Act CRM database software pricing can be a little confusing when you try to break down all your options
If you were to pick up the phone today and call Act directly you would most likely be directed to Act’s new sass web-based Act CRM. Introduced in October 2020, Act sass CRM is completely web based. Prices range from $15-$45 per month.
But what if you do not want web-based Act CRM?
Act software has traditionally been sold as desktop software. You physically install the software on your computer. Act contact management software has been around for more than 20 years and all software was designed this way. This is how long time Act users are used to purchasing the software. But times have changed.
Act Pro software was discontinued for sale in June 2020. Act Pro was designed for 1 to 10 users. Act premium software is designed for 10 or more CRM users. Act premium has a few more options under the hood. As of today, January 2021, I can direct you to copies of Act Pro while supplies last. The price is approximately $350.
The better option is an Act subscription for approximately $330 per year. What you receive is Act Premium software, future updates, some free technical support directly from Act, an app for your smartphone or iPad and tablets, and the ability to network Act on two devices. For example, your desktop and laptop computer.
Another feature of Act premium is the ability to use Act Connect.
Act connect is a feature that allows you to connect Act CRM to other software such as QuickBooks Online, Gmail, Google Calendars and much more.the connection is made in many cases through a third-party tool called Zapier. You can visit www.zapier.com to learn more.
That the connections you can make between Act and Zapier are limited but growing. It is the future of software and Act CRM. Imagine being able to connect Different software to Act And the possibilities that can open to you as a consumer.
The Act CRM networking dilemma, solution and pricing.
If you want to share your data between your laptop and desktop computer you have to be adept at networking or hire someone to do that for you. If you are a larger company you might have to purchase a server and hire an IT professional to set up and manage those connections and security.
For $120 a year we can Act as your networking department by professionally managing your Act CRM data. We would ask you to make a backup of your Act data and send it to us so that we can put it on our cloud server. Once this is completed, you will be able to access your Act database immediately via a web browser such as Google Chrome. After we have your data in the cloud we can turn around and send you a database for both your laptop and desktop computer. These databases are technically called remote databases or RDB’s. They have the ability to communicate with one another and synchronize your data.
If you are an individual user, for approximately $450 per year you can have Act on your desktop computer, your laptop computer and in the cloud to be accessed from any computer via a web browser.
The price to add users to Act CRM
If you decide you want to add another user you have the option of physically installing Act desktop software or just providing web access for that new user. You can actually do both if that works better for you.
All you have to do is purchase a new subscription, install Act on the new user’s computer and we will send you a remote database for that user. If the user has a second computer, no problem. We will send you a second remote database for that additional computer.
So let me break this down for you to simplify Act CRM pricing options. These are your options that I have described so far:
- Act Premium annual subscription is $330
- Cloud hosting is an addition$120 per user
- Act SaaS CRM Monthly-to-Month and Annual Options: $180 to $540
- Act Pro $350 (while supplies last from select Act Certified Consultants)
Helping Long Time Act Users to Decide Which is the Best Act CRM Solution
When I occasionally get calls from clients and Act users asking if there is something better I always suggest to them that Act is the devil you know. Changing to a different software will have its own challenges and you will not learn what you are missing until you invest a lot of time with it. Act Pro users who do not want to change to a subscription are going to be left out of the cold. Times are changing. Act software is changing. The world is changing. Years ago we did not have smartphones and access to data everywhere. Today, Act CRM is evolving to help hold Act users and new Act users do more with the software.
At the end of the day is not Act software all about profitability?
If the software you are using does not generate more income by far than the cost of the software I contend you are doing something wrong. Act is just a tool. What you do with it is up to you. I advise long time Act users to use the software to stay in touch with customers and to reach out to potential customers or prospects. It is easy to do if you put your mind to it.
Act’s new SaaS offering is very intriguing to me.
I will write about this more in a different article and in greater detail. The SaaS offering was released in mid October 2020. On Christmas day I set up a free trial because I wanted to see how much of it was automated. The database I uploaded was available to start using after about 60 minutes.
The difference between Act premium and the SaaS Act CRM offering is that this software is completely web based. I was able to quickly and easily upload and organize my contacts to make this a very viable customer relationship management tool. I like this Act product. It includes marketing automation and is great for marketing and sales teams.
When people try to compare Act other software they have to realize that most CRM database programs that have been popularized are web-based. Long time Act users are used to having Act installed on their computers and that will take some getting used to for them. The value of your contact information makes it worth taking the time to learn how to use and utilize whichever version of Act software you decide to purchase to its fullest.