Have any of you tried Act! or one of the other CRM solutions on the market? There's more options out there than you can shake a stick at, but a lot of it is overkill for something a guy like me would need.

Right now my CRM solution consists of my MobileMe contacts and detailed notes in Evernote. I'd like something somewhat more sophisticated.

Oh, and I'd also like it to sync to my iPhone. Is that asking too much? lol ;-). I don't think Act! will sync to my phone, but I've heard a lot about it...

I use FileMakerPro, but based on your description that may be overkill for you. I've used Act and it gets the job done.

Is FileMakerPro similar to Microsoft Access?

If you are using MobileMe, I am assuming you are on a Mac? In that case, there is no version of ACT! for the Mac. You want to get DayLite instead - http://www.marketcircle.com/daylite/

DayLite syncs with iCal and Addressbook which in turn syncs with the iPhone. They have a separate iPhone app which is more geared for sales teams and is overkill for a one man show.

You might also want to look into SugarCRM which is an online CRM. I took a look at Sugar, but decided it needs a lot of customization to do what DayLite does out of the box.

Best,
James

ACT!2010 is great and also can sync with Iphone! Also connect to many social media sites.


HighriseHQ is good but will cost $29 bucks a month but its web based!

I have used Act for over 10 years...love it.

Ditto in regard to ACT

Gil Scott

I looked at HighRise... I do like the fact that it's web based. There's a few third party apps that bring it to the iPhone, but they have mixed reviews...

The Mac/PC thing isn't a huge deal to me because I run Windows in virtualization on my Mac.

I guess so long as I can access that contacts in ACT on my phone then MobileMe syncing isn't as huge... I just don't want to manage two sets of contact lists.

Daylite looks great but the $1,200 price tag is turning me off...

It's probably going to come down between Act! and HighRise. How does Act! sync to iPhone? Does it send everything back to a web server or do you have to sync it directly to the computer with Act! installed?

Daylite is $189. I think you must have been looking at a multiuser license.

James

There are APPs to connect ACT!2010 to your Iphone.. ACT2010 is the newest version out.

Highrise I tried for two months and its great that you can log in online anywhere to your account. You must pay a monthly fee for the rest of your life like a cell phone. I am not sure how wise that is. However there is a benefit of them making backups of everything for you. You can try Highrise for free for 30 days and there are discount coupons online for like $20 off your second month. However, once again you pay $29 bucks every month forever.. You could buy ACT!2010 in a few months with the money your paying for Highrisehq

That's actually a valid point. Even if new versions of the software come out every year and you upgrade Highrise is dramatically more expensive.

ACT! - 1 Year $189.99 ($139.99 Upgrade)
Daylite - 1 Year $189.99
Highrise - 1 Year $359.88

I like the idea of being able to access my data from any computer and that the backups are done for me, but Highrise is almost DOUBLE the cost of the other two...

I'm going to take another look at Daylite. I think I probably was looking at the multi-user license...

Has anyone tried both Act! and Highrise? What are the pro & con of each? As I said I run a multi-os system, so the Mac Vs. PC thing isn't a big deal.

I don't think you always need the most recent version of ACT or any other program unless the new features are really something useful. Syncing a lap top and a desktop is not a big deal.

Gil

The only issue I could see with ACT running in virtualization is that I'm not sure how well, if at all, that it would sync with your iPhone.

I'm a version behind on Parallels, so I don't know how the newest version of it or VMWare Fusion handles iPhone access.

Only solution I could think of is syncing through an online service like DropBox or MobileMe.

ACT is my database of choice. It keeps on getting better and better. Highly recomended.

Agree Robert, I'm just playing with the new version trial.

1. ACT!2010 has Iphone apps so it will work.

2. Highrise will give you a trial version for 30 days so you can try it out FREE.

I have used both and gave you real thought. The only benefit to highrise is its all online and backed up for you. The whole world is going to monthly fees. that's why Google is looking at coming out with a operating system with a monthly fee to compete with windows software...

I don't liek the monthly fee hook everyone is playing go with ACT2010

ACT! 2010 lets you use social networking sites, which is great . . .

ACT now has an online monthly fee version

Yeah they are all getting in our pockets monthly... Avoid those.. Stay with the software version.

Is there something that works with act for invoicing and tracking that sort of stuff?