ACT vs Outlook
I use ACT to keep track of customers/sales. The calendar and Task list in ACT don't lend themselves to the customization of outlook as far as tracking next actions and/or projects.
I have switched back and forth between outlook, act, business contact manager, I have recently decided that all of my sales follow ups and contacts will be tracked in ACT and my personal/personal development projects will be tracked in windows folders with WORD files as lists.
Act is too powerful of a contact manager to skip using it for sales/customer relationships.
ACT falls short on the Next Action catagories though, as all to-do/call/Waiting For/Meetings must have a date assigned to them.
I recommend keeping outlook for the primary email system. it is easy enough to attach an incoming email to an existing customer in ACT. Also, you can create a new customer record in ACT directly from an outlook email.
the sorting/customizable folders in outlook are excellent for filing and tracking email.
So, if you are using ACT for sales or customer management, then keep it. if you are only using it for basic contact management, stick with outlook.
I hope this helps some. I'd be glad to answer any specific questions about the two systems and how they interface.
