I’ve got huge news today… on October 1st, we are releasing a new version of EstiMate that’s absolutely packed with new features.
Say Hello To EstiMate 2011!
We have come a long way towards fulfilling our original mission: providing rock solid pricing software and “light” shop management tools to sign and graphics companies. EstiMate has arguably established the standard for pricing sign work and helped literally thousands of sign shops find profits they never thought possible. We are grateful beyond measure for the customer and industry support we have experienced.
Now that we have reached this point, it’s time to push forward and evolve EstiMate with a tidal wave of capabilities and enhancements!
EstiMate 2011 ups the ante by deeply improving the “speed quoting” features of EstiMate 2 and bringing a more robust feature set to the shop management side of things. Such additions as business insight, customer metric measurement, purchase order generation and workflow management tools really round out the software.
Nancy (EstiMate’s VP) said to me the other day, “It’s like this – you can stay analog for so long, but eventually you’re going to have to go HD.” That was a nice analogy to me. If EstiMate 1 was your CRT TV and EstiMate 2 was your analog flat screen, then EstiMate 2011 is your brand new HDTV. Technology moves on, methodology moves on, and it’s time for EstiMate to branch out and revitalize the industry yet again.
Your feature requests have been our main focus in developing EstiMate 2011. With EstiMate 2011, quoting has never been faster and running your business has never been easier.
It’s tempting here to give you a laundry list of new features in EstiMate 2011, but there are so many features that they wouldn’t get the attention they deserve. Today I’ll talk about the Customer Dashboard, and between now and release I’ll blog multiple times each week about new features.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) – The Customer Dashboard
Access customer histories quickly and easily – see contact information, transaction history, historical notes, file attachments and customer reports all on one screen! The Dashboard even gives you metrics that show – at a glance – how valuable a customer has been to your business over time.
See Complete Customer Histories
See every estimate and job you’ve done for a customer, past and present, on the Customer Transaction History tab. You can edit, delete, copy and manage the customer’s transactions directly from the integrated speed menu.
From the customer’s contact information up top you can email them directly or update their contact information. One-click access to frequently used customer reports such as the customer’s notes history, their transaction history in printed form, and their conversion ratio as a customer are right there as well.
Multiple Historical Notes
(click to enlarge)EstiMate 1 and EstiMate 2 simply had a description field for customers; EstiMate 2011 maintains detailed note histories. Keep track of phone calls, emails and any other interactions.
You can also see how your employees are interacting with customers, and be sure you never again forget what you promised somebody!
This is a key part of commercial CRM Systems and is now part of EstiMate 2011.
File Attachments To Customer Records
(click to enlarge)Keep all the important documents for a customer in one convenient place – attached to their customer card in your database!
Attach any type of file on your computer to your customer’s record, and it will be automatically saved in your EstiMate database for easy retrieval.
From the file attachments tab you can open the document externally, or export it to a file with just a click!
Customer Metrics
Last but definitely not least, the customer metrics area (see the bottom of the first screen shot) shows you how the customer has been performing for you over time: the total estimates and jobs for that customer, the average estimate and job for that customer, and the average profit on estimates and jobs. Now you can see in real time whether they really convert to sales and, if so, how valuable those sales are.
Are you chasing high dollar jobs and getting just the tiny ones? Or does the customer abandon the low value projects and pass the big ones on to you? The customer metrics area shows you this information at a glance!
New Pricing Structure For EstiMate 2011
For over a decade we have followed the traditional “buy it, pay for support if you need it, and upgrade when the new version comes out” software licensing model. That model is outdated, and leaves all players frustrated. Right now, you have to pay for various plugins and add-ons, plus you have to pay for tech support once you get past the free support period. Then, when new features come out, you have to upgrade.
None of those costs are budget-able and the hassle is large.
We are also frustrated when we come up with new features for EstiMate and have to hold them back for the next “upgrade” version – a necessary evil for software companies, and one that has never felt right to us. This caused a delay to EstiMate 2 because we kept adding features to Version 1 at no charge over a period of 8 years! Now, we are bringing the best of both worlds together.
A New, Open, Easy Solution
EstiMate 2011 will be available through easy, extremely affordable pricing plans. This licensing approach gives you the following immediate benefits, which are not to be found in any other desktop software product that we know of:
- Access to every plugin from the start without having to purchase them individually
- The QuickBooks link included for free
- Cutting-edge access to the most recent version of EstiMate, without ever having to pay for an upgrade
- Unlimited technical support and training
- A small budget-able expense instead of seemingly “random” chunks of cash when you need software or support.
Our new pricing plans are based on our EstiMate Freedom plans. Note: current EstiMate Freedom customers will transition to EstiMate 2011 automatically.
Get New Features The Moment They Are Written
With EstiMate 2011 you will receive the most cutting edge features the minute they are created. We write a new feature, and within a few days, you’re using it. It’s that simple. “Waiting for the next upgrade” is a thing of the past.
In addition, you can easily suspend your plan for awhile – or stop altogether – without losing any of your work. EstiMate 2011 will never lock you out. Instead, if you suspend or cancel your plan, it will simply go into a read-only mode so you can still see anything you’ve ever done in EstiMate. Unlike web-based software, with EstiMate you have your data on your own computers and can always get to it.
The only decisions to make about which plan you want to purchase are:
- Do you want to do quoting only (EstiMate Professional) or do you want full shop management (EstiMate Enterprise)?
- How many networked users do you want to give access to EstiMate?
You can step up or down in level at any time.
Here’s the new pricing structure in table format:
Pre-Release Sale Pricing
The pre-release sale prices below are ONLY good until October 1, 2010 – sign up today!
- If you purchased EstiMate 2 in the last 6 months, you qualify for a 50% discount on your first year using EstiMate 2011.
- Everybody else (whether you are an EstiMate 2 user or not), receive a 30% discount on your first year using EstiMate 2011.
All pre-release prices require one year’s prepayment. “First Year” means October 1, 2010-September 30,2011. You get a 30 day money back guarantee (good through one month after EstiMate 2011 is released) if it isn’t everything we promised you it would be.
How To Sign Up
Click Here To Place Your Pre-Order Online Now.
Alternatively, Call us at 1-888-304-3300, or email us at customerservice@estimatesoftware.com. New customers: when you place your pre-order, we will send you download links and licensing info for 2.0 at no charge to bridge the gap until EstiMate 2011 is released, giving you effectively 14 months to use EstiMate for 30% off of the price of 12 months.
Don’t delay – this outstanding offer will not be repeated and will be over when EstiMate 2011 is released on October 1!
Last Call For EstiMate 2 Upgrades And Plugins!
To upgrade to EstiMate 2 or purchase additional plugins, visit our online store right now for an automatic 15% discount or payment over 6 months.
These items will only be available until EstiMate 2011 is released.
More Feature Announcements Ahead
Keep your eyes peeled over the next 2 months for detailed blogs about the new features in EstiMate 2011, such as Purchase Orders, Vendor Management, and an integrated Job Timer – just for starters!
Your Feedback Is Welcome
Please leave a comment about new features as we blog about them, and let us know what you like and don’t like about where EstiMate’s new feature set is headed. Our goal is to make EstiMate the most robust pricing and shop management software the sign and graphics industry has ever seen.
66 Comments
Looks exciting!! Will this new upgrade have the ability to assign variable hourly rates to various machines?
Hi Bob!
Yes, at the enterprise level. That feature has been added already. Thanks for posting!
Question:
We spoke in the past of being able to sort retail items when you are adding them to a quote.
For instance instead of having to look through a list of 500 items they could be catagorized so you could just look under “hardware” and find a sign hanger from a short list of items.
Earlier you said it would be added at a later upgrade.
Will it be in this version?
Ed
Hi Ed,
Yes! In each plugin you can select (in the configuration screen) to sort by category. Then, the drop down lists will have two columns – category first, item name second.
Thanks for stopping by!
Are there any features on tracking time related to specific jobs for job costing or T&M projects?
Hi Alan! Yes, as a matter of fact I just blogged about that this morning – check out the job time sheet features here:
EstiMate 2011 Job Time Sheets
Will it acept deposits (deduct amount) and show them on the invoice
Yes. EstiMate 2 already has this feature, and therefore it’s in 2011 as well.
Subscription only? That’s a deal breaker for us.
Hi Mike, I’m sorry to hear that. If you change your mind in the future, remember that it means much faster delivery of new features and a pipeline to tech support and training.
Over the next few weeks, if you want to learn more about what’s coming in EstiMate 2011, stop back by here and click the EstiMate 2011 category at the top right of the page. Then you can see the new features as they are posted – and there is a LOT more to come! We’ve really poured our hearts into this release.
I have to agree with Mike. It’s a real shame too, as the 2011 upgrades looks pretty awesome. We’ve pretty much got all the plug-ins we need and doubt we’ll need enough tech support to warrant paying nearly $1.2k per year for 2 enterprise users. A shame you can’t offer both options as you do with your current freedom subscription plan.
Hi Jimmy!
I understand where you are coming from. I felt that way too when we began leaning towards pricing plans, and when I looked at the actual numbers here is what I found:
Currently anyone purchasing “everything” EstiMate has to offer would pay anywhere from $2,000 – $4,000 depending on the number of users. Then there would be upgrades down the line that would cost in the neighborhood of $800-1000, not to mention new plugins and add-ons that would cost additional $$. This has left many customers frustrated because they want or need items they don’t feel like they can afford right now. In addition a surprising number of customers have taken advantage of our 6 month payment options.
The new tiered approach keeps the dollars close to the same (actually better in a lot of cases) and allows the flexibility of moving up and down the levels while paying a few bucks a month. So I definitely understand the frustration you feel, though It’s really the future that’s in sight right now, and with all the new feature rollouts plus the new plugins we will be adding over the next couple of years it just makes sense to make this transition before the actual cost of all the additional bits spirals out of control.
A very important addition would be to mention that by adding the monthly cost of your plan into the hourly rate wizard, your hourly rate goes up by only a few pennies a day and the plan is completely covered by your billings.
I hope this helps explain it all a bit better!
In Estimate 2 when we convert a estimate into a job where does the original quote go. it seems to disappear. In the new version will the original quote be stored somewhere that we can get to.
Jay,
When you convert an estimate into a job in version 2, you are correct, it “disappears” – essentially it becomes a job. While retaining estimates is not a part of the current build of EstiMate 2011, I do have a feature case in our tracker titled “Retain Estimate when converting to job; archive it and keep a reference.” So no promises that it will be in 2011 “out the gate,” but it’s definitely on the near term drawing board.
This is a perfect example of why the new tiered pricing plans make so much sense, because this will be a deliverable feature the moment it’s done – and not as part of an upgrade that’s yet another year out.
Thanks for posting!
Subscription? Time to start looking for a new estimating software. I prefer to “own” things and make my decissions on when to spend money on “new features” and upgrades. Why does everyone these days want me to pay them money every month?
Hi Paul,
Version 2 is essentially feature complete, and 2011 is moving off in new directions. Have no fear, you will never be prevented from using Version 2. There are still plenty of version 1 customers who haven’t made the leap to 2.0.
“Currently anyone purchasing “everything” EstiMate has to offer would pay anywhere from $2,000 – $4,000 depending on the number of users. Then there would be upgrades down the line that would cost in the neighborhood of $800-1000, not to mention new plugins and add-ons that would cost additional $$. This has left many customers frustrated because they want or need items they don’t feel like they can afford right now. In addition a surprising number of customers have taken advantage of our 6 month payment options.”
Mark- I am sure that you have thought about those of us who have invested in your software up to
this point… and I would hope have afforded you some degree of success. If we sign up for your
2011- what happens to our investment. It would seem to be a failed experiment in our belief in you and your company? I cannot believe that 2.0 would be worth much with people knowing that it will
never have a chance to be upgraded? Gene
Hi Gene, I’m sorry this has rubbed you the wrong way – there is no intention to abandon current users. As with anything, technology moves on and while there is a fixed investment when you purchase software outright (which is actually a misnomer – any software you “buy” is only a rented license, if you study the license agreement) – there are continuous R&D costs on the part of the software company. So, your investment to date is for the technology you are using – EstiMate 2 (which you could always go back to if you don’t want to use EstiMate 2011 anymore at some point) – and future investments will be in EstiMate 2011 and beyond, should you choose to upgrade, which you definitely can. It’s just a different licensing agreement, and takes a bit of getting used to.
We have been using Estimate Software for over 5 years and the subscription service since it was first introduced and I have absolutely no complaints or regrets. It has allowed us to have access to plug-ins that I would not have purchased otherwise, which has really improved our bottom line on quotes, that before, we were doing either on paper or in our heads (never fails that you always seem to leave something out this way). I was a little hesitant about the subscription service at first, but just did not have the budget for $3000 of software all at once. It makes sense to use service to spread the cost out and is tax deductible. Just me two cents worth and I hope it helps someone.
Hi Steve! Thank you very much for your comments. I hadn’t yet mentioned the tax deductible angle and appreciate you bringing it up.
On the enterprise edition with 2 users can you install it on more than 2 computers?
Thanks!
Hi Spencer,
Most Definitely. You can install it on as many machines as you like – the 2-user restriction just means only 2 of them can be connected to your data files at any given time. You can also check data out on your laptop and back in when you return.
Mark,
We have been using your system for many years as a short to medium run POP digital printer.
We have a difficult time estimating quantities accurately for small sizes vs larger sizes. The program is effective when the average size image is 4 square feet, but the pricing is too low for smaller images and too high for larger images. What we do is move the “Market Level Slider” higher for small sizes and lower for large sizes.
I think the main problem is that small items are more time intensive from printing setup, print speed (slower printing to improve small type quality) to cutting, and to QC and packaging. We also lose much of the “Material Markup” as the materials cost is so low. This takes some “feel” that the salespeople don’t always have. I wonder if you could develop a mathamatical curve that would allow us to adjust and set the smaller sizes higher and the larger sizes lower.
I think is could be very beneficial and would welcome a response if any discussion would help.
Thanks,
Grant
Hi Grant!
I think that’s a great idea and I’ll add it to our feature request list. Currently, you can set the base production and design time in the “Configure” screen to cover base setup – but I see your point about adjusting both ends of the curve.
Thanks for posting!
Mark:
I put in a request about 2 months ago for something to be corrected in the Templates window. If you save a lot of templates there is no way to scroll down to see additional ones hidden below the limitations of the window. Will this be corrected before the 2011 date in October? We want to save a lot of templates but are limited to being able to access only what can be seen in the Templates window, even though there are additional ones that we can’t scroll down to access?
Hi Brad! This will be taken care of, but not before 2011 is released, as all our attention is focused there at the moment. After it is released, we will do another update to EstiMate 2 that will include this fix.
Mark:
We are planning on getting Estimate 2011. Will this be corrected on the 2011 version?
Hi Brad — yes, it has been implemented in EstiMate 2011.
Which language are avaiable in 2011
and is it possible to translate your self?
because i am from holland a lot of people use estimate but it is only in english.
Mark,
I just heard about 2011 today, I couldn’t wait to see what it was all about. The additions you have shown and or talked about are very interesting. I have to say the subscription option is a Major turn off for my company. I have all the plug-ins I need and I also have the invoicing option. So that would put me in a $70 a month plan just to quote signs. At $840 a year this will be a deal breaker for my company as well. I hardly ever use tech support unless there is a glitch in the program. This is sad because I’ve been on board for MANY years and always recommended Estimate.
The subscription policy feels like being held hostage.
If this changes please send an email along, otherwise good luck with your new venture.
Any thoughts on making Estimate a Web based application. I think your feature list is great and would buy it right now if it was web based and customisable.
@Erdem – Currently English is the only language available. I like the idea of making it a self-translatable application and will give it some thought to see if that might be reasonable.
@Andrew – I’d love to make EstiMate a web-based application. Porting it would be a huge job and we have limited resources at this time, however, so we’re concentrating on improving the desktop product.
@Bob – I’m sorry you are disappointed in the new pricing plans. Please do keep in mind that (I’m guessing here) you have about 2000 billable hours per year in your hourly rate wizard – and 840 / 2000 = 42 cents; if you are using EstiMate as intended and really maintaining your hourly rate, then adding the pricing plan to your hourly rate worksheet and raising your rate by .42 makes the plan completely free – and that’s not smoke and mirrors, it really does make it free. On top of that, you can get a huge pre-release discount this year, and we will always offer some sort of discount when a plan is purchased annually instead of monthly.
Thanks everybody for writing!
Mark,
We have been a user of Estimate for several years now and have always recommended it to others in the business, but I am afraid I agree with the those that feel that a subscription based software is not in the future for our business.
I also don’t believe that this is the wave of the future. I think rather that it will cause the loss of a large portion of your installed user base.
Only time will prove which of us is correct. In the mean time we will have to start looking for a different estimating software.
Mark:
We are already on the monthly subscription plan for Estimate 2. When Estimate 2011 comes out are we automatically upgraded to it or are we supposed to sign up again?
Hi Mark,
Do you have a online demo available? Thanks, Max
I was blown away by a demo of Cyrious software a few months ago and I was hoping that the next version of EstiMate would offer many of the same features. Although details are still slowly coming out, it looks like our hopes will not be realized. A few critical improvements that may change my mind are:
- Interactive/Dynamic Scheduling
- Vehicle Wraps plug-in to constantly get updated with new vehicles.
- A multi-tier approach to foils or materials, mainly in the Thermal Printing plugin. We do NOT use the Job Ticket feature of 2.0 because of this. With dozens of foil colors and over 100 material types/colors, it should be easy to specify what each item on an estimate/job needs for production.
So far, the Purchase Order and Job Time Sheets are features that we just don’t need and probably won’t use. Still, EstiMate has worked very well for us over the past 5 years and 10,000 saved estimates. It’s too bad that we may have to finally get Cyrious.
Carl, I’d love to hear more about what you are specifically looking for. Why don’t you drop me a line at mark (at) estimatesoftware (dot) com?
@Steve: thank you for your business over the years, it is much appreciated. I understand that the new business model may be difficult for some folks to accept. I hope that you will change your mind and come along into the future with us.
@Brad: Yes, you will. You’re all set.
@Max: you can download a demo of EstiMate 2 right now (click “Free Download” on the home page of the website). EstiMate 2011 will be available for trial when released.
Mark,
Will 2011 allow shipping charges to be calculated in the total after discounts are applied to the order?
We print wholesale for a few small sign shops in our area which is handled by giving X% discount off our retail prices. When shipping is added to the job, the discount is also applied to the shipping cost.
Hi Ken,
EstiMate 2011 adds “Discount Line Items” (I’m actually going to post a blog entry about them today, keep your eyes peeled). They discount any regular line items above them. So… you can price the job, then instead of discounting everything, add a “discount” line item at the percentage you want, and then a final line item for shipping.
Ken, I spoke too soon – I won’t be able to write the blog about discount line items today, as I’m leaving town to take my son to college and I’ve just run out of time. I’ll post it Friday morning.
Mark,
Great solution! Thanks.
Can you have multible contacts for one customer? I am just trialing at the moment.
Hi Andrew! Currently, you will need to create a new customer entry for each and change the contact name (you can open the list of customers and right-click, then hit “copy” to have most of the work done for you). Then name them, for example, “Acme Inc. – John Doe” and “Acme Inc. – Jane Doe” in the list.
Actually having multiple contacts tied to a single company is definitely on our hot wish list.
Hi Mark, any idea when the multiple contacts for a single customer may be added. Some Companies I deal with have over 25 contacts I deal with. It will be a real pain to have to enter 25 separate entries and a reporting nightmare.
Andrew, right now I have no clue. All sights are set on releasing EstiMate 2011, and since we will be changing how we release new features we don’t have a system for it yet. Once we get through the release I’m going to figure that part out more fully and determine how we can have ongoing conversations about new features.
From the prospective of a small signshop manager I understand that the subscription plan (which I don’t like) will save a lot of time and money for shops that would otherwise be getting upgrades and plugins on a regular basis. My concern is that your prices are quite high for a lease (thats all this is to me). It seems to me that you are making the smaller sign shops pay for all the options that the larger sign shop require. I realize that you have less users for small sign shops but I dont need a bunch of other stuff, I just need to quote and invoice, so why should I have to pay for all the sign shops that need these features.
Hi Sky, I’m not sure I understand – to quote and invoice you need the single-user Enterprise edition, or just the single-user Pro edition if you are using QuickBooks (you can send the estimates over to QuickBooks for invoicing). I notice you are in Canada, so I should say here that we are getting reports of the QuickBooks link functioning properly with QuickBooks Canadian 2010, but not earlier versions.
Hello to all,
We have enjoyed using Estimate Software here at Sign Design since September 2005. It has been a useful tool. I have many tools in my shop, a CNC machine, a large format Inkjet printer, etc, etc…I would love to upgrade to the latest and greatest, but this economy has not allowed it. I’m not ashamed to say we have cut back where we could without sacrificing quality. The same is true of this new software you are offering…I would love to have the latest and greatest, but times don’t allow it. I believe a subscription of 149.00 per month for our current 5 user setup is out of range for 75% or more of sign shops like us. NONE of our current software, not CADlink, not QuickBooks, not Corel, not Summa, not even Adobe has put themselves into a monthly subscription. I understand the logic to a point, but the pricing is much too high, especially in light of the current economy. I find it disappointing to be put in a position to not continue on with the progress of this software. It was said that from version 1 to 2 there were 8 years, which averages out to roughly 15 to 25 dollars per month in upgrade costs, 149.00 per month dollars is far beyond that. If the pricing was not so extreme I may have not jumped ship.
Thanks for listening,
Dennis
Hi Dennis, thank you for stopping by and posting. I’m sorry the price point is too high for you, and hope that when things are better for you you’ll come along for the ride – the future is bright!
I hope you had a great Labor Day holiday.
I have looked forward to the new 2011 version, and I was very glad to see you’ve improved the template/grouping of items on the estimates so they can be “rolled” and “unrolled” into individual lines. My sales people like the group function. Unrolling the info into individual line items for export to Quickbooks will make the evaluation of sales info in QB much easier for me. We use Estimate for our invoicing, so what gets exported into QB as detail is important to me. While I had wished this had been addressed long ago, 2011 is better than never and we really appreciate it!
Regarding your new subscription plan, I have to say I am of the same mind as many of your other long-term users. The monthly price feels relatively high and simply keeping up with technology doesn’t necessarily seem seem like enough of a reason to subscribe. You are absolutely correct – In today’s world every vendor says the additional cost for their service is “just pennies a day”, and it usually is. On the other hand, in today’s business climate, multiple vendors charging “just pennies a day” can nickel and dime you to death!
We feel we have so much invested in Estimate that it would be a waste to change vendors. We generally like the system and are comfortable using it after several years, however we will probably be cutting back on the number of users to make it affordable for us to continue. Please consider some tiered pricing for the number of plugins or other services needed or activated to give us. as subscribers, more input into the end subscription price we’ll have to pay. Rather than limit the number of stations able to access the database at the same time, I would much rather see all of my staff working the phones and sales counter – with all of them using Estimate at the same time to help capture sales!
As always your staff is a pleasure to work with and we appreciate them! Thanks for your forum – your answers are always thoughtful.
Hi L.B.,
I very much appreciate your candid observations. It was a hard internal decision to figure out how to structure the plans.
Ultimately the axes of edition / number of users made the most sense primarily because it means a shop is using more of what EstiMate has to offer (Edition) or using it more heavily (Number of users). Although we considered *many* alternatives, such as you suggest, one of the most complicated things about getting started with EstiMate was the whole concept of “choosing your plugins.” It was imperative that we make everything simpler and boil it down to basics, and that’s how we arrived at our plan structure.
As for the plan cost, please do realize that all you need to do is plug in the plan price into your hourly rate wizard, and it will build it right into your hourly rate. In running the numbers I’ve found that the difference between a plan priced at $39/mo and a plan priced at $199/mo is about $1 difference in the hourly rate, for even the very smallest of sign shops – closer to 25 cents for larger ones – and as long as you are keeping the hourly rate wizard updated with some regularity (quarterly or better) you can count on the plan paying it for itself in your day-to-day operations.
In addition, with the plans structured around the number of network seats you are always free to move up or down the levels without losing functionality.
Hi guys at Estimate,
We’ve been using Estimate for quite a few years and it’s been a great tool to help my business grow and expand. While a subscription based product is going to be quite expensive for us here (small sign shop/ weaker Australian Dollar vs US dollar) so we’re actually going to be paying more for it relatively than your US based customers, it’s something I’m willing to try.
I’m quite looking forward to some of the new features with the upgrade and can’t wait to have a bash at it.
I quote all over the place, from my office onsite at client’s premises and at home. Is there anyway in the future that you guys could have a web based storage for our data file? So I’d be able to for example log into my online estimate data base from my laptop while onsite without having to check out the data base from the office?
This would help me out by allowing me to access my quotes wherever I am and gives me the added benefit of having my critical data backed up offsite.
If we only have two licenses then surely it could be worked out that only two users can be logged on to the web based data file.
Looking forward to the release…
Lee
Hi Lee!
I wish I had control of the exchange rates. You won’t regret it, though, EstiMate 2011 is really amazing!
Web based storage of the data is a great idea in principle. In reality, it would require that the entire software be web based, as the data for EstiMate is quite large. For example, when you hit “New Estimate,” the entire customer list, salesperson list, terms list, discount list, templates list (in 2011), and sales tax list have to get loaded from the database to populate the drop down lists. So it’s not really about licensing (yes, limiting the number of logged in users would be easy) – but about usability.
I do have some ideas about how to make this easier, however, and will give it some more serious thought down the road.
Thanks for writing!
Mark, Phil & Nancy.
I just caught wind of your new 2011 upgrade coming up soon and was super stoked to discover all the new features that were going to be made available for the launch. But when I logged on to your website to get the details and pricing for the upgrade, I was completely turned off by your monthly lease program idea. I began my business in 2004 and can honestly say that I have been quoting with you since day 1. Your program has been a integral part of how I run my business and has been so helpful at giving me the opportunity to quote quickly with confidence knowing that I can be competitive. But I have to boldly echo the concerns of so many other posts that have been made thus far from so many of your other current customers. I have invested a large sum of money into your software. And yes, I understand your licensing agreement – that I don’t really “OWN” your software, but still…all those plug-ins? The Multi-User Server?The updgrades over the years?..Just POOF like that? I understand you are looking for a residual way to keep you business thriving for the future. But I suggest to you, that if you’re going to make this transition, I suggest that you remember us ‘old fuddy duddys’ that were with you early on. Is there any way you could ‘grandfather’ us in at a lower monthly rate or something? It’s a lot of money to pay – that was never planned on. And like so many others that have been on the system for a long period of time – Unfortunately I too may have to start searching for something more economically feasible for my little shop. Thanks so much for your partnership, I would love to keep growing our businesses together if you could meed me halfway.
Michael,
I apologize for not approving your comment and replying sooner. When it first came in I started formulating a reply in my head and then got sucked into the pre-release whirlwind we have going on around here. When Tim Meyers (below) posted I saw your comment and again, am very sorry for only replying now.
Much of my answer to you is covered in my answer to Tim. I understand your concerns and as far as ‘grandfathering in,’ we are offering a 30% pre-release discount if you want to come aboard. I have also posted the current EstiMate 2011 Beta as our Free Trial so you can take it for a spin first if you want to … just click “Download” in the title bar of the website. It plays nicely with 2.0 so your data will be fine.
Thank you for posting. I appreciate your comments.
Mark,
I have been a fan since day one and have recommended your software to many of my fellow sign makers. It took a while for me to justify the cost of the software. I think I started for a one time purchase of $399. You probably got another grand or so out of me since then, but I always felt it was a good investment. When I was finally ready to buy I looked at Cyrious and SignTracker and wound up choosing Estimate because of it’s practicality, simplicity, affordability and focus on the small to medium shop. You targeted the Mom & Pop, bread & butter sign shops across the nation with your real world approach to our needs. Bottom line: your software was effective and affordable. I am very sorry to see you leaving that behind and succumming to the corporate greed that has this country in a stranglehold.
I have seen a surprisingly large number of negative comments on your site about the new pricing and am equally surprised by your seeming lack of concern for losing so many of your existing customers. Looks like this is the end of the line for a lot of us. Does any of this negative feedback cause concern for you?
It has been quite some time since I have searched for sign shop software (I was more than satisfied with my investment in Estimate so I had no need to look). However, I now see there are several new companies who are still hungry and eager to put their customer’s success ahead of their own agendas. After all, that is what has gotten you to where you are today.
But, as you said, this is the future. Yours, but not mine.
Hi Tim,
The negative feedback about our new pricing plans definitely causes concern for me, primarily because it focuses on the price of EstiMate rather than the value it brings a sign shop: namely, EstiMate makes you money every time you use it.
The pricing plans are actually bringing more small Mom & Pop, bread and butter sign shops into the fold because they are affordable. My focus has not changed. For 39 bucks a month, every sign shop can use EstiMate and immediately see a big return on their bottom line. Many can now also use it side by side with other systems because it is an excellent, lightning fast “sanity check” for pricing.
Plus, an EstiMate pricing plan is effectively free. Like I said before, EstiMate makes you money every time you use it. In addition, the Hourly Rate Wizard now requires you to include your plan – so you recoup the cost just like you recoup your other expenses by using EstiMate.
I definitely understand that this is a hard transition for existing customers who did not start using EstiMate this way. That’s why we are currently offering such steep pre-release discounts.
I also understand that some of you will not choose to come along with us into 2011. However, this decision has to be seen in a larger context: in order to continue being the hard core advocate for sign shops that we have always been, and in order to continue to be our customers’ ally, we needed to change our business model to one that works for everyone, including ourselves.
The result? We will be here for you when you need us, and will be able to continue to innovate on behalf of sign shops worldwide for years to come, providing software that makes you money and gives you back time.
I hope you’re aware that you do not have to stop using EstiMate 2.0. It will continue to make you money every day. And we will continue to provide support for it for a good long while.
If you have any questions about how I feel about corporate greed, well, I’m a dedicated Democrat and I’m mad as hell right there with you about what we’ve seen go down lately. There is a big difference, however, between “corporate greed” and good, practical business sense, which is what I am using for the lasting, on-going benefit of all EstiMate users.
I sincerely appreciate your thoughts and will be sorry to see you go if that’s how it ends up. I think you did a great job articulating many people’s concerns, and though I am responding primarily to your comment, this is also addressed to the entire EstiMate family and I intend for it to be my final comment on the pricing plans.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and share your views. Your being a part of EstiMate in all ways is valuable and appreciated.
Mark -
Does it really make “good, practical business sense” to upset so many of your existing customers? We purchased Estimate 2.0 less than one year ago after much searching and saving for a good estimating program. At the time, we asked how long of a period of time there usually is between upgrades that we would have to purchase. We were told that 2.0 was such a large upgrade and improvement from the previous version that it would be at least a couple of years. Here we are less than a year later…. I understand that we can continue using the software as is, but that doesn’t make my disappointment with you and your company any less. 30% off for a year if you pay up front isn’t that enticing. I feel like I am being taken advantage of.
Hi Bill, actually it’s been two and half years since EstiMate 2 was released. I’m sorry you feel the way you do. I would suggest downloading an EstiMate 2011 trial and giving it a whirl (click Download in the title bar of the website), then deciding if it is an appropriate move for your shop.
Hey guys,
Just wanted to drop you a line. I downloaded a trial version of 2011 today and I’ve been really impressed with it just on first glance.
Unfortunately I’ve been on site installing today
but since coming back to do some quotes, I’m rapt with some of the new things the programme does. I can’t wait to really get my teeth into it.
The customer and supplier dashboards are going to make my life so much easier.
Good work.
Lee
Hi Lee – thanks for your kind words! I appreciate you stopping by over here to share.
Mark,
I too would like to echo the concerns that others have raised about the new pricing plan. Perhaps this will help you understand how some of your customers feel. Here is an analogy.
Imagine that after researching the market you decide to buy a new car with the understanding that as accessories (modules) became available for the car you could be able to buy them if you need them. You also understood that from time to time the motor in your car might need to be rebuilt ( new versions ). You would have the option to accessorize and upgrade the car as often as necessary.
Now after completing this deal based on the research and understanding at the time the car dealer contacts you and lets you know that you will not longer be able to buy new accessories for the car you have paid for. Not only that but if you need a motor rebuild (new version) that you will not be able to purchase that either. Instead the car dealer tells you that you MUST either lease a new car or keep driving your old one. They are not longer going to offer accessories for your old car.
The new car may be FANTASTIC, maybe it is like a Prius, the amount it saves you in gas will eventually pay for the car. But you know what, I doubt you personally drive a Prius. Why? Because you made a decision to drive whatever type of car you have based on a number of reason. There are lots of great reasons to drive a Prius, they have the latest technology, good for the environment, great on gas, good reliability and so on. But if it was that simple everyone would drive one, but they don’t. Perhaps some don’t drive that many miles per year (Mom & Pop Shops) and for them the savings is not that much, others just simply can’t lay out the money up front even though they may want to. ( Lots of Shops).
Where does that leave you with your old car. For me it looks like I will need to drive it as is for a while longer (true both of my software and my actual car). If I put $69 per month aside it won’t be that long before I can can go out and buy whatever new car (software) I need.
All of this is unfortunate because I do like EstiMate. I formerly used Cyrious POS and I do like EstiMate better. Actually I can see the benefits to a subscription plan as well. I understand that it would be nice to have the newest options etc. all the time. However I also really thought the old method was very good as well. By selling only the modules that a shop needs they are not subsidizing R&D for what they do not need.
For instance we do NOT DO:
CNC Routing
Embroidery
Flatbed Digital Printing
Sandblasted Signs
Dimensional Items
Screen Printed Garments
Thermal Printing
Window Graphics
Pretty much all we do is vehicle graphics, wraps, RTA graphics and design work. So in our case we bought a Jeep Wrangler (Estimate 2.0) that does exactly what we need. We bought it with the understanding that as our business changed and grew we could add accessories to make it work better.
Now we are being told the parts department is closing and if we want to upgrade we need to lease a new Hummer. Don’t get me wrong, the Hummer is really cool, but I don’t want to pay for all the options it has I won’t use.
As you know the economy is tight. Despite using EstiMate for the past several years things are still very very tight. At my home I am using an antenna to watch Television so that I don’t have to spend so much on Cable. I made that decision a couple of years ago, and you know what? It’s not so bad. I get by without cable.
Aren’t you worried that your clients may decide that $69 per month for a two man shop is a drag on the overhead? Are you not concerned that you are leaving a HUGE opening out there for your competitors. All they need to do is offer a discount to switch from EstiMate to their software. Even if they offer a large credit to former EstiMate users to switch they are very likely to make it back in the long run, both in upgrades and increased market share.
If there was a significantly lower monthly fee for existing users and/or a way to only pay monthly for the modules you need I would probably reconsider but as it is, as much as I hate to, I am going to have to go along with those above who have decided to pass.
Hi Mark, as I’ve said before – I understand. Sometimes life, people, and even companies have to make a move in a new direction. We’ve done our living best to be fair about it by emailing all our customers nearly weekly for over 2 months; I’m not sure what else we could really do.
I have, of course, thought of the opening left for my competitors. The ones that are where we are (10+ years in, with established, solid software) didn’t get there too quickly. The costs for Cyrious are very similar, especially when you factor in that you have to purchase the software and pay regular maintenance fees (as I understand it – correct me if I’m wrong here). EstiMate’s new direction includes the latest and greatest all the time, without upgrade fees down the road.
Our product will have to stand on it’s own; and based on the current level of orders, all indications are that we are offering a very strong value proposition.
Thank you for stopping by and posting.
I would like to follow up on your reply and clarify a couple of questions I have. One question is this: If I was to upgrade to the new version use it for 6 months or a year and then decide that I wanted to go back to 2.0 would my data go back or would I be “locked” in to the new system. For instance if I upgrade today and write up jobs through July and then decided in July I could no longer afford the $69 per month overhead could I at that point revert to version 2.0, and still be able to open and edit jobs that were created under 2011?
Hi Mark,
I wish very much that I could say “yes.” However, part of EstiMate 2011′s leap forward is a change in the underlying database structure; not only is the database upgraded now to the new NexusDB3 which is significantly faster than NexusDB2, we’ve added database optimizations that preclude EstiMate 2 working with it properly.
However, and I think this is worth considering, EstiMate 2011 will never lock you out. If you suspend or cancel your plan, then it becomes “read only” – meaning you can still get at everything you ever did in there, you can print any reports / estimates / invoices / purchase orders, on and on. You just can’t create anything new.
Considering that EstiMate 2 and EstiMate 2011 will run side by side, this means you could use EstiMate 2011 as an ‘archive’ and EstiMate 2 as your live quoting software, should you choose to suspend your plan.
I hope this answers your question as thoroughly as possible.