Contact Management

Contact Management Solutions

Best Contact Management System

ACT is the old standby for contact management. As contact management systems go, is a fine tool. Some people refer to this as contacts management. The question is which tool ACT or internet based contact solutions are the best contact management system?

Contact Management Systems must Protect Contact Data

A manufacturer's rep told me yesterday, that when he left a rep firm to start his own, the rep firm called him and asked him to send his contacts. They used no contact management solution and as sales people moved the contact database and key account database moved out the door.
I wonder how rep agencies can risk this. The rep tells his lines that " they own relationships in the patch." I have heard them tell me, "We already know everyone." But this is silly due to most reps operate blind with no contact management at all.

ACT as a Contact Management Solution

And back to ACT, and just on contact management, the internet contact managements systems are eating into the ACT share. Tools like google and yahoo have excellent contact management solutions. Yahoo, bought Zimbra, which is a open source rock start contact management system.
Document management is offered by the internet contact management solutions.

Internet Contact Management Systems

With some internet contact systems, a company can share documents, post key marketing data sheets and even create documents in collaboration with other users. All salespeople have access to key company information. This saves time and cost. A salesmen can be in front of a customer or prospect and download a new product data sheet on the spot.

ACT can not do this. Documents can be attached to a contact but can not be shared. Back to contacts moving with a sales rep, so do all NDAs, contracts, pricing, quotes and proposals. Gone, document, gone.
Our suggestion is to look to internet contact managers instead of tool that are built for individuals or one or two sales people which ACT is.