Why have you switched QODBC Desktop Edition to subscription billing?
Saturday, September 23rd, 2023Throughout our history, for the QODBC product line, we have followed the patterns set by Intuit – the maker of QuickBooks. If Intuit made a change, we made a similar change. We figure that they are a multi-billion dollar company, so how far wrong can we go by following their moves right?
So last year, QuickBooks went entirely to a subscription model for the Windows Desktop product line, so the question came up, should we switch to a subscription model also? Initially, there was a lot of resistance because it’s a big change, and we don’t want to mess up our current customers or their needs.
But we also need to realize that, at some point, people will need to get a new version of QODBC. Right now, we’re using the major version number inside the QuickBooks product (2023, 2024) to determine what version of QuickBooks is being used so that the matching QODBC version is correct for this user. Now that QuickBooks billing is on a subscription, we feel that Intuit may stop updating this number in the future since version/year is no longer a selling point on in-store boxes, for example, so we need to plan for this eventuality.
Because the QuickBooks database format changes on a regular basis, it is best to use the QODBC version which matches that version of the QuickBooks database. Keeping the QODBC Driver up to date is the easiest way to make sure you are getting the latest database details from QuickBooks as well as the latest bug fixes available. So that’s why when it’s 2022, and you have a version for 2021, you can’t use it on the 2022 QuickBooks because the databases have changed, and QODBC needs to be updated to handle those new modifications.
Also, we had a problem with people who would find out about us and buy QODBC in August or September, only to have another version of QuickBooks come out very quickly, and after installing that upgrade, having to purchase ANOTHER copy of QODBC for the newer version of QuickBooks. This issue had to be handled manually by our support team, taking much time and effort and causing grief for the customer.
These various issues cost us and our customers time and money, and the smoother way to move forward seems to be the subscription model since it matches up with QuickBooks and synchronizes the relationship between QODBC and QuickBooks so they are both always the latest version and can be updated at any time.
You can go forwards or backwards on both – it doesn’t matter which version you have of either product as long as the subscription is active – you can choose which version of each product is working best for your needs. So, since we couldn’t depend on QuickBooks continuing to keep putting out new revisions and updating the major version number, we thought it was best to go with a subscription model. We have been using an identical subscription model on the QuickBooks Online edition for a few years now, and there have been very few issues with licenses – it just works.
We attempted to keep the pricing as similar as possible, and even with inflation running high, we still are using the same pricing as we have had for 21 years, since 2002. We wanted to make it as similar to the previous product as we could, so we made it yearly billing with no price change.
Other than that, we think this change makes life easier for QODBC users and consultants, and instead of being forced to upgrade when new QuickBooks versions are released, we let you decide if or when you want to upgrade your QODBC version. If it is working well, no need to touch anything under the subscription model.
Not everyone will be happy with this change, but we think they will get used to the simplicity of never again having to think about license issues – you will be automatically billed each year with no need to take any action, and your subscription will continue. In addition, you will get an email one week before your subscription renewal, just in case you want to cancel the renewal or use a new credit card for billing. If all goes well on the renewal, you will see no service outages from QODBC.
This has been a difficult transition for us, but we hope it is easier for most customers in the long run, and we hope to be your go-to choice for QuickBooks database access for some time to come – your feedback is always appreciated, and if you have any further questions, Please don’t hesitate to ask.
Thanks for being a customer of QODBC!
Bradley Waddell
Managing Director, FLEXquarters.com Limited – home of QODBC and QXL