Act! Subscription Renewals will soon be here
What do you need to know?
We're now approaching the first anniversary of "Act! subscription", and we wanted to write a quick email explaining some of the differences with this year's renewal process compared to years gone by.
Firstly, Act!'s migration to subscription has been fantastically successful, despite being one of the last CRM products to adopt this "pay as you play" model. We at Keystroke were optimistic customers would welcome the increased features & service combined with reduced maintenance costs, but even we could not have anticipated over doubling our sales compared to the first quarter of last year.
So we're happy to report, Act! Subscription is here to stay.
On Time Renewal
Secondly, as much as this is great news for everyone, it's important to understand that like all other subscription services, Act! must be renewed on-time to avoid any disruption in service.
Think of it like Netflix, if you stop paying, you stop playing.
However, unlike Netflix, a suspension of service with Act! can have many additional unintended consequences, not the least of which are the following:
- loss of access to your Act! data during production time
- the possible forfeiture of any "Loyalty" discounts you may have earned by subscribing early
- additional setup fees for Act! Premium Cloud customers that allow their account to remain suspended for more than two weeks
- the premature and unintended delivery of "perpetual" licensing you either purchased separately or received through migrating from Business care to Act! Subscription.
- and possibly extended delays while accounts are re-established.
Now, to seasoned users of other online CRM products, there is nothing noteworthy about these consequences, but to long time Act! users, these must certainly sound harsh.
Act! users, after all, are unaccustomed to the prospect of their software "time-bombing". Act! users are used to flexible renewal deadlines, especially in cases of Business Care subscriptions, which have typically included "grace periods" and much more forgiveness.
The difference is "subscription" has made Act! more of a "service", than a "product", and while the price has been dramatically reduced to reflect that, this transition will still take some adjustment - and we intend to do our best to help with this.
Renewal "Knowtifications"
To that end, Keystroke has implemented bullet-proof automation (see The Knowtifier") to start sending you weekly reminders starting 30-days prior to your annual renewal, as well as an invoice summarizing your total renewal cost a month in advance. Our renewal team will also try to phone each of you to confirm that your active subscription reflects your actual licensing needs going forward.
Payment Plans
We also will explain the different payment options available to you, including the annual pre-payments discounts, the 60-day, 6-month, and quarterly payment plans. By default you will be renewed based on your current plan, but you can make changes to that in the month leading up to your renewal.
If we have a credit card on file, it will be charged two days before your renewal date unless we're advised otherwise. If the card has expired, you can either call us with an update, or submit new payment authorization via the web at www.keystroke.ca/payments.
Please note, if you wish to pay by cheque, it is incumbent on the customer to deliver payment to us in time for their renewal. Promises of payment or the ever popular "the cheque is in the mail" will not serve your interests if payment is not in hand on the date of renewal.
In coming years we expect this renewal process to become as familiar as your cable or cel phone contracts, but during this first round of renewals we want to make ourselves as available as possible for any inquiries subscribers may have.
Please contact us at 
1-800-857-0558 FREE, or locally at 416-499-3090, or email us at
Thanks for your time today.
Regards,
Ken
