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Bigger Is Not Always Better
Although the old saying is that things are better when they are bigger, this generally does not apply to software programs. Just take a look at Outlook ACT by Sage software. Outlook ACT has proven to be one of the most influential business software programs when it comes to contact management. Although it's made for Microsoft Outlook, ACT is not made by Microsoft.
And Microsoft would probably never have bothered making their own versions of Outlook ACT had Sage not brought out their competitive program to enhance Outlook. ACT has been one of the leading and best known of contact management software, but even Sage is now considered by many to be getting too big in order to make consistently good, innovative and safe products.
This is why many IT professionals will urge small businesses to ditch either Outlook ACT in favor of a program made by a smaller software company, or get a software program to enhance Outlook ACT. Trade industry magazines and website reviews are now slamming the current versions of Outlook ACT for being too slow and too behind the times.
Success Breeds Complacency
Software companies seem to go through cycles which the buying public needs to be aware of in order to get the best products at the best process. This cycle is also seen in Microsoft Outlook and ACT. Both of these companies started small, started something innovative that caught on and then sold like wildfire.
Once the success, money and accolades poured in, there really wasn't much of an incentive to update and rework Outlook or ACT. "Why fix what ain't broke", as the old saying goes. Many companies coast along profitably by resting on their laurels of name brand recognition and past success.
Then, one day, a real hungry contender focuses on a problem in the big boy's software programs, like Microsoft Outlook and ACT. They have the time and the desire to know these programs so well that they can fix what's definitely broke and make it run more efficiently.
It's not until competitors to brands like Microsoft Outlook or ACT start to nibble at the profits and garner great reviews in leading trade publications that the Big Boys finally wake up and smell the sales slipping away. Then they scramble to put out competition for their competition, often as hastily as possible.
Critics are quick to point out that Business Contact Manager, Microsoft's answer to Sage's Outlook ACT, is full of bugs, runs erratically and follows the usual Microsoft tradition of putting out a bad first version and gradually getting it right after about three or four years.
This hasn't happened to just Outlook and ACT. Microsoft has also been trying to make its own complete computer security package and hasn't figured out how to do it yet. One of the first things PC users do with a new PC is to delete Microsoft Defender and install a competitor's computer security software.
If You Don’t Have Time to Wait
There are many quality alternatives to Microsoft Outlook or ACT that will help the small or home business work smarter and not harder. Check the latest reviews for what's getting the best buzz. GoldMine is one of the alternatives to Outlook or ACT, but it is very expensive (although not as expensive as Outlook or ACT).
When you choose an alternative or enhancement to Outlook or ACT, you need to be sure to download it from the official web site. You should always try the demo first in order to get a taste. Unlike some software like website analysis or anti spyware programs, you will be very hard pressed to find any Outlook or ACT software for free.
If you do find a free Outlook or ACT enhancement software at very low cost or for free, be suspicious. This usually means there will not be any tech support of customer service department to complain to if something should go wrong. And, in the world of business computer software, something is always bound to go wrong.
Technically, Outlook or ACT enhancements are called add-ins or plug-ins and cannot be run separately from Outlook or ACT. Perhaps that's another reason why Microsoft has been so complacent. In order for the competition to work, you still need to be sure they run on the Windows platform. |