OUR PRODUCTS ››› ACT!-PDA Synchronization

The ability to synchronize a PDA device (Palm Treo, RIM Blackberry, Pocket PC, etc.) with ACT! by Sage is vital in view of today’s mobile user who needs their information always close at hand and up-to-date. The standard PDA comes with an address book, a calendar, a to-do list and a memo pad—all of which can synchronize with ACT! (versions 4, 5 and 6).

Through the use of PDA and ACT! add-on programs, we are able to design a configuration that allows most ACT! environments to have both workgroup and remote users synchronize information between their PDAs and their ACT! databases. When synchronizing, each user is able to transfer contact info, calendar events, to-do items and even memo notes between ACT! and the device. This allows a user to be on the road and make entries on the PDA—modify a phone number, add a new contact, schedule a client meeting with an alarm—and then after synchronization have all this information transferred into ACT!. Then, depending on whether the user makes this information public or private, the data can be available to all users in their ACT! environment. The figure below is an illustration of an ACT! synchronization environment including users who HotSync their Palm Pilots.

Here are some of the specifics of the PDA synchronization process:

Contact Data: Depending on the user’s needs, all contacts in the database or just a portion of them can be transferred to the PDA. For each contact, several phone numbers from ACT! are transferred along with address information and a select number of additional fields of choice (e.g. Last Results, Assistant, Assistant Phone, Driving Directions).

Furthermore, ACT! notes, history and attachment information can be synched to the PDA. The user also has the ability to write a note for the contact on the PDA which will synch to ACT! as a new note.

Calendar Info: Date Book items entered on the PDA can be linked to a contact in ACT! through a simple linking process. If no link is specified, activities will automatically be linked to the My Record in ACT!.

To-Do List: Items entered in the PDA To-Do List can synchronize with ACT! To-Do activities. These also can be linked to specific contacts in ACT!.

Memo Pad: Users also have the ability to transfer specific items in the PDA Memo Pad as ACT! notes attached to the My Record. This can be helpful for storing reference notes, account numbers, step-by-step business processes, etc.

Each user’s PDA synchronization settings can be highly customized and unique from other users. Once configured, synching between ACT! and the PDA requires just the push of a button. The time required varies depending on the synch settings, the size of the database and the speed of the computer performing the synchronization—however most users find the process lasts well under five minutes.