What’s new for Act! – Act! CRM Cloud

By Nikki Act! 1 Comment

Since 15^th October 2020, the new Act! CRM cloud product has been available for new subscriptions and upgrades. This new version of the CRM and Marketing software is the first fully cloud-based SaaS product to be released under the Act! umbrella and promises users more flexibility and better value for money. Read on to discover the latest changes to Act! CRM and Marketing Automation and what this means for your business.

What does SaaS mean?

SaaS means ‘software as a service’, it is a method of software licensing and delivery using cloud technology. SaaS products are licensed on a subscription basis and centrally hosted – so you don’t have to worry about installing the software and the security measures involved in storing your own data.

SaaS models are typically more convenient than traditional software models and can be accessed from any device and any location – all you need is a secure internet connection and a web browser.

What is Act! CRM Cloud?

Formerly known as Act! Growth Suite, the new Act! CRM Cloud is a SaaS only product. This means there is no physical installation of the software onto your device and all of your data is stored safely on Amazon’s web servers. It is also easier to access with just one email and password to log in from anywhere. Unlike Growth Suite, in Act! CRM the marketing automation features are not automatically included in your subscription

Act! CRM Cloud is available in three tiers and different price points per user. If you’re thinking of upgrading to Act! CRM cloud, one of the biggest changes to note is that Google & Outlook integration is only available in the middle and top tiers.

Act! CRM Essentials Tier

For £15 per month (if paid annually) or £22 per month (if paid monthly) per user, the Essentials tier includes;

Relationship & Task Management
Opportunity Management
Email Template Library & HTML Editor
Campaign Management
Standard Reports
Act! Companion Mobile App
Data Import Tool
Digital Support
2Gb Cloud Storage
2500 Emails per month

Act! CRM Standard Tier

For £25 per month (when paid annually) or £33 per month (when paid monthly) per user, the Standard tier includes;

Office & Google Integration
Dynamic Groups
Dashboards & Analytics
Integration with Popular Apps
Team Management
Marketing Automation (optional)
Digital & Phone Support
4Gb Cloud Storage
10,000 Emails per month

Act! CRM Expert Tier

For £40 per month (paid annually) or £50 per month (paid monthly) per user, the Expert tier includes;

Advanced Sales Pipeline Management
Custom Sales KPIs
Custom Dashboards & Analytics
Advanced Customisation
Custom Queries
Marketing Automation (optional)
Priority Support
6GB Cloud Storage
25,000 Emails per month

Marketing Automation with Act! CRM Cloud

Previously, Act!’s Marketing Automation was available only with the Growth Suite product. In the new Act! CRM cloud version, it can be added on to Standard tier and Expert tier packages for a fixed price. Marketing Automation is also now charged at an account level instead of price per user, which makes it much better value.

As a bolt on product, marketing automation includes;

Marketing Automation to CRM Workflow
Response-driven Nurture Marketing
Asset Tracking
Advances Lead Capture
Lead Management & Scoring
Event Marketing
Website Activity Tracking

For a slightly higher price, Act! CRM Cloud users can upgrade to the top-level marketing automation package which also includes Progressive Profiling and A/B Testing.

Optional Packages and Add-ons

Alongside Marketing Automation, there are other packages and add-ons that can be added to your Act! CRM subscription. These add-ons can be applied to all tiers for an additional monthly cost and include;

Custom Tables
Additional Cloud Storage (per 4Gb)
Act! Professional Services
Additional Email Blocks (an extra 2,500 emails per block)
Additional Domain (this is charged per domain)
SMS -Phone Number +500 sends per month
SMS – Per additional 500 sends per month

Optional packages and add-ons can be added at any time during a subscription, as can additional users.

What does this mean for existing Act! Cloud Subscriptions?

Don’t worry if you’re currently using a locally hosted Act! CRM or Act! Growth Suite and are not ready to upgrade. Users currently subscribing to previous versions of Act! are encouraged to evaluate how the new Act! CRM Cloud product may be able to better meet the current and future needs of their business, however there will be no forced migration.

With the new Saas product there are also further changes to databases. Remote databases will no longer be available and clients will not be able to host their own databases either.

New Support Tiers for Act! CRM Cloud

Along with the changes to the core features of Act! CRM and Marketing Automation, there are also different support levels available on each tier.

Essentials Tier

Essentials users can access digital support which includes;

Self-service online resources
Cases managed via portal
Initiated via webform submission
Interactions via email or web chat

Standard Tier

Phone support, including Saturdays
Convenience features, e.g appointment setting and voicemail call back

Expert Tier

Adds priority queuing on top of Standard Tier support features

What to expect from Softext

Although Act! is changing, Softext isn’t – we will continue to provide the same level of service to all of our customers. As qualified Act! consultants, we promise to help and support you to find the best package to suit your business needs and budget.

We will also continue to offer our Act! training services covering both the CRM and Marketing Automation as well as our own support services to help you make the most of your Act! subscription. Talk to us about your Act! subscription by calling 0121 323 2304 or emailing info@softext.co.uk