Act! is a CRM (Customer Relations Management) software application which is used to keep track of client and prospect details in a single database (in MS-SQL) that can be shared by multiple users. It integrates with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Google Contacts, Gmail and other popular applications in order to generate and track communications with the contacts. It's available as a Windows app or Web (self or vendor hosted)
Created in 1987, Act! was one of the first CRM products.
As of 2018, there are three editions of Act!:
- Act! Pro, which is limited to ten active users and uses Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Express.
- Act! Premium (access via Windows or Web browser) is designed for small to medium-sized businesses, can handle much larger user numbers and can use more scalable editions of SQL.
- Act! Premium Cloud, a fully hosted version of Act!
Act! features include contact, company and opportunity management, a calendar, communication tools, the ability to track prospective customers, "dashboards", reports, and the ability to synchronize data from other applications or other Act! users over the web. The software allows multiple users to access the same data simultaneously and can interface with popular word processing, spreadsheet, and email software. It features a variety of "dashboards" which are graphical representations of key activity that allows users to spot new business opportunities, and can generate a wide variety of statistical reports.
Development and integration in current versions can be done via an SDK or the newer WebAPI. Additionally, read-only access can be achieved via ODBC or OLEDB
Some detail on its history is available here: https://blog.glcomputing.com.au/2008/12/history-of-act.html
The main website, here: https://www.act.com/
