How do I get Support for ACT!

The questions we get most often about ACT! support.

• What support is provided for ACT!

• How can I access support?

• Why do I have to pay for it, isn't Training and Support included in the purchase price?

We will try to answer those questions and clear up any misconceptions about ACT! Training and Support.

There are 3 types of support for ACT!:

• Warranty Support

• Free Support

• Paid Support

The Standard version of ACT! can be purchased from many computer retail outlets, and from ACT! Certified Consultants (ACC's). The Premium Version is available from ACC's.

Retail outlets sell the box. Very few know anything about the product in the box, and rarely offer installation, customisation and support.

So just who or what are ACC's?

• Need help installing ACT! for your workgroup?

• Or converting and consolidating data?

• Or just want to customize ACT! to meet your specific needs?

More than 400 ACT! Certified Consultants (ACCs) around the world stand ready to help you get the most out of ACT! — so you’ll be more effective than ever. Every ACC goes through a rigorous certification process so you can count on the highest quality of consulting services and value. They’re good.

ACC's operate as independent consultancies and have their own cost and support offerings.

Warranty Support from Sage

ACT! retails from $280 per copy and comes with 60-days of Warranty Support for General Incidents.

Sage Software Australia. Whilst Sage provide General Incident Warranty Support for the first 60 days without charge, the ACT(+61 3 8681 3483) is not a free call number.

Warranty support covers:

• installation of ACT!,

• upgrading from a previous version,

• and getting started with ACT! e-mail, faxing, and word processing

What are "General Incidents"?

General Incidents are issues covered under warranty (not chargeable on the warranty phone line within the initial 60 days).

• Installation issues

• Any error messages generated within ACT!

• A database that will not open

• A supported function that is not working within ACT!

• User is prompted for a password, when a password was never added to the database

• Problem converting a database from previous versions of ACT!

There are times when these questions can not be resolved satisfactorily over the phone, and will require on-site support. Sage do not provide on-site support. You may be offered a referral to an ACT! Certified Consultant.

• E-mail setup

• Sales opportunity setup

• Creating groups and adding contacts to them

• Setting up synchronization

• Transferring a database to another computer

• Setting up a mail merge

• Adding fields to a database or layout

• Editing a report or creating a custom report

• Creating or troubleshooting a macro

• Building a query to search for contacts

• Customization of toolbars or menus

• Adding users to a database

• Setting up a shared database on a network

• Modifying a label or envelope.

• How Do I questions (other than questions relating to General Incidents)

• Palm Synchronisation

So almost any question that starts with "how do I" falls outside of Warranty Support.

To be very clear, we do not warrant that we can solve all or any problems or issues arising in connection with ACT!, its installation, use or any database.

When Warranty Support does not apply, you have these support options available to you:

Free Supportabase of articles about ACT!, its called the Knowledge base, and can be accessed via your web browser. It is available from http://www.act.com

There is also a Discussion group, which is an easy-to-use online message board where you can talk with other ACT! users, browse postings, ask questions, share tips, and much more. Note: Discussion Groups are user-to-user only and are not moderated by ACT! Technical Analysts nor ACT! Certified Consultants.

Paid Support

Paid support is available from Sage and ACT! Certified Consultants.

Sage provide telephone support, not on-site support. An ACC can provide both.

So what is the difference between Free Support and Paid Support.

Well that depends on you. Free support involves your time in researching the problem, locating a solution and then implementing that solution.

Some problems are easy to resolve yet others are not. The interaction between hardware, operating systems and software applications is complex. These factors are often called the environment. Many ACT! problems are due to the environment in which ACT! is running. Resolving environment issues often resolves ACT! issues.

Your ACC implements, customises and supports ACT! on a daily basis. They have often seen or experienced your problem before, and may arrive at a solution more quickly.

You will be drawing on the ACC's knowledge and experience to resolve problems, and that is what you are paying for.

Should you have any questions about support or ACT!, please contact us.