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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Sage BusinessWorks/ACT! Link and More
Donald L. Joseph CMC, Northbrook Consulting Group, Inc.
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Introduction• In addition to technical details, we will explore how the
ACT!/BusinessWorks Link:– Can move clients close to CRM by providing a picture of both transactional
and contact history in one place;
– Simplifies lookups and data entry for ACT! Users;
– Gets transactional history to remote and handheld users.
• We will see why this is the best opportunity of all the ACT! “accounting” links.
• We will see why there is a large number of GoldMine user prospects.
• We will examine some conversion tools and issues.
• This presentation will be available online after the conference. You will receive an email for the Insights session Website approximately 4 weeks after Insights.
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Learning Objectives• After participating in this session, you will be able to:
– explain why BusinessWorks/ACT! makes more sense than the other accounting-linked products
– configure the unique advantages of ACT! and BusinessWorks together to enhance your clients’ on-site and remote CRM needs
– understand why the demise of GoldMine 6.x creates unique opportunities for you
– set-up the link in both the BusinessWorks and ACT!
– address data conversion and training issues
– explore ACT! Certification or partnering with an ACC
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Key Concepts and Terms
• Sage BusinessWorks Accounting Business Management – You need better and more timely information to manage than
just for accounting– The key software features must give you an operational edge– BusinessWorks has financial, operational and transaction
controls that its competitors do not have• Some of the recent scandals may make these more than theory• You’ve outgrown entry-level systems when someone other than a
trusted family member is handling financial transactions– Ease-of-use and help systems are important
• BusinessWorks is the best I’ve seen
Business Management
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Why consider ACT! and the ACT!/BusinessWorks link
• Benefits
• For sales
• For customer service
• For anyone in the field
• Even for BusinessWorks users
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Why consider ACT! and the ACT!/BusinessWorks link• For Sales
– ACT! is a tool designed for sales and the sales process– Its integration with BusinessWorks helps the salesperson do
his/her job• In the office• In the field• Therefore, it’s more likely to be used properly
– The ACT! Database can synchronize to notebook computers, PDAs, and smart phones
• Historical data and future appointments• In the office• In the field, over the phone network
– It gives the company control over the client/prospect list
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3rd Party Add-ons extend the CRM reach
•
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3rd Party Add-ons extend the CRM reach
•
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Why consider ACT! and the ACT!/BusinessWorks link
• For Customer Service– A single record shows virtually all of the information about a
customer• Past phone calls and meetings• Correspondence (letters, e-mails)• Quotes, Orders, Invoices, Payments, Returns• Scheduled FUTURE calls meetings and other events• Notes, referrals, desired salutation
– BusinessWorks transactions and inquiries can be launched directly from the ACT! contact record
• Saves time, no BusinessWorks lookup needed• Even faster than shortcuts menu in BusinessWorks• Training can be entirely within the ACT! Launcher for most tasks
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Why consider ACT! and the ACT!/BusinessWorks link
• For anyone in the field– ACT! synchronization capability meets the needs of those who
aren’t always “connected”• Each user makes changes to the database• As that remote database is synchronized, it picks up the latest
changes from the publisher (master) database and reports its own changes
• This also serves as a backup of the information entered on the remote databases
• If documents or other files are attached to the contact record, they too can be synchronized
– e.g.: transmit job drawings to office– also backs these up
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Why consider ACT! and the ACT!/BusinessWorks link
• Even for internal BusinessWorks users– lookups are easier in ACT!
– Customer record creation and maintenance can both be launched from ACT!
– For accounting users with customer contact, it is often important to be able to see and record non-transaction-related events (calls, letters, etc.)
• A credit manager could see these as well as previous credit holds and releases, returns, other issues
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3rd Party Add-ons extend the CRM reach
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3rd Party Add-ons extend the CRM reach
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Market Opportunities• Current ACT! Users switching to BusinessWorks and the link
– BusinessWorks and MAS are the only fully-integrated, bi-directional links
– BusinessWorks is designed and priced for smaller businesses, most likely to be ACT! Users
– “In the Family” discount for Peachtree user upgrades– Savings from integration can provide quick payback, even in this
economy• Time, phone charges, spent checking status of events and
coordinating schedules• Customer goodwill from prompt, accurate handling of inquiries without
need for transfers, callbacks
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Market Opportunities• GoldMine users switching to ACT! and the link
– Front Range has discontinued sales and support of the dBase version of GoldMine rather than make it Vista-compatible
– The minimum upgrade version costs twice as much as ACT! Premium even when GoldMine offers special upgrade promos.
– Annual maintenance is mandatory and expensive– Although, in 1999, GoldMine was referenced as “ACT! On
Steroids”:• ACT! has now equaled or surpassed GoldMine’s feature set for
important features• ACT! is much more user-friendly and intuitive
– Those using the BusinessWorks/GoldMine link are being forced to migrate as of version 8
– Those getting Vista are being forced to migrate
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Market Opportunities• BusinessWorks users adopting ACT! and the link
– Savings from integration– Protection of one of the company’s most valuable assets—it’s
contact list– As ACT! Users do their own inquiries and enter their own
quotes and orders• Time savings in accounting and operations departments• Higher accuracy in order entry details• Order entry priority managed more smoothly
– The sales rep will be certain the “hot” order gets in first• Fewer status checking and expediting internal communications
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Market Opportunities• New Customers
– BusinessWorks is easier to use than QuickBooks or Peachtree– Time savings can translate to cost savings– Cost of 5-user system
• ACT! with Total Care $1,435• BusinessWorks Client/Server Distribution
Bundle with Gold ClientCare Plan 5,484• BusinessWorks/ACT! Link 395
• TOTAL Software Cost $7,314– This does NOT consider upgrade or “In The Family” discounts
– Even if your consulting/training/installation fees double this, payback should be less than 6 months
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Why consider ACT! and the ACT!/BusinessWorks link
• Let’s look at the link close-up
• The California Closets story
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Why consider ACT! and the ACT!/BusinessWorks link• The California Closets story
– I’m there with the owner, it’s after 5:00
– He asks me to answer the phone while he runs out to the shop, he’s expecting a call from “corporate”
– The phone rings, it’s not “corporate”, it’s a frantic Laura Spencer
– “I’ve taken the day off work tomorrow so you can install my closet, but I got a call saying you wouldn’t install it if you didn’t get my check. I sent the check.
– I calmly look up Laura Spencer in ACT!
– This is what I see on the History Tab and the Activities Tab
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The California Closets story
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The California Closets story• So I can assure her:
– Her payment was received.– Her installation is still scheduled for 8:30 am tomorrow.– Chris, her designer, will call her around 10:00.
• Then it occurs to me what just happened:– It was after 5:00, the company was closed.– I don’t even work for the company.– I answered an accounting question, an installation question,
and a customer service question.– A very anxious customer was now totally satisfied.
• I call that Customer Relationship Management!
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History tab on a CUSTOMER link
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History tab on a CUSTOMER link
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Sage BusinessWorks tab on a CUSTOMER link
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Sage BusinessWorks tab on a CUSTOMER link
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History tab on a VENDOR link
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History tab on a VENDOR link
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Sage BusinessWorks tab on a VENDOR link
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The Sage BusinessWorks menu in
Create links toBW Customersor Vendors
|V
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The Sage BusinessWorks menu in
Create links toBW Customersor VendorsCreate New Customer/Vendor
from contact >>> Link to Existing Customer/Vendor
from contact >>>Link to Existing Customer/Vendor
from lookup >>>
Let ACT! Link records automatically >>>
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The Sage BusinessWorks menu in
To let ACT! automatically create links between existing BusinessWorks and ACT! databases
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The Sage BusinessWorks menu in
These are theonly fields wecan match on!
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The Sage BusinessWorks menu in
The Linked Contacts Summary
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The Sage BusinessWorks menu in
Allows you to updatelinked contact fields toreflect changes madein either ACT! orBusinessWorks.
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The Sage BusinessWorks menu in
Current>>>>>Current Contact or All
All>>>>>Direction to Update
Two-way>>>>>One-way: ACT! to BW>>>>>One-way: BW to ACT!>>>>>
For Two Way Update Only:If a field has beenchanged in both productswhich value will “win”?
vvv
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The Sage BusinessWorks menu in
Remember to “Update all linked contacts”on a regular basis to assure that linked fields are kept synchronized
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The Sage BusinessWorks menu in
Window will showthe changes made by the previous Update Linked Contacts.
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The Sage BusinessWorks menu in
Window will showall presently un-linked records of >>>>type(s) specified.
Import Accounting Records
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The Sage BusinessWorks menu in
The link must be set-up in BusinessWorks first for every BW company/ACT! database combination.
A LOOK AT OTHER ACT! ACCOUNTING LINKS
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Summary• MAS 90 and 200 link
– Super powerful and flexible, free– Most MAS users probably a better fit for SalesLogix or SageCRM than ACT!
• Peachtree link– Can create PT customers (only) from ACT!– No ACT! history created from PT transactions– Cannot initiate PT transactions from ACT!– No drilldown, summary information only– 2010 version’s major enhancement is “unlimited contacts”– Free
• QuickBooks link– Similar to PT but $100 SRP– Version sensitivity high and usually delayed release (QB is non-Sage)– Known issues list is very long– Many ACCs have declined to sell or support it
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Comparison of Peachtree and BusinessWorks ACT! Links
Feature BusinessWorks (1)
Peachtree
Convert Contact to Customer or Vendor Yes Yes
Initiate Customer Transactions from ACT!
Maintain Customers, Maintain Quotes, Maintain Sales Orders, Direct Invoicing No
Initiate Vendor Transactions from ACT!
Maintain Vendors, Maintain Purchase Orders, Enter Invoices No
(1) The specific transactions allowed and posted to history are selected on the link setup screen. The user must have appropriate security settings in both ACT! and BusinessWorks.
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Comparison of Peachtree and BusinessWorks ACT! Links
Feature BusinessWorks (1)
Initiate Customer Inquiries from ACT!
Customer Inquiry, Quote Inquiry, Sales Order Inquiry, Invoice Inquiry. Actually uses BusinessWorks Inquiry Programs. All drill-down capabilities as to status, line items, resulting purchase orders, their status, etc.
Can Display Customer Summary, Open Quotes, Proposals, Sales Orders, Invoices and Credits, and Receipts, for a selectable date range. No drill-down capabilities beyond summary lines displayed.
Initiate Vendor Inquiries from ACT!
Vendor Inquiry, Purchase Order Inquiry. Actually uses BusinessWorks Inquiry Programs. All drill-down capabilities as to status, line items, linked sales orders, their status, etc.
No. Show purchases and payments for previous 12 months only.
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Comparison of Peachtree and BusinessWorks ACT! Links
Feature BusinessWorks (1)
Post Customer Transactions to ACT! History Tab (2)
Invoices, Void Invoices, Credit Memos, Debit Memos, Apply Open Credits, Apply Deposits, Post Receipts, Void Checks, Refund Checks, Part Returns/Invoice Returns; Create, Cancel, Reopen, or Delete Quotes; Create, Cancel, Reopen, Place on Hold, Release from Hold, or Delete Sales Order;.
No
Post Vendor Transactions to ACT! History Tab (2)
Enter Invoices, Void Invoices, Credit Memos, Debit Memos, Manual Payments, Apply Open Credits, Print Checks, Void Payments; Create, Cancel, Receive, Reopen, Delete, Return Purchase Orders.
No
(2) Any transactions posted to history will be synchronizable with remote databases and willgenerally contain the login ID of the person making the transaction, the transaction type, transaction number, and transaction dollar amount.
DETAILED LINK SETUP INSTRUCTIONS
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To synchronize mapped fields in linked contacts:
• For each BusinessWorks company and ACT! Database pair.
• Multiple ACT! Contacts can be linked to each BusinessWorks company:– Some can be customers;
– Some can be vendors.
• There is NO linking from ACT! companies to BusinessWorks companies.
• Do your field mapping before you start—changes are very complicated.
LINK SETUP Requirements• All ACT! database users must
have permissions for 'Accounting link tasks'
(Tools>Manage Users)– Administrators have this– Managers and standard
users must have it in “Added Permissions” column
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Setting up the link—start on the side
The link itselfinstalls as aseparateWindows app.If not already installed, willoffer to do so here.
This mustbe run foreach BWcompany/ACT! Data-base combi-nation.
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Setting up the link—start on the side
Allow ACT! to updateSage BusinessWorkscontact information?
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Setting up the link—start on the side
This defines whichBusinessWorksCUSTOMERinquiries andtransactions will beallowed from ACT!
The logged-in user’s specific<----------------rights for this BusinessWorks
company will control.
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Setting up the link—start on the side
This defines whichBusinessWorksA/R (& O/E Invoicing)and Cash Managementtransactions will beposted to ACT! history.
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Setting up the link—start on the side
This defines whichBusinessWorksQuote and Sales Order transactions will be posted to ACT! history.
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Setting up the link—start on the side
This defines whichBusinessWorksVENDORinquiries andtransactions will beallowed from ACT!
The logged-in user’s specific<----------------rights for this BusinessWorks
company will control.
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Setting up the link—start on the side
This defines whichBusinessWorksVENDOR PurchaseOrder transactions will be posted to ACT! history.
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Setting up the link—start on the side
This defines whetherACT! History will be created when users:1. Create new BW
Customers2. Create new BW
Vendors3. Synchronize ACT! & BusinessWorks contact information
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Setting up the link—start on the side
Reviews all of yourchoices. You canFinish Setup Wizardor use <Back button to make changes.
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Setting up the link—start on the side
This is where BusinessWorksCUSTOMERfields are mapped to ACT!fields.
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Setting up the link—start on the side
This is where BusinessWorksVENDORfields are mapped to ACT!fields.
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Setting up the link—start on the side
Technical Note•The mappable ACT! fields are predetermined.•Renaming the fields in the ACT! database will not rename them in this list.•Custom fields will not appear in this list.•USER01 through USER10 are included
• Changing data type can cause problems
•The Home Address and related fields are not included.
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Now we can go back to the side and do the setup
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Now we can go back to the side and do the setup
If the Sage BusinessWorks >>>>>link doesn’t show up here,make sure it was installed(by doing setup in BW) andthat ACT! was closed andreopened after the installation.
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Now we can go back to the side and do the setup
If you don’t see the company here,you didn’t do the BW setup first.
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Now we can go back to the side and do the setup
Mapping shouldnot be changedhere—it is part of the BusinessWorkssetup.
Click “RestoreDefaults” to pull the settingsfrom BW to ACT!
||V
LINK SETUP Requirements• To begin recording history in ACT!, an ACT! administrator must be
the first user to create a history item in ACT!.– If a non-administrator uses the link and creates history before the
administrator, the history does not link properly. – Perform the following steps to create the first history item in ACT!:
1. Log on to ACT! as an ACT! administrator. 2. Create a contact in ACT!. 3. Select Sage BusinessWorks / Create Edit Contact Link. Link the ACT!
contact to a new or existing Sage BusinessWorks record. 4. Select to either link the ACT! record to an existing Sage BusinessWorks
record or create a new Sage BusinessWorks record on-the-fly. Linking to a BusinessWorks record generates a history item.
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This should complete setup:
• For this BusinessWorks company and ACT! Database pair.
• Multiple ACT! Contacts can be linked to each BusinessWorks company:– Some can be customers;
– Some can be vendors.
• There is NO linking from ACT! companies to BusinessWorks companies.
• Do your field mapping before you start—changes are very complicated.
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Back to the rest of the ACT! Link utilities
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Back to the rest of the ACT! Link utilities
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Back to the rest of the ACT! Link utilities
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Back to the rest of the ACT! Link utilities
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Back to the rest of the ACT! Link utilities
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Data ConversionAny ACT! or BusinessWorks database can be transferred to the other
with relative ease, if new
If both exist, automatic matching will do a fair job, but the Customer ID and Vendor ID are NOT available as matching fields
GoldMine databases can be brought into ACT!, but the trick is to bring in history, attachments and, often, GoldMine e-mail
-ASDS MigrateAdmin: $299 (licensed per database, but you can do a trial run of 500 records before buying the license)
-various ACT! Certified Consultants will do it, some on an hourly basis, some on a fixed price basis, some on a fixed price per record basis
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Data Conversion AssistanceThe following ACT! consultants also offer data conversion assistance:
• Patricia Egen Patricia, Egen Consulting, Chattanooga, TN, 423-875-2652, www.egenconsulting.com
• Geoff Blood, The New Hampton Group, Mountain View, CA, 650-964-2590, www.tnhg.com
• Geoff Boulden, Twelve/Three Marketing, Inc., Amherst, NY, 716- 837–5727, www.twelvethree.com
• Kevin Chieff, Soft Skills, Inc., Rumson, NJ, 800-305-4888, www.softskills.com
For information about MigrateAdmin2008R2 GoldMine to ACT!2007, 2008, 2009: http://www.asdscomputer.com/products/migrateadmin2008/
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Summary
• The ACT!/BusinessWorks link creates a software suite that empowers users with CRM and supply chain management tools that are extremely powerful at very low cost.
• An existing database on either side is easily brought to the other side.
• The implementation cost is usually less than ½ of a full-time person with a payback measured in months.
• No other combination offers the two-way integration, except for MAS (which costs much more).
• There is a large base of GoldMine (dBase) orphans looking for this kind of solution.
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Questions?
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Your Feedback is Important to Us!
• Please complete the evaluation form for this session.
• Your feedback helps us improve future sessions and presentation techniques.
• Please include your session code on the evaluation form: VAL13
• Don Joseph Contact Information: direct line: 847-835-0979 mobile: 847-338-3564 djoseph@northbrookconsulting.com
• Thank you for your participation.
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