If there is an activity you want to track, a custom activity type may just be the ticket. For example, if your business markets through trade shows, you might want to create a “Trade Show” activity type. You can also use this valuable feature to better manage your sales force by creating activity types that differentiate between Prospecting Calls and Maintenance Calls. You can filter the Calendar or Task List to show specific activity types (even the custom ones). You can filter the Activity or History tabs on the Contact record to only display specific custom activity types (i.e. Tech Support calls). You can also create a report based on specific activity types. The possibilities are endless.
To create a custom activity type:
- Click Schedule, Manage, Activity Types….
Don’t create new Activity Types lightly. Once created, they cannot be deleted, only edited or deactivated. Only users with Administrator or Manager roles have the authority to create a custom Activity Type.
It is REALLY important to also modify the results for your custom Activity Type.
- Click the Add… button.
- Name: the activity type.
- If you have access to icon files, you can use the Browse… button to select an Icon: for your new activity type.
- Select a Result, click Edit…, and modify the Result name: to include the new Activity Type name, and click OK.
This is a REALLY important step and you should not treat it lightly. If the Activity Type is “Marketing Call,” change Completed to Marketing Call Completed. If you leave the default result name, all you will see in History is Completed with no indication of what type of activity was completed (or originally scheduled). - To add a new result, click Add…, type the new Result Name, and click OK.
You may want to have more than two possible results. Perhaps something like Marketing On-Site Call might be a valid third one. - Click OK.
We have several custom activity types in our own database that help us be more productive with our time. If you need help with something like this, give us a call.
This is the 10th edition that I have written detailing everything you need to know about how to use the latest version of ACT! to boost your productivity and help you get the most our of your new Sage ACT! 2012 software purchase. 
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
How timely! I was just wondering if I could add custom activities yesterday. You’re a mind reader.
John
Hi Susan…
Could it make sense to add ‘activity type’ called ‘e-mail sent’ to recorded my follow-ups by e-mail?
Thank, D U K E
Duke, E-mail sent is already a history type. If you have connected your email to ACT and choose to record history, that is the designation. If you want to manually insert, in the History dialog, change the type to Other. Then notice under the Result you have several misc options… including E-mail Sent.