We have had the opportunity to engage in discussions this year with a number of customers and prospects about the challenges and needs they have related to their customer service and support software applications.
A few common themes are;
Software Support Value – Historically, software support has been offered and valued as a percentage of the total purchased software cost (usually at list price). For that price, customers could call the supplier for assistance with operational or technical questions or issues, obtain bug fixes, and receive software upgrades as required or available. When additional software licenses were purchased (for new or existing applications) the cost of support would increase proportionately. Tack on a few years of “contractual” price increases and it’s not surprising that the overall cost of support for an application purchased several years ago reaches a level that is disproportionate to the value received.
User Based Licensing Cost – Software applications that are purchased on a user-based license model (specifically named-users vs. concurrent users) inevitably restrict the expansion of the software to new users (particularly those who are occasional users) due to the high cost of the licenses. Without access to the software and, more importantly the information that can assist employees in their job, they have to rely on other methods to get the information they need or do their job without it. Where is the balance between cost and usage?
Support of Software Customizations – As software design and architecture continues to evolve the ability for a customer to easily configure and customize an application enables the software to be better suited for their environment. However, customizations typically challenge the vendor support model and in some cases the software warranty which can, at best, make vendor support challenging or worst case be in violation of a support agreement.
Recognizing these and other challenges and issues, we continue to evolve our software and services to try and address them in creative ways;
· Customized support programs, adjusted annually to meet a customer’s needs, providing flexibility such as optional support channels (telephone, email, web self-service), including professional services for training, customization, and consulting, and free use of certain Dovetail licensed software.
· Software licensing that aligns the value of software to the needs of the user community by providing full-use licenses to those who rely on the software for their daily job function and limited-use licenses for those who occasionally access the system from laptops or mobile phones.
· Software support programs that allow customers to work with Dovetail to ensure that their customizations will not be affected by new software releases as they become available.
Flexibility and adaption in our approach and strategy with each customer has allowed Dovetail to grow and to develop and sustain long-lasting mutually beneficial customer relationships, particularly during times when economic conditions constrain budgets and spending.
Regards,
Rusty
