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Version
4.5 Upgrade FAQ
- Previous Upgrades of NASI’s software
have been optional. Why is this one
different?
- I don’t call for Tech Support very often. Why should I have to
Upgrade?
- Is Version 4.5 the same as the “Dot-Com” version you told us about
last Spring?
- Is it common to charge an annual fee
for Support, Maintenance, Tips, and Upgrades?
- Why didn’t NASI move to an Enterprise/Maintenance business model
sooner?
- What could happen to my software and data if I don’t Upgrade?
- How do I know which Version I’m on? Where do I look on my system?
- Why is it technically important that I Upgrade?
- Some
software vendors offer a pay-per-minute
support number. Why don’t you?
- My current software, however old, still works well. Is the Upgrade
appropriate for me?
- I found a bug in my current Version. Why should I
Upgrade before
that gets fixed?
- Has the import program changed?
- How I find out when my support cycle expires?
- What happens as my support cycle nears it
end?
- How will the cycle and/or cost be affected if I add a workstation during
my cycle?
1. Previous Upgrades of NASI’s software
have been optional. Why is this one
different?
For
the past 16 years, NASI has offered new
batches of code (or Upgrades) as an
optional benefit for its clients. These
Upgrades would cost a nominal amount
compared to the full cost of the product
itself, and NASI staffers would help
move the clients’ data to the new
version. (Almost always, the new Upgrade
did this automatically.) Upgrades would
add features, improve speed and
efficiency, or otherwise enhance the
user’s experience.
Over time, NASI would gradually
add features that clients had requested
and placed on a list.
NASI
will continue to improve and enhance its
products; it is important to note that
this effort is NOT changing.
Concurrent
with these earlier efforts, however,
Technical Support and Technical Code
Releases were made available to clients
for free.
NASI earned its revenues through
new sales and optional upgrades only;
technical support and interim releases
were “thrown in” as added benefits.
Over time, we have come to realize that
our Technical Support and “mid-term”
upgrades are every bit as valuable to
our clients as the original code itself.
Thus,
in an effort to recognize, account for,
and augment this value, we are bundling
together all of our offerings –
Technical Support access, Upgrades, Tech
Releases, Fixes, Newsletters, Tips &
Tricks, Moral Support, Advice, etc. –
into one modest annual fee.
Current users will be on an
Active List called the Total Support
Program.
This fee will REPLACE the old,
quasi-optional Upgrade costs –
expenses that might only come around
every two years or so when we finished a
new version - and will replace the ad hoc Tech Support
cycles and contracts we have used in the
past.
It’ll be simpler, easier to
predict, and better for everyone’s
business, especially yours. It’s industry-standard; we’re just a little tardy (about
6 years) in adopting this highly
effective way of doing business.
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2.
I don’t call for Tech Support very often. Why should I have to
Upgrade?
Think
of the Upgrade as health insurance for
your software and data. You’re paying
a nominal amount (around $20-25/month in
many cases) to make sure that if your
system does get “sick,” you can call
us and get better right away with our
comprehensive, already-paid-for
services. Without us, you’ll be going
to an independent software “doctor”
who will charge you $150/hour to just
begin the diagnosis. Fixing or resolving
your problem could take him 10 hours and
cost $1,500; given that we know your
software’s “medical history,” it
might take us 15 minutes and cost you
nothing.
Indeed, in the worst case, you
might pay an independent consultant
$1,500 to “cure” your system-down
problems and you still might not get
better, leaving you with a devastating
loss of business, time, and money.
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3.
Is Version 4.5 the same as the “Dot-Com” version you told us about
last Spring?
No.
We understand that there is some
confusion about this.
The Dot-Com (or “2001”),
multi-platform version is Version 5.0,
an entirely different animal.
We’d suggest that you examine
this product at a later date;
it looks very different than your
Windows-only version – though it
covers the same features & functions
– so “relearning” Broker’s
Helper Advanced Version 5.0, for
example, could be fairly disruptive to
your daily business for awhile.
The Version 4.5 Upgrade keeps the
same interface, and requires no
adjustment on your part.
Version
4.5 is the continuation, in Windows, of
the development path NASI has been
blazing since the early 1990’s.
Version 5 (and beyond) is a newer
path – going in a similar, parallel
direction – but up the hill a bit
further.
Getting to that path and then
proceeding at that higher altitude is a
task that requires some additional
consideration, forethought, and
preparation.
The Upgrade to Version 4.5, on
the other hand, requires only your
renewed subscription, a mailed CD, and
15 minutes of your time.
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4.
Is it an industry standard to charge an annual fee
for Technical Support, Maintenance, Code
Fixes, Tips, and Upgrades?
Yes.
Our colleagues and competitors in
the CRM (Customer Relationship
Management) software business are
accustomed to charging yearly
subscription and maintenance fees. Their
customers willingly pay these fees
because of the value and business
insurance this support and maintenance
brings.
Siebel Systems, Great Plains, and
others make CRM software for horizontal,
call center markets.
Their “enterprise” code is
used by operators, customer service
reps, and other users who don’t have
true decision-making control. Our CRM
software, by contrast, is vertical and
tailored to your business only.
It was designed to improve the
performance of decision makers, thought
leaders, and other highly paid users; in
effect, it is enterprise software, too.
However,
that enterprise definition doesn’t
cover just a partial set of features for
your company’s solution, e.g.
Prudential Securities might utilize
Lotus Notes throughout its enterprise to
perform email and communication tasks
only.
The Helper Series, if used fully,
has functionality that touches the
Marketing, Client Contact, Portfolio
Management, Mail, Reporting, and all
other areas of your individual
enterprise.
With a pricing and clearing
source, you could run an entire
brokerage with one networked copy of our
Investment Advisor’s Helper.
Prudential pays Lotus just to make sure
their email doesn’t go down for weeks. Paying NASI a nominal yearly fee to make sure your entire
business keeps running smoothly is just
good business.
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5.
Why didn’t NASI move to an Enterprise/Maintenance business model
sooner, when Siebel and other CRM
vendors were using it in the
mid-nineties?
Short
answer: we should have.
We are now. A modest annual fee
will improve our code, your service, and
your support.
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6.
What could happen to my software and data if I don’t Upgrade?
Soon,
NASI may not be technically able to
convert your client database to the
latest version. Data conversion from
legacy versions, e.g. conversion from
Version 1 to 2…to 3 - is a special
service that NASI has always been
willing to perform for its clients;
however, this service is a costly and
time-consuming process that requires not
only dedicated hardware, but hours of
labor from skilled (and expensive)
programmers. So that we may provide the
best service and software to you, we
need to move away from the onerous
undertaking of data conversion.
Indeed, as is mentioned in
another Answer to another Question, it
is impossible, over time, to retain all
of the personnel who wrote and
maintained all of the code we’ve ever
produced.
It’s unrealistic. We may only
have one person on the staff who
remembers the conversion issues from
Version 1.0, for example. If that person
leaves the software business to teach
school, we’ll lose his memory.
In effect, folks who neglected to
upgrade years ago will be left behind
whether we like it or not.
In
addition, very old versions of our
software (pre-4.0) might experience data
corruption or functionality issues on
newer versions of Microsoft Windows or
Intel processors.
This could lead to the
irretrievable loss of your data, loss of
proper use of this legacy version, or
both.
Again, even if NASI wanted to
help you fix an obscure issue that comes
up with your Version 2.0 software, we
might not be able to.
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7.
How do I know which Version I’m on? Where do I look on my system?
On
the top toolbar, select Help, and About.
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8.
Why is it technically important that I Upgrade?
-
The newer versions of the Helper
series are faster and more stable
-
Our technical support staff is
much more familiar with the more recent
versions of the programs; your tech
support service will be faster and more
accurate
-
The newer versions of the Helper
series are more attuned to newer
versions of the Windows platforms, as
well as the faster Intel and AMD
processors
-
Keeping your data in good,
functioning order is important. Over
time, bad data, unrefreshed software,
and general, occasional misuse can lead
to data corruption. These anomalies
within your data and/or our code could
lead to bad numbers at best, a disabled
system at worst.
Upgrading and good maintenance
can easily prevent this kind of
disruption.
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9.
Some of my software vendors offer a pay-per-minute support number. Why don’t you?
Given
the wildly varying differences between
the topics of calls – some calls are 1
minute in length to show a new user how
to use a simple feature, some calls are
40 minutes to remind an older user how
to use a key portfolio report that
hasn’t been used in months – it’s
simply not feasible or cost-effective. A pay-per-minute scheme would discourage users from calling,
thereby depressing the overall learning,
utilization, and scope of their Helper
Series use.
We believe that
our software can improve a financial
professional’s earnings by 10-50% in
1-2 years. We’ve seen it happen.
But this kind of acceleration
only happens when clients dig in, learn
a whole host of features, and use the
software daily. Although discouraging
callers would save NASI money, it would
also prevent this deep use of the
software. Everyone would lose out.
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10.
My current software, however old, still works well. Is the Upgrade
appropriate for me?
We’re
proud of all of our code, even the old
stuff!
However, given the vagaries of
software, we can only stand by it for so
long.
Like an auto manufacturer,
software vendors can only
“warrantee” their products for a
certain number of years.
Changes to processors, operating
systems, and other components could
disable your old code and leave you
stranded.
Even though we’d like to help
you – see Answer #7, above – we
might not be able to.
The people who wrote your
software in 1993-4 might not even be at
NASI anymore.
Thus, saving money in the short
term by not upgrading over the years
could leave you with a long term mess
because of the code’s age. Fresh code
– your Upgrade – will keep your
“car” as close to perfect as we can
get it. Old code – your Version 3
software, for example – while
reliable, could eventually break down
due to natural wear and tear.
You know what they say about an
ounce of prevention…
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11.
I found a bug in my current Version. Why should I have to Upgrade before
that gets fixed?
All
software has bugs.
The email software you use has
bugs; so does the Microsoft Windows
software you use every day to run our
software!
Not staying current with us will
never get your bug fixed; maintaining
your status on our List eventually will,
no matter what.
We wouldn’t be in business for
so many years if we didn’t fix bugs.
It’s that simple. We’ll fix
them for sure.
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12.
Has the import program changed?
Yes.
It’s now a multi-firm import program,
and the process for importing is easier.
You can now do multiple downloads in one
step.
To get the new import program
to work, you must re-establish your
import specifications.
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13.
How I find out when my support cycle expires?
For
users who originally purchased the
Helper series previous to January of
2000, your support cycle lasts from
October 31, 2001 to October 31, 2002. For those who registered their initial purchase after that
date, cycle dates may vary; call (513)
793-HELP to confirm the dates of your
support cycle
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14.
What happens as my support cycle nears it end?
We
will send you a reminder letter a few
weeks prior to the end of your support
cycle.
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15.
How will the cycle and/or cost be affected if I add a workstation during
my cycle?
We will prorate the support costs for that
additional workstation.
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