Contact Center Solutions Featured Article

September 11, 2007

Sage's ACT! Turns 20, Larry Ritter Talks about Web 2.0

By David Sims


In a recent interview with Larry Ritter, senior vice president of product management at Sage CRM Solutions, talked about ACT!'s 20th birthday and the company’s plans for the product going forward.
 
Ritter leads the Sage CRM Solutions product  management teams for the ACT!, SageCRM/SageCRM.com and Sage SalesLogix product lines.
 
DS: ACT! is 20 years old. What has changed and what remains the same?
 
LR: ACT! has really grown up and has seen a lot of changes over the years. Consider its 1987 introduction as a DOS product that users installed via many 5 1/4" floppy discs. Things are much different now, and ACT! has amassed more than 2.7 million registered users, plus an additional 40,000 corporate account customers.
 
In 2004, Sage Software (News - Alert) introduced an ACT! Premium edition with greater scalability and enhanced security features, specifically for teams and corporate workgroups. Versions of ACT! for the Web, handheld devices and industry-specific versions have also be added as times have changed, yet the product remains true to its core purpose of helping people easily organize their contact data. 
 
ACT! is definitely still for individuals and, while we’ve expanded to cover workgroups, we've made sure to maintain the familiar ACT! experience, or look and feel, as major features have been added over the years.
 
DS: What are the specific happenings in the software industry that have been the biggest influences on ACT! over its lifetime?
 
LR: The Web has certainly been the most influential, and the proliferation of Web-based business applications over the years made ACT! Premium for Web a logical step.
 
DS: When’s the right time in the CRM selection process to start looking for software?
 
LR: Before you are under a time crunch is best. It is always best to define a true need and scope out a solution, often with a consultant or value-added reseller since they have a wealth of hands-on experience and tend to specialize in customizing systems for particular industries. Many organizations, including small ones, are tempted to skip the discovery stage, which can be costly if they end up implementing the wrong tool, or one they'll quickly outgrow.
 
DS: What do you see happening in the CRM market presently and in the near future from a technology advancement standpoint? Web 2.0?
 
LR: Web 2.0 represents what seems like infinite possibilities, and with its proliferation we're looking towards connections between ACT! and Internet-enabled services. For example, with simple customizations, we can take advantage of Web services like having Google (News - Alert) Maps/Search or Zillow.com tabs within ACT!. And, of course, moving beyond the low-hanging fruit we'll see a variety of additional Web services technologies making their way meaningfully into business applications, including ACT!.
 
DS: Are there ACT! features or programs that have been recommended or inspired by your customers over the years?
 
LR: We routinely survey our customers regarding their desired features and needs. We also have embedded in-product surveys that trigger at 60 and 180 days, which gives us a great connection with our customers. Our customers send in suggestions, and additionally we receive feedback from our active certified consultant community. We also have several customer advisory boards where we share ideas, get feedback and review priorities. 
 
All of this has generated well over a thousand suggestions. It is not uncommon to get lots of informal feedback too. Just mention at a party or to the person next to you on a plane that you work on ACT! and get ready for plenty of feedback. In short, I think every feature in ACT! has in one way or another been inspired by our customers.
 
What’s the best resource to learn about latest trends in the IP communications industry? Why, INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO, of course. ITEXPO (News - Alert) West 2007 is just around the corner—this year it’s being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California, Sept. 10-12. Preview sessions, speakers and exhibitors—then register to attend.
 
David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.


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