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
System requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Installing ACT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Removing ACT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Starting to use ACT!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Creating a new database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Converting a database created in a previous version of ACT! . . . . .4
Chapter 2
Working with Contacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Elements of the Contact window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Using the tabs on the Contact window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Entering contact information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Entering contacts in the Contact window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Entering contacts in the Contact List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Entering notes in a contact record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Attaching files to contact records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Printing contact and group information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Sorting and finding contacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Finding contacts and contact information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Finding contacts and information using keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Finding contacts in the Contact List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Using queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Getting contact information from the Internet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Chapter 3
Managing Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Advantages and uses of groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Creating groups and subgroups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Adding contacts to a group or subgroup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Creating group notes, histories, and attachments . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Assigning and viewing group activities and sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Finding groups and group information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Reorganizing groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Chapter 4
Scheduling Activities and Calendar Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Setting preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Viewing and printing calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Scheduling activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Scheduling activities from a contact record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Scheduling activities from a calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Viewing and managing your activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Recording completed activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Using Outlook with ACT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Updating your ACT! and Outlook calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Viewing Outlook activities in ACT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Viewing ACT! activities in Outlook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Setting reminders to update your calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Chapter 5
Managing Sales and Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Managing the sales development cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Creating a sales opportunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Forecasting sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Recording the outcome of a sales opportunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Chapter 6
Using the Telephone and Fax with ACT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Using the ACT! dialer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Dialer system requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Setting up the dialer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Making telephone calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Managing your calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Using the Caller ID feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Sending faxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Specifying your fax software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Faxing word-processing documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Faxing without using a word processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Faxing reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Faxing address books and calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Using ACT! with WinFax Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Chapter 7
Using E-mail in ACT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Setting up your e-mail system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Managing e-mail addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Writing and sending e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Receiving, reading, and managing your e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Chapter 8
Writing Letters and Memos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Specifying your word processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Using the ACT! word processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Creating letters and memos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Changing display options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Formatting documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Adjusting page margins, headers, and footers . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Changing font attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Formatting a paragraph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Setting page breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Editing documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Working with templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Creating and modifying letter, memo, and fax templates . . . . . . . .56
Creating and modifying label and envelope templates . . . . . . . . . .58
Finding out more about modifying templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Chapter 9
Producing Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Using the report designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Understanding the sections of a report template. . . . . . . . . . .62
Creating and modifying a report template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Specifying data to appear in a report template . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Finding out more about modifying templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Running a report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Chapter 10 Synchronizing Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Understanding data synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Synchronizing with another database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Synchronizing with another user. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
E-mail synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Shared folder synchronization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Modem-to-modem synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Planning for data synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Setting preferences for synchronizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Setting up synchronization with another database . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Setting up synchronization with another user . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Synchronizing data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Sending and applying synchronization updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
What happens when you send updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Scheduling automatic synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Chapter 11 Performing Database Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Setting a password for your database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Setting up a multiuser database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Adding users to a database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Backing up your ACT! data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Performing a backup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Saving a copy of your ACT! database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Restoring a backup copy of a database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Checking for duplicate records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Performing database maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Chapter 12 Importing and Exporting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Importing ACT! data into your ACT! database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Importing data from another application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Exporting data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Chapter 13 Customizing ACT!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Customizing Contact and Group windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Modifying fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Creating and changing layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Customizing columns in list views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Customizing ACT! for efficiency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Using macros to automate tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Running a macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Making the startup process more efficient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Speeding up lookups, queries, and information sorting . . . . . . . . .92
Customizing menus, menu bars, and toolbar actions. . . . . . . . . . .94
Customizing menu bars and menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Creating and customizing toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Changing the View bar display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Creating and modifying keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Running or launching other applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Chapter 14 Using SideACT!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Opening SideACT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Recording information in SideACT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Marking items as completed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Appendix A Shortcut Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
ACT! shortcut keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Contact and Groups shortcut keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Contact List shortcut keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Calendar shortcut keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
E-mail shortcut keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Introduction
Welcome to ACT!TM version 5.0.4 for Windows—the only software application
you need to manage your individual and business relationships.
With ACT!, you can keep track of information about the people you do business
with, in order to provide them with personal attention, while you efficiently
manage and increase your business. The people you do business with are
your contacts, and the information you keep about them is stored in a
database.
You can write letters, send e-mail messages, make telephone calls, and send
faxes to your contacts with ACT!. You can also schedule activities and
meetings with your contacts, create and manage contact groups, keep detailed
notes and histories for each contact, and manage and forecast your sales
opportunities.
With the use of queries, macros, reporting features, data synchronization, and
customizable fields and templates, ACT! is a powerful tool for keeping track of
your business.
This User’s Guide provides an overview of the features in ACT! and procedures
for some of the basic tasks. The ACT! online Help system provides detailed
information about ACT! features and functionality. Throughout this guide, you
will be directed to the Help system to find more information about a feature.
Using the online Help system
The online Help system explains the features that you use in ACT!. You can
find information in Help from the Contents, Index, or Find tabs. You may
discover that one method of using Help is better than another depending on
the information you need. For example:
• The Contents tab is assembled like chapters in a book. You can search for
topics or subject matter by title.
• The Index tab lets you search topics or subtopics using keywords or
phrases, like searching in a book index.
i
• If you have difficulty finding information, the Find tab offers you an in-depth
way to search all topics in the Help system.
• Many topics have a Related Topics button that displays a list of topics that
may provide additional information.
To access the online Help system
• From the Menu bar, click Help, and then click Help Topics.
- or -
• Press F1 on your keyboard.
About this guide
The purpose of this guide is to help you get started with ACT!. This guide
includes examples of how you can use ACT!, and each chapter includes
overviews and step-by-step instructions of the most popular features in
ACT!.
In this guide, you are instructed to use commands from the Menu bar,
menus, or View bar to navigate ACT! or to complete procedures. In many
cases, you can also use tools on the toolbar, shortcut keys, and other
methods to access data and complete procedures. You can experiment
with those options to find the one that works best for you.
ii
ACT! User’s Guide
Chapter 1
Getting Started
Before you install ACT!, you should make sure that you have the required
system hardware and software. Once ACT! is installed on your computer, you
can create a new database or convert your database from a previous version
of ACT!.
System requirements
To use ACT!, you need the following hardware and software:
• An IBM PC or equivalent computer with a Pentium 133 MHz or higher
processor
•
•
•
VGA or higher resolution monitor
At least 32 MB of RAM
At least 50 MB free disk space on your hard disk for installation
Note
In addition to the disk space required to install ACT!, you need
sufficient disk space to accommodate twice the size of your database
when you perform certain database maintenance functions. For
example, if your database is 10 MB, you need 20 MB of free disk
space for certain functions.
•
•
CD-ROM drive
•
A mouse or other pointing device supported by Windows
Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME,
Windows NT version 4.0, or Windows XP.
The following hardware is recommended but is not required:
•
Windows-compatible modem (for automatic dialing or modem-based
synchronization)
•
Printer supported by Windows
1
The following hardware and software are also supported:
• Lotus cc:Mail, cc:Mail Mobile, Notes Mail 4.6 or later; Microsoft Outlook
98, Outlook 2000, Outlook 2002, Outlook Express 5; Eudora Pro; and
Internet e-mail (SMTP/POP3)
•
•
•
Microsoft Word 95, Word 97, Word 2000, and Word 2002
WinFax PRO 8.03 or later and Microsoft Fax
Microsoft TAPI-enabled telephone hardware and Caller ID support
The following networks are supported:
•
•
Novell NetWare version 3.12 and later
Microsoft Networks
Installing ACT!
You can install a single-user copy of ACT! on your computer for your own use,
or you can share a database on a network if several users need to access the
same data. (Users can share one or more databases, but each person must
have a separate, legally licensed copy of ACT!. For information about using
ACT! in a network environment, see “About multiuser databases” in Help.)
When users share data, they can use a process called synchronization to
make sure that all of them have access to the most current data at all times.
For more information about synchronization, see Chapter 10, “Synchronizing
Data”.
Note
If you have a database that was created in a previous version of ACT!,
re-index the database before installing ACT!. For more information,
see “Compressing and reindexing a database” in Help.
To install ACT!
1
Insert the ACT! for Windows CD into the CD-ROM drive.
The installation program starts automatically. From the installation screen,
you can install ACT! and trial versions of several other products.
Note
2
2
ACT! User’s Guide
If the installation program does not start automatically, double-click
the My Computer icon on your Windows desktop. Locate the CD-ROM
drive in the window, double-click the drive letter to display the contents
of the CD, then double-click SETUP.EXE.
Click Install ACT!.
3
Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
During installation, you will be prompted to enter the serial number printed
on the ACT! CD sleeve.
When the installation is complete, register your copy of ACT! to access
information about ACT! updates and to receive technical support.
Removing ACT!
If necessary, you can easily remove ACT! from your computer.
To uninstall ACT!
1
Click the Windows Start button, point to Programs, point to ACT!, and
then click Uninstall.
-or1
Click the Windows Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control
Panel.
2
In the Control Panel, click Add/Remove Programs.
3
In the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box, select ACT!, and
then click Add/Remove.
Starting to use ACT!
The information you record about your contacts, such as addresses, activities,
and notes, is stored in an ACT! database. If you are using ACT! for the first
time, and you are not converting a database created in a previous version of
ACT!, you must create a new database.
Creating a new database
The ACT! QuickStart Wizard will help you create a new database as you follow
step-by-step instructions on the screen. For more information about the
QuickStart Wizard, see “Getting started with ACT!” in Help.
The first time you create a database, you must enter information about you or
your company. Information such as your name, address, and telephone
number becomes a part of your database called My Record. Think of My
Record as the contact record for the owner of a database. In a multiuser
database, each user has a My Record.
Getting Started
3
To create a database using the New command
1
From the Menu bar, click File, and then click New.
The New dialog box appears.
2
Select ACT! Database, and then click OK.
The New Database dialog box appears.
3
Enter a name for the new database, and then click Save.
A dialog box appears requesting “My Record” information.
4
Enter the My Record information, click OK, and then click Yes to confirm
that your information is correct.
Converting a database created in a previous version
of ACT!
You can convert a database that was created in a previous version of ACT! by
opening the database in ACT!.
For more information about these features, see the following topics in Help:
•
•
•
Getting started with ACT!
Starting ACT! for the first time
About database conversion
In this chapter, you learned how to install and uninstall ACT!. In the next
chapter, you will learn how to get your contacts into ACT!.
4
ACT! User’s Guide
Chapter 2
Working with Contacts
The central element of ACT! is the contact. A contact is a business associate,
friend, or anyone that you need to keep track of. You enter information such as
the contact’s address, phone number, and fax number—the information on a
typical business card—as well as virtually any other information.
With ACT!, you can also easily access information about a contact from the
Internet.
This chapter gives you an overview of the Contact window, entering contact
information, and accessing Internet services.
Elements of the Contact window
You use the Contact window to add information about your contact.
Toolbar
Current
contact
information
View bar
Tabs
5
The toolbar is located at the top of the window. You can customize the toolbars
in each window of ACT!.
The View bar is displayed along the left side of the ACT! window and allows
you to display a view with a single click.
At the bottom of the window, the Contact Layout button allows you to change
the look of the window. You can select a layout from the displayed list.
The toolbar, View bar, and tabs display in all ACT! views, although there may
be some differences.
•
•
•
About customizing toolbars
Changing the display of the View bar
About creating and changing layouts
Using the tabs on the Contact window
The display in the bottom half of the Contact window changes depending on
which tab you have selected. In the previous illustration, the User Fields tab is
selected, and nine additional user fields are displayed. You can use these
fields for contact information that does not fit into the pre-defined fields. For
example, you might use the User 1 field for birth dates.
You can use the other tabs to track sales opportunities, include notes, manage
groups, and perform other tasks.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
6
ACT! User’s Guide
Entering contact information in user fields
Entering additional phone numbers and a home address
Entering associated contacts
Entering and viewing status information
Creating a sales opportunity
Entering a note in a contact record
Viewing activities for a contact
Creating a group
Entering contact information
After installing ACT! and creating or converting a database, you can begin
adding contacts. You can add contacts in either the Contact window or the
Contact List. ACT! automatically saves new contacts to your database as soon
as you move to another record or perform another action.
When you enter contact information, you need to be sure that ACT! correctly
identifies the contact’s first and last name, as well as any title, such as “Dr.”
ACT! uses this information in the salutation when you write letters or memos.
You will also want to be sure that international phone numbers are formatted
correctly.
There are ways to speed up entering contact data, such as copying information
from one record to another. You can make a contact “private”, which means
that no one, including the Database Administrator, can view the contact
information.
•
•
•
•
Entering basic contact information
About contact names and salutations
Entering international phone numbers
Speeding up contact data entry
Entering contacts in the Contact window
When you start ACT!, the first thing you see is the Contact window.
To add a contact in the Contact window
1
From the Contact menu, click New Contact.
2
Complete the fields, pressing Tab to move between fields.
When you click in a field, if a button appears, the field contains a drop-down
list. You can click on the button and select an item from the list, or you can type
one or two letters and ACT! will fill in the field from the list. The Company, Title,
Department, City, and Country fields automatically add entries you type to their
drop-down lists.
7
Entering contacts in the Contact List
You may prefer to work with a list of your contacts. When viewing contacts in a
list, you can easily enter or change contact information. You can sort the
Contact List by clicking on a column heading.
To add a contact in the Contact List
1
From the View bar, click Contact List.
The Contact List appears. Make sure Edit Mode is selected from the dropdown list above the first column in the Contact List.
2
From the Contact menu, click New Contact.
3
Complete the fields, pressing Tab to move between fields.
•
•
•
8
ACT! User’s Guide
Finding a contact in the Contact List
Entering contact information in the Contact List
Deleting a contact or the current lookup
Entering notes in a contact record
You can create a note to enter contact information that does not fit into a field.
The note is attached to the contact record. You can delete notes you no longer
want.
To enter a note in a contact record
1
Display the contact record that you want to add a note to.
2
Click the Notes/History tab.
3
Click the Insert Note button.
4
Type the note in the Regarding field.
Note
You can type as much information as you want in the Regarding field.
•
•
•
Entering a note in a contact record
Deleting a note from a contact record
Filtering the display of notes, histories, or attachments
Attaching files to contact records
You can attach any type of file to a contact record. For example, if you created
a spreadsheet to track expenses associated with a contact, you can attach the
file to the contact’s record. You can also scan documents such as receipts and
invoices and attach the scanned versions to keep track of all documents
associated with your contacts.
To attach a file to a contact record
1
Display the contact record in the Contact window.
2
From the Contact menu, click Attach File.
The Attach File dialog box appears.
3
Locate the file to be attached, and then click Open.
Note
An attached file is not sent with the ACT! database information when
you synchronize data with another user, and it is not backed up when
you back up the database.
9
•
•
Attaching a file to a contact record
Deleting an attachment from a contact record
Printing contact and group information
You can print the following list views and tabs:
•
•
•
Contact List—displays your contacts in columnar format
Task List—displays your activities in columnar format
Notes/History tab in the Contact or Groups window—displays your notes,
histories, and attachments for a contact or group
•
Activities tab in the Contact or Groups window—displays activities
scheduled with a contact or associated with a group
•
Sales/Opportunities tab in the Contact or Groups window—displays your
sales opportunities, closed/won sales, and lost sales
•
Groups tab in the Contact window—displays the groups the contact
belongs to
•
Contacts tab in the Groups window—displays contacts in a selected group
To print contact and group information
1
Display the window or tab to print.
2
From the File menu, click Print <window or tab name>. For example, if
you want to print the Activities tab, click Print Activities.
You can also print address books. For more information about this feature, see
the following topic in Help:
•
10
ACT! User’s Guide
Printing contact address books
Sorting and finding contacts
You can sort your contacts in either the Contact window, to view them one at a
time, or in the Contact List, to view all contacts in a single list. Either way, you
can find the contacts and information you need using criteria that you specify.
•
•
Sorting contacts in the Contact List
Sorting contacts using one or more criteria
Finding contacts and contact information
A lookup is a selection of contact records based on a specified criteria. For
example, you may want to create a lookup for all contacts that work at the same
company.
To find contacts using a single search criterion
1
From the Lookup menu, click a Lookup command.
The Lookup dialog box appears.
Note
The Lookup dialog box does not display if you select My Record, All
Contacts, Keyword Search, Previous, By Example, Internet Directory,
or Synchronized Records.
2
In the Search For group box, type a word to search for or select a word
from the drop-down list.
3
From the For the current lookup group box, select Replace lookup.
4
Click OK.
When the results of the lookup appear, you will see a record counter on the
toolbar at the top of the Contact window. The record counter shows the total
number of records and which record is displaying.
You can create more sophisticated lookups, and you can broaden or narrow a
lookup if the results are not what you need.
•
•
About finding contacts and contact information
About lookups
11
Finding contacts and information using keywords
Another way to find contacts is by searching for keywords contained in the
records. A keyword is any word that appears somewhere in a contact’s record.
•
•
•
Finding contacts and information using keywords
Viewing records found in a keyword search
Refining the results of a keyword search
Finding contacts in the Contact List
You can use the Look For feature to quickly find a contact in the Contact List.
For more information about this feature, see the following topics in Help:
•
•
Finding a contact in the Contact List
Tagging contacts in the Contact List
Using queries
A query is a sophisticated search that compares all contacts in the open
database with multiple criteria that you specify, resulting in a lookup of contacts
that match those criteria. Queries allow you to find contacts that you cannot
find using other commands in the Lookup menu.
•
•
Creating a query to find contacts
Creating an advanced query
Getting contact information from the Internet
You can access the Internet and its services directly from ACT!. You can view
a company’s Web site, get directions to a contact’s office, find out the weather
at a different location, or get contact information and add it to your database.
To access a Web site, you need an Internet account, an Internet Service
Provider, and an Internet browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or
Netscape Navigator.
Note
12
ACT! User’s Guide
Some features are disabled if you only have Netscape Navigator
installed.
•
•
About ACT! and the Internet
Adding a contact from an Internet search
In this chapter, you learned to enter contact information, look up contacts and
contact information, and access information on the Internet. The next chapter
describes how to create and manage groups.
13
Chapter 3
Managing Groups
ACT! provides a flexible way for you to organize your contacts with the use of
groups. A group is a collection of contacts that have something in common,
such as being involved on the same project or belonging to the same
geographic region. If you need to refine the way you organize groups, you can
add subgroups to any group. This creates a hierarchical structure in which to
manage your contacts.
ACT! sometimes uses the terms contact and member interchangeably when
referring to a contact within a group.
Advantages and uses of groups
You can create groups to organize your contacts and to manage your
relationships with companies and accounts. You can create and manage
groups in many ways and for many purposes. You can also designate a group
as private when you set up your preferences, so no other user may view it.
Following are a few examples of how to use groups.
•
Create a group as a company record, then use sub-groups to organize the
contacts in the company by region, department, or function.
•
Create a group as an account record, then keep track of account
information such as revenue forecasts or sales opportunities.
•
Use groups as a collection of contacts that have something in common,
such as golf partners, prospective customers, or personal contacts.
15
•
Use groups to identify projects or committees. For example, you can group
suppliers, marketing staff, and developers under one group project
heading.
As you learn more about groups, you will discover that they have many
advantages, such as making it easy to view all activities or sales associated
with individual contacts in a group, then send e-mail messages to each contact
in a group with a single command.
The following illustration shows the Groups window. Notice the list of groups
on the left. You can display subgroups by clicking the plus sign next to a group
name. To hide subgroups, click the minus sign.
You must work with groups in the Groups window, which you can display by
clicking the Groups button in the View bar. The Groups window has many of
the same features as the Contact window and shares many of the same tabs,
such as Notes/History, Activities, and Sales/Opportunities.
•
•
16
ACT! User’s Guide
Displaying and using the Groups window
About group information
Creating groups and subgroups
You can create new groups and subgroups or duplicate a group that exists.
(Sometimes it is easier to duplicate a group or subgroup and make changes to
it than to create a completely new group.) For example, if you want to create a
subgroup called “Marketing” for a company that already exists as a group
within your database, you can speed up the process by duplicating the
company record that holds all of the address and contact information. When
you duplicate a group record, you are given the option of duplicating data from
the record’s primary fields or from all fields. For information about primary
fields, refer to Chapter 13, “Customizing ACT!.”
ACT! includes special layouts for groups, which you can choose from the
Layout button. (The Account layout provides more fields than any other.)
You can also delete a group or subgroup.
To create a new group
1
From the View bar, click Groups.
2
From the Menu bar, click Group, and then click New Group.
A blank group record appears.
3
In the Group Name field, enter a name for the group. Continue entering
information, pressing the tab key on your keyboard to move between
fields.
ACT! automatically saves the new group when you select or create
another group or subgroup. The new group name is automatically added
to the drop-down list.
•
•
•
Creating a group [or subgroup]
Creating a group using information from another group
Deleting groups
Once you have set up a group, the next step is to add contacts.
Adding contacts to a group or subgroup
When you create a group or subgroup, you must specify the contacts to add to
the group or subgroup. Contacts can be members of multiple groups or
subgroups. For example, if you play golf with your wholesalers, you can add
them to your “Wholesale” company group as well as to your “Personal Golf”
group.
Managing Groups
17
With ACT!, you can add contacts to a group or subgroup in several ways. You
can add them from the Contact window or Contact List, or you can set up group
membership rules for adding members. A group membership rule defines the
conditions under which contacts are assigned to a group. Contacts who match
the criteria in a rule will be added to the group. A rule can be as simple as
specifying that all companies with an ID/Status of “suppliers” belong to a group.
You can easily define membership rules with the Group Membership Rules
wizard.
To add a contact to a group
1
From the Groups window, select the Contacts tab, and then click the
Add/Remove Contacts button.
The Add/Remove Contacts dialog box appears.
2
Select the name of the contact to add to a group, and then click Add.
The contact names are moved to the Group membership of list box.
Tip
3
You can select adjacent names by holding down Shift as you click
each name. You can select non-adjacent names by holding down Ctrl
as you click each name.
Click OK when you are finished adding contacts to the group.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Adding contacts to a group or subgroup
Creating a rule based on one or two criteria
Running a group membership rule
Entering and viewing group information
Printing groups information
Removing contacts from a group
Creating group notes, histories, and attachments
Using the Notes/History tab, you can add notes and histories and attach files
and e-mail messages to a group or subgroup just as you can to contact
records. This is useful if you want each contact in the group to share the same
information. For example, you might want to send all members of a group
driving directions to your company’s headquarters. You can also assign an
individual contact’s notes, histories, and attachments to a group. For example,
18
ACT! User’s Guide
if you write a note in a contact record, and it pertains to all members of the
contact’s group, you can assign the note to the group.
To enter a note for a group or subgroup
1
From the View bar, click Groups, and then select the group for which you
want to enter a note.
2
Click the Notes/History tab, and then click the Insert Note button.
A blank field appears in the Regarding column.
3
Type the note in the note area.
For more information about these features, see the following topic in Help:
•
Creating group notes, histories, attachments, and e-mails
Assigning and viewing group activities and sales
In ACT!, you can schedule an activity or record a sales opportunity with one or
more contacts, then link, or associate, the activity or sales opportunity with a
group or subgroup. This lets you view all activities or sales opportunities for all
contacts associated with a group. You can also filter the group list just as you
would the Contacts List.
Note
You cannot directly schedule an activity or record a sales opportunity
with a group or subgroup.
To assign an activity to a group
1
From the Contact window, click the Activities tab, and then double-click
the activity to attach to a group.
The Schedule Activity dialog box appears.
2
On the General tab, select the group to which you want to assign the
activity from the Associate with group drop-down list.
•
•
•
•
Assigning and viewing group activities [or sales]
Filtering activities [or sales] for a group
Scheduling activities with group members
Sorting groups
Managing Groups
19
Finding groups and group information
As your list of groups, subgroups, and members grows, it may be difficult to find
a specific group or member. With ACT!, you can easily locate groups and
group information in several ways.
•
You can create a lookup of the members of a group so that you can
perform functions such as creating letters for each member.
•
You can use the Keyword Search to find a group record based on a
keyword.
•
You can search for groups and subgroups with specific criteria, such as all
groups within the same industry that are located in Asia.
•
You can search for groups with a selected field that is blank. For example,
you might want to find all groups with a blank telephone number field so
you can update the information that is missing.
When ACT! finds one or more groups, it creates a group lookup. Only the
groups in the lookup will display in the group list.
To find groups with a single search criterion
1
From the Menu bar in the Groups window, click Lookup, and then click
Other fields.
The Lookup dialog box appears.
2
Select the field on which to search from the Lookup drop-down list.
3
In the Search for group box, type or select the word or phrase in which to
search.
4
Select Replace lookup, Add to lookup, or Narrow lookup.
5
Click OK.
•
•
•
20
ACT! User’s Guide
Finding groups and group information
Finding groups with a value in a field
Finding groups with an empty field
Reorganizing groups
After you create groups and subgroups, you can reorganize them to suit your
needs. Listed below are a few reasons why you might want to reorganize
groups.
•
To “promote” a subgroup to a group when it has grown large enough to
merit its own group.
•
•
To move a subgroup to another group.
To “demote” a group to a subgroup when it is no longer large enough to be
its own group.
Reorganizing groups and subgroups merely moves them in a hierarchical
structure. When you move a group or subgroup, all associated information is
moved, such as contacts’ names and telephone numbers.
•
•
Reorganizing groups by dragging
Reorganizing subgroups using the Move Group dialog box
In this chapter, you learned how to create and manage groups. The next
chapter describes how to view calendars, work with the Task List, schedule
activities, and use Outlook with ACT!.
Managing Groups
21
Chapter 4
Scheduling Activities and Calendar
Management
ACT! makes it easy for you to schedule activities, or tasks, such as placing
telephone calls, scheduling meetings, and creating a list of to-do items. You
can schedule activities for yourself or with your contacts from a contact record
or from a calendar. Specific icons on the Task List, toolbar, and calendars
denote activity types.
If you use ACT! in a network environment, you can share your calendars with
other people in the network. This is helpful when scheduling meetings since
you can check another person’s availability. If you set an alarm for an activity,
ACT! will remind you of the activity by displaying a message on your screen
prior to the activity’s start time.
If you use Microsoft Outlook to schedule activities, you can display those
activities in your ACT! calendar. You can also display activities scheduled in
ACT! in your Outlook calendar.
Setting preferences
Before you begin to schedule activities in ACT!, you can set scheduling and
calendar preferences that make it easier for you to manage your activities and
speed up the scheduling process. For example, you can set a default duration
for activities or specify to have your system automatically check for scheduling
conflicts.
•
•
•
Setting scheduling preferences
Setting default scheduling options
Setting calendar preferences
23
Viewing and printing calendars
ACT! includes a Daily, Weekly, and Monthly calendar that you can use to
schedule and view your activities. You can also select a specific activity from a
calendar to view its details. You may even find it helpful to print your calendars.
ACT! also includes a Mini-Calendar, available from the View menu, that shows
three months at a time.
Note
If you share contact and activity data with others, you can designate
some of your activities as “private”. No one, including the Database
Administrator, can view private activities on any calendar.
When you display a calendar, you can move to the previous or next day, month,
or year (as applicable) using the Move Back or Move Forward tools in the
toolbar.
With ACT!, you can print your calendars in several formats, such as Avery, Day
Runner, and Day Timer. You can select options to specify the information you
want to print, and you can filter activities by type, priority, and so on.
The following illustration shows the various types of calendars. Notice the
banners on the Monthly calendar, which indicate when an activity spans
several days.
24
ACT! User’s Guide
To display and print a calendar
1
From the View bar, select any calendar.
The selected calendar appears.
2
From the Menu bar, click File, and then click Print.
The Print dialog box appears.
3
Select the Calendar printout type from the Printout type drop-down list.
4
Select a calendar format from the list box.
5
To specify what is printed on the calendar, click Options. In the Calendar
Options dialog box, click Filter to specify the type, priority, date, and so
on.
6
Click OK to close each dialog box.
7
In the Windows Print dialog box, select Print Options, and then click OK.
•
Viewing and printing your calendars
Scheduling activities
You can schedule an activity from a contact or group record, from the Task List,
or from a calendar. When you schedule an activity, you can specify whether it
is a call, meeting, or a to-do item. Then, you can enter a description of the
activity, specify the activity date, select a contact to associate with the activity,
or enter activity details.
Once an activity is scheduled, you can send an e-mail message to your
contacts to notify them of the activity. For example, you can notify a contact that
you scheduled a meeting with him or her. You can also change, reschedule,
and delete activities.
If you have an activity that occurs periodically, you can enter it once, specify it
as recurring, and then specify when and how often it occurs. For example, you
can schedule a meeting to occur every Monday, the first Tuesday of each
month, or annually. This is useful if you have a weekly sales meeting, if you
want to schedule birthdays or anniversaries, and so on. When an activity is
recurring, an arrow displays on the activity icon.
Scheduling Activities and Calendar Management
25
You can also create an activity series to schedule a series of tasks that are
date dependent. For example, if you want to mail a brochure three days after
a contact becomes your customer, then mail a follow-up letter ten days after
the brochure is sent, you can set up an activity series. You can schedule an
activity series based on either the start or due date of a particular activity.
In the next sections, you will learn to schedule activities from a contact record
and from a calendar.
Scheduling activities from a contact record
When you schedule an activity with a contact, you may find it easiest to do so
from the contact record. You can select a contact with whom you want to
schedule an activity, then enter information about the activity and the time and
date it is scheduled for.
To schedule an activity from the contact record
1
From the Contact window, click the Activities tab.
2
From the Menu bar, click Contact. Then, depending on the activity type
you want to schedule, click Schedule Call, Schedule Meeting, or
Schedule To-do.
3
Enter the information in the General tab to schedule the activity.
• Select or type the date or time. You can select Timeless from the Time
drop-down list to schedule an activity that you want to occur on a
specific day, but at an unspecified time.
Note
Timeless activities appear in the daily recap area of Daily, Weekly, and
Monthly calendars.
• Select or type the duration.
• Specify with whom the activity is scheduled (the current contact is listed
automatically). You can schedule personal activities by clicking My
Record in the Contact drop-down list.
• Select or type a description in the Regarding field. If you need more
room, use the Description tab.
• Select the priority, display, color, and group with whom to associate the
activity.
• If you want to be reminded of the activity, select the Ring Alarm
checkbox.
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ACT! User’s Guide
•
•
•
•
•
Putting activities on your schedule
Scheduling activities from a contact record
Selecting multiple contacts with whom an activity is scheduled
Adding a new contact when scheduling an activity
Displaying a banner on your Monthly calendar
Scheduling activities from a calendar
ACT! includes daily, weekly, or monthly calendars from which you can view and
schedule activities.
When you schedule an activity from a calendar, you specify the starting time
and duration directly on the calendar. Then you can select the contact to
associate with the activity. Depending on how you set up your calendar
preferences, ACT! notifies you if there is a conflict.
If you schedule an activity from a calendar with a new contact, you can add the
contact to your database at that time.
To schedule an activity from a Daily or Weekly calendar
1
From the View bar, select the Daily or Weekly calendar.
A calendar with time slots and a small monthly calendar appear. The Daily
calendar displays today’s date, and the Weekly calendar displays this
week’s dates.
2
On the small calendar, click the date on which you want to schedule an
activity.
3
Place the pointer on the time the activity will start, hold down your right
mouse button, and then drag the pointer to the time the activity will end.
4
Enter the information in the General tab to schedule the activity, as
described in “To schedule an activity from the contact record.”
For more information about this and other features, see the following topics in
Help:
•
•
•
•
Scheduling activities from the Daily or Weekly calendar
Scheduling activities for another user
Scheduling private activities
Sending e-mail messages about scheduled activities
27
•
•
•
•
•
•
Scheduling a series of activities
Scheduling recurring activities
Entering and viewing a contact’s status information
Rescheduling activities
Resolving schedule conflicts
Deleting activities
Viewing and managing your activities
So that you can easily manage your day, you can display the Task List, which
lists of all your activities. You can also view activities for a particular contact in
the Activity tab of a contact’s record.
You can filter the list of activities by type, priority, or date. This makes it easy
for you to find a particular type of task, the most important task, or tasks for a
specific day. You can then select a specific task to view its details or to make
changes. You can also print your activities for a particular contact or print your
entire Task List.
The following illustration shows all tasks for today and future dates, including
completed tasks (displayed in strikethrough).
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ACT! User’s Guide
To view your Task List
•
From the View bar, click Task List.
The Task List appears, showing your scheduled activities. You can change
the way you view your list by using the Filter options to hide or display
activities.
To print the Task List
1
From the View bar, click Task List.
The Task List appears.
2
(Optional) Filter the list by Type, Priority, or Date.
3
From the Menu bar, click File, and then click Print Task List.
Note
If no tasks are listed, you will not see the Print Task List command.
•
•
Managing your day with the Task List
Viewing and printing a contact’s activities
Recording completed activities
When an activity is complete, such as when you have finished a to-do item, you
can clear it from your schedule. This does not delete information about the
activity, it simply marks it as completed and changes the display. When you
clear an activity from your schedule, you can document the results of the
activity, and ACT! automatically creates a history record of it in the
Notes/History tab of the contact with whom the activity is scheduled. Because
ACT! records histories, you can view the details of any activity, for any time, for
all of your contacts.
For example, if you complete a telephone call with a customer who wants you
to call them next month, you can indicate that you spoke with the contact,
document the details of the conversation, and schedule the follow-up call. The
results of your activity will appear in the contact’s Notes/History tab.
If you have Quicken ExpensAble 98 and the ExpensAble Wizard installed on
your computer, you can record expenses associated with an activity in Quicken
ExpensAble when you clear the activity.
29
To clear an activity and schedule a follow-up activity
1
From the Menu bar, click Contact, and then click Clear Activity.
The Clear Activity dialog box appears.
2
Enter the activity details and result of the activity, and then click OK.
3
(Optional) To schedule a follow-up activity:
• Click Follow-Up Activity.
• Enter information in the General tab. Click OK.
For more information about this feature, see the following topic in Help:
•
Recording completed activities
Using Outlook with ACT!
If you use ACT! to schedule appointments with your contacts, but use Outlook
98 or later for scheduling appointments and tasks with your colleagues, you
may find it helpful to view all of your calls, meetings, and to-do’s on a single
calendar in both ACT! and Outlook.
To share information between ACT! and Outlook calendars, you must have
Outlook 98 or later installed on your computer.
Updating your ACT! and Outlook calendars
You can update your ACT! calendar with Outlook activities, update your
Outlook calendar with ACT! activities, or do both in a single operation. Outlook
does not have to be running to update your ACT! or Outlook calendar.
Note
If you use a multiuser database, only the activities for the current user
are updated in ACT!.
To update your ACT! or Outlook calendar
1
From the ACT! Tools menu, click Outlook Activities, and then click
Update.
The Update Calendars dialog box appears.
2
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ACT! User’s Guide
In the Update group box, select the option that describes what you want
to update.
3
In the For these dates group box, select a date or date range to update.
Note
4
If you are updating your ACT! calendar with Outlook activities and a
recurring Outlook activity falls within the date or dates you select, your
ACT! calendar will include all occurrences of the Outlook activity.
Click Update.
Viewing Outlook activities in ACT!
You can view Outlook activities in ACT! on a calendar, in the Task List, or in the
Activities tab. You can identify an Outlook activity by the Outlook activity icon,
shown below.
Note
You can view Outlook activities in ACT!, but you cannot change them
in ACT!.
•
•
•
•
Displaying Outlook activities on an ACT! calendar
Displaying Outlook activities in the Task List or Activities tab
Displaying additional Outlook activity information
Removing Outlook activities from ACT!
Viewing ACT! activities in Outlook
ACT! activities with a specified time display in your Outlook calendar. Timeless
ACT! activities display in your Outlook TaskPad and task list.
Note
Although ACT! activities can be modified in Outlook, you should only
modify ACT! activities in ACT!. Changes that you make to ACT!
activities in Outlook are not reflected in your ACT! calendar.
•
•
Viewing ACT! activities in Outlook
Removing ACT! activities from Outlook
31
Setting reminders to update your calendars
You can set reminders to update your ACT! and Outlook calendars. ACT! can
remind you to update your calendars when you start ACT!, when you open a
database, or at specific times.
To set a reminder to update ACT! and Outlook calendars
1
From the Tools menu, click Outlook Activities, and then click Update.
The Set Update Reminder dialog box appears.
2
Click the Set Reminder button.
The Update Calendars dialog box appears.
3
Select one of the following options to display a reminder to update your
calendars:
• Select On Start of ACT! to display the reminder each time you start
ACT! or when you open a database.
• Select At Time 1 to display the reminder at the time of day you specify.
• Select At Time 2 to display the reminder at a second time you specify.
In this chapter, you learned how to schedule activities and manage your
calendar using ACT! and Outlook.The next chapter describes the sales cycle
and how to manage your sales accounts.
32
ACT! User’s Guide
Chapter 5
Managing Sales and Accounts
In this chapter, you will learn to use powerful tools to track your sales
opportunities so you can reach your sales goals.
Managing the sales development cycle
A sales opportunity is a potential sale to a contact. You can use ACT! to
monitor your sales opportunities throughout each stage of the sales
development cycle. In cooperation with Dale Carnegie Training, ACT! identifies
11 stages in the development cycle to track sales progress. You can modify or
add stages to suit your needs.
Sales Stages
Stage
Description
New Opportunity
Potential sales opportunity.
Pre-Approach
Gather information on potential opportunity.
Initial Communication
First contact with the prospect (fax, e-mail, letter, brochure, call, etc.).
First Interview
First discussion with the prospect.
Opportunity Analysis
Gather and analyze information in order to understand the opportunity.
Solution Development
Creating focused solution(s) to meet prospect’s need(s).
Customer Evaluation
Customer evaluation of the proposed solution(s).
Negotiation
Negotiate acceptable terms (price, delivery, quantity, etc.)
Commitment to Buy
Customer has agreed to move the sale to a level of closure.
Follow-up
Follow-up with customer. Opportunity to maintain a sales relationship.
33
When you create a new sales opportunity, you can forecast its potential
earnings, enter the probability of closing the sale, and include information
about your contact’s buying decisions. You can track progress through each
stage of the sale and record its outcome.
ACT! provides reports and graphical representations of your sales stages so
you can easily plan the appropriate actions to meet your goals.
To learn more about Dale Carnegie’s Relationship Process
• From the Menu bar, click Sales, point to Dale Carnegie Training, and
then click Relationship Process.
•
•
Managing the sales process
About managing and forecasting sales with ACT!
Creating a sales opportunity
Each sales opportunity must be created with a contact. You can create sales
opportunities, maintain product lists and competitors, and enter the sales
stages within the Sales/Opportunities tab of a contact’s record. You can even
import product lists from another application or from another ACT! database.
To create a sales opportunity
1
From the Menu bar of the Contacts or Groups window, click Sales, and
then click New Sales Opportunity.
The Sales Opportunity dialog box appears.
2
Enter the information about the sales opportunity in the General tab of the
dialog box, and then click OK.
• Select or type the Product, Sales Type, Units, Unit Price, and
Amount in the appropriate fields.
• Select or type the date that you expect to close the sale in the
Forecasted close date field.
• Type a percentage indicating your estimate of closing the sale in the
Probability field.
• Select a sales stage from the Sales stage drop-down list.
• Modify the contact and creation date if necessary.
• Associate the Sales Opportunity with a group, if appropriate.
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ACT! User’s Guide
You can also add information about the sale or about your competitor, as
described in Help.
•
•
•
•
•
Changing a sales opportunity
Importing and exporting sales lists
Adding additional information about a sales opportunity
Printing sales information
Viewing sales and forecasts
Forecasting sales
You can use reports or graphical representations, such as a sales funnel, to
monitor and forecast your sales opportunities.
The sales funnel shows the number of sales opportunities you have at each
stage of the sales development cycle. For example, if you want to know the
number of sales opportunities that you have in the Initial Communication or
Negotiation stages, the funnel can quickly calculate that information. The sales
funnel indicates only sales opportunities, not won/closed or lost sales.
35
You can also use graphs to identify the total number of sales opportunities you
currently have and the number of closed sales for the past year, the current
month, or the upcoming quarter.
When you create a sales graph, you specify the data that you want the graph
to show and how it should appear.
For more information about sales reports, see Chapter 9, “Producing Reports”.
To produce a sales funnel
1
From the Menu bar of the Contacts or Groups window, click Sales, and
then click Sales Funnel.
The Sales Funnel Options dialog box appears.
2
In the Create graph for box, select Current contact, Current lookup, or
All contacts.
The Sales Funnel appears.
3
In the Display Data For Sales Managed By group box, select All users
or Selected users. If you chose Selected users, select users from the list
box.
4
Click the Graph button.
You can assign different colors to the sales stages, print the funnel, or save it
as a bitmap (.BMP) file. You can also display data for only selected users.
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ACT! User’s Guide
•
•
•
•
Producing a sales funnel
Saving the sales funnel
Graphing your sales data
Changing the appearance of a sales graph
Recording the outcome of a sales opportunity
When you complete a sales opportunity, you can record the outcome of the
sale and include reasons for the outcome, such as why you may have won a
sale. ACT! automatically records the outcome in a contact’s or group’s
Notes/History tab. You can also reopen a sale that you have completed.
To record the outcome of a sales opportunity
1
From the Contact window, click the Sales/Opportunities tab, and then
click the checkmark column for the appropriate sales opportunity.
The Sales Opportunity dialog box appears.
2
Click the Complete Sale button.
3
In the Complete Sale dialog box, enter the information about the sale, and
then click OK.
• In the Result group box, select Closed/Won Sales or Lost Sale.
• In the Reason group box, select or type the reason.
• Change data in the Product Information and Sales Information
group boxes, as necessary.
•
•
•
Recording the outcome of a sales opportunity
Reopening a sale
Deleting a sales opportunity or completed sale
In this chapter, you learned how to manage your sales accounts. The next
chapter describes how to use ACT! to make telephone calls and send faxes.
37
Chapter 6
Using the Telephone and Fax with
ACT!
From ACT!, you can place and manage telephone calls and fax documents
such as letters, memos, and reports. You can even fax your calendars and email address book to other users.
Using the ACT! dialer
The ACT! dialer works as an extension of your phone or modem. Using the
dialer, you can place and manage telephone calls to contacts if your system
supports call-management features, such as Call Forward or Call Transfer. If
you have the appropriate equipment, you can also use the Caller ID feature to
automatically display contacts’ telephone numbers when they call you.
You can schedule activities or other tasks while you talk to your contacts, and
ACT! will record the history of the call upon completion.
Dialer system requirements
To use the ACT! dialer, you must have one or both of the following:
•
•
A modem that shares the same line as your telephone.
A telephone equipped with Telephony Application Programming Interface
(TAPI) hardware and the appropriate telephone driver software installed
on your computer.
TAPI operates as a link between your computer and your modem or phone.
Note
For assistance with modem features or using your telephone with the
ACT! dialer, contact your telephone administrator or telephone
system vendor or refer to your modem documentation.
39
Setting up the dialer
Before you can use the ACT! dialer to place telephone calls, you must turn it
on and set user preferences. User preferences tell the dialer how to work with
your telephone or modem. User preferences include such things as how area
code rules will affect dialing or specifying calling card features.
To set up the dialer
1
On the Menu bar, click Edit, and then click Preferences.
The Preferences dialog box appears.
2
Click the Dialer tab.
3
Select the Use dialer option to turn on the dialer.
4
Choose your modem or telephone line from the drop-down list, and then
click Setup to configure the line.
5
Choose a location from the drop-down list, and then click Properties to set
location options.
6
Choose the telephone extension or modem address from the Address
drop-down list.
7
Click Apply, and then click OK.
You can also customize dialing options, as described in Help.
•
•
About the ACT! dialer
Setting up the dialer
Making telephone calls
Once you have the appropriate dialer requirement(s) installed, and your user
preferences are set up, you can begin making telephone calls.
You can call contacts from the Contact window or Task List, and you can record
the time of each call. When you complete a call and place the receiver in its
cradle, you can record the outcome of the call in the Notes/History tab.
To make a telephone call from the Contact window
1
On the Menu bar, click Contact, and then click Phone Contact.
The Dialer dialog box appears.
2
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ACT! User’s Guide
Double-click the phone number, and then click Dial.
You can also dial a toll call or time a call, as described in Help.
•
•
Making telephone calls
Timing calls and recording call histories
Managing your calls
You can place calls on hold, forward or transfer calls, and perform three-way
calling (also referred to as conference calling). If your modem has speaker
telephone capabilities, you can also use the Mute and Speaker telephone
features.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Managing your calls
Putting a call on hold
Forwarding a call
Turning off call forwarding
Transferring a call
Placing a conference call
Using the Caller ID feature
You can use the Caller ID feature to display the contact record of the person
who is calling. This enables you to look up information about your contact
before you answer the call.
•
Using Caller ID to automatically display contacts
Note
If you use Windows NT 4.0, speaker telephone options and Caller ID
are not available. Additionally, your telephone system or modem may
not support these call-management features.
Using the Telephone and Fax with ACT!
41
Sending faxes
You can fax any item that you can print in ACT!. This makes it easy to fax
documents, letters, reports, calendars, and address books directly from ACT!.
You can also use the ACT! fax cover page template to create your own cover
page, and you can record a history of sending the fax.
You must have a fax modem installed and configured with WinFax Pro
software, version 8.03 or later, or Microsoft Fax software.
Specifying your fax software
You must specify which fax software you will use before you can create faxes.
You can specify the software in the QuickStart Wizard or in the General tab of
the Preferences dialog box. If you use WinFax Pro, you can take advantage of
special features in both ACT! and WinFax Pro that simplify sending faxes. See
“Using ACT! with WinFax Pro” in this chapter.
•
•
Selecting your fax software from the QuickStart Wizard
Selecting your fax software from the Preferences dialog box
Faxing word-processing documents
Once you create a letter or memo, you can fax it to contacts. Using mail merge,
you can fax a document to several contacts and include each contact’s name
and address in the document. For more information about mail merges, see
Chapter 8, “Writing letters and memos”.
To fax a document created using a command in the Write menu
1
In the ACT! word-processor, create or open the document to be faxed.
2
From the Menu bar, click File, point to Send, and then click Fax.
The Send dialog box appears.
3
Type the subject of the fax, and then click Send.
Depending on your fax software, a dialog box may appear.
4
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ACT! User’s Guide
If necessary, select options in the dialog box.
Faxing without using a word processor
You can use the Quick Fax tool to create faxes without using a word processor.
With this feature, you can create and send a fax directly from the Contact
window or Contact List. This is useful if you want to send a simple fax without
attached documents. You can also record a history of sending the fax.
To send a Quick Fax
1
From the Contact window or Contact List, select the contact(s) to whom
you want to send the fax.
2
From the toolbar, click the Quick Fax button.
The Quick Fax dialog box appears.
3
Compose and send your fax, following the instructions for your fax
software.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Specifying your fax software
Faxing word-processing documents
Sending mail merge faxes
Sending a quick fax
About fax cover pages
Creating a cover page to send through a fax machine
Creating and sending a cover page as a one-page fax
Faxing reports
When you run a report, you can fax it from ACT! to one or more contacts or to
a group. For example, you may want to fax to your contact a list of all the people
in the contact’s company who you have called and the status of the calls over
a specific period of time.
•
Faxing a report
Faxing address books and calendars
In addition to documents and reports, you can send other items as faxes. For
example, if you are travelling, you may want to fax a page from your weekly
Using the Telephone and Fax with ACT!
43
calendar or send new contact information from your address book to your
assistant at your office.
•
Faxing a calendar or address book
Using ACT! with WinFax Pro
When you use ACT! with WinFax Pro, several unique features are available.
For example, you can specify that a particular WinFax Pro cover page be used,
and you can set up a delivery schedule for documents produced with mail
merge. After you send a fax, WinFax Pro will record the event in the
Notes/History tab, or it will remind you to resend a fax if, for example, it was not
successfully sent. With WinFax Pro, you can also link from the Notes/History
tab to a fax after it is recorded.
To use the WinFax Pro features with ACT!, you must set up preferences that
specify how faxes are sent from a particular ACT! database. You can also
select the ACT! databases that you want WinFax to use as phonebooks. A
WinFax phonebook is a directory that contains names, telephone and fax
numbers, and other information that makes it easy for you to fax your contacts.
If you send mail merge faxes and you use WinFax Pro, you may want to turn
off the Display Call Status option to prevent dialog boxes from displaying
repeatedly.
•
•
•
•
About using ACT! with WinFax Pro
Setting WinFax preferences
Specifying your ACT! databases as WinFax phonebooks
Faxing files created in other applications
In this chapter, you learned how to set up the ACT! dialer to make telephone
calls and send faxes. The next chapter describes how to use e-mail with ACT!.
44
ACT! User’s Guide
Chapter 7
Using E-mail in ACT!
ACT! includes many e-mail features so you can easily manage messages that
you send or receive.
You can send e-mail messages to one or more contacts and attach contact
records, group records, or files to your message. ACT! automatically keeps a
history of e-mail messages that you send or receive. Also, when you schedule
an activity, you can send an e-mail message to your contacts about the activity.
Setting up your e-mail system
Before you can use e-mail within ACT!, you must select an e-mail system, set
up your e-mail preferences using the QuickStart Wizard or ACT! Preferences
dialog box, and enter your e-mail address in My Record.
To set up your e-mail in ACT!, you need one of the following e-mail
applications:
• Microsoft Outlook 98, Outlook 2000, Outlook 2002, or Outlook Express
5 or later
•
•
•
•
Eudora Pro
Lotus cc:Mail or cc:Mail Mobile
Lotus Notes Mail version 4.6 or later
Internet e-mail (SMTP/POP3). You do not need e-mail software in
addition to ACT!, however, you do need an Internet account with an
Internet Service Provider (ISP). ACT! includes a POP3 e-mail client
that can be used for Internet e-mail.
To set up your e-mail system
1
Set up your e-mail preferences using the QuickStart Wizard or the
Preferences dialog box of the E-mail tab.
45
When you set up e-mail preferences, you specify how your e-mail system
will operate. For example, you can create signature text (such as your
name, title, and address) that appears at the end of your messages,
specify whether messages are kept in the Notes/History tab for each
contact, or specify how attached documents will be saved.
2
In My Record, enter your e-mail address if you have not already done so.
Refer to “Getting Started”, Chapter 1.
•
•
Setting up your e-mail system
Setting e-mail preferences
Managing e-mail addresses
Within ACT!, you can enter one or more e-mail address for each contact. If you
enter more than one address, you must designate one as the primary address.
ACT! automatically sends your e-mail messages to your contact’s primary
address.
•
Entering a contact’s e-mail address
Writing and sending e-mail
You can create and send an e-mail message to one or more contacts and to
one or more groups or subgroups. You can send messages immediately or
store them for delivery at another time. Before sending your e-mail, you can
check your spelling with the ACT! spelling checker.
In addition to sending an e-mail message, you can send letters, memos,
reports, contact and group records, and scheduled activities as attachments to
your message. For example, you can send all contacts in a specific group an
invitation to your company awards banquet and attach a copy of the invitation.
You can even schedule the banquet with your contacts in the Activities tab and
e-mail the details to them.
You can choose to record the e-mail to a contact’s Notes/History tab. You can
attach e-mail messages you receive to a contact’s or group’s history. You can
also attach a file to an e-mail message.
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ACT! User’s Guide
•
•
•
•
•
Preparing e-mail messages
Sending e-mail messages
Attaching a file to an e-mail message
Deleting an e-mail attachment
Sending a message from the Drafts folder
To send an e-mail message from the Contact window or Contact
List
1
On the Menu bar, click Write, and then click E-mail message.
A blank e-mail message appears, addressed to the current contact or
group.
2
Type a subject in the Subject field.
3
Type the message in the message body area.
4
On the Menu bar, click E-Mail, and then click Send E-mail Now (or click
Send E-Mail Later to store the e-mail in your Drafts folder).
You can attach ACT! contact or group records to an e-mail message.
Recipients can merge the attached records into their ACT! databases.
To attach an e-mail to a contact
1
From the View bar, click E-mail.
The E-mail message window appears.
2
Double-click the folder where your e-mail is stored.
A list of open and unopened e-mail messages appears.
3
Click the message you want to attach, click E-Mail on the Menu bar, click
Attach E-Mail to, and then click Contact.
The Attach E-Mail to Contact dialog box appears.
4
In the dialog box, select a contact name to attach the e-mail to, and then
click Add.
You can add more than one name or all contact names. To attach the email to specific contacts, select names from the Attach to these Contacts
list box.
5
When you are finished, click OK.
You can also attach an e-mail to a group, as described in Help.
47
Receiving, reading, and managing your e-mail
When you receive an e-mail message, it appears in your inbox. If you want to
save (referred to as store) your message after you read it, you can create a
folder in the e-mail window and store the message there. When you want to reread the message, simply open the folder and select the message.
You can reply to a message using the Reply button or share it with other
contacts using the Forward option. You can also attach a message you have
received to a contact or group record, so that you have a history of the
message. Additionally, you can create a contact record from an e-mail
message.
If you receive an e-mail message with an ACT! contact or group record
attached, you can merge the record into the open database. If you receive an
e-mail reminder for an activity, you can merge the activity into your database
so it appears on your calendar.
To read and reply to e-mail messages
1
From the View bar, click E-mail.
The E-mail window appears.
2
Double-click the folder where your e-mail is stored.
A list of open and unopened e-mail messages appears.
3
Double-click the message you want to read.
4
Click Reply.
The Reply/Forward Option dialog box appears.
5
Select an option, and then click OK.
6
Type your reply in the message body area, and then click Send.
You can also forward e-mail messages, as described in Help.
•
•
•
•
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ACT! User’s Guide
Reading e-mail messages in your inbox
Replying to and forwarding e-mail messages
Creating folders to store e-mail messages
Creating a contact record from a received e-mail message
•
•
•
•
Merging a record or activity from an e-mail message into ACT!
Saving received e-mail messages
Deleting an e-mail message
Disconnecting from an e-mail system
In this chapter, you learned how to set up your e-mail system and write, send,
and receive e-mails. In the next chapter, you will learn how to write letters and
memos using the ACT! word processor.
49
Chapter 8
Writing Letters and Memos
ACT! makes it easy for you to create letters and memos without leaving the
program.
You can choose to use the ACT! word processor or Microsoft Word 95, Word
97, Word 2000, or Word 2002. This chapter explains how to specify which word
processor you will use and gives you an overview for writing a letter or memo.
Also in this chapter, you will learn how to modify and create templates for
letters, memos, faxes, labels, and envelopes. (Templates are forms, or
outlines, for documents that your create often.)
For instructions on using Microsoft Word to write letters and memos, refer to
that application’s online Help system.
Specifying your word processor
Before you can begin writing letters and memos, you must specify whether you
want to use the ACT! word processor or Microsoft Word. You can specify your
word processor in the QuickStart Wizard or in the ACT! Preferences dialog
box.
To select your word processor in ACT! Preferences
1
On the Menu bar, click Edit, and then click Preferences.
2
In the General tab, select your word processor preference from the dropdown list.
3
Click OK.
•
Specifying your preferred word processor from the Preferences dialog box
51
Using the ACT! word processor
You can use the ACT! word processor to create and edit letters and memos just
as you would with any word processor. You can format your documents, check
spelling, and set tab stops and page breaks. When your document is complete,
you can save, print, fax, or e-mail it using features provided in ACT!.
Creating letters and memos
You can write letters to a single contact or to multiple contacts. For multiple
contacts, you create a bulk mailing through a process called mail merge. With
mail merge, you can send a form letter to selected contacts by personalizing
each letter with each contact’s name and address. Mail merge eliminates the
need to type the same letter several times to send to multiple contacts. You can
also print mailing labels or envelopes for letters.
To write and save a letter or memo
1
On the Menu bar, click Write, and then click Letter or Memorandum.
The word processor starts and displays a blank letter or memo form with
the current contact’s information.
2
Type the letter or memo.
3
On the Menu bar, click File, and then click Save.
The Save As dialog box appears.
4
Type the File name you want to save the document as, and then click
Save.
You can also open an existing document, modify it, and save it with a different
name, as described in Help. In addition, you can insert RTF or Plain Text files,
bitmaps, or an existing ACT! word-processing document into your ACT! wordprocessing document.
To write a letter or memo to multiple contacts using mail merge
1
From the Contact List, find contacts to whom you want to send a letter or
memo.
2
From the Menu bar, click Write, and then click Mail Merge.
The Mail Merge dialog box appears.
3
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ACT! User’s Guide
Select an option from the Merge with group, select the output, and then
select the template you want from the Template group box. Click OK.
The ACT! word-processor displays the letter template.
4
Type the body of your letter, and then save or print it.
You can further modify your template to include select fields or change field
labels, as discussed in Help.
To print an open letter or memo
1
On the Menu bar, click File, and then click Print.
The Print dialog box appears, and you are prompted to select a printer.
2
Select your preferred printer, and then click Print.
Once you print the document, the Create History dialog box appears, and
you are prompted to create a history of the document.
3
Enter a description of the document in the Regarding field, and then click
Create.
You can also fax or e-mail a document and attach it to history, as described in
Help.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
About creating documents in ACT!
Opening documents
Writing letters and memos to a single contact
Writing form letters or memos to multiple contacts
About mail merges
Inserting files in documents
Printing and sending documents
Saving documents
Producing mailing labels and envelopes
Changing display options
You can change your display options to display a ruler and page guides, and
you can change the units of measurements.
Rulers give you a means of changing margins, indentations, and tab stops.
When you display a ruler on your document, you can easily change the
paragraph format or quickly set tab stops.
53
Page guides mark the boundaries of a page; they show where your text will be
placed on the page.
Units of measurement apply to rulers. You can specify whether to use inches,
centimeters, points, or picas.
•
Changing display options
Formatting documents
As with any word processor, you can modify the format of your document even
if you choose to use a template. You can start with a template that closely
resembles the format you want to use for a letter or memo, then change the
appearance by modifying the format.
A brief description of each of the formatting features follows.
Adjusting page margins, headers, and footers
You can change your page margins to adjust the amount of space in the top,
bottom, left, or right margins of the page. You can also create a page header
or footer. For example, if you want your company logo to print on each page,
you would place the logo in the header or footer of the first page.
Changing font attributes
You can change the look of your document in order to emphasize words,
phrases, or paragraphs by changing the font, font style, font size, or color of the
text.
Formatting a paragraph
You can change a paragraph format when you create a document or modify a
template. For example, you can indent paragraphs, align paragraphs to the left
or right, or double-space lines.
Setting page breaks
Page breaks are automatically inserted when a page is full, but you can
manually insert a new page. For example, you can insert a page break when
you want to start a new topic.
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ACT! User’s Guide
For more detailed information about formatting features, see the following
topics in Help:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Formatting documents
Adjusting page margins
Creating headers and footers
Changing the font
Changing the font style
Changing the text color
Copying ruler formats from a paragraph
Setting tabs from the ruler
Formatting a paragraph
Inserting a page break
Editing documents
ACT! includes commands on the Edit menu, and equivalent tools in the toolbar,
that you can use to edit your document, find and replace words or phrases,
insert a time and date stamp, and check your spelling. You can also copy or
move text to other locations.
For more detailed information about editing features, see the following topics
in Help:
•
•
•
•
Moving [or Copying] text to another location
Inserting the current date [or time] in a document
Searching for or replacing words or phrases
Checking the spelling in documents
Working with templates
ACT! includes templates for letters, memos, faxes, labels, and envelopes that
you can modify, or you can create your own. (It is generally easier to modify a
template than to create a new one.) You can save and reuse templates and
share them with others.
Letter, memo, and fax templates are word-processing documents with special
characteristics. Label and envelope templates are created by selecting options
in dialog boxes.
55
Creating and modifying letter, memo, and fax
templates
ACT! includes a standard template for letters, memos, and fax cover sheets.
These templates are used in mail merge operations. They contain the contact
fields most commonly used in letters, memos, and faxes, such as name and
address.
When you modify or create a template, you select contact fields from which you
want to extract information and insert those fields in your template along with
any standard text in the body of the document.
The body of the template contains information you want to communicate to
your contacts. For example, you can create a standard thank-you letter. The
body of the letter would include text thanking your customers for purchasing
your product, and the date, name, address, salutation, and so on would consist
of fields. (The reference to the product in the body of the letter might also be a
field.) When you merge the template with the database, data from selected
contacts is inserted into the fields.
Angled brackets identify fields in an ACT! word-processing template; square
brackets identify fields in a Microsoft Word template, as shown in the following
examples.
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ACT! User’s Guide
You can import templates that were created in a previous version of ACT!. You
can also create a template based on a Microsoft Word document, but you
cannot use a template created in Word.
Caution Do not delete text required by ACT!, such as the text preceding the
date in the previous example of a Microsoft Word template.
To create a new letter template
1
2
Select ACT! Word Processor Template, and then click OK.
The Mail Merge Fields dialog box appears.
3
Select the type of field you are adding to the template, select the field
name, and then click Insert. Continue to select field names you want in
your template. Click Insert after each selection.
ACT! enters the fields you select into the template in a single line. For
example:
<Contact><Address1><Address2><City><State><Zip>
4
Arrange the fields in the order you want them to display on your document
and include the necessary spaces and punctuation.
5
Type the body of the letter. To include mail merge fields in the body, click
Insert, click Mail Merge Fields, and then insert fields.
6
From the Menu bar, click File, click Save As, and then type the name of
the template in the File name field. Click Save.
To edit an existing letter template
1
From the Menu bar, click Write, and then click Edit Document Template.
The Open dialog box appears.
2
Select the template you want to modify, and then click Open.
3
Modify the template:
• Add fields by selecting each from the list, and then clicking Insert.
• Delete fields by selecting the text, and then pressing Delete.
4
Save the template with a different name (using the File, Save As
command) or save the new information in the original template.
57
•
•
•
•
Creating a template from Word documents
Inserting fields in a template
Adding the body of the template
Opening a template
Creating and modifying label and envelope templates
You can create or modify address label and envelope templates in ACT!. For
example, you may want to change the size and style of the address information
or remove the return address from an envelope. You can select an existing
template, modify it, and save and reuse the template later.
Note
In label and envelope templates, you can only change fields and the
appearance of objects.
To modify a label or envelope template
1
On the Menu bar, click File.
2
Click the Files of type drop-down list, and then select either Label
Template or Envelope Template.
The Open dialog box displays a list of templates.
3
Select the template you want to modify, click Open, and then modify the
template.
4
To create a new label template
1
2
Select Label Template, and then click OK.
The New Label dialog box appears.
3
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ACT! User’s Guide
Select a label type from the Choose a label layout drop-down list, and
then change Page margins, Space between Labels, Label Size, or
Number of Labels, as you wish. Click OK.
A blank label template displays.
4
Add a field by clicking the Field tool on the tool palette, and then position
your cursor on the template where you want the field.
5
Hold down the left mouse button, and then drag the pointer to define the
field’s size.
When you release the mouse button, the Field List box appears.
6
Select a field to add, and then click Add.
Continue adding fields as needed. You can also change the font and color
of the field label, as described in Help.
7
To create a new envelope template
1
2
Select Envelope Template, and then click OK.
The New Envelope dialog box appears.
3
Select an envelope size from the Choose envelope size drop-down list,
and then modify the Width or Height, as you wish. Click OK.
A blank envelope template displays.
4
Add a field by clicking the Field tool on the tool palette, and then position
your cursor on the template where you want the field.
5
Hold down the left mouse button, and then drag the pointer to define the
field’s size.
When you release the mouse button, the Field List box appears.
6
Select a field to add, and then click Add.
Continue adding fields as needed. You can also change the font and color
of the field label, as described in Help.
7
•
Creating and modifying label and envelope templates
59
Finding out more about modifying templates
When you modify a letter, memo, or fax template, you can change virtually
every feature of the template including appearance, field labels and fields, or
field properties. If you need more information about modifying templates, you
can access the Knowledge Base articles available on the ACT! Service and
Support Web site. See “Learning more about templates” in Help.
This chapter described how to use the ACT! word processor and how to create
and customize templates for letters, memos, faxes, labels, and envelopes. In
the next chapter, you will learn to produce reports and to create or modify
report templates.
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ACT! User’s Guide
Chapter 9
Producing Reports
When you run a report, information is pulled from your ACT! database and
displayed in an organized format. After running a report, you can preview, print,
fax, e-mail, or save it as a file.
ACT! generates reports from report templates that include fields that
appear in your reports. You can modify the templates to suit your needs.
Most reports appear in the Reports menu. To see a list of reports available in
ACT! and a summary of each one, see the following topic in Help:
•
Summary of ACT! reports
Using the report designer
With ACT!, you can modify a report’s layout, appearance, or data to provide
you with a report that is more useful for your specific needs. You can add or
delete fields, modify field values, or create a new template and then share it
with others.
Templates are displayed in the report designer window. This window, shown in
the following illustration, includes its own menus, toolbar, and tool palette so
you can easily design or modify reports.
61
Understanding the sections of a report template
A report typically contains three sections as shown in the previous illustration:
•
•
the Header section, which usually includes the report name.
•
the Contact section, which includes information from a contact or group
record, such as the contact’s name or activities associated with the
contact.
the Footer section, which can contain information such as the date and
time the report is run or page numbers.
You can add or remove sections from the report template, but you cannot
change the order of sections. Also, the template must have at least one section
in which to store information. You can set options that determine how sections
work in a report. For example:
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ACT! User’s Guide
•
You can specify that sections or blank lines collapse, that is, they do not
display if they contain no data.
•
•
You can specify a particular field for sorting data in a Summary section.
You can indicate whether page breaks occur before or after each section
and whether sections can break across multiple pages.
Creating and modifying a report template
When you create a report template, the template will initially display the three
sections, all blank, and identified by headings. When you open an existing
template to modify it, the sections will contain field labels and fields.
Field labels identify the information in a field. Fields are placeholders for
information extracted from a contact or group record. For example, a field label
might be “E-Mail” and the corresponding field, indicated by brackets, is the
location for the e-mail address from the contact record.
You can add or remove field labels or fields from a template, and you can
specify Summary fields. Summary fields calculate values for a set of records.
For example, you can create a Summary field to calculate expenses for certain
contacts.
When you modify or create a report template, you can use rulers and grid
displays to make it easier to place field labels and fields. You can even
rearrange or create objects such as graphics; change the appearance of
objects with colors or borders; or change an object’s properties, such as
specifying that duplicate fields do not print. When you create or modify a
template, it is a good idea to preview it frequently to make sure the results are
what you want.
To modify a report template
1
From the Menu bar, click Reports, and then click Edit Report Template.
2
Select a template, click Open, and then modify the template.
3
You can share your templates with others, as described in Help.
Specifying data to appear in a report template
When you create a report template, you can set filters to determine the data
that appears in a report each time you run it. For example, you can set a report
filter to display information about a contact’s activities in the last quarter.
Setting filters in the template saves you time if you frequently run the same
report with the same filter settings.
Producing Reports
63
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
About the report designer
Creating and modifying report templates
Previewing templates
Adding, changing and removing sections
Changing ruler and grid displays
Adding and removing fields
Adding page numbers, dates, and times to a report template
Saving and reusing templates
Finding out more about modifying templates
When you modify a template, you can change virtually every feature of the
template including appearance, field labels and fields, field properties, or
report header sections. If you need additional information about modifying
templates, you can access the Knowledge Base articles available on the ACT!
Service and Support Web site. You can also see “Learning more about
templates” in Help.
Running a report
Before running a report, decide which contact or group data you want to
include in the report. For example, you may run a History Summary report for
a single contact or a Contact report for all contacts in a state or region.
When you run a report, you can include data for any of the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
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ACT! User’s Guide
the current contact
the current group record
the current lookup
the current group lookup
all contacts
all groups
To run a report
1
(Optional) Perform a lookup to find the record or records that you want to
include in the report.
Note
2
If you want contacts in the report to appear in a particular order, such
as alphabetically, sort the contacts before running the report.
From the Reports menu, click the report that you want to run.
The Run Report dialog box appears.
Note
3
To run a report that is not in the list, click Other Report from the
Reports menu, and then select the report.
In the General tab, specify the contacts or groups to include in the report.
Note
If you sorted contacts, select the Current lookup option, even if you
sorted all contacts in the database. If you do not select this option, the
contacts in the report do not display in the sort order you specified.
4
To include information from My Record in the report, clear the Exclude
“My Record” option.
5
In the Send output to drop-down list, select one of the following outputs
for the report:
•
•
•
•
•
Printer—Sends the report to the default printer.
Preview—Displays an on-screen preview of the report.
Fax—Sends the report using your selected fax software.
E-Mail—Sends the report as an attachment to an e-mail message.
File-ACT! Report—Saves the report as an ACT! report (.RPT) file that
you can later open, view, and print.
• File-Editable Text—Saves the report in .RPT, .RTF, or .TXT format.
6
In the Include data for contacts managed by group box, select one of
the following:
• All Users—Includes contact records managed by all users of the
database.
Producing Reports
65
• Select Users—Includes contact records managed by selected users of
the database. Choose the users from the list.
Note
In a multiuser database, you may be the person that “owns” a contact,
but other users may schedule an activity, add a note or history, or
create a sales opportunity for the same contact.
7
(Optional) Click the Activities/Notes/Histories tab and specify the data
to include in the report. Select a date range for Notes/History and for
Activities, or click Custom and specify a date range. Specify whether to
run the report for all users or selected users. (If you specify selected users,
select user names from the list.)
8
For sales reports, click the Sales/Opportunities tab.
9
In the Sales group box, select the type of sale you want to include in the
report, and then select a date range.
10 In the Sort sales by list, select a sort order for the report.
11 In the Include data for contacts managed by group box, select one of
the following:
• All Users—Includes sales managed by all users of the database.
• Select Users—Includes sales managed by selected users of the
database. Select the users from the list.
•
•
•
About ACT! reports
Summary of ACT! reports
Running a report
In this chapter, you learned how to create and modify report templates and run
reports. In the next chapter, you will learn how to synchronize data with other
users and databases.
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ACT! User’s Guide
Chapter 10
Synchronizing Data
Using data synchronization, you can share contact information with others so
that the contacts and activities in your database match those in other users’
databases. This ensures that you and your colleagues have the most up-todate contact and group information, including notes, histories, activities, and
sales data. You can also synchronize data between your desktop computer
and a laptop computer.
If you and users with whom you wish to share data have access to a network
drive, you may prefer to set up a multiuser database, rather than synchronizing
data.
The following sections explain synchronization concepts, planning for
synchronization, and setting synchronization preferences. They provide
instructions for setting up synchronization with a database and with a user.
Finally, they explain how to synchronize data.
Understanding data synchronization
Although the data synchronization process is easy to perform, it is helpful to
understand basic concepts before you get started.
When you synchronize data, you can choose to send and receive updates.
ACT! performs the following tasks:
•
Receives updates that have been sent to you and applies them to your
database.
•
Consolidates all changes from your database and creates an update file
containing these changes.
•
Sends the update file to another user or another database.
•
About data synchronization
67
Synchronizing with another database
Synchronizing with another database, also called direct synchronization, is the
simplest type of synchronization, but has the fewest options. This
synchronization method is most useful to synchronize data between your
desktop and laptop computers. Keep in mind that your laptop and desktop
computers must be connected on a network to perform synchronization.
During direct synchronization, ACT! checks the records in the sending and
receiving databases. For all changed records, ACT! determines which
contains the latest information and updates each database accordingly.
Before considering direct synchronization, make sure your situation meets the
following requirements:
•
•
You are synchronizing only two databases.
•
You are synchronizing on a LAN or the same computer.
You have a security level of Administrator and exclusive access to both
databases.
•
About synchronizing with another database
To synchronize as a remote user on a WAN or via a modem, see
“Synchronizing with another user” in this chapter.
Synchronizing with another user
When you synchronize data with another user, you can send and receive
synchronization updates using e-mail, a shared folder on a network, or a
modem.
E-mail synchronization
When you synchronize by e-mail, you send and receive updates as e-mail
attachments. ACT! uses the primary e-mail address from My Record to
determine which e-mail inbox to check for synchronization updates.
To synchronize data using e-mail, you must have an e-mail system supported
by ACT!, and each member of the synchronization group must have a separate
e-mail account.
•
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ACT! User’s Guide
E-mail synchronization
Shared folder synchronization
You can also exchange synchronization updates with another user by means
of a shared folder on a networked computer or server. The shared folder acts
as an “inbox” for receiving updates.
Note
Both you and the user you will be synchronizing with must have a
synchronization folder before synchronization can begin, and you
must know the name and location of the other user’s folder.
•
•
Shared folder synchronization
Learning more about synchronization
Modem-to-modem synchronization
In modem-to-modem synchronization, also referred to as point-to-point
synchronization, one person sets up his or her computer to make a call, while
the other person sets up to receive the call.
•
•
Modem-to-modem synchronization
A common scenario: synchronization in a workgroup
Now that you understand synchronization concepts, you can plan for
synchronization.
Planning for data synchronization
Planning before you synchronize data helps ensure a smooth process.
First, determine your needs. Ask yourself the following questions:
•
What types of data will I need to share? For example, will I need to share
field definitions? Groups? Activities? Notes/Histories?
•
•
•
•
How many people will need to synchronize data?
Will everyone need the same data?
When should I perform the synchronization? (What time of day?)
What method should I use?
Next, you need to prepare your ACT! database for synchronization. For tips to
help ensure your data synchronization runs smoothly, see the following topic
in Help:
•
Planning for synchronization
Synchronizing Data
69
Setting preferences for synchronizations
Before you send or receive a synchronization update for the first time, you
need to set up data synchronization. You will not need to perform the setup
procedure again unless you want to change the synchronization settings for a
database or user.
To set preferences for all synchronizations
1
From the Edit menu, click Preferences.
2
Click the Synchronization tab.
3
In the When synchronizing group box, select whether you want to send
or receive updates, or check both options to send and receive updates.
Note
It is recommended that you select both Send updates and Receive
updates.
4
In the Data to synchronize group box, select the types of data to
synchronize.
5
In the Location for received synchronizations group box, select the
location to receive synchronization updates.
6
In the Modem settings group box, select the modem to use if you will use
a modem to send synchronization updates.
7
(Optional) Select Generate synchronization report to generate a
detailed report each time you synchronize data.
Note
Generally, you only need a synchronization report to diagnose a
synchronization problem.
8
(Optional) Select the Display reminder if you have not synchronized in
___day(s) to remind you to perform the synchronization.
9
In the Purge transaction log and synchronization reports after
___day(s) field, select when you want ACT! to purge the transaction log
and synchronization reports.
10 Click the Schedule button to set up a schedule for automatic
synchronization.
Note
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ACT! User’s Guide
Do not set up automatic synchronization until you successfully
complete more than one synchronization cycle.
11 If you will be sending and receiving synchronization updates via modem,
and you will receive the call on this computer, complete the Wait for and
Answer modem after ___ rings fields.
Note
Do not click the Wait for Calls button until you have set up
synchronization and are ready to receive updates.
•
Setting up shared folders for synchronization
Setting up synchronization with another database
To perform direct synchronization with another database make sure of the
following:
•
•
•
•
You have Administrator security level for both databases.
No other user is logged on to either database.
The target database is closed.
The database you will perform the synchronization from is locked.
For example, to synchronize a multiuser Human Resources database with a
Finance database, you must open the Human Resources database and be the
only person using it. The Finance database must be closed.
To set up direct data synchronization with another database
1
From the File menu, click Synchronize Setup.
The Synchronization Setup Wizard appears.
2
Follow the instructions in the Synchronization Wizard to specify the name
and location of the database to synchronize with, the types of data to
include, the groups and contacts to include, whether or not to include
private data, and so on.
•
•
Setting up synchronization with another database
Tips for setting up synchronization with users for a central database
Synchronizing Data
71
Setting up synchronization with another user
Before starting synchronization of data with another user, you must set up the
other user as a synchronization user of your database. A synchronization user
is a person who will send synchronization updates to a particular database.
You can set up any logon user of your database as a synchronization user.
To set up synchronization with one or more users
1
From the File menu, click Synchronize Setup.
The Synchronization Setup Wizard appears.
2
Follow the instructions in the Synchronization Wizard to specify the users
with whom you want to synchronize data, the types of data you want to
synchronize, the method you want to use for synchronizing with each user,
and the specific data you want to send and receive from each user.
•
•
About setting up synchronization with other users
Setting up synchronization with other users
Synchronizing data
After completing the setup process, you are ready to synchronize data with
another database or user.
Sending and applying synchronization updates
You can send and receive synchronization updates at the same time, or
perform either task separately.
To send and receive synchronization updates
1
From the File menu, click Synchronize.
The Synchronize dialog box appears.
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ACT! User’s Guide
2
In the Choose an action group box, select either or both of the Send
updates and Receive updates options.
3
In the Select type of synchronization group box, specify how you will be
synchronizing.
4
(Optional) Select the Lock database upon synchronizing option to lock
the database before synchronizing.
Note
If you select this option, anyone using the database is notified that the
database will be locked in a specified amount of time. ACT!
automatically logs off any user who is still logged on at that time.
5
(Optional) Select the Prompt to receive previously unapplied
synchronizations option. This will notify you every time you receive a
synchronization from a user.
6
(Optional) Click the Wait For Calls button if you synchronize with another
user by modem and will receive the synchronization call.
7
Click Synchronize.
Any updates that are found are applied to the open database, and then
your updates are sent to the specified database or users.
What happens when you send updates
The following table shows the results of each setup option when you send
synchronization updates.
Synchronization Setup
Result
Direct synchronization with
another database
ACT! opens the other database and applies the synchronization
updates.
Synchronization via e-mail
ACT! attaches your synchronization update file to an e-mail
message and sends the update file using the specified e-mail
system. If you use a remote e-mail system, the synchronization
updates are not sent until you connect to your e-mail system’s post
office.
Synchronization via shared
folder
ACT! places your synchronization update file in the
synchronization folder you specified for each user.
Synchronization with a remote
user via modem
ACT! first applies synchronization updates received by previous
synchronizations and creates a synchronization update. ACT!
then dials the modem number that you specified for the user and
sends your updates over the modem line.
•
•
•
Receiving conflict messages
Restoring deleted records
What happens when you receive updates
Synchronizing Data
73
•
•
•
Checking for changes after receiving an update
Understanding collection groups
Keeping a field from being updated when you synchronize
Scheduling automatic synchronization
You can schedule data synchronization to occur automatically, so that you can
leave your computer unattended and still send and receive updates.
If you synchronize using e-mail, you must log into your e-mail system through
ACT! and remain logged in during the scheduled automatic synchronization
times.
Caution Do not set up automatic synchronization until you successfully
complete more than one synchronization cycle.
To set up automatic synchronization
1
Open the database that you want to set up for automatic synchronization.
2
From the Edit menu, click Preferences.
3
Click the Synchronization tab, and then click the Schedule button.
The Synchronization Schedule dialog box appears.
4
Select the day(s) on which you want to synchronize data.
Be sure to select at least one day for synchronization.
5
Select the times at which you want to synchronize data, and then click
Add.
6
Click OK.
The database must be open at the specified times so that synchronization
updates can be sent and received automatically.
Note
If you use a remote e-mail system, ACT! puts outgoing updates in your
outbox and sends them the next time you connect to your e-mail
system. If you synchronize via modem, select the Wait for Calls option
on the Synchronization tab.
In this chapter, you learned about synchronizing data, setting up
synchronization with another database and other users, and setting up
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ACT! User’s Guide
automatic synchronization. For more information about these features, see the
following topics in Help:
•
•
•
Learning more about synchronization
Maintaining efficient synchronization
Quickly setting up multiple users for synchronization
In the next chapter, you will learn about database administration and how to
back up your data.
Synchronizing Data
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Chapter 11
Performing Database Administration
You are the administrator of any ACT! database you create. As the
administrator, you can give other ACT! users access to your database. You are
also responsible for performing regular database maintenance and backing up
data.
Setting a password for your database
Even if you are the only user of your database, you may want to set up a
password. This will ensure that no one else can view or change your data. In
a multiuser database, all users should have their own passwords.
Note
Make a note of your password and keep it safe. If you lose your
password, you cannot open your database.
To set a password for your database
1
From the File menu, click Administration, and then click Set Password.
The Set Password dialog box appears.
2
If this is the first time you are setting a password, type your password in
the New password field.
3
In the Retype new password field, type your password again, and then
click OK.
Note
To change a previously set password, type the old password in the Old
password field, and then type the new password.
77
Setting up a multiuser database
You can set up an ACT! database on a network so that other ACT! users have
access to it. The shared database must be on a networked computer that other
users have access to. When setting up a multiuser database, you must specify
the location of the shared database in each user’s copy of ACT!. You do this
from the General tab of the Preferences dialog box. You add users to the
shared database, as described later in this chapter.
•
•
About multiuser databases
Specifying the location of a shared database
Adding users to a database
When you create a database, you are its only user, but you can give other
users access to it. For example, you may want to give access to your assistant
who schedules your appointments or to sales representatives who need
access to the database.
When you add access for users, you add them to the list of database users and
specify their security level, which determines the actions they can perform
once they are logged on to the database. Each user who will log on to the
database has a My Record. Users who will only synchronize do not need a My
Record.
To add users to a database
1
From the File menu, click Administration, and then click Define Users.
The Define Users dialog box appears.
2
Click Add User.
The User Settings tab becomes active.
3
Type the user name and password for the new user.
Note
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ACT! User’s Guide
Each user should have a unique user name and password. Make a
note of the name and password so that you can tell the user his or her
password. If a user forgets or loses her password she cannot open the
database unless the Administrator resets the password.
4
From the Security Level list, select one of the following security levels for
the user.
• Browse—Users can see the records in the database, but cannot add,
modify, or delete records.
• Standard—Users can see the records in the database; add, delete,
and modify records; and synchronize with another database or user.
They cannot add users, perform maintenance on the database, or
modify fields.
• Administrator—Users can perform all standard functions, add users
to the database, perform maintenance, and modify fields.
5
(Optional) Select the Enable Logon option.
6
Repeat steps 2-5 to add more users, and then click OK.
The Assign My Records dialog box appears.
7
To assign each user a My Record, select the user and then click Assign
Now.
The Enter “My Record” Information dialog box appears.
8
Complete the fields, and then click OK.
Note
To assign My Records later, click Assign Later. The user is prompted
to create a My Record the first time he or she logs on to your
database.
•
•
Adding users to a database
Deleting a user from a database
Backing up your ACT! data
It is important to back up your data frequently in order to be able to recover
from unexpected disasters. You can back up all data files associated with a
database and restore the backup, if necessary.
Tip
We recommend that you back up your database at least once a week.
79
Performing a backup
You must have a security level of Administrator in order to perform a backup.
To back up a database that you do not have Administrator access for, contact
your ACT! database administrator.
Note
If you are unsure of your security level, select About ACT! from the
Help menu. Your user name and security level appear in the Database
user information box.
ACT! backs up the open database and compresses the data into a .ZIP file.
You can select the types of data you want to back up such as templates,
layouts, documents, or reports. You can also request that ACT! display a
message reminding you to back up the database.
To back up the currently open database
1
From the File menu, click Backup.
The Backup dialog box appears with the General tab active. The name of
the current database is displayed, and a name and location is assigned for
the backup database.
2
Click the Browse button to select a different location to back up the
database to.
3
Click the Options tab, and then select the items to back up.
4
To receive a reminder to backup data, select the Remind me to back up
every __days, and then select a time interval.
5
Click Start to begin the backup process.
Saving a copy of your ACT! database
You can also back up an ACT! database using the Save Copy As command.
To save a copy of an ACT! database
1
From the File menu, click Save Copy As.
The Save Copy As dialog box appears.
2
Select the Copy database option, and then click OK.
The Save As dialog box appears.
3
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ACT! User’s Guide
Select a location and type a new file name for the copied database.
•
Saving a copy of an ACT! database
Restoring a backup copy of a database
You may need to restore a backup of a database if you accidentally deleted
records or if a hardware or software problem corrupted the data.
Tip
If you backed up the data to multiple disks, make sure you have all the
disks before you begin restoring your backup file. ACT! asks you to
insert each disk during the restoration process.
To restore a backup
1
From the File menu, click Restore.
The Restore dialog box appears.
2
Type the file name of the file to restore, or click the Browse button to locate
the file.
3
Type the location to restore the file to, or click the Browse button to select
a location.
4
If you backed up your data to removable media (such as a floppy disk),
insert the disk into the appropriate drive.
5
Click Start.
•
•
Restoring a backup
Restoring a saved copy backup
Checking for duplicate records
Large databases sometimes include two or more records for the same person
or group. ACT! can scan a database for duplicate contact or group records and
create a lookup of duplicates. Then, you can delete the duplicates.
•
•
Scanning for duplicate records in a database
Specifying the fields that ACT! checks for duplicate records
81
Performing database maintenance
Regular maintenance keeps your database running smoothly. When you
compress and reindex your database, it frees up the space that was taken up
by deleted records. In addition, you can delete notes, histories, attachments,
transaction logs, cleared activities, and sales information that you no longer
need.
To perform database maintenance, you must be the only user logged on to the
database and you must have Administrator security level. If you are performing
maintenance on a multiuser database, you must lock out the other users.
Note
If you are unsure of your security level, choose About ACT! from the
Help menu. The General tab of the About ACT! dialog box displays
your user name and security level.
•
•
•
•
About database maintenance
Compressing and reindexing a database
Locking other users out of a database
Unlocking a database
In this chapter, you learned how to set passwords, add new users to the
database, and back up and restore your ACT! databases. In the next chapter,
you will learn about importing and exporting data.
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ACT! User’s Guide
Chapter 12
Importing and Exporting Data
You can import data from an ACT! database, another application, or an
electronic mailing list into an open ACT! database. For example, you may want
to import records from one ACT! database into another ACT! database to
consolidate all of your records.
You can also export data from one ACT! database to another ACT! database
or to a text file for use in another application.
•
About importing and exporting data
Importing ACT! data into your ACT! database
If you created more than one ACT! database, but would like to have all of the
data in one database, you can import one database into another to consolidate
them. If the other database is from a previous version of ACT!, you must first
open it in ACT!.
To import one ACT! database into another ACT! database
1
Open the ACT! database that you want to import the data into.
2
From the File menu, click Data Exchange, and then click Import.
The Import Wizard appears.
3
Follow the instructions in the Import Wizard to specify the file type, locate
the database, specify the type of records to import, and map fields.
•
Specifying merge options
83
Importing data from another application
You can import data, including contact and group records, into the open ACT!
database. ACT! accepts the following formats:
•
•
•
•
Microsoft Outlook 97, Outlook 98, Outlook 2000, Outlook 2002
Delimited text
dBASE III-V
Symantec Q&A 4.0 to 5.0
To import contact data from any application except Microsoft Outlook, open the
data file in its original application and save it as an export file. For details on
saving export files, see the application’s documentation.
Caution The maximum length of an ACT! field is 254 characters. If you use
Symantec Q&A with expanded fields, you must modify the Q&A
database before importing the data into ACT!. If you do not prepare
the Q&A database, you may lose data when you import Q&A data
into ACT!.
When you import a database or a file created in another application, you must
specify how to put the incoming information into the fields in the open ACT!
database. This is referred to as mapping fields. Predefined maps are provided
for some applications.
You can specify how fields are mapped using the Contact or Group Map panel
of the Import Wizard.
•
•
•
•
•
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ACT! User’s Guide
Getting started importing data from another application (except Outlook)
Importing contact data from another application
Mapping fields from an import file to fields in an ACT! database
Saving a map
Reusing a saved map
Exporting data
You can export data from an open ACT! database to another ACT! database.
You can export contact records, group records, or both, and you can specify
whether to export only the current lookup, the current record, or all records. For
example, if your database is very large, you can export inactive contacts to
another database and delete them from the original database. This reduces
the size of your database, but allows you access to the inactive records if you
ever need them.
You can also export data for use in another application, such as a spreadsheet
program. In this instance, you cannot export both contact and group records at
the same time. To export both record types, you must export contact records
first, and then export group records.
•
•
Getting started exporting data to another ACT! database
Exporting data for use in another application
In this chapter, you learned about importing and exporting data and mapping
fields. In the next chapter, you will learn how to customize ACT!.
Importing and Exporting Data
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Chapter 13
Customizing ACT!
From modifying your Contact window’s layout to creating shortcuts to save you
time, you can customize ACT! for the way you work so that you are more
productive.
In this chapter, you will learn how to change the way you display your data and
how to optimize the way you work in ACT!.
Customizing Contact and Group windows
You can customize the Contact and Group windows’ layouts to suit your needs.
You can change the window’s color or fonts, rename or modify fields, or change
columns in the list views. You can modify existing layouts or create layouts that
contain only those fields you need, in the order you need them.
Modifying fields
You can add, modify, or delete fields, and you can establish field attributes in
the contact and group records. Field attributes specify how a field is used, such
as whether it accepts text or numbers, the number of characters allowed in the
field, whether the field will generate history, or rules for entering data into the
field. For example, you might keep information about conversations with
contacts in the Last Results field on the Contact window. If the field is too small,
you can change the attributes to enlarge the field or change the number of
characters it will hold.
You can specify a default value for a field and specify a field as a core, or
primary, field. Primary fields are used when you duplicate a contact or group
record. For a list of primary fields, see “About modifying field attributes” in Help.
87
You can also import or export items to and from drop-down lists and specify
whether the data in the field will be received or sent during synchronization.
See Chapter 10, “Synchronizing Data”, for more information.
Note
If you work in a multiuser database and want to modify fields, you
must have an Administrator security level and exclusive access to the
database. For more information, see Chapter 11, “Performing
Database Administration”.
Additionally, you can delete non-core (non-primary) fields that you do not use
or that slow down your data entry. For more information about modifying fields,
see “Creating and changing layouts” later in this chapter.
Caution If you change the name of a core field, some lookup commands may
not function. Additionally, changing a field type can result in loss of
data.
To modify a field
1
From the Menu bar, click Edit, and then click Define Fields.
The Define Fields dialog box appears.
2
From the Fields tab, select Contact or Group from the Record type dropdown list.
3
From the list of field names, select a field to modify.
You can add, modify, or remove field attributes, drop-down lists, or triggers.
•
•
•
•
•
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ACT! User’s Guide
Modifying fields in a database
Changing field attributes
Creating a new field
Adding drop-down lists of data to fields
Deleting a field
Creating and changing layouts
With ACT!, you can create a layout or modify an existing layout for contacts or
groups. With the layout designer, shown in the following illustration, you can
add or delete fields, move fields from one tab to another, or change the field
entry order. You can change the appearance of your layout with different fonts,
background colors, or graphics, by using the tool palette. Additionally, you can
rename or reorder tabs or add tabs to the bottom of a layout.
For example, you might have contacts for whom you keep additional
information, such as the contact’s anniversary date, number of children, and
spouse’s birth date. You can modify a contact layout to include those fields, and
you can share it with others, as described in Help.
For more information about layouts, see Chapter 2, “Working with Contacts”.
To modify a layout
1
From a Contact or Group window, click the Status tab, click Contact
Layout or Group Layout, and then select a layout to modify.
The selected layout appears.
Customizing ACT!
89
2
From the Menu bar, click Tools, and then click Design Layouts.
The layout designer window appears, where you can make changes to the
layout.
•
Creating and changing layouts
Customizing columns in list views
Many ACT! windows and tabs contain lists of data in columns. These include
the Contact List, Task List, Activities tab, Sales/Opportunities tab,
Notes/History tab, Groups tab (in the Contact window), and Contacts tab (in
the Group window). You can change the way you display information or
customize your lists by adding, removing, rearranging, or resizing columns.
•
•
•
•
•
About the columns in the list views
Changing a column’s width
Rearranging the column order
Adding a column to a list view
Removing a column from a list view
Customizing ACT! for efficiency
You can be more productive by customizing the way you use ACT!. You can
create macros that automate procedures you perform repeatedly, index fields
to speed up queries, have ACT! remind you to perform certain tasks, or change
your toolbars or menus to suit your needs. You can also specify to make new
contacts or groups private by default, by choosing an option in the Preferences
dialog box.
Using macros to automate tasks
A macro is a shortcut that saves you time by automating procedures that you
perform regularly. Think of a macro as a recorder. You can record a sequence
of procedures, then play them back with one command or when you enter or
exit a specified field.
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ACT! User’s Guide
For example, you might run a report and e-mail it to certain people at your
corporate office every week. To do so, you perform the following procedures:
• First, you create a contact lookup based on selected criterion.
• Next, you select a report to run.
• Then, you create and send an e-mail message with the report
attached.
• Finally, you close the e-mail application.
With a macro, you can combine these procedures and run them with one
command.
To create a macro
1
From the Menu bar, click Tools, and then click Record Macro.
The Record Macro dialog box appears.
2
Type the name and description of the macro.
3
From the Record events drop-down list, select an event, and then click
Record.
4
Perform the procedures you want to record.
Every action is recorded, including mistakes and corrections.
5
When you are finished recording, click Tools, and then click Stop
Recording Macro.
•
•
•
Automating tasks with macros
Creating a macro
Deleting a macro
Running a macro
After you create a macro, you can run it in many ways.
•
•
You can select the name of a macro to run from the Tools menu.
•
You can set up a macro to run when you enter or exit a designated field or
when you start ACT!.
If you use a particular macro frequently, you can create a command to run
it from an icon on your toolbar.
Customizing ACT!
91
To run a macro from the Tools menu
1
From the Menu bar, click Tools, and then click Run Macro.
The Run Macro dialog box appears.
2
Select the macro to run, and then click Run.
•
•
Running a macro
Automatically launching an application or macro from an ACT! field
Making the startup process more efficient
You can specify what happens and what displays each time you start ACT! by
setting your ACT! startup preferences.
For example, you may want to perform tasks, open certain layouts, or see
reminders when you start ACT! at the beginning of your day. You may want to
open a specific database and display a particular Contact window, be
reminded to back up your database, or launch a macro to run a report.
To specify startup preferences
1
From the Menu bar, click Edit, and then click Preferences.
2
Click the Startup tab, select options for startup, and then click OK.
•
•
•
About the startup process
Specifying startup settings
Setting reminders
Speeding up lookups, queries, and information
sorting
When you perform a lookup or query, or sort for information about contacts or
groups, ACT! searches for the data based on your criteria and displays the
information. Think of ACT! as performing the following procedures when you
choose a lookup for contacts in a particular company:
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ACT! User’s Guide
• First, ACT! searches the database for the specified information in the
company fields.
• Then, ACT! selects all records for the company you specified.
• Finally, ACT! displays all contacts in that company.
ACT! can find and display data in some fields more quickly than others,
because those fields are indexed. Indexes are tables of the data that is
contained in fields. Indexes speed up the process of lookups, queries, and
sorts. When you perform a lookup on an indexed field, ACT! searches the
index for that field rather than searching through all fields in all records.
When you perform a lookup, query, or sort on a non-indexed field, ACT! takes
longer to process the data. However, you can index fields on which you
frequently perform lookups, sorts, or queries.
For a list of default indexed fields, see “About indexes” in Help.
Note
Indexes take up disk space, which can slow down any procedure you
perform in ACT!. You should index only fields on which you frequently
perform lookups, sorts, or queries.
To index a field
1
From the Menu bar, click Edit, and then click Define Fields.
The Define Fields dialog box appears.
2
Click the Advanced tab, and then select Contact or Group from the
Record type drop-down list.
This indicates whether the field you want to index is on the Contact or
Group window.
3
Click New Index, and then select a field to index from the Index on dropdown list. Click OK.
4
Specify secondary sort criteria by selecting a field from the Then On dropdown lists.
5
Select options in the Match duplicates using group box.
6
Select options for transaction logging, checking duplicates, and allowing
history editing. Click OK.
•
•
Indexing a field
Deleting indexes
Customizing ACT!
93
Customizing menus, menu bars, and toolbar actions
You can create or customize menus, toolbars, and view bars to display in an
order that makes it easy for you to navigate ACT!.
Customizing menu bars and menus
You can customize the menu bar so it displays only the menus you need, in the
order you need them. For example, you can move a command that you use
often to the top of a menu bar, or a menu to a different location on the menu
bar.
You can customize menus, create your own menus, or add submenus. ACT!
lets you add query files to the Lookup menu, word-processing templates to the
Write menu, report templates to the Reports menu, and Internet links to the
Internet Links menu. You can add icons to your menu bar to represent
commands, for example, to run a macro. You can rename, rearrange, or
remove commands, and you can add separators between commands.
Separators divide commands into logical groupings.
The following illustration shows a menu added to the Contact window. It
contains one submenu with three commands.
•
About customizing menu bars and menus
Creating and customizing toolbars
You can customize existing toolbars or create your own so they contain the
tools you use most often. You can rearrange tools on a toolbar, group tools,
change the size of tool buttons, or specify whether tooltips display when you
move the pointer over a tool. You can also hide or display specific toolbars.
•
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ACT! User’s Guide
Creating and customizing toolbars
Changing the View bar display
The View bar displays on the left side of the ACT! window by default. You can
display the View bar with large or small icons, or display a mini View bar in the
lower, right corner of the ACT! window.
To change the View bar display
1
Right-click anywhere in the View bar.
A shortcut menu appears.
2
Click Large Icons, Small Icons, Large View Bar, or Mini View Bar.
•
Changing the display of the View bar
Creating and modifying keyboard shortcuts
With ACT!, you can use certain key combinations to perform commands. For
example, to open a file, you could use the commands in the Menu bar, or press
Ctrl+O on your keyboard. Shortcut keys exist for all windows, calendars, email, and the word processor. The Appendix in this guide lists many of the
shortcut keys. (For a list of all shortcut keys available for each window or
feature, see “Using shortcut keys” in Help.) You can modify existing shortcut
keys or create new shortcuts.
•
Modifying keyboard shortcuts
Running or launching other applications
You can create macros or commands that launch applications outside of ACT!.
For example, if you want to use the Windows Calculator while using ACT!, you
can create a command to open the calculator from a toolbar, a menu, or by
using a shortcut key. Or perhaps you want to open a program such as Outlook
while using ACT!. You can create a macro that automatically opens Outlook
when you enter or exit a specified field or when you start ACT!.
Note
Once you create a custom command, you must add it to a menu or
toolbar, or assign it a shortcut key.
Customizing ACT!
95
•
Creating a new custom command
In this chapter, you learned how to customize ACT! to increase your
productivity. The next chapter explains how to use SideACT!.
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ACT! User’s Guide
Chapter 14
Using SideACT!
SideACT! is an application that you can use to quickly take notes about calls,
meetings, and to-do’s. It replaces the desk-cluttering paper note pads you
might use for reminders and to-do lists. Once you take notes in SideACT!, you
can do several things with them, like change the order of items, delete items,
print items, move and copy items, and launch ACT! from SideACT!.
Note
You can use SideACT! whether or not ACT! is running.
Opening SideACT!
During installation, you can choose where to place the SideACT! icon.
To open SideACT!
•
Double-click the SideACT! icon in the Windows taskbar or on your
Windows desktop.
•
From the Windows Start menu, point to Programs, point to ACT!, and
then click SideACT!.
•
•
Click the SideACT! tool in the ACT! toolbar.
From the ACT! Tools menu, click SideACT!.
97
The following window appears.
Recording information in SideACT!
When SideACT! opens, you can begin typing immediately. The number of
items you can enter in SideACT! is limited only by your system’s memory. By
default, SideACT! categorizes items as to-do’s, but you can specify the activity
type.
To record information in SideACT!
1
Type the information in the text entry area.
Note
2
You can type up to 250 characters. The text automatically wraps to the
next line. To enter a line break, press Ctrl+Enter. A line break counts
as two characters.
Press Enter when you are finished typing.
The text you typed appears in the Regarding field in the Item List. By
default, SideACT! assigns the current date to new items and adds them to
the bottom of the Item List.
Note
3
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ACT! User’s Guide
An ellipsis (...) in the Regarding field indicates that there is more text.
Click the Regarding field to see the rest of the text.
Click the Activity Type icon for the item, and then select an activity type.
For more information about these features, see the following topics in
SideACT! Help:
•
•
Setting the default item type
Changing the type of multiple items
Marking items as completed
When you complete a SideACT! item, you can mark it as completed.
To mark one or more items as completed
•
Click the checkbox of the item that you want to mark as completed.
A checkmark appears in the checkbox of the completed item, a line
appears through its Regarding field, and its item number is removed.
Note
To unmark a completed item, simply click the checkmark.
In this chapter, you were introduced to SideACT!. Many more features are
available in SideACT!. For more information, see the SideACT! online Help.
Using SideACT!
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Appendix A
Shortcut Keys
This is a list of some of the shortcut keys available in ACT!. For the full list, see
“Using Shortcut Keys” in Help.
ACT! shortcut keys
To do the following:
Press:
Add a new contact or group.
Insert
Add a new sales opportunity for the current contact.
Ctrl+F11
Attach a file to a contact, group record, activity, or e-mail
message.
Ctrl+I
Clear an activity.
Ctrl+D
Insert a note for the current contact or group.
Record an activity history for the current contact.
Reschedule an activity.
F9
Ctrl+H
Ctrl+Shift+D
Run a query (Query window only).
Ctrl+R
Schedule a call.
Ctrl+L
Schedule a meeting.
Ctrl+M
Schedule a to-do.
Ctrl+T
Send the selected activity as an e-mail attachment.
Switch to the previous layout.
Ctrl+Shift+S
F6
Undo the last action.
Ctrl+Z
View the Activities tab.
Alt+F9
View the Contact List.
F8
101
ACT! shortcut keys (continued)
View the Contact’s window.
View the Groups tab.
View the Group’s window.
View the Notes/History tab.
View the Task List.
Press:
F11
Ctrl+F9
F10
Shift +F9
F7
Contact and Groups shortcut keys
Press:
Display the first contact or group in the current database or
group.
Alt+Home
Display the last contact or group in the current database or
group.
Alt+End
Display the next contact or group in the current database or
group.
Ctrl+Page Down
Display the previous contact or group in the current database or group.
Ctrl+Page Up
Jump to the company or group starting with the next letter.
Alt+Page Down
Jump to the company or group starting with the previous
letter.
Alt+Page Up
Contact List shortcut keys
Look up selected or tagged contacts.
Omit selected or tagged contacts from lookup.
ACT! User’s Guide
Shift+F12
Ctrl+Shift+F12
Switch between Edit and Tag mode.
Shift+F8
Tag all contacts.
Shift+F11
Untag all contacts.
102
Press:
Ctrl+Shift+F11
Calendar shortcut keys
Press:
View the mini-calendar.
F4
View the daily calendar.
Shift+F5
View the monthly calendar.
F5
View the weekly calendar.
F3
E-mail shortcut keys
Press:
Create a new e-mail message.
Ctrl+E
Delete an e-mail message.
Ctrl+Delete
Forward an e-mail message.
Ctrl+F
Reply to an e-mail message
Ctrl+Y
Send e-mail message(s) now.
Ctrl+Enter
Shortcut Keys
103
Index
A
ACT!
hardware requirements for 1
installing 2
introduction i
Microsoft Windows, versions
supported in 1
networks supported in 2
opening 3
removing 3
software requirements for 1
system requirements for 1
uninstalling 3
ACT! word processor. See documents
activities
alarm for 26
associating groups with 19
clearing activities. See recording
histories
overview 23
recording histories for 29
recurring 25
scheduling follow-ups for 30
scheduling from calendars 27
scheduling from contact
record 26
scheduling, overview 25
series of 25
timeless 26
viewing in Outlook 31
viewing Task List for 28
activity series 26
alarms for activities 26
attaching
e-mails to contact records 47
e-mails to group records 18
files to contact records 9
files to group records 18
notes and histories to group
records 18
notes to contact records 9
C
calendars
adding Outlook activities to 30
formats defined 24
overview 24
preferences 23
printing 24
scheduling activities from 27
setting reminders to update 32
updating Outlook in 30
viewing activities from 24
Caller ID. See calls
calls
making 40
managing, overview 41
using Caller ID 41
Contact List
adding contacts to 8
finding contacts in 12
contact records
attaching e-mails to 47
attaching files to 9
defined 5
Contact window
customizing 89
elements 6
scheduling activities from 26
contacts
adding in Contact List 8
adding in Contact window 7
finding information about 11
overview 5
core fields See fields, primary
customizing
columns, overview 90
fields 87
keyboard shortcuts, overview 95
layouts 89
menu bars and menus,
overview 94
speeding up ACT! 92
startup 92
toolbars, overview 94
using macros. See macros
View bar 95
Index
105
D
Dale Carnegie, relationship
process 34
data synchronization. See
synchronizing data
databases
adding 4, 78
backing up 79
checking duplicate records,
overview 81
importing 83
maintaining 82
multiuser 77
restoring backup copies of 81
saving 80
setting passwords 77
dialer
overview 39
setting up 40
system requirements for 39
using ACT! with 39
documents
editing, overview 55
formatting 54
printing 53
saving letters and memos 52
writing letters and memos 52
E
editing word-processing documents.
See documents
e-mail
attaching to contacts 47
managing addresses 46
preferences 45
reading and replying to 48
receiving, overview 48
sending from Contact window or
Contact List 47
sending, overview 46
envelope templates. See wordprocessing templates
exporting data, overview 85
F
fax software, specifying 42
106
ACT! User’s Guide
faxing
address books, overview 43
calendars, overview 43
documents 42
overview 42
Quick Fax 42
reports, overview 43
software preferences 42
using WinFax Pro, overview 44
fields
attributes, defined 87
indexing 93
mapping. See importing data
modifying 87
primary, defined 87, 88
files
attaching to contact records 9
attaching to groups 18
filtering activities in Task List 28
finding
contact information 11
group information 20
subgroups 20
follow-up activities, scheduling 30
forecasting sales
graphing data for 35
overview 35
sales funnel for 35
formatting word-processing
documents. See documents
G
graphs. See sales graphs 36
group membership rules 18
groups
advantages of 15
associating activities with 19
associating sales opportunities
with 19
attachments to 18
creating 17
duplicating 17
finding 20
organizing 15
overview 15
reorganizing 21
viewing activities for 19
Groups window
customizing 89
displaying 16
layouts for 17
hardware requirements for ACT! 1
Help
accessing ii
using online i
mail merge (continued)
using with WinFax Pro 44
managing calls, overview 41
membership rules. See group
membership rules
memos. See documents
menu bars, customizing overview 94
menus, customizing overview 94
Microsoft Outlook. See Outlook 30
Microsoft Windows, versions
supported in ACT! 1
My Record, adding 3
I
N
importing data
from another application 84
into databases 83
indexing. See fields
installing ACT! 2
Internet, getting contact information
from 12
networks supported in ACT! 2
notes and histories
for contacts 9
for groups 18
H
K
keyboard shortcuts
customizing, overview 95
list of 101
L
label templates. See word-processing
templates
layouts. See customizing
letters. See documents
lookups
finding contacts 11
speeding up 92
M
macros
creating 91
overview 90
running 91
running other applications
from 95
mail merge. See also documents
performing 52
O
online Help i
opening ACT! 3
Outlook
updating calendars from 30
using ACT! with 30
viewing ACT! activities from 31
viewing activities in 31
P
phone calls. See calls
preferences
calendar 23
dialer 40
e-mail 45
fax software 42
for starting ACT! 92
scheduling 23
synchronizing 70
word processor 51
primary fields, defined 87
printing
calendars 24
contact and group information 10
documents 53
Task List 29
processing 52
Index
107
Q
queries, speeding up 92
query, defined 12
Quick Fax, sending 43
Quicken ExpensAble 29
R
recording histories
for activities 29
for sales outcome 37
recurring activities 25
removing ACT! 3
reorganizing groups and
subgroups 21
report designer, using 61
report templates
modifying 63
overview 61
understanding sections of 62
using report designer 61
reports
overview 61
running 64
S
sales funnel
overview 35
producing 36
sales graphs 36
sales opportunities
adding 34
associating groups with 19
forecasting 35
graphing sales for 36
overview 33
recording outcome of 37
stages of 33
sales stages 33
scheduling
activities from calendars 27
activities from contact record 26
follow-up activities 30
overview 25
preferences 23
series of activities, overview 26
shortcut keys, list of 101
108
ACT! User’s Guide
SideACT!
marking items in 99
opening 97
overview 97
recording information 98
software requirements for ACT! 1
sorting, speeding up 92
startup preferences. See preferences
subgroups
adding to groups 17
finding 20
reorganizing 21
synchronizing data
automatic scheduling for 74
overview 67
planning for 69
preferences 70
sending and receiving
updates 72
setting up with another
database 71
setting up with another user 72
using e-mail for 68
using modems for 69
using shared folders for 69
with another database,
overview 68
with another user, overview 68
system requirements
for ACT! 1
for ACT! dialer 39
T
Task List
filtering 28
overview 28
printing 29
viewing 29
telephone calls. See calls
telephones, using with ACT! dialer 39
templates
for reports. See report templates
for word-processing. See wordprocessing templates
timeless activities 26
toolbars
customizing, overview 94
defined 6
U
uninstalling ACT! 3
V
View bar
customizing 95
defined 6
viewing
activities in calendars 24
activities in Outlook 31
activities in Task List 28
group activities 19
viewing (continued)
Outlook activities in ACT! 31
W
WinFax Pro. See faxing
word-processing templates
for envelopes 59
for labels 58
for letters 57
overview 55
word-processing. See documents
word-processor. See also documents
display options 53
overview 52
specifying 51
word-processor. See also documents,
word-processing templates
Index
109

Act 5.0 User Guide - MSB Technology Center

Transcription

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