SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
(OP)
Regarding other's subscription service....I'm curious as to what value added features your VAR might provide. Does your VAR provide any benefits beyond the normal .... the upgrades, the service packs, phone and/or onsight help, etc..
For instance, some VARS sponsor 2 day seminars for a nominal fee (sort of a mini SW World).... some offer complimentary brush up courses for existing subscribers. From others I've talked to... It seems some VARS offer, what i'd consider, value added benefits over and above what is consider the standard.
thanks. My renewal is up and I'm wondering if there's more to be had than what I'm presently getting for my yearly expenditure for subscription.
For instance, some VARS sponsor 2 day seminars for a nominal fee (sort of a mini SW World).... some offer complimentary brush up courses for existing subscribers. From others I've talked to... It seems some VARS offer, what i'd consider, value added benefits over and above what is consider the standard.
thanks. My renewal is up and I'm wondering if there's more to be had than what I'm presently getting for my yearly expenditure for subscription.






RE: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
Also, the subscription service fee isn't set by your VAR, nor do they get to keep all of it. If there's a VAR in your area who seems to provide more than your current VAR, you could always switch to them, but it can be a painful process.
If you are considering going off maintenance because you don't feel the benefits justify the cost, do a search on here for 'maintenance' or 'subscription'. There have been a few threads regarding it. For most, it seems, getting the new version every year, along with SP's, is enough.
Jeff Mirisola, CSWP, Certified DriveWorks AE
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
RE: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
My intent is NOT to go off subscription-maintenance... my query is to see if different VARS offer value added benefits over what other VARS offer.
Switching VARS, as I understand it, may be a tedious process.... but it's an option. But my question has to do more with what other VARS offer over and beyond the typical.
thanks
RE: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
The last VAR I worked for. I like to think that I provided a high level of customer service. I'd remember the people I spoke to and new their level of experience so that I could bypass needless questions (see above) and get to the root of the problem. I'd also go onsite to help customers.
Please note, individual experiences may vary.
Jeff Mirisola, CSWP, Certified DriveWorks AE
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
RE: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
Toycept, to answer your question, the VARs are there to keep you happy. This means helping with your problems (but please try to find the answers yourself first in the excellent SWX help), providing training that suits your needs (this is probably the single biggest differentiating factor between VARs), and keeping you up to date. It is not only their job to keep you happy with SWX and with them, but it benefits them since you become a solid reference for them. My VAR knows that as our skill level goes up we get more done and we are happy. He also knows that we interface with a lot of people, both vendors and customers. My vendors and customers hear and see more and more every day how powerful and easy to use SWX is. We are even making impressions with UL by sending them eDrawings files.
A VAR that has a staff with former users (in a production environment) rather than a buch of smart folks that have been book-taught on SWX will win hands-down everyday. They better understand the issues, know that when you call with a problem you need a good answer fast, and can guide your skill development. The book-smart kids with no production experience can quote you all kinds of things, but they are missing way too much insight.
I plan to attend SWW09 in Orlando in part so I can address this flawed policy from SWX that makes it difficult for the customers to change their VAR. I'm paying good money and want more than just SP's and upgrades.
Rant Mode: off :)
- - -Updraft
RE: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
Updraft, your last sentence says alot "I'm paying good money and want more than just SP's and upgrades".
Anyone else care to chime in.........
RE: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
Elsewhere I've given SolidWorks an earful over this issue. I think they may be considering splitting VAR services up such that it's not an all-or-nothing deal, but maybe I'm being optimistic. It seems piggy to everyone I've discussed this with that all subscribers must shell out ~$1,500 each year, whether the services are used or not--or face penalties of at least half that for blatantly not using the services (a crime?). Draconian, at best.
On the other side, VARs that offer roll-out presentations of new software are doing their subscribers a great service. I love going to these things, even if it means (for me) a long drive down to Denver to do so. This is often a big time-saver for me in seeing the new stuff pointed out and presented--so I don't have to spend all that time looking through the What's New PDF file just to figure out what's useful for me. Plus, with the live demonstrations, it's sort of an education as well. Good VARs will also put on other gigs that can be nice in networking (such as hosting user-groups) and other forms of finding useful people/talent or software niches not previously used.
Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
A people who value security over freedom will soon find they have neither.
RE: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
Bradley
SolidWorks Pro 2008 x64, SP4.0
PDMWorks Workgroup, SolidWorks BOM,
Dell XPS Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 5 GB RAM, Virtual memory 10240 MB,
nVidia Quadro FX 3400
"If it ain't broke, you just haven't looked hard enough." Fix it anyway.
RE: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
Hawkridge Systems treats me very well. When we transferred from one PDM to another, they supported the effort to the extent of coming in house and helping use tranfer files. They provide free "night schools" which are one-time evening seminars for particular topics. I get tech support immediately 75% of the time when I call, and the other 25% the response is normally within 45 minutes. They have their own add-in set of utilities. The have at least one capable in-house API expert. And also experts in each of the SW applicables.
Drawback is that they did get burned by 3rd party applications, so they only directly support applications that SW itself sells. Best of their expansion, some of their newer tech support staff may provide incomplete or wrong information once in awhile.
Anyone else have opinions?
Matt Lorono
CAD Engineer/ECN Analyst
Silicon Valley, CA
Lorono's SolidWorks Resources
Co-moderator of Solidworks Yahoo! Group
and Mechnical.Engineering Yahoo! Group
RE: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
I haven't really given this topic too much thought in the past because I do have a good VAR. However, you can be sure that if my VAR was asleep on the job or just plain sucked then I'd be rattling some cages both in their office and at SW HQ. The way I see it is if I am forced to pay for a service (weather I use it or not) I expect that service to be up to MY standards, especially when the fees aren't exactly low. I like the idea of scaling the fees for the types of service that you require, but I'm certainly not going to hold my breath.
Dan
www.eltronresearch.com
RE: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
My VAR is now The SolidExperts here in Florida. Our previous VAR served several states including FL. I would not recommend them for anything. Our current VAR knows their stuff and is very well tuned in to listen for what our needs are and get us the right help/recommendations/connections.
When I changed VARs I went through a royal PITA with SWX. My old VAR threatened to "get even" with me, but all he did was reaffirm my decision. I was on the phone with several levels of SWX management regarding changing VARs and even had about an hour long talk with Jeff Ray when he was COO. He wrote me a nice card and in it says "I want to apologize for the way we have let you down. You have been a faithful follower of ours for many years, and we should have been more responsive. Thank you for giving us the chance to make amends. We will do better!"
I would like to address him at SWW09 because I understand the policy about changing VARs is even MORE restrictive now than it was a year ago. Hardly what I would call "doing better"!
Here is what I want:
1. The freedom to change VARs for whatever reason. (I am willing to fill out a form stating the reasons why if that helps to prevent changes due to poaching/bribery or other nefarious reasons.)
2. Not to have the new VAR punished for the change. In fact, they should be rewarded for keeping a loyal and satisfied customer vs. losing one to another software company. (I have been using SWX since the initial 1995 version and even started and ran a users group for two years, but I was ready to quit SWX if I would have had to stay with my old VAR.) I changed last year and my old VAR still got the next year's fees. The new VAR had to give me support for a year before he started to get the revenue. Now WTF?!
I believe in fair play and capitalism (yes, they can coexist). Subscription fees are fixed so the only thing that distinguishes one VAR from another is the services they provide. I should be allowed to choose that which suits me best. Is that so unreasonable?
- - -Updraft
RE: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
This is one of those things that cannot seem to be explained to users by SolidWorks (corporate). What's the big deal? I'd estimate the VAR business model is cracking a bit under some economic pressures and that's why we're seeing larger reinstatement fees and locks of this sort. So SolidWorks is expending energy on their own business model--diverting that energy away from the user base and development. Always a bad sign.
Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
A people who value security over freedom will soon find they have neither.
RE: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE-VALUE ADDED FEATURES
Bradley
SolidWorks Pro 2008 x64, SP4.0
PDMWorks Workgroup, SolidWorks BOM,
Dell XPS Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 5 GB RAM, Virtual memory 10240 MB,
nVidia Quadro FX 3400
"If it ain't broke, you just haven't looked hard enough." Fix it anyway.