OT: PIM Software Support and Responsiveness

Posted by PIMfan
Jun 9, 2015 at 07:43 PM

Somewhat Off-Topic subject matter below….

I recently purchased yet another PIM (which I won’t name here) to add to my collection. In investigating the features, there were several questions I had that were not addressed by the product documentation. I emailed the support address that came with the product. I was provided with pretty rapid responses to my questions. This particular software does not have a user forum, so I was forced to continue to ask questions via email to support. Fast forward a couple of weeks, and I was still enjoying learning the new tool and found it quite to my liking. I had a couple of crashes, but nothing major and I suffered no data losses. There were a couple of small issues I noted and reported back via email. Examples of what I reported are:

1) A certain key press combination opens a display panel in the app. Repeating the key combination does not close it. I asked if this was a bug and mentioned that having the key combination function as a toggle for the display panel might be a nice feature;

2) When capturing web information into a certain item type, a dialog popup would appear stating the web content had been copied. Switching back to the app, the content was nowhere to be found. I asked via email if web content capture into the item type was supported or not. I also noted that if it was not supported, then the popup dialog should note this instead of stating the content HAD been captured.

As I continued to ask for clarification on the app features/functionality - always after searching the help file and sample data - something happened….. I stopped getting responses to my emails. In looking back at what I sent, I didn’t ever user inappropriate tone or language. There were some odd things that I inquired about as to whether they might be bugs, but I didn’t feel this should warrant the support communication line going silent. I am now left without any method to obtain support or help with the app short of looking through the help file and sample data file and hope that what I need is somewhere in there.

Honestly, I really do like the app - but I am now finding the “cold shoulder” from the only available support channel to be disheartening. I am especially finding that the lack of a user forum for learning and interacting with other app users to be a significant gap. The software developer has previous stated his refusal to host a forum for the application as he is not interested in having to moderate/manage it. I can certainly understand his position, but it seems to me that in the absence of a forum, customer relationship management has to be “always on” and not hit or miss. Reflection on this lead me to realize that some of the PIM tools I admire most are likely at the top of my favorite list because of the excellent public interaction the developers have with their customers. Specific examples in my experience are:

a) Zoot - Zoot utilizes a Google Groups area for app users to mingle and share ideas. Tom Davis is extremely responsive via both forum posts and via support email. Jan Rifkinson deserves a medal for the number of threads he’s authored. Zoot does not have a manual for the current version, but most everything I’ve needed to learn, I’ve been able to discover from searching the Zoot Google Group;

b) InfoQube - InfoQube hosts it’s own customer forum and there are a number of highly active users (e.g. Armando) that contribute, in addition to a community-built set of documentation that is impressive in it’s scope. Pierre-Paul Landry is amazingly responsive and is very accepting of input and feedback regarding improvements or changes requested by the user community. PPL has demonstrated a respectful demeanor in every post of his I’ve read ;

c) ConnectedText - Like InfoQube, ConnectedText has it’s own forum. Eduardo Mauro is quite active on the forum and there are a number of highly supportive users that are always willing to help others learn the app. Our own Dr. Andus is an example of the supportive user community. Someone looking to learn CT will never feel they are left to their own means….

I am sure there are others, but I am most familiar with the above.

Prior to my recent experience with the new PIM software I bought, I hadn’t ever found myself without available support or an active/sponsored forum to peruse. I now am realizing that I may have personally underestimated the value I place on a rich support environment - especially for small-shop apps. I don’t recall ever actively adding “support environment” to a list of considerations when tackling CRIMP - but my most recent experience has shown me that I need to consider it in the future.

In the meantime, I continue to work through the new app, as discovery of tool capabilities is something I find enjoyment in. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm is now dampened and my views on the app support falls within the scope of conversation if I am ever asked about this app. Taking time to write up and submit detailed crash/bug reports (all apps have bugs!) only to get zero acknowledgement in return means I won’t even bother wasting my time. It’s a real shame when a new customer of a product or service loses enthusiasm for no other reason than the lack of responsiveness by the developer. I have a newly refreshed appreciation for the likes of Tom, Pierre-Paul and Eduardo…

Has anyone here ever encountered an application that had a forum or support environment NOT sponsored/supported by an application author? Seems a somewhat drastic step, but in the absence of other avenues, I wonder if it is even worth the effort…