We’ve all heard people say at one time or another that software companies, Sage included, intentionally make support resources more difficult to find or use just so they can make more money.  Even though this is usually said lightheartedly, organizations like us really must keep in mind the frustrations software users face when trying to find relevant (and easily accessible) help.     We understand this and agree that our customers should be able to find assistance quickly and we’ve made it a priority to offer free resources to our customers in many ways.  For example: 

 

Online resources:

  • The Knowledgebase is a free online resource with helpful product hints and technical solutions.
  • Just surfing this Peachtree Community you’ll find a wealth of information listed on blogs like the Technology Advisor, news from the Peachtree Product Team, and several more.  You’ll also find many of our partners and users offering their own help and guidance on the discussion boards.  Of course, we always have our moderators providing assistance but many of our partners offer fantastic tips and support on their own websites that can also be accessed through the Peachtree Community. 

 

Inside the product:

  • The Sage Advisor feature within the product provides pop-up tips, helping you navigate through the product more efficiently (and what’s really great in release 2010, you can also adjust the settings on this feature based on your experience level). 
  • The new Business Resource Center in release 2010 links to online resources from inside the product making it very easy to find help and answers to your questions. 

 

Subscription resources:

  • Many customers subscribe to our Peachtree Insider newsletter that offers additional advice on topics helpful to your business, not just our products.
  • For those of you that may not have heard yet about our Business Care plan, although a paid subscription, it is included as part of your Peachtree Quantum purchase.  Business Care not only includes annual upgrades, it includes unlimited support!  What’s even better, it also comes with advanced training for annual subscribers. 

 

And here’s a little bit of “insider” info just for reading my blog… The new Business Resource Center I mentioned above will soon have free training options in addition to the all the information I’ve already listed.  So stay tuned for that!   As we begin the planning process for our 2011 products, these “Learning Systems” are becoming an even larger focus for us.  We hope to put even stronger systems into place to help you find the answers you need quickly.  Not to worry… we’ll always have our trusted technical support available for critical situations. 

 

Let me know if you have any additional ideas how we can improve our learning systems.  I’d love to hear them!