The true cost of 'free' technical support for CAD software

As times get tougher, it is always tempting to cut corners. Companies look at every item of expenditure and, often without too much deliberation, begin to prune back on everything they see as non-essential.

When it comes to software, often investment in new products or upgrades may be deemed business-critical. However, in a spirit of compromise, it may seem sensible to buy from a reseller who offers free support. This may even help to clinch the budget for the actual software and demonstrate an appreciation of the need to be frugal.

So, how have we got into a situation where some software resellers can offer their services free while others are able to charge for a variety of support packages and schemes? Surely, market forces will prevail and all resellers will soon have to offer their services for nothing?

The fact is, with technology as with life, you get what you pay for. Skimp on the peripherals such as support and, in time, you could be left with far heftier overheads for loss of productivity and even substantial downtime.

To explain why, let us consider a particular area familiar to most machine builders and designers; that of CAD. Some decision makers with only a passing knowledge of the technologies involved may be totally unaware of the developments that have taken place in this area over the past few years.

CAD evolution

CAD is no longer a single-product technology with a wide and mature user base that can be relied on for advice and expertise; today CAD is a far more highly-developed and tailored product. While, in the past, resellers have been able to make their money through selling the product and leaving the customer to get it out of the box and install it, they have now become far more sophisticated. After all, they have been accruing knowledge over the past decade or so and, consequently, are are a valuable source of skill and guidance.

For example, take the latest movement towards digital prototyping. This is the process whereby designers create a virtually real model on the screen which can be tested and analysed before the investment in creating physical prototypes. It has been shown to be real time- and cost-saver, as well as accelerating time to market, In fact, recent Aberdeen Group research shows that best-in-class manufacturers build half the number of prototypes and consequently get their products to market, on average, 58 days earlier. They also cut their prototyping overheads accordingly.

However, it does involve changes in processes and workflow, the right choice of technology and advice on complementary technologies such as data management.

Data management

In turn, if a client is installing a design data management system, a reseller can act as a consultant, taking a step backwards and advising on maximising the investment by feeding the design data into an organisation-wide ERP or MRP system. Resellers can also advise on more practical matters such as hardware, which can be a key issue when dealing with large assemblies.

But you are probably wondering why all this consultancy cannot be carried out as part of a free package. The key to this is time. For example, free support will not include a constantly manned help desk. Instead, firms include a clause saying they will solve your problems to their 'best endeavour.'

However, industry today is so finely tuned that to wait until the support engineer comes out of a meeting or reaches their destination can mean two hours of downtime. In contrast, most paid-for support packages provide fully-qualified engineers at the end of a phone or available to come to you at any time.

Suppose an organisation has a data management problem, for instance, which affects the entire four-man design team. Even if the system is only down two hours, the business has lost a whole man-day.

But it is not just reactive help that is needed. Most support packages offer to keep customers up-to-date with new developments, provide tips and tricks for new releases and can pre-empt any problems caused by software glitches by sending warning emails. They may also be at the end of a phone to help customers use the technology to solve knotty design problems.

So 'free' support can cost businesses productivity plus the knowledge to maximise use of the technology to design better products, faster. But, perhaps most importantly, it can also cost businesses, that key position - first on the market.