Retail Pro is an investment for your retail business and ideally, we don’t want our investments to depreciate in value. When we make an investment, either personally or for our business, we go into it hoping that investment will only increase in value (or increase the value of our business).
That being said, not all investments offer any kind of protection to prevent the depreciation of its value. Infact, MOST don’t! Could you imagine if we were reassured that the stocks we’re investing in would never depreciate in value? Or if the hardware we’re buying for our store would always be replaced with the latest and greatest version?
Software Assurance for Retail Pro protects your investment!
WHAT is Software Assurance?
Retail Pro refers to Software Assurance as the “anti-depreciation solution for unaging software”. It’s a completely separate service from general support, but yet offers a whole different level of support that general support doesn’t touch. It’s an “assurance policy” that Retail Pro users can have peace of mind that their investment for their business retains its value within the ever-evolving world of retail and consumer trends!
HOW does Software Assurance differ from General Support?
First things first – Software Assurance is a service through Retail Pro. The development team of the POS software are behind all of the activity that happens through this service. General Support is a service through your business partner – such as Canadian Retail Solutions. The team is fully certified in Retail Pro and can assist retailers in everything from software support to reporting assistance and more.
To put it plainly, Software Assurance is an ongoing peace of mind happening in the background, whereas General Support is a circumstantial peace of mind that’s there for you whenever you need it.
Software Assurance
– Backend Bug Fixes & Security Patches
– Existing Feature Enhancements
– New Feature Releases
– Version Updates
– Access to Training Documentation
– Crossgrade Qualification for Prism
– Backup Support for System Downs
General Support
– Front End Software Support
– License Maintenance for Backend Updates
– Hardware Support
– Integration/Add-On Support
– Direct Remote Training
– Reporting Assistance
– System Down Support
– Set Up & Implementation
Note: the general support scope outlined above is based on Canadian Retail Solutions Retail Pro Support plans and the service offering may differ for different authorized business partners. The list above is intended to be used as a sample only.
WHY should I have active Software Assurance? (Especially if I have General Support…)
This is a very common question we hear from Retail Pro users. If something stops working, you have general support to help you out, so why bother with Software Assurance on top of that?
The truth is, there are many reasons why a Retail Pro user should maintain active Software Assurance that general support simply cannot do for you. If you think of it this way, Software Assurance is your protection strategy and General Support is your maintenance strategy.
Here are the top 6 reasons why you should maintain active Software Assurance even with a General Support partner:
1. Access to the Latest Updates
Software is bound to face bugs and attempts at security breaches – it’s just the way things are and Retail Pro is no exception! Regular bug fixes and patches are crucial to maintaining the stability of ANY type of software, and having active Software Assurance gives you access to these regular bug fixes and patches.
Since ALL software programs follow this same pattern, new update versions are constantly being released on everything from the operating system you’re working on (like iOS or Windows) to the integration software added on to your Retail Pro POS (like OptCulture Marketing or RIOT). The latest updates offered within the Software Assurance service ensures everything continues to run smoothly based on the latest versions of everything.
In addition to functionality and security, having active Software Assurance also gives you access to the latest feature enhancements and new feature releases, which is extremely important in order to keep up with latest retail trends and developments. We all know that things constantly change in this industry so essentially “age-proofing” your software ensures you don’t miss a beat and can offer your customers the best experience possible.
2. Trade In Old for New
For legacy Retail Pro users on versions 8 or 9 with expired Software Assurance, crossgrading to the latest Prism version can be a costly business decision that often deters these retailers from making the change. Unfortunately, legacy versions of the software are no longer being updated (thus being the reason why they would let their Software Assurance expire in the first place) so those users reluctant to switch are missing out on some important features that would really improve efficiency, operations, and ultimately sales!
With active Software Assurance, those legacy users are qualified to crossgrade over to the latest version of Prism, and at a heavily discounted price to boot by trading in the value of their old licensing to be used against the value of their new licensing. With that in mind, Prism users can be sure that if another Retail Pro version is ever released in the future, they can also benefit from discounted licensing when trading in their old Prism licenses, once again solidifying Software Assurance as an anti-depreciation solution.
3. Access Risk-Free Testing Environments
Having active Software Assurance takes the guesswork out of the decisions behind whether or not to update, or crossgrade, to the latest versions of their POS software. Before diving blindly into an updated version, you can be given access to a test lab environment by your business partner, allowing you to experience the update first-hand to ensure it meets your particular retail business needs. It also gives you the opportunity to get familiar with the updates BEFORE making the change so you don’t have to go into it without knowing what to expect!
4. Access to “My Retail Pro” – Customer Portal
For Retail Pro users with active Software Assurance, the customer portal known as “My Retail Pro” is one of the most valuable assets they have access to! The customer portal offers tons of reference guides and training documentation so you can learn and train your staff at your own pace, on your own time, wherever you feel most comfortable! The endless reference material contains feature-specific walkthroughs and a full software documentation library that may even teach you how to derive additional value from your Retail Pro investment!
5. Backup Support for System Downs
Having active Software Assurance guarantees the highest level of support on critical events such as a system down! A system down is defined as the inability to conduct business due to a malfunction in your system. In most cases, system downs are caused from an interruption of power to your main server (like a power outage) and require a complete reboot from your general support team. In order to ensure you experience MINIMAL down time and get back on track to conduct business as quickly as possible, the Retail Pro support team will work with your general support team to rectify the issue as efficiently and effectively as possible.
In addition to the backup support, having active Software Assurance also ensures that you’re staying ahead of the present-day security requirements for your business, your customers, and yourself. The Retail Pro support team tends to security concerns immediately as they come in and are constantly evolving the software to exceed security standards.
6. Allowing Software Assurance to Expire Could End Up Being a COSTLY Mistake Down the Road
For Prism users, having active Software Assurance is a requirement to keep licensing active. If Prism users allow their Software Assurance to lapse and expire, they are at risk of having their licenses shut down on them at potentially the most inopportune time – like in the middle of a huge transaction or a full PI count! Allowing your Software Assurance to lapse on the Retail Pro Prism platform is not recommended!
For legacy users on versions 8 or 9, allowing their Software Assurance to lapse and expire may seem like a good idea, since these versions no longer receive regular updates and that’s a large reason why this service is so important. However, this could end up being an extremely costly decision down the road in the event those legacy users ever want to reactivate it.
For instance, in order to crossgrade to the Prism platform from version 8 or 9, Retail Pro users must be active on Software Assurance in order to qualify. When reinstating expired Software Assurance, two things end up happening:
- A reinstatement fee based on every month the user has been expired for will be implemented; and
- The user must pay the renewal fee for a minimum of 1 year (with 2 and 3 year options also available)
With both of these fees implemented at the same time, this could end up costing a retailer thousands of dollars, before the cost of the licensing crossgrade, add-on features, conversion fees, and implementation fees are even considered! This could end up being a major obstacle for a retailer to get onto the Prism platform, causing them to remain on an outdated version of the software. By remaining on the outdated version, these retailers end up missing out on business boosting feature additions and enhancements as well as major security and bug updates that maintain their investment value.
When you purchase a big ticket item, like a home or a vehicle, you typically protect that purchase with an insurance policy as a proactive measure in the event anything should happen. Then, when that purchase has a break-down, like the plumbing in the house stops working or the vehicle needs a part replacement, you would hire a professional to fix it. This is essentially the way Software Assurance and General Support work together for your Retail Pro POS software. While Software Assurance is more of an assurance policy than it is an insurance policy, it acts in a similar way, keeping your software up to date as a proactive measure against potential costly break-downs or outdated features. Then your general support team is your hired professional when things need to be fixed.
To find out if you currently have active Software Assurance, or need to get it reinstated before you accumulate more expired time, talk to your authorized Retail Pro business partner for assistance! Now is as good a time as ever to make sure YOU are protecting YOUR Retail Pro investment!
