Tuesday, January 19, 2010

WELCOME!

Welcome to over a thousand new members of the StudioCloud community! It was great getting to meet so many of you at Imaging USA in Nashville. Let us know how we can help you get up and going on StudioCloud in order to help you to have a wonderful and successful 2010!

For those of you who have not set things up, here are a few links to help you get started:

Getting Started Video

Getting Started Article


Also, make sure to stop by and see us at WPPI in Vegas!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Differences Between StudioCloud 2.0 and 3.0

With the release of StudioCloud 3.0 there have been some changes to the website as well as to the product. Here are a list of the major differences between 2.0 and 3.0.

  • The Basic Suite has been renamed CloudBoost.
  • The Professional Suite has been renamed EmployeeBoost. Please note that the EmployeeBoost requires CloudBoost.
  • Current Professional Suite users have both CloudBoost and EmployeeBoost add-ons.
  • StudioCloud released a free desktop product. To view the difference between the free and add-ons click here.
  • Old invoice payments must be transferred into bookkeeping. To learn how click here.
  • New invoice payments do not automatically transfer to bookkeeping yet. This will be added in an upcoming update
  • StudioCloud 3.0 uses a different login process which does all of the syncing in the background. As such the first time you login to StudioCloud 3.0 you will not see information until it is downloaded. You can watch the download process in the progress bar in the bottom left corner.

The focus of StudioCloud 3.0 was on stability and speed. As such not all of the features of StudioCloud 2.0 are in StudioCloud 3.0 yet. We will be adding in these features in upcoming updates. With each new update we are posting a message on the forum describing the new updates.

Thanks,

StudioCloud Team

Monday, January 11, 2010

StudioCloud 3.0 and New Desktop Version

StudioCloud 3.0 is officially out of beta. With the release of StudioCloud 3.0 there have been some changes to the naming of StudioCloud's products which will not affect any of our current customers accounts. The Basic Suite is now named the CloudBoost and the Professional Suite is now named the EmployeeBoost.

At Imaging USA StudioCloud also released a free DESKTOP only version which is now available to everyone. The free Desktop version does not have internet access or syncing abilities which reduces the features of what current customers enjoy.

Customers now purchase Boosts and add those to the free version instead of purchasing a Basic or Professional Suite. For $30 a month the CloudBoost can be added and for $60 a month the CloudBoost and the EmployeeBoost can be added. CloudBoost adds the internet and syncing abilities while the EmployeeBoost adds all employee features. Please note that the EmployeeBoost can not be purchased without purchasing the CloudBoost as well. Current professional suite users have both boosts.

Here are the features that those with the free Desktop version do NOT have:

  • Customer support
  • Data backups online (if you lose your data on your computer we will not be able to retrieve it)
  • Access to your data on multiple computers (data does not sync between computers)
  • Use of StudioCloud Mobile (schedule, add clients, etc. from browsers, iphones, etc.)
  • Automatic client email appointment reminders
  • Syncing Calendar To Outlook, iCal, etc.
  • Emailing invoices and estimates
  • and any other features that involve syncing to a server or the need for internet access.
  • In addition, they will not have multiple employee features including scheduling, time card tracking, multiple logins, role based access control, commission/sales reports, etc.

For more details please see the feature comparison chart here

Also, now that StudioCloud 3.0 is out of beta please update if you have not done so by going here. StudioCloud 3.0 will resolve any syncing or internet issues. It also greatly increases the speed of the login process and the rest of the product as well.

Please also note that if you joined StudioCloud with a discount or special show pricing you will remain at that special pricing as long as you remain a paying customer.

Please visit our updated website at www.studiocloud.com for more information and let us know if you have any questions!