SW Upsell - Your opinions

Hello,

In the past we had

Solidworks SolidWorks Office SolidWorks Office Professional

Each was distinguished from each other with the inclusion of SW Add-Ins and in the case of Professional - PDMWorks. You bought the package you needed and paid the applicable price to do so.

Recently, Solidworks has discontinued SW Office. This forces new users to decide either to buy the basic package (SolidWorks) or make the jump to Professional (With the associated price increase).

In essence, you are now choosing between the two extremes of minimal package or everything but the kitchen sink.

Am I the only one to think that SW is trying to put the new user in the difficult positon of trying to upsell their bosses on the more expensive product even though they might not need all the "extras" that are offered?

Also, if you need a company or enterprise PDM system you have to pay for PDMWorks (Which, according to SW's own adds is an individual or Workgroup PDM)and then never install it. Or buy SW and then get nickled and dimed by purchasing individual "Add-Ins".

I'm having a difficult time taking the marketing types "Our customers want it this way" reason. Is this really a customer friendly thing to do or is it just a cash grab to increase revenues now that parametric modelers are mainstream and annual revenues are flattening?

Can't figure out why I'm so beat up about this -

What is your opinion?

Len

Reply to
Len K. Mar
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Len,

As I understand it, if you already have Office, your sub continues as previously. Only new subs have to make this choice.

Mind you, I'm sure marketing types at SWX will change rules as time moves on !!

Reply to
Neville Williams

It is back to ala carte. Buy the basics and the addins. That is what I did originally. SW and PhotoWorks.

The good news is that most people really don't use much if anything in Office, or they try it and then drop it. In the long run this will work out for users. By the basic SW and then just ala carte for those few users who may need PW, FW, Animal, etc.

Reply to
P.

I am okay with it because they didn't discontinue office for existing users. Had they done that I would be peeved, along with thousands of other users. They really haven't made a price increase in the last 10 years. This is a way of making more money and at least they are adding to the value and not just slapping with a price increase to maintenance or something alone those lines. If we all take a deep breath and figure that for 10 years our pricing has been the same we can understand some of the repositioning they are doing for a little more revenue.

KM

Reply to
kmaren24

Doesn't MS do the same thing. If you just want Word and Excel you have to either buy each of them at full price or go with Office Standard which comes with PowerPoint or some other program that people seldom use for home use.

Corey

Reply to
CS

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