# Page 7 | Act! Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra

> Page 7 - Is Act! the right CRM solution for you? Explore 853 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/175860/Act/reviews

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Act!

3.9 (853)

[View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/175860/Act/alternatives/)

Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/)

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Last updated March 19th, 2026

# Page 7 - Reviews of Act!

## Showing most helpful reviews

Showing 151-175 of 853 Reviews

Sort by:

Most Helpful

Rating

Company Size

Reviewer's Role

Length of Use

Frequency of Use

BH

Brad H.  
Owner  
Semiconductors  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "2021 ACT v22 Review"

January 7, 2021

3.0

Overall, from 1991 up until summer 2020, has been pretty seamless using ACT and upgrading from previous versions to current versions. The last v22.0 upgrade I installed, gave me the impression that someone at ACT was more concerned about getting their bonus and 'rushing' out this new version, than making sure an 'error free' product was released. This combined with the elimination of service contracts, gives the impression they're going to "milk the cow" and end up closing up the business and leaving customers stranded.

Pros

Familiar as I have been using ACT since 1991, starting with v2.0 and now have v22.1.

Cons

ACT worked 'great' up to and including v21. Since the release of v22, I get ACT "NOT RESPONDING" messages 6-8x per day and need to completely reboot my laptop. Also with v22, I have randomly and periodically had (2x) my template for Contacts changed/rearranged. This combined with the elimination of service contracts, makes using ACT and potentially upgrading to the next version of ACT "unattractive".

Reason for choosing Act!

In 1991, ACT was only CRM available in Windows.

Review Source

DW

David W.  
Senior recruiting consultant  
Human Resources  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "20 year user"

February 22, 2024

5.0

ACT has continually evolved and developed to help with contact management. I would not change for any other CRM

Pros

ACT has provided our small business with a way to track and manage our candidates efficiently. 20 years of using the database is priceless

Cons

Very little is a con, when you have an issue, you can suggest an idea or a 3rd party will pick it up

Reason for choosing Act!

Been using since version 2, there for all the improvements and updates

Review Source

Response from Act!

February 23, 2024

It's great to hear our long-term customers still love and leverage Act! to grow their businesses today. Thank you, David, for taking the time to share this review. We wish you all the best!

Bo K.  
Customer Service Ambassador  
Banking  
Used the software for: I used a free trial

### "Easy tool"

November 16, 2023

4.0

Only had the change to use free trial, integrated with Sage 360 as it is owned by Sage. Created a few marketing automation and went live as well, got great results, it had potential. Used its app also to track progress and results.

Pros

Mostly used Act's features of contact management and marketing automation in CRM, it has a feature that brings together all of the customer data into a centralized database. Using automation tool is so easy and helps you track every steps.

Cons

Not so many features but the essential features are enough to get what is really needed. The support for the product has ended.

Switched from

[Freshsales](https://www.capterra.com/p/155563/Freshsales/)

The support for ACT has been stopped so couldn't even used the full potential.

Review Source

Response from Act!

November 20, 2023

Thank you, Bo for your review. We value your feedback! It sounds like you might be using an older version of Act! and hope you'll check out this webpage for information about our exciting new features and enhancements. https://www.act.com/upgrade-center/

David O.  
General Manager  
Medical Devices  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Good As A Contact Manager, Not As A 2020 CRM"

December 30, 2020

2.0

ACT! was very helpful in moving our business forward at a time where we mainly needed to focus on contact management. Now that I need a true CRM, there are better alternatives for us.

Pros

I used ACT daily for years. It works well as a contact manager and can help track email conversions through an Outlook plugin.

Cons

The program lacks the advanced functionality you would expect with a modern day customer relationship management software. The design is also extremely dated.

Switched from

[HubSpot CRM](https://www.capterra.com/p/152373/HubSpot-CRM/)

HubSpot is more robust and is generally affordable. I would argue that HubSpot does a great job providing value compared to other CRMs on the market

Review Source

TW

Tammy W.  
Owner  
Insurance  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "ACT! for Insurance/Financial Advisors"

October 14, 2020

5.0

I love all the features that meet the needs of financial advisors. The customizable fields are beneficial and improve the overall use of the software. It has probably just as many features as other customer relations management programs but cost is substantially less. Very happy with my selection.

Pros

The Act! for Advisors software has been modified to meet the requirements of a financial advisor which includes being able to input information regarding insurance contracts. The new Marketing Automation is an great way to send out Newsletters, etc.

Cons

They have lots of online resources/video's to learn the Marketing Automation. You can also speak to customer service but they recently cut their remote access where you can have customer service work on your computer to help answer/show you how to do things with the marketing automation.

Alternatives considered

[Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement](https://www.capterra.com/p/134593/Pardot/)

Reason for choosing Act!

Cost while not sacrificing the overall features.

Switched from

[Salesforce Sales Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/61368/Salesforce/)

Salesforce was cost prohibitive.

Review Source

RP

Robin P.  
Director  
Real Estate  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Act CRM Excellent"

April 11, 2024

4.0

Pros

Ease of use for controlling customer service

Cons

Increasing cost of the product other than that great product

Review Source

Response from Act!

April 12, 2024

It's great to hear, Robin, that Act!'s ease of use is helping you manage customer service for your real estate business. Thank you for letting us know!

TK

Terry K.  
xx  
Non-Profit Organization Management  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "\[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN\] Vision Gone Awry"

January 9, 2021

1.0

I met \[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN\] who was the \[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN\] and he created a phenomenal product. Sad that the company has gone through a series of sales and hasn't stayed current or competitive.

Pros

Not currently happy and will be initiating a search for a replacement.

Cons

Email marketing has gone through how many interations? Why does every update to the software entail so much time and pain? Why can't the synch between our laptops and cell phones be smarter and more effective? Have you tried getting help from their tech support?

Reason for choosing Act!

We are actively looking to replace ACT after purchasing the last update to the desktop version. Are they hoping that if the desktop experience is so poor it will convince us to switch to their cloud version?

Review Source

WH

William H.  
Vice President of Operations  
Environmental Services  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Class Act by BH"

March 1, 2024

5.0

I was introduced to Act by a manager who insisted I use this all the time and would check out my usage It was really helpful and could not have done my job if I didn’t have the Act set up

Pros

Ease of looking up customers by company name

Cons

Had no issues with using the Act database so really nothing bad to say

Review Source

Response from Act!

March 4, 2024

Thank you for letting us know that Act! is easy to use and is helping you do your job, William. You made our day!

BD

Bill D.  
Apps Engineer  
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "How act is helping me working at 74 as a sales man"

January 5, 2017

5.0

I have been using ACT's since 1999 and this year I turned 74 and I'm still selling with the very best of them. I sell power supplies to industry and without ACT there is no way I could compete in the world of sales today without ACT, I put everything and anything that helps me sell more in a very competitive field including emails, quotes, power supply spec, and notes. I see so many people who will not invest in this program or database if they did their sales would be much higher nobody can remember everything but ACT does. In all the years I have used at never a problem of any kind I do keep it on three computers as the backup just in case there's a crash of one of my computers. I backup my database 2 to 3 times a week making sure I have everything when I need it. The thing I like most about ACT when I go to sales meetings I have all my information right in front of me on my laptop and so many people don't. So when I am questioned about any customer I can look in my notes and have the answers I need, without ACT my sales numbers would be much lower. Thanks ACT

Pros

Without ACT I could not compete as well as I do in the sales world for it is changing every day. I need ACT to help track my customers my orders my RFQ's and so many other things without it I wouldn't have a job today. I see so many salespeople who won't invest in ACT who sales numbers could be so much better I tell them about ACT but they don't seem to want to invest in their future and their future sales that could be so much better.

Cons

I cannot find one thing wrong with ACT I have been using it approximately 20 years and never had a problem I cannot say this about other database programs I have had to use when I worked for other companies. Some of them were super complicated took hours of work just to get your data in whereas using ACT it was a breeze putting data in and saving data of all kinds.

Review Source

AM

Andrew M.  
Engineer  
Nanotechnology  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Good first CRM"

January 18, 2023

5.0

Positive experience and we are using the custom fields. I wish you could make some fields limited based on other field inputs. ACT! is great if you are just getting into CRM and want to get your business up and running quickly, this is one of the reasons it is such a popular choice. They have been doing CRM for a very long time.

Pros

Easy to setup and have customized fields. They have an option to run on your own server to avoid monthly fees of other CRM options.

Cons

Once you have over 10,000 contacts. It is harder and slower to organize CRM. Works much better for smaller contact lists.

Alternatives considered

[Salesforce Sales Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/61368/Salesforce/)

Reason for choosing Act!

Cost of alternatives were much higher for similar features.

Review Source

Response from Act!

January 20, 2023

Hey thanks Andrew, it sounds like Act! is helping you out. You're helping us out by spreading the word - so thanks for taking the time to share!

Angela F.  
Admin Assistant  
Financial Services  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Sorry but WORST CRM EVER!"

October 5, 2018

1.0

I was so glad to get rid of this product!

Pros

The calendar feature was easy to read with the ability to switch from daily view, to weekly view to monthly view.

Cons

Even after upgrading to the newest version we still had issues! We couldn't sync our local with our cloud. We literally waited on hold for HOURS before getting a customer service rep to even try to help. Then the rep wouldn't speak in layman's terms but instead used all technical terms which we didn't understand.

Review Source

JP

Jake P.  
Account Manager  
Newspapers  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Great product with room for improvement "

October 19, 2023

4.0

I have been using Act for almost 10 years. It's a quality product for the price point. Good customer service, highly responsive.

Pros

I like that they created a cloud version for people on the go.

Cons

The over design or look of the desktop version is old and kind of dated. It can be updated if I choose to. But that will take time. A larger selection of templates would be excellent.

Alternatives considered

[Salesforce Sales Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/61368/Salesforce/)

Reason for choosing Act!

Supporting Local

Review Source

Response from Act!

October 27, 2023

Thank you for your feedback, Jake. We are excited about our upcoming releases and updates with new UX/UI improvements we know you'll love. We really appreciate you taking the time to let us know how Act! is working for you.

NS

Nicole S.  
Agent  
  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "ACT has many features, but most of them are cumbersome and lacking full functionality."

March 8, 2018

2.0

Pros

Our office has been using this product since before I started. It is a solid database program and if that is all you want to do is have a large database of contacts, then this performs well.

Cons

I dislike how this is still only available for windows computers which makes communicating information in an office with both Mac and PC impossible. Also, the outlook plug in that allows emails to be synced with a contact in ACT will only link emails to the PRIMARY contact. So that means you have to manually sync that. If you are emailing over 100 emails a day, you end up either spending most of your time manually syncing contacts or just foregoing this feature. Also, you can only add 4 contacts to a company. Often times, we need to have upwards of 6-10 contacts for a company so the inability to add more is a huge issue. And since ACT isn't online, any changes made on any employee computers while not connected to the server means no one else has access to that info until they make it back to the office to sync. Which means our data is never fully up to date. There are so many problems with this software that we often don't try to take advantage of any of the other functions.

Review Source

Response from Act!

March 12, 2018

Hi Nicole, Thanks for your feedback! You're correct that our main desktop product is only available for PC. Did you know we do offer a fully web-based solution, Act! Premium Cloud? This works great on PC and Mac, as well as keeping your data online on our hosted cloud servers. It sounds like your business could make good use of the features available via Act! Cloud - might be worth checking it out at act.com - we do offer a free trial too. We'll definitely be taking your feedback on board for future releases - especially what you've said around email syncing. We've got some major improvements planned in this area in the next release (20.1). Lastly, there should be no limit to how many contacts can be assigned to a company - if you're having issues adding more than 4, I'd definitely recommend contacting customer support, who'll be happy to help. If there's anything more we can do to help, please let us know! Thanks again, Jon, Act! Social Media Team

RO

Robert O.  
Sole proprietor  
Arts and Crafts  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Value of using Act"

January 29, 2019

5.0

See What I liked most.

Pros

Started using Act about 25 years ago. Have added contacts since and used most of the features. Over time the use of certain features such as mass mailings to customer lists have faded, and now occasionally by e-mail. Over time I have come to value how I can locate someone that was a customer years ago, and have a complete record of a transaction, conversation or specific subject we were involved in. You have to learn to use for nearly every phone conversation or piece of correspondence. If you do, you will always be able to revert back to a contact, and who said what when. What correspondence was involved etc. To say nothing about scheduling appointments, and being reminded of birthdays and other important events. Act is the backbone of my business and personal contact information. Invaluable and used every day. I have used over may revisions and Company changes. Sometimes the customer service is better than others. Presently the Customer Service is Excellent. If you are a first time user or considering starting to use it I would recommend you take a course on using it as many of the features are not apparent unless someone shows them to you. A great tool to keep track of what everyone on your team is doing and as they move on a record of what they did and who was involved. A great tool that I rely on daily. Happy to spread the word.

Cons

Many features that I never use, but see how others would. Don't like having to use MS Outlook for e-mail. Would like to access completely by phone, but my database is too big.

Review Source

Darren F.  
Managing Director  
  
Used the software for:

### "Best featured and Best value CRM for Small business"

May 3, 2016

5.0

Firstly, I'm an Act! Certified Consultant and I sell and provide services around Act! and have done so since 2001. Although I'm not a client, I have continually had to make an assessment about whether Act! is the right product for our prospective and existing clients. My personal experience is that there is no single software product that is suitable for every business. If you are a big enterprise, Act! isn't the product you are going to invest in. For small business though it should be at the top of your list to review. Act! has a greater depth and depth of functionality for the price of any CRM software in the market for the small business users. If there was something that were better I'd be inclined to be offering it to our clients. Act! has been around for nearly 30 years and the many things that you are likely to want to be able to do, Act! just does. Many of the small, simple, day to day tasks will be made easier by your use of Act!. Act! is a product that you will hear many loyal and satisfied clients say that they Love and that they can't do without. Act! is easy to use and it's highly configurable. It excels in a MS Windows environment, so if you are running a server with some desktops and laptops it's an ideal solution. It will run faster than any cloud based solution. Act! comes with both a Windows and Web based access. You could have some using it on their desktop in the office, and others using it via the web browser. The Web version doesn't completely match the windows version for functionality, but the gap is closing. With Act! you can deploy it on your own server so you own and control your data. You can still have the advantage of a web based login but know that your database is in an environment you control. Act! has a range of excellent third party add-ons that en-rich it's functionality and with a new API in the latest 18.1 version there will be many more integrations between Act! and other web based applications. If I were to simplfy where I see Act! in the market it would be to say it sits in the middle of the basic cloud offerings like Pipedrive, Insightly, Highrise etc. and the full blown CRM's from Saleforce, SugarCRM and Microsoft. If you are an established business that is looking for a best in class CRM to work on your MS Windows platform and still provide good mobile and web browser based access then Act! is ideal.

Review Source

SL

Sean L.  
IT engineer  
Government Relations  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Customer Support 5\*"

April 10, 2024

5.0

Pros

As a company who deals with a LOT of different third party vendors, I can genuinely say the customer support at ACT was absolutely top notch and couldnt fault them. Went out of their way to solve the problem we had after a powercut and even though it turned out to be a complicated job they were professional at all times, knowledgeable and efficient.

Cons

I do not have anything bad to say about ACT!

Review Source

Response from Act!

April 15, 2024

We are thrilled to hear that our Support Team was there for you when you needed them, Sean. We love our customers and know when they're successful, we're successful! Thank you so much for your review!

vP

victor P.  
CEO  
Financial Services  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Cheap product for a cheap price - plan on no tech support"

November 5, 2021

2.0

Tech support sucks. \[SENSITIVE CONTENT\] , all the tech and customer support people hide. You will only get a phone call back. if you dont respond, your support ticket gets closed out. Its the year 2021, but you won't get a tech support person's employee id, email address, phone number, etc because ACT!'s policy is to hide them amidst all the versions ACT keeps implementing. Ask what level technichian a support person is and watch them get upset, say they dont like they way you are treating them and they will hang up.

Pros

it was inexpensive. but you get what you pay for.

Cons

No tech support. ACT is always putting out a new version. each new version trips off problems and requires new integrations and updates that they do not tell you about and cause integration issues with all of your other software expecially microsof.

Reason for choosing Act!

price

Switched from

[Salesforce Sales Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/61368/Salesforce/)

ACT was cheaper

Review Source

KA

Kurt A.  
Owner  
Financial Services  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Client Management"

September 29, 2023

5.0

Overall very happy. Good customer service.

Pros

Easy of customization for each client. Makes it easy to update a daily basis.

Cons

Has features we would not use. Wish I could pick products we use and eliminate others.

Review Source

Response from Act!

October 6, 2023

Hi Kurt - Thank you for taking the time to share that Act! is making your workday a little easier, especially with easy updates and customizing your client data. We love hearing from our customers, so thanks again for sharing - this made our day!

RH

Richard H.  
President  
Human Resources  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Marketing Automation AWFUL - Zero support "

October 21, 2022

3.0

Pros

The way it’s supposed to work is ok. Not great. But getting it to work is a very heavy lift. And with inadequate support, it’s totally up to the user to figure it out.

Cons

Where do I start? Bottom line is that setup for marketing automation is nearly impossible. I’ve used successfully ACT! for more than 20 years. But marketing automation is a disaster. The documentation is unhelpful, and in some places, downright incorrect. It has lots of broken links. And their support staff, all offshore, knows nothing about how to help with the marketing automation feature. I had to hire someone who finally figured it out, by trial and error, after several weeks of work.

Switched from

[Nimble](https://www.capterra.com/p/123032/Nimble/)

Wanted better features

Review Source

Response from Act!

November 4, 2022

Richard, first let us say we're sorry that you're experiencing this problem, we're sure it's frustrating. We want to help and hope you'll reach out to us at actcustomerservice@act.com. and provide your contact information so we can contact you directly.

AF

Andrew F.  
president  
Non-Profit Organization Management  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "e-marketing, marketing automation"

April 29, 2019

4.0

I would pay twice if I will be able to go to previous abilities that ACT has

Pros

Act itself is as a good database software. Compering to previous version synchronized with Swift Page it has a better platform to create a template. There are other things you improve but for our small company we do not use them (like several times of sending same e-mail to one customer)

Cons

In Marketing Automation: - you can not add and SAVE our data base fields in the template - you can not send an e-mail from the template to one person (only to the group) - you can not sent an e-mail to lookup (every time you must create the group from lookup) - may e-mails is getting lost (in our 2 campaigns about 20% e-mails were not delivered) In e-marketing - you can not add and SAVE our data base fields in the template \*\*\*\*\*\* In your previous version of ACT I was able to add fields from my database SAVE them in the template and send them to lookup without a need to create the group. \*\*\*\*\*\* And your customer service ??? I believe you can do better work. For example - I wrote an e-mail to you about month ago - with totally no answers from you.

Review Source

Response from Act!

April 30, 2019

Andrew, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I am sorry to hear that you are having trouble with the new Act! Marketing Automation. Please email me at mbowers@swiftpage.com and I will escalate your issue. Thanks again.

KF

Karen F.  
President  
Management Consulting  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "I may be prejudiced but I love this product"

October 9, 2017

5.0

I have used Act personally and for my business almost since its inception. Full disclosure: I have written 7 books on the product as well as the training videos for lynda.com/LinkedIn. I also do consulting work for several other CRM products and wrote a book on SugarCRM. For the money, you can't beat Act. Act has all the power of the "bigger" players without the expensive price point. As newer features are added the existing ones remain relatively stable so that an existing user can upgrade without being hit by a huge learning curve. That said, new users of ANY software product, and specifically CRM software, need to realize that training is essential if they want to unleash the full power of Act. And, like with any other software, support and training is not free - especially if your Act version is several years old. Try calling Microsoft the next time you need help with a spreadsheet or can't get Outlook to send your email and you will see exactly what I mean. However, all Act Premium subscriptions do include free technical support. I urge readers to take some of the reviews with a grain of salt. For example, Act is absolutely the easiest product out there when it comes to a mail merge. Try doing this in Salesforce and compare the number of keystrokes it takes to complete a merge. Another reviewer complains that you can't merge to over "50 contacts;" that restriction is meant to keep you spam-compliant and can easily be overcome by using the built in Act E-marketing Tool. Another reviewer complained that it took "days" to download the software; again, this is simply not the norm and one has to wonder what kind of security settings might have been blocking the ability to download software.

Pros

Perfect fit for mid-sized businesses. Great price point. Only truly hybrid solution that allows you to use Act both on your desktop and in a hosted environment.

Review Source

DT

Davina T.  
AGM  
Hospitality  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "A Must Have "

November 14, 2023

5.0

I could not function without ACT daily.

Pros

90% of it, there seems to be some glitches with the new version but the rest is wonderful

Cons

Years worth of notes seem to be missing

Review Source

Response from Act!

November 20, 2023

Davina – Thank you for your review and for letting us know you're experiencing an issue with your notes history. We want to help as best we can. Please visit https://www.act.com/resources/contact/ or give us a call at 866-873-2006 to see how we can provide some assistance. We look forward to speaking with you.

AN

Anne N.  
Managing Director  
Professional Training & Coaching  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Think carefully before buying ACT!"

October 15, 2021

3.0

Our overall experience with ACT! is not good, so after 17 + years I made the decision to switch to another CRM when we upgraded our computers. Our IT Consultant summarised it beautifully when he was moving programs and files from the existing hardware to new hardware and said "Please tell me you don't want me to move ACT! as well". He never liked it either The issue with email marketing and emails was long standing and in the end we gave up, without being even close to a solution. For a small business, it became too complex and non-user friendly, especially as other competitors with more features, better service and a more user-friendly 'current' CRM product entered the market. Plus, to add insult to injury, Customer Service has deteriorated over the past few years.

Pros

When we first bought ACT! around 17 years ago we loved it. We were all happy with what it could do to automate the office and with client/lead management.

Cons

Email marketing and email functionality - or lack of - with Outlook. Only being able to attach one document file to a history note has also caused much frustration.

Review Source

MP

Michael P.  
Managing Director  
Real Estate  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "My life in ACT"

May 29, 2023

5.0

Just so good at accessing information and organising future events.

Pros

It is so comprehensive and keeps awesome records in an easy to access manner.

Cons

Nothing. it does everything i need to eun my life and my business.

Reason for choosing Act!

Did not see alternatives at the time - i think it was 1986.

Review Source

Response from Act!

June 2, 2023

Thank you, Michael! We love hearing from our customers and enjoy learning how Act! is helping their businesses around the world. We'd love to learn more about your business and highlight it on our Success Story webpage and social channels! If you'd like to share your Act! Success Story, it's easy - just paste this link into your browser to get started. https://www.act.com/success-stories/ We hope to hear from you! Thanks again for sharing and we wish continued success to you!

JJ

Jeanne J.  
Rep  
Insurance  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Act is Easy"

November 10, 2022

5.0

It is a strong program that meets many needs for a business office

Pros

This software is very user friendly and can be adapted to your business needs.

Cons

Some of the search features can be a bit difficult

Review Source

Response from Act!

November 15, 2022

Thank you, Jeanne! We love hearing from our customers and enjoy learning how Act! is helping their businesses around the world. And, we'd love to learn more about your business if you'd like to share your Act! Success Story. It's easy - just paste this link into your browser to get started. Thanks again for sharing and we wish continued success to you! https://www.act.com/success-stories/

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