Introduction

In ACT, conducting lookups is a powerful way to filter and find specific contacts within your database. In this tutorial, we will explore the process of performing lookups and demonstrate how to narrow down your search results or add to an existing lookup. Whether you are searching for specific prospects or trying to find contacts with common names, these techniques will streamline your contact management tasks.

1: Performing a Lookup in ACT

Before we delve into narrowing and adding to lookups, let’s revisit the process of performing a lookup in ACT.

List: Steps to Perform a Lookup in ACT

1. Click on the “Lookup” option in ACT.
2. Choose the desired field to search by (e.g., ID status).
3. Enter the criteria you want to look up (e.g., “Prospect”).
4. Click “OK” to view the lookup results.

2: Narrowing the Lookup

Once you have performed a lookup and obtained a list of contacts that match your criteria, you might want to narrow down the results even further. In this example, we have 203 prospects, and we want to find only those with the first name “John.”

List: Steps to Narrow a Lookup in ACT

1. Start with the initial lookup result.
2. Click on “Lookup” again and choose the “First Name” field.
3. Enter the specific name you want to narrow down (e.g., “John”).
4. Click on the drop-down menu under “For the Current Lookup.”
5. Select “Narrow Lookup” from the options.
6. Click “OK” to view the narrowed lookup results.

3: Adding to the Lookup

Apart from narrowing your search, you may want to add to an existing lookup to include additional contacts that meet a different set of criteria. In this example, we have narrowed the prospects to those with the first name “John.” Now, we want to add contacts with names starting with “St” (such as Steve or Stephen) to our lookup.

Steps to Add to a Lookup in ACT

1. Begin with the narrowed lookup result.
2. Click on “Lookup” once again and select the “First Name” field.
3. Enter the common letters you want to search (e.g., “St” for Steve or Stephen).
4. Click on the drop-down menu under “For the Current Lookup.”
5. Choose “Add to Lookup” from the options.
6. Click “OK” to view the expanded lookup results.

4: The Power of Groups in ACT

If you find yourself performing similar lookups frequently, creating a group can simplify your workflow. Groups allow you to save lookup criteria, making it easy to access specific sets of contacts with a single click.

Conclusion

ACT’s lookup feature empowers you to find and manage contacts efficiently. By mastering the art of narrowing and adding to lookups, you can streamline your contact management tasks and gain more insights into your database. Additionally, consider utilizing groups to save frequent lookups for convenient access in the future.

Thank you for reading this tutorial, and stay tuned for more helpful tips and tricks with ACT!