Tips for Act Database Beginners
If you are a beginner Act user or even experienced with the software there are certain things that Act software that I think you should know about right away to make Act a better experience. If you know about them, review this blog post to strengthen your knowledge of these items.
- The importance of the my record in Act
- Understanding the contact screen in Act
- Creating and adding a new contact
- How to lookup and find contacts in Act
- How to schedule and clear activities in Act
- Working with Notes and History in Act
- Working with pop up Alarms in Act
- Using Universal Search in Act
1 - What is the My Record in Act? Why is it Important?
The my record is the first contact you see when you open Act. I have created 2 short videos that describe the significance of the my record and ideas for how to use the my record for your own needs. The video above describes what the my record is and the video below gives you some ideas how to utilize the my record for your own needs.
2 - Understanding & Navigating Around the Act Contact Screen
When you open Act and look at the contact screen there is a lot of information staring you in the face. It can be overwhelming and confusing. In this video I try to simplify what you are seeing on the screen. My advice to you is this: focus your attention on the things you use on a daily basis and ignore things that are irrelevant to the way you work. Sometimes when using software it is more important to understand what not to worry about and be distracted by during your workday. Over time, you will learn more about different aspects of Act software.
3 - Creating and Adding a New Contact in Act
4 - How to look up and find contacts in Act software
How Do You Lookup and Find Contacts in Act? There are a few different ways to lookup contacts in Act. In this video I will illustrate how to accomplish that task quickly and efficiently. I will also show you how to add to a lookup in Act and how to narrow a lookup in Act. Occasionally, you might want to import a list from another source such as an Excel file. Maybe it is a list that you have bought or brought in from another resource. Maybe you have decided to import your customers from your accounting program. I do not cover that in this blog post. If you need assistance with that please reach out to me for a quick tutorial on how to accomplish that step.
5 - How to schedule and clear activities in Act
Act gives you the ability to schedule activities for contacts and it is one of the most important and vital aspects of using Act to help you run your life and your business. This tutorial will show you how to schedule activities for contact and discuss the importance of clearing those activities after they have been completed. I will also show you the 3 areas in which you can view the activities you have scheduled. Scheduling a call, meeting or to do all work the same way but just designate it as a different type of activity for your convenience. In this tutorial I will schedule a call to illustrate how this works.
6 - Working with Notes and History in Act
One of the best features of Act software is that you have the ability to enter notes directly into an Act contact. Because these notes are connected to the contact they will always be there to reflect information relevant to the contact. If there are multiple users of your Act database everyone can see the notes for future reference. FYI: if the note or history is sensitive and not to be viewed by everyone, it can be made private. Act also has a feature called history. Histories are created as things happen and are cleared in Act. For example, if you had a scheduled meeting and you clear it because it was completed, there is a section in which you can enter notes as you are clearing that activity. Act has a separate history tab where you can see and read the recorded history notes. Because these are 2 separate tabs, important information can be dispersed into areas within Act. It is important that you check both tabs. In this video I suggest a strategy for dealing with notes and histories. Enjoy.
7 - Working with Alarms in Act
When you schedule activities in Act, such as a phone call or a meeting, you can have a reminder pop up on your screen to draw your attention to the activity that you have scheduled. It is highly recommended that you clear that activity after it has been completed. This gets it off your calendar and creates a record of what you have accomplished.
In this video tutorial I will show you how to work with the alarms box when it pops up and I will also show you some of your options. Enjoy.
8 - Act's Universal Search Tool
Think of Act’s universal search box like using Google within Act. This tool allows you to find stuff with in Act even if you do not know exactly where it is located. My experience has been that is a completely underutilized tool within Act.