Having been in the manufacturing software business for over 25 years, I have come to appreciate the benefit of having a userbase that is current on the latest version of the software. To be sure, I understand all the reasons why a particular user might decide not to upgrade to the current version.
First is the expense. The marketers of some of the productivity tools I use charge half of the MSRP (or more) to purchase an upgrade to the current version. I know this stings -- and it causes one to question whether the improvements built into the new version are really going to be meaningful. When I shell out that kind of money for an upgrade, it is most always because I have determined that the productivity gain is worth the price.
Another reason for questioning an upgrade is having to learn about new features and adjust one’s methods to accommodate new ways of doing things. In my 25+ years of experience using a broad range of accounting, manufacturing, and office software products, I have found the "fear of learning" new software to be far greater than actually learning it. I've usually internalized the "new features" within an hour or so, mostly because the underlying foundation of the software remains intact.
Because I generally keep up to date on the software I use, getting helpful technical support is not a problem. If my software was several generations old, I could understand the support technician's inability to resolve an issue I was having. For example, if someone asked me for help on MISys/DOS Manufacturing (I know there are still people using MISys/DOS 20+ years after it was released) I would be hard-pressed even to describe the menu structure, let alone tell then how the software was supposed to work. Given that support technicians are human beings seemingly subject the common frailties of the human mind, I can understand why most companies provide support for the current and one previous version of the software.
As the employer of a group of talented software developers and support technicians, I have first-hand knowledge of the effort they make to insure that our software, MISys Manufacturing, works as advertised -- all the time. Naturally, I want every one of our customers to benefit from the efforts of our hard-working development and support teams.
When we were first designing MISys Manufacturing SBM, over 6 years ago now, we wanted to make it as easy as possible for our users to keep their software up to date. Like some other software you may use, MISys politely informs you that a new version is available, and offers to let you install the updated version with just a few mouse-clicks. A link in the InfoCenter, available whenever you log in, presents a summary of what's new in the current version. Furthermore, our support technicians work with the current version of the software on a daily basis, so they are thoroughly familiar with its operation and are prepared to provide top-notch assistance to anyone who needs it.
The EULA for the MISys Manufacturing System include free upgrades of every licensed user, so there is every reason to keep up to date with the technical developments as they come along. By keeping current, you help us help you -- and everyone wins!
For more information about the MISys Manufacturing System, go to www.misysinc.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment