ContACT!

Do You Backup Your Data Properly?

Over the past month, we have come across 2 businesses that have failed to backup effectively and lost significant business information through hardware failure. In one case the last backup was February 2009 so the business lost 9 months worth of information. What would that cost your business?

Backing up your important business information must be Priority #1 at anytime, and especially if your business closes over the Christmas break. We have raised the importance of backing up in previous newsletters however the message is critical so we have found some services that may help you.

These are the things you need to check:

1. Is your backup automated or manual?
2. Do you have secure off-site backups? What happens if your office burns down?
3. Have you tried and tested a restore? (We have seen many unsuccessful attempts)
4. Do you have guarantees?

Many businesses are quite good at allocating the Backup task to either IT or internal staff however human nature in itself can mean – “I forgot to do that last week" or "I was too busy".

Don’t get caught out – invest in an Off-Site Backup service!

From as little as $50 per month you can have peace of mind. Is your business intelligence worth it?

There are many automated off-site backup services available. Act Today use DataBank - a reputable and well known company. See the cost guide below. Additional services are also available such as Backup Hard-Drives which are couriered on and off site. For more information or to organise a FREE one month trial, email Backup@acttoday.com.au and we will have someone contact you directly. 

Opportunity Knocks

Why ACT! 2010’s redesigned Opportunities are a major feature enhancement.

By Peter McCarty

One of the best parts of being an ACT! Consultant is dealing with a large variety of businesses who need to effectively track processes. One of the great new features in ACT! 2010 is the overhall of the Opportunity Management module.

Some of the significant new features are as follows:

• The ability to add an unlimited number of custom fields to the opportunity layout. 
• You can now customise the opportunity layout just like you can the contacts layout. 
• Relate notes, histories, activities, and documents to an opportunity.
• Customise the products/services grid.  

So how can these features be of benefit to your business?  

In previous versions a number of our clients have sometimes run into limitations when attempting to track more comprehensive details about the opportunity. With the ability to add unlimited custom fields to the to the opportunity layout, this restriction is overcome – see screenshot below.

The Opportunity module is great way to generate and tracks your quotes. After the quote is generated the Documents or History tabs allows you store a copy of the quote against the opportunity – this way you have a clear summary of your quote details without this information getting buried in the regular contact notes/history. Find out more on how Quotewerks links with ACT! Opportunities at: www.quotewerks.com/act.asp

Other Benefits

In my opinion, some of the new features outlined above can provide extended functionality that was not generally previously available. Some of our clients can now consider this module to fill some voids in the areas of:

• Basic Project Management
• Basic Workflow Tracking
• Effective Quote Management

Once you implement an effective opportunity management process, you will be ready to take advantage of ACT!’s reporting capabilities and dashboard indicators. (We will discuss these topics in another issue of ContACT!.) In the mean time for further ideas on how you can better utilise some of the new opportunity management features contact your local ACT! consultant.   

Peter McCarty is an ACT! Certified Consultant based in South Australia. Peter can be contacted on 0414 331 195 or PeterM@acttoday.com.au 

Tips for Sending End of Year Greetings

With the end of the year fast approaching, now is the perfect time to start thinking about sending out a thank you to the people who supported your business throughout the year.  Traditionally, a lot of businesses send Christmas cards in the post. With the current popularity of email and with consideration for the environment, is it better to send an email greeting instead? 

Firstly, you need to decide whether you are going to send out a thank you to show customers and contacts you appreciate their patronage.  A little bit of effort can serve to boost your customer relations. Whether it’s a Christmas card or email greeting is for you to decide.

A handwritten Christmas card makes a positive impression on the recipient. It shows that they are valued and not just another “email” on the standard mail list. However, the effort, time and cost required to achieve this personalised result along with the cost to the environment are reasons why many businesses now opt for the email greeting. Email is cheap, easy and you can send to a larger group of contacts. An email can also be directed to each individual. Cards often get opened by reception and get lost in the pile of other cards without the message reaching the intended recipient. A good option is to use a combination of the two methods (see Tip 3).

Regardless of your greeting method, there are a few things that you should consider...

1.       Send a quality greeting - Greetings do not have to be elaborate however they shouldn’t be something slapped together at the last minute. Your efforts may result in a negative effect.  Send a quality greeting that reflects your business. If emailing, use the money saved on printing and postage and get a graphic designer to help you with your email.

2.       Is it Christmas for all? - Remember that not everyone celebrates Christmas so be respectful and use a generic message so that you don’t offend anyone.

3.       Prepare your mailing list - A great idea is to have a field in your ACT! database that defines the status of the client. For example, Status = “A” client, “B” client etc. Do a lookup of the “A” clients and send them a personalised card. For everyone else including Suppliers, Alliances etc, send an email.

4.       Use a personalised greeting - A personalised greeting creates a warmer reaction than “Dear Valued Customer”.  Hand signing cards ensures that your caring gesture will be interpreted in the best possible light. When emailing, merge the Salutation field into the body of the email and even the subject line, “Jane, thanks for your support in 2009”. Additionally, this will increase the chance of the recipient receiving your message.

5.       Content - In your email, you might like to include a “special offer” as an additional thank you.  Your email is also a great opportunity to include your Christmas close period and emergency contact details.

6.       Timing – Businesses close at different times so early December will give a higher chance of the contact receiving your message before going on leave.

7.       Don’t SPAM - When emailing, ensure that you abide by the Spam laws. Don’t email anyone who is not on your mail list and include an Opt-Out option in the email. For more tips on emailing to your database, see our Email Marketing Tips & Tricks.

If you would like advice on managing your ACT! Database to enhance the administration of your contacts or need help with creating and sending a broadcast email, contact your local ACT! Consultant or contact the Head Office on 1300 362 046.