What is changing and when?
Beginning October 1st, we are introducing changes to our Act! support service for:
- Act! Pro
- Act! Premium
- Act! CRM (Self-hosted deployment), also known as “Act! Desktop”
- Act! Growth Suite
- Act! CRM (Cloud deployment), previously known as Act! Premium Cloud.
All our subscription contract customers will continue to be able to access phone support to troubleshoot technical issues they may experience with Act!. All customers now have access to more online self service resources than ever before, including: Getting Started resources, over 170 video tutorials, thousands of Knowledge Base articles and many downloadable guides. Customers may find those resources in the Act! Customer Resource Center.
The following support features will only be available to customers with an Ultimate tier contract:
- Guidance in using the features of Act! - “how do I” questions
- Remote assistance on demand - customer being able to request that the support representative remotes into the customer’s computer.
Ultimate tier contract customers additionally benefit from the following:
- A “Getting Started” call - covering familiarization and configuration of Act! features - when they first purchase their Act! subscription contract
- US and UK advisers - Ultimate tier calls will be handled by one of our representatives local to the customer, unless the call is placed early or late, when they may speak to someone in Newcastle, England if they are in the US, or in Scottsdale, Arizona, if they are in the UK.
- Phone support on Saturdays, delivered by representatives based in our Chennai, India office - 9am to 4pm US East coast time, 1pm to 8pm UK time;
- Appointment setting - schedule a convenient time for receiving support from our team
- Voicemail call back - leave a message, we’ll hold your place, and call you back when your message gets to the front of the queue
- Priority queuing - avoid standard call queues.
Click here to review the updated Scope of Services for Standard support, effective October 1, 2020.
Standard tier customers who do not wish to sign up to an Ultimate tier plan may request remote feature guidance and help with installing Act! on a one time basis by purchasing professional services charged at $99 (USD) (£99, €99) per hour.
Which customers are affected by this change?
The change to Scope of Support is for all existing subscribers with a Standard support tier as at October 1. It will also apply to new customers which subscribe to an Act! CRM (Desktop) contract from October 16 2020, after which time the Act! CRM (SaaS deployment) product will be available.
Why has the Scope of Technical Support changed?
Over the last 18 months, Act! has made significant investments in our self-service resources, enabling quick and easy use of online assets to learn more about popular topics and find answers to your questions. This makes it easier than ever for customers to explore the features of Act! and learn how to use it for themselves. By focusing our resources on troubleshooting, we can ensure more customers receive the great service we aspire to deliver.
However we recognise that some customers value being able to phone a support representative when they need help using Act!, perhaps because they don’t have time to make use of the online self-service resource. Some customers also like to request that a support rep remotely access their computer, whether that’s for troubleshooting or to show them how to use a feature. These customers can now access that kind of help as part of an Ultimate tier contract.
For customers who need guidance or remote support just as a one-off, these services are also available as a professional service.
How has this change been communicated?
Customers were notified of this via an email communication Support for Act! is changing in August 2020.
I am a Standard tier customer. I do not want to pay an extra amount every year just to get help with using a feature I am finding difficult, or to do a one off product upgrade. Is there another option?
Yes. Customers who want one-time feature guidance or “do it with me” help with an installation or re-installation may purchase a one time professional service.
I would like a professional services appointment - how do I arrange one?
These can be booked and scheduled to ensure the appointment is at a convenient time for you. This appointment will be arranged with you by your support representative.
How do I know how much I will have to pay for professional services from Act!?
The cost for professional services from Act! is $99 (USD) per hour if you are in North America, £99 p.h. in the UK and €99 p.h. in the EU. Regarding installation, we find about 80% of these can be completed in one hour, and the rest typically take less than two hours. If it looks like your installation will be exceptionally complex and take longer, the support representative will discuss that with you as soon as it becomes apparent. For other services, costs will be discussed with you at the time of your order.
Please note that professional services are also available from Act! Certified Consultants. ACCs will have their own basis for charging and will likely have more comprehensive services than we offer.
What are my options if I do not want to upgrade to Ultimate Support or pay for Professional Services from Act!?
You may access our extensive online self-service resources for help. If you are installing for the first time, please visit our Getting Started with Act! web pages. Comprehensive help with using and troubleshooting Act! is available via our online Knowledgebase. If you would like guidance how to use the features of Act!, then we have over 170 video tutorials available in the Act! Training Video Library - these are also available at our new Video Training Channel on YouTube.
If you require consultative or project advice about how your business/organisation can maximise its investment in Act!, please engage with our extensive network of Act! Certified Consultants.
How does this affect a subscription mid-term?
There are no changes to the price you pay and your renewal date remains the same. What is different is how Act! delivers support and how some categories of support are billed.
Can I cancel my subscription early?
No, subscription contracts last for one year.
Can you summarise the main features in the support tiers, and professional services that are available to Standard tier customers who require additional support?
|
Act! Support features |
Act! - Standard support tier |
Act! - Ultimate support tier |
Act! Professional Services (One time, $99 ph) |
|
Self-Service Resources - Guides & Video Tutorials |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
Knowledgebase |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
Online Support Portal |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
Online Case Management |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
Web Chat |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
Product Troubleshooting by Phone |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
Getting started scheduled call |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
Product Guidance by Phone |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
Product Support via Remote Access |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
US & UK Advisors |
✓ |
||
|
Saturday Phone Support |
✓ |
||
|
Appointment Setting |
✓ |
||
|
Voicemail Call Back |
✓ |
||
|
Priority Queuing |
✓ |
||
|
Professional Services |
$99 per hour |
$99 per hour |
$99 per hour |
How do the Act! Support tiers relate to Act! Growth Suite tiers?
At the time of writing, support features for the Act! Growth Suites are as described below. The availability of these features will not change for existing customers except that US support reps will be augmented by UK support reps, and guaranteed response times are no longer available..
|
Act! support features (as of September 8 2020) |
Act! Growth Suite Starter |
Act! Growth Suite Professional |
Act! Growth Suite Premier |
Act! Growth Suite Ultimate |
|
Self-Service Resources - Guides & Video Tutorials |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Knowledgebase |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Community |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Online Support Tickets |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Web Chat |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
Phone Support |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
Getting started scheduled call |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
|
Extended hours phone support |
✓ |
✓ |
||
|
Saturday phone support |
✓ |
✓ |
||
|
Priority queuing |
✓ |
✓ |
||
|
Appointment Setting |
✓ |
✓ |
||
|
Voicemail Call Back |
✓ |
✓ |
||
|
Dedicated US support rep |
✓ |
|||
|
Dedicated Ultimate web chat |
✓ |
|||
|
Password reset |
✓ |
|||
|
Guaranteed response times |
✓ |