Act! Pro License To Be Sunset on 9/15/2023
On September 15, 2023 you will no longer be able to purchase an Act! Pro license. It’s the end of an era. From April 1st, 1987 until September 15th, 2023, you could buy an Act! Pro license for a one-time price and install it locally. If your business process or technology stack didn’t change much, you can leverage it for 3+ years. The business software pricing landscape has changed. no matter the application.
With the advent of rapid changes by Microsoft and the web as a whole, desktop technology for a complex program like Act! is simply too expensive to develop and support with a one-time license. Other industry giants like Autodesk, Adobe and Sage have migrated desktop software to a subscription model as well. Quickbooks desktop offers a one-time fee, but they discontinue services like payroll or credit card processing to force those upgrades. Moreover, in 2024, Intuit has phased new licenses for Quickbooks desktop in favor of Quickbooks Online. Oh, don’t forget Microsoft as well with Office 365.
We have laid out some options here, but feel free to contact us to evaluate your unique situation.
Recommended for:
- Clients that want to remain on Act! for 3+ years.
- Clients that need software updates for Microsoft compatibility and new features of Act!.
- Clients that want to integrate with additional applications via Zapier or the Web API.
- Clients that don't want radical change of business process and invested heavily in custom programming or commercial addons.
- Clients that need web access to the database as well as full offline access to the database.
Changes Required:
- Act! will be billed on an annual basis.
- Upon cancellation of the subscription, the software will no longer access the database.
- No walk-away one-time license purchase is available.
For Act! Pro users, you can upgrade to Act! Premium CRM for $400/user/year (Year 1 promotional price subject to change by Act! corporate). Year 2+ , budget $450/user/year.
Recommended for:
- Clients that want to keep an Act!-like user interface without radical change for the sales reps.
- Clients that no longer want to deal with desktop support issues.
- Clients that want to automate more process.
- Clients that simply don't believe in paying a subscription and prefer a one-time fee.
Changes Required for Self-Hosting:
- Clients need to install a dedicated Windows server.
- Clients need either an in-house I.T. department or a MSP (Managed Service Provider) to maintain the server.
- An evaluation to make sure all the features you want will translate into WiredContact.
WiredContact Enterprise is available as a one-time purchase, a buy once+hosting fee model or a monthly subscription.
Recommended for:
- Clients that want to integrate CRM with their ecosystem of 40+ applications known as Zoho One.
- Clients that want to outsource CRM hardware and software management.
- Clients that want an affordable alternative to SalesForce.
- Clients that want to automate more processes.
- Clients that want a DIY approach to CRM customization and programming before hiring a consultancy like us.
- Workgroups less than 3 users who need a basic edition of Zoho CRM for free.
Changes required:
- An evaluation to make sure all the features you want will translate into Zoho since its a different approach to CRM vs. Act!.
- Budget a fee for conversion, database re-design and training on a new platform.
Recommended for:
- Clients that a basic CRM that's easy to customize without a consultant's fee.
- Clients that want to outsource CRM hardware and software management.
- Clients that want a contact centric approach, not an account-centric approach like Salesforce or Zoho CRM.
Changes required:
- An evaluation to make sure all the features you want will translate into Zoho since its a different approach to CRM vs. Act!.
- Budget a fee for conversion, database re-design and training on a new platform.
What is CRM ?
Customer Relationship Management is a combination of software & a customized software process to help companies gain a competitive advantage in either sales, marketing or customer service.
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Some common software packages include:
- Act!
- WiredContact
- Salesforce.com
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM
- SugarCRM
- ZohoCRM
Now to review the differences between these packages can take more than a quick blurb. For one client on a three user setup for a system focused on marketing and mobile access, I highlighted 40 feature comparisons.
Many of the same features exist among all the products, so you want to consider ease-of-use, flexibility, licensing options and tech support costs.
What's best for you ? Since your business has unique qualities and processes, you should talk the software publisher and/or a consultant. The consultants have the in-the-field experience to know what works and can have more experience on data conversions between software publishers. Meanwhile. the publishers focus on building the feature set and ensuring stability.