A LA MODE

[Bill_FL]

Dave,

Based on your responses here and the responses of many of us users here, I think an intensive tech support training might be in order. That or split tech into an "I am down" type section and a "How do I" section. I have been asking about the neighborhood databases for years only to be told it could not be sorted in any way. It was purely a "quicklist" like you described above.

When I was setting up my network with the software, I was told by tech that there is no way to have it run local and simply have the server used a file storage. I was told it just would not work that way and that it had to be installed on the server only.

Maybe there are alot of use that think your software cant do what we want it to do because tech told us so. Maybe I wouldnt be such an advocate of other software because of the form filling aspect and like yours for the office management aspect if I knew it could actually do what I have been griping about.

Thanks for putting up with us.

 

[dbiggers]

Yes, there are always some techs who don't think creatively and learn how to "daisy chain" ideas and features together to do something which may be normally a "no". But that's true of any business I think. Have you ever had an appraiser under you who didn't have all the client handling skills you do? Of course. We always train -- constantly -- to handle that. In fact, we put 24 of our people (including techs, sales, programmers, managers, marketing, MIS, etc.) through the full appraisal licensing course just three weeks ago. (My dad is on staff and is an appraisal instructor, so all employees get basic appraisal training, and selected employees go through the full licensing course and sit for the state exam.) Anyway, my point is that we do always train, and in ways that no other appraisal software compamny does, but you can never train enough.

For example, the networking issue is one which normally they wouldn't suggest, for two good reasons: First, it technically is a violation of our license agreement, since it's installed on all the various machines. Second, it does cause on headache -- when installed solely on the server, you only have to get updates from one station and all the others automatically get them. But when you're installed locally on each of the stations, you have to get updates from each one. With broadband and shared Internet connections, that's not really such a big hassle anymore.

I'll be on the road with my kids for the next week, so you probably won't hear much if anything from me, but the conversations here this week have been really enjoyable. Have fun.

Dave