Many of you may have heard about our strategy to consolidate product lines. The following are some frequently asked questins that can help you understand FrontRange's decision and direction. Please feel free to post any additional questions and the GoldMine Product Team will be happy to answer your questions.
Question: Why is FrontRange Solutions making this change?
Answer: Our GoldMine strategy is predicated on providing great value to our existing customers, including attractive upgrades to our newest products and offerings. We believe that GoldMine Corporate, GoldMine Premium, and GoldMine Enterprise Editions achieve a good balance for existing and new customers, and allow FrontRange to focus our development efforts so that we are able to rapidly bring new products and features to market.
Question: Why is FrontRange Solutions discontinuing GoldMine Standard Edition?
Answer: Business needs have changed over the last few years and the market is requiring more robust solutions that include: strong database technology to support their businesses; integration with Microsoft® Outlook®; case management capability as well as support capabilities to get the most out of their solutions. Because of changing business needs, we believe that the GoldMine Corporate Edition and the new GoldMine Premium Edition will be better solutions for the market.
Question: How long will FrontRange Solutions provide technical support for GoldMine Standard Edition?
Answer: To allow for a smooth and orderly transition, FrontRange Solutions will continue to provide email and knowledge based technical support until April 30th 2008. In addition, GMSE customers will still be able to purchase single incident technical support through April 30th 2008. Also, customers will still be able to buy 3 and 5 incident bundle packs through October 30th 2007 which will expire over the following 6 months or before May 1st 2008.
Question: Will there be a release that supports Windows Vista?
Answer: While we will continue to provide support for GoldMine Standard Edition, there will be no future releases of the product.
Question: Will there be a release that supports Windows Office 2007?
Answer: While we will continue to provide support for GoldMine Standard Edition, there will be no future releases of the product.
Question: If I upgrade to GoldMine Premium Edition will I need to pay maintenance?
Answer: Yes, all customers on GoldMine premium Edition are required to have first year maintenance at 20% of retail price of $695 with a minimum of 5 licenses of maintenance or minimum of $695 for the first year maintenance. After the first year, maintenance is highly recommended, but optional.
Question: Is there an upgrade path for GoldMine Standard Edition users?
Answer: Yes, GoldMine Standard Edition customers who are current on UPP can upgrade as described below.
Question: Will the upgrade be seamless?
Answer: Depending on what version of GoldMine Standard Edition you are using the upgrade will transfer data, configuration and automated processes to GoldMine Premium Edition.
Question: What about GoldMine Standard Edition customer who have bought UPP?
Answer: Until April 30th 2007, GoldMine Standard Edition Customers who are current on their UPP subscription can upgrade to GoldMine Corporate Edition for $399 and to GoldMine Premium Edition for $449. Also, customers can purchase additional licenses of GoldMine Standard Edition or GoldMine Premium Edition for the same price as the upgrade.
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Question: What if my customers who purchased UPP feel like they have not received anything of value?
Answer: The upgrade protection program (UPP) was an assurance program, much like what Microsoft does. The program was not a guarantee of releases, but rather an assurance if and when a product is released they would get the releases. In recognition to their commitment, we are offering very aggressive pricing to customers that are current on their UPP subscription.
Question: Can I upgrade to GoldMine Corporate Edition?
Answer: Yes, there is a promotion until April 30th 2007, where GMSE customers’ current on UPP can upgrade for $399 and those not on UPP can upgrade for $449.
Question: Will I get a refund on my unused portion of UPP?
Answer: If you upgrade to GoldMine Premium Edition, the used portion of your UPP will be applied towards maintenance. Because this is an assurance program and we are providing significant value to users to upgrade to the GoldMine Premium Edition there is no refund of UPP subscription fee.
Question: How do I find out more about GoldMine Premium Edition?
Answer: You can visit our website at http://www.goldmine.com/ to learn more and sign up for one of the customer briefings being held in 10 cities. In addition, you can sign up for a “GoldMine in Action” webinar to learn more or speak with your GoldMine Certified partner.
Question: Why should I upgrade?
Answer: Please visit www.goldmine.com to see the latest "why to upgrade" document.
Question: But what if I can’t afford to spend that much on a solution?
Answer: If you break it down, GoldMine Premium Edition product costs less than $3.35 per day per user, including maintenance over the first year. That is a small price to get a complete Customer Relationship Management solution that includes Sales, Marketing and Customer support capabilities that enables your users to be even more productive and efficient. Studies have shown just a 5% increase in customer retention can result in a 25 to 100% increase in profitability. Others studies show firms using technology to reinforce their sales and customer strategy achieve 64% more meeting and 16% more revenue. In addition GoldMine Premium Edition includes MS SQL 2005 and Crystal XI for your reporting needs.
12 comments:
This is a pretty shocking development to give 30 days notice on.
There are hundreds of thousands of SE users that will probably not choose to invest in an upgrade to one of the new versions. Yet technology will eventually impact the full functionality of their CRM systems.
A move to Vista (why?) or Office 2007 (why?) would be a potential issue. Although at this point the only problems we have seen with Vista is that Macros don't run.
At any rate, a few questions:
How will SE users upgrade their pre 6.7 versions of GMSE to at least 6.7?
Will they be able to by upgrades until 4/30? At the current price? $79.95
Will additional licenses for SE be available until or after 4/30?
Please post the announcment and the answers to "oldgold's" questions on the main FR website AND the Goldmine website.
Otherwise, I am of the opinion that this is a very very stupid move - like cutting off your own legs. You're depending on getting new customers from users of other low end CRM products - which often have their higher-punch counter-parts instead of graduating customers in your own base (other than the current gun-to-the-head tactic). Exaple geven: Maximizer has a "standard edition" and an "enterprise edition". Your website claims to have sold 1.5 Milion licenses - did you just obsolete 900K of them?.
I understand what FrontRange are trying to do from a technology point of view. It is just too difficult to maintain really old code but I do think that this should be managed better.
There are two issues:
1. GMSE Sunset: The time frame is too short. Some people only bought last week to find out that the product is already obselete!!
FrontRange should fix the problem with the installer so that existing customers can at least use GoldMine SE with new equipment. Ideally, it should support Vista and Office 2007 or the GMSE news should have been communicated long ago.
2. Strategy: This effectively leaves us with no entry level product. It will be harder to get into sites if there is already an incumbent CRM solution. GoldMine will no longer be the obvious upgrade path.
I would urge FrontRange to take their new GoldMine Premium and make a new cut down entry level product or risk losing a large chunk of future business. If nothing else for the marketing value.
GoldMineGuy,
Once we decide to focus on GMCE, GMPE and GMEE we debated how long we should provide for GMSE. We are providing 1 year support for the product. Regarding selling the product if we would have continued to sell the product others would have said "why are you continuing to sell a product that is no longer being supported." So we decided to just move on and focus on our strategy.
Regarding the low market, we will continue to look at our strategy and will focus on this market with our ASP solution.
Is the ASP going to be available for partners to host? Any time frame on when it would be on the air?
Grant, The ASP or Software as a Service will be available either the end of this year or early next. Like SF.com, Salesnet, RightNow and others, we will host the application and partners will be able to sell and configure the application as they do today.
And what is the proportion of sales SF.com, RightNow etc garner from partners:direct sales?
THis seems a kick in the teeth to both the SE customer and the partners....
Salesfarce.com and Rightnow explicitly do not sponsor or promote use of partners; they also have a consulting staff to do the more complex "design"and implementations. Frontrage can choose to do the same. However, they may see that using a partner channel instead of an internal tech support crew will bring in more customers and keep them (the customers) happy.
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I'm now questioning whether the presence of the ASP Hosted model for the single user and tiny shop obsoletes the desktop / small-workgroup entry level market. Just try to get these tiny shops to allocate the people time and attention to managing a legit backup solution let alone pay for it. They just won't take the time or spend the money. The ASP hosted approach solves this problem. Also, the ASP can deliver more to more users for les $$$ than it costs them to build, package, deliver, and support the software at the typical user's desktop - in a shop where there is no regular full-time IT support
FrontRange is committed to the Partner Channel and believe one of the things that differentiates us from our competitors is our channel partner and their CRM expertise.
Is this even an authorized form of communicating from Frontrange?
I have been thinking about buying Premium but given the complete lack of skill in communicating with your customers - why would I continue to use your product?
Frontrange develops Customer Relationship Management Software - Hello? I am not feeling my relationship is being managed....
Is this even an authorized form of communicating from Frontrange?
I have been thinking about buying Premium but given the complete lack of skill in communicating with your customers - why would I continue to use your product?
Frontrange develops Customer Relationship Management Software - Hello? I am not feeling my relationship is being managed....
This GoldMine Pricing Cost information seems a bit out of date. For current GoldMine CRM licensing costs, please see http://www.moreproductive.com/goldmine-premium-edition-9-0-pricing/ to get a GoldMine quote for your specific situation.
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