Platinum Membership Plan

Nov 01, 2012

Hi there, I'm considering to purchase this product and am looking for some insight on the PMP. It looks like a great deal, however, when you add up the current cost of the program at $1398 + tax + character pack + PMP... that's way too much money for an independent.

I've got some questions:

1) If I don't get the PMP, what is the downside. Yes, I understand that if I don't have PMP and I want an upgrade, then I will have to pay 50% of the product cost. So, what if I decide not to upgrade? Will the program still work? If I wait until a 2nd upgrade, would I have to pay for the cost of 2 upgrades?

2) What does "major upgrade" mean?

3) How often do these upgrades come up? If an upgrade is scheduled each year, then it seems like an awfully expensive product to keep paying into every single year.

4) The PMP talks alot about priority support. If I didn't have PMP, what kind of support can I expect from Articulate? Am I limited to how many times I can contact for help?

5) Lastly, how often are deals on the product offered? I missed a deal because I didn't have sufficient time to trial the product before purchasing.

Thank you  

6 Replies
Simon Perkins

Hi Erin, and welcome to the forum

Here's my tuppence:

  1. Yes, the program will still work.  To my knowledge you can skip an upgrade and go for the next one (can't say I've heard anything to the contrary).
  2. A major upgrade is the release of a new version.  E.g. we're currently on Storyline v1.1, i.e. it first went publicly live about 6 months ago and has since received an update.  No doubt 1.2 will be out in the not too distant future.  These updates tend to focus on bug fixes and performance optimisation although feature requests are squeezed in from time to time.  The next major upgrade, i.e. v2.0 will hopefully appear in 2013, but who knows ... ?  That will basically be an enhanced version with new features, streamlining, etc.  That's the version that would effectively need paying for.
  3. They used to appear every year or so, but since Studio 09 came out (I think) in 08, there hasn't been another.  Studio 13 is the next version (major upgrade) and is scheduled for next year.  
  4. The priority/premium support tends to give you direct access to Articulate's support team (certainly via email, plus I think live chat?).  Outside of that is this forum, or rather "community", because that's what it is.  Post a question, issue, idea or whatever, and you're bound to get some valuable feedback/help/whatever.  
  5. I think Studio has been on 'special offer' for about 3-4 years :)  SL had a promo on for a short while but that was all.  

Hopefully what I've said is correct and of use ...

Leslie McKerchie

Hi Thomas!

You can see the full details of membership here. The community is free to everyone, but the difference of our Platinum support is:

Access Unlimited Priority Support

The Platinum Membership Plan is about more than just saving money. Platinum Members get VIP treatment with unlimited email support, unlimited live web chat, and a dedicated support team of senior engineers standing by to resolve your problems quickly.

We don’t restrict you to a few support requests, like other companies. With Platinum Membership, e-mail or chat as often as you like to get the help you need.

Get Exclusive Extras

Platinum Members receive these special products and services:

  • Free updates and full-version upgrades—you can choose a PMP plan with 1, 2, or 3 upgrades.

  • Dedicated support from senior engineers.

  • Unlimited priority email support—email us as often as you like and get priority treatment and super-fast response.

  • Unlimited live web chat support to discuss issues with your support team in real time through our user-friendly interface.

  • Reduced-cost Articulate live conference to connect live via phone and screen-sharing with a tier 3, senior customer support engineer (learn more).

  • Invitations to beta releases. Selected Platinum Members get special invitations to test new products and sample new features for Articulate’s award-winning line of products.

Thomas Hadley

Where is the “unlimited live web chat, to resolve your problems quickly.” So far all I have had is complex email instructions for me not a technical expert) to muck about under the hood of my system and with the registry on my machine, with no guarantee of a fix. It has taken me hours and hours. Sending the user and email then asking them to “see if this fixes it “ is not what I call VIP support. There should now be someone ready to chat and remotely assist with fixing this major bug.

Tom

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