How to Reset The WiredContact Application Pool
Reset the WiredContact server without a server reboot.
If your WiredContact site displays an error like “Access violation at address 06C843D0 in module ‘WCEWeb.dll’. Read of address 0000006C” on the home page, and you run your own WiredContact server, follow the steps in the video. You can also reboot the whole server, but we find this more efficient.
If you host with MondoCRM (US or UK), contact our support desk and we’ll fix it for you.
Embracing Change: MondoCRM and WiredContact UK Come Together
From the States to the Isles:
MondoCRM and WiredContact's USA-UK Partnership
As we reflect on a year of significant transformation, we’re excited to share the journey of MondoCRM and WiredContact UK coming together. This union marks not just the merging of two companies but the fusion of innovation, customer commitment, and a shared vision for the future of CRM technology.
A Year of Growth and Expansion
January 2023 was a landmark month for us at MondoCRM as we welcomed WiredContact UK into our family. The months that followed were a testament to our commitment to growth. With new hardware, expanded teams, and the launch of our podcast, “Getting Down to Business,” we’ve set the stage for an even more customer-centric approach to business solutions.
1997
Year Founded
A Glimpse into Our Roots
MondoCRM’s inception was driven by a vision to create a world of opportunities for businesses seeking growth through technology. “Mondo,” meaning “world” in Italian, encapsulates our global approach to delivering top-tier CRM solutions. Our roots are deeply embedded in innovation, and as we grow with WiredContact UK, we’re bringing a legacy of excellence to an even broader audience.
3
Additional CRM and Enterprise Platforms
Branding Transition and New Horizons
The integration phase is an exciting time for us as we transition our branding to MondoCRM. This change will be reflected across all platforms, reinforcing our global identity. Moreover, we’re enhancing our service offerings with the introduction of Zoho CRM, Zoho One and Constant Contact to our UK market, ensuring our clients have access to a wide array of tools to thrive in a competitive business landscape.
20
Years of WiredContact Partnership
Our Commitment to WiredContact Continues
We understand the value that WiredContact brings to its users, and we want to assure our clients that we are dedicated to its continual development. Exciting new features and updates are on the horizon, and we’re eager to share these advancements as they unfold, ensuring that WiredContact remains a cutting-edge solution within the MondoCRM suite.
Staying Connected
Communication is key during this transition. We’re making sure that while our branding evolves, your points of contact do not. WiredContact sites, email addresses, and the UK office phone numbers will remain as they are, providing you with the continuity you need.
Accounting Updates
With change comes the need for updates in our accounting processes. We’re making these transitions as smooth as possible, with clear communication on invoice branding and payment details. Additionally, we’re in the process of acquiring a VAT number to align with financial regulations and ensure a seamless billing experience.
Conclusion
The path ahead is bright with the promise of innovation, growth, and an unwavering dedication to our clients. We’re grateful for the trust you’ve placed in us and look forward to continuing our journey together.
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.
How to modify Drop-Down Menus in WiredContact
In WiredContact, the drop-downs aren’t modified on each field. Instead, you use the menu system. If you don’t have access to menu system or the option to modify the drop-down menus, contact your WiredContact administrator.
The New World: Desktop Software vs. Cloud-Based Subscriptions
Here is what to know:
- A History Lesson
- A New, Disruptive Technology Environment
- The Subscription Economy
- A New Value Proposition
- Conclusion
A History Lesson
There’s an old riddle about confronting change, and it goes like this.
Q: “How many folk singers does it take to change a lightbulb?”
A: “Four. One changes the light bulb, while the other three sing a song about how much better the old one was.”
Ever-changing technology trends can be like that, too. In fact, humans aren’t wired nearly as well for change as they are for routine and habit. Hence, the primary pain point for evolving technologies…hype for new and updated Apple products notwithstanding.
How many of us cursed our software providers when releasing updates or even altogether new versions, sometimes leaving our computers oddly unstable? “What the hell, the old version works just fine!” Until it doesn’t, of course. Just ask anyone working on Microsoft Windows 7 or 8.1 in need of support…God help ‘em, because Microsoft won’t. Intuit regularly ceases support for Quickbooks desktop software. Oh, and Act! corporate continually lowers how long they’ll support each version. The business models cannot support legacy versions while users desire new features.
Many of my clients have shared this kind of frustration with me over the years. For example, once upon a time, Act! for Windows worked seamlessly with Microsoft Outlook with minimal suffering. When the connection became unstable and unreliable, my phone rang constantly with terrified and unhappy clients. In fact, the consultants like me wind up holding the bag because it’s a blame game between Act! corporate and Microsoft to determine fault. To provide support, I wound up creating several blog posts to help our clients so they could try to fix it themselves before paying us. For this integration, Act! corporate must resort to a subscription model to fund the developers to keep pace with Microsoft’s changes. Or, we sell third party Act! addons. In short, it remains an inefficient, sometimes chaotic ecosystem for technology to evolve, and ripe for disruption.
We began to realize that keeping and maintaining essential software was very different from, say, the car-buying experience where one can keep their existing car for several years if they diligently maintain it. Continuing with the auto industry analogy, this whole turnover cycle angered technology users just as when it was revealed that GM, Ford and Chrysler were all guilty of a “planned obsolescence” business model for years, eventually building cars in the 70s that only lasted a few years before breaking down. All of us old enough to remember were suspicious Apple was up to the same shenanigans releasing a newly hyped iPhone every year with marginal upgrades to previous models. It all begins to feel like a scam after a while, doesn’t it?
A NEW, DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENT
But the software industry operates a bit differently from hardware and automobiles. It has a different supply chain, different stresses on user experience, and frankly, operates in a different technology environment—like fish surviving in water vs. humans surviving on oxygen. Referring back to the auto industry for comparison, ubiquitous access to high-speed internet and 5G technologies are the tech equivalent of making traditional roads obsolete…or even the ownership model altogether. (One notable exception is Elon Musk’s Tesla. His management team is populated by ex-Apple people and their business model was designed very similarly as a platform complete with periodic software updates.)
Advancements like universal access to high-speed internet and 5G technologies essentially created a matrix, and we were no longer constrained by cables, hardware or networks. As a result, people expect to operate at full function wherever they are, 24-7. These new developments make software less dependent on local hardware and operating system configurations as long as it was operating on the World Wide Web.
THE SUBSCRIPTION ECONOMY
This new environment brought new possibilities to commerce everywhere and the modes which people do business began to change, too. Much ink has been spilled telling us we now live in a subscription economy, and the data to supports it. The Washington Post reported the U.S. subscription-based economy was valued at $650 billion in 2021, and expected to more than double to $1.5 trillion by 2025. If we just look around us, we see subscriptions for more than just our television programming and news content—hotels, car washes, music, cloud storage, food and meal delivery, movie theaters, home workouts, even GM launches a subscription-based auto membership experience beyond the conventional lease model.
A NEW VALUE PROPOSITION
Most of us remember when we’d bite the bullet every few years and spend $250 – $400+ per PC + I.T. contractor costs to upgrade Microsoft Office. As a result, people collaborating on projects often weren’t working on the same version. Google Docs essentially made that model obsolete, and now annual Microsoft Office subscriptions are priced very affordably starting at $69 per user per year.
- 24-7 access to your data with internet connection, no matter where you are or machine you use
- Lower onboarding costs
- Providers monitor friction points in real time, constantly improving features and functionality
- Reduced technical support costs
- Developers can deploy updates quickly
- No more brutal software installs or data migrations
- No servers to own and maintain
- The Cloud offers better overall data security
- Addresses compliance when and where relevant
- Lower cost of entry and total cost of ownership
- Subscription pricing tiers mean you only pay for the features you use
- Subscriptions motivate SaaS providers to continually provide
goodgreat service.
But the benefit few people talk about (but Mondo clients know!) is subscription pricing often frees up money for customizing the software to work seamlessly with your business processes rather than having to adapt your processes to counter the software’s limitations.
Conclusion
The Bottom-line? Subscription-based software just works better than the old desktop delivery model when users require constant updates that Microsoft, Apple or Google dictate. If it didn’t, the industry would go back to the old way. It’s simply more reliable, more adaptable and more cost-effective. And while there are still some single users inclined to sing a song about how much better the old way was, the new way is just better.