Tuesday, May 5, 2015

New Feature: Pipelines

With the latest release of StudioCloud, version 3.1.270, we have implemented some new features and functionality for managing everything that needs to be done in a business. We will be doing a blog post with video and written tutorials as well as examples later this week to introduce the new concepts.

Below is a quick introduction to the new features.

New Pipelines

We have added some new pipelines. Here is a breakdown of where each pipeline should be used.
  • Client Pipelines
    • Client Pipelines are used for tracking inquiries or leads to make sure they get converted to paying customers. 
  • Event Pipelines
    • Event Pipelines are used to track what needs to be done before and after a scheduled appointment,session, or event
  • Order Pipelines
    • Order Pipelines are used to track the overall status of the entire order or invoice
  • Task Pipelines
    • Task Pipelines are used to track specific items in an order that a customer has ordered. An order must be created from a invoice to use task pipelines.
Assign Pipelines Directly To Events And Invoices
  • We have also added in the option to assign pipelines directly to events or invoices. This is useful in situations where you don't need to assign tasks to employees but just need to track the overall status of an event or invoice.
Assign Default Pipelines

We have also added in the option to assign default pipelines for clients, events, invoices and products/services.
  • Default Client Pipeline
    • This is useful so that when you create a new inquiry you can automatically have a default pipeline you use for that client.
  • Default Event Pipeline
    • This is useful so that when you select the calendar type or calendar sub type for an appointment, event or session it will automatically apply the correct pipeline for that event.
  • Default Invoice Pipeline
    • This is useful so that when you create a new invoice it will automatically have the desired pipeline associated with it
  • Default Task Pipeline
    • This is useful because you can setup default pipelines for products or services so that anytime they are added to a order it automatically has the required steps that you need to do to complete that product or service.
New Pipeline View

There are 3 new pipelines view so that you can easily see the status of a client, event, or invoice.
  • Client Pipeline View
    • The client view lets you see where a client is in the client pipeline
  • Event Pipeline View
    • The event view lets you see where an appointment, event, or session is in the event pipeline
  • Invoice Pipeline View
    • The invoice view lets you see where an invoice is in the order pipeline
Coming In Version 3.1.271
  • In the next update of StudioCloud you will be able to assign default pipelines to a client from a CloudForms. That means that when a client fills out a form it will automatically have a pipeline when it is added to StudioCloud
  • In the next update of StudioCloud you will also be able to assign an email template to a cloudform which will automatically be emailed to the client when they fill out a form. Essentially this is a automatic response to the customer that you have received their questionnaire.
  • In the next update of StudioCloud you will also be able to automatically send emails or text messages using client pipelines from a new or edit client window

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

New Feature: Sending Emails

With the latest release of StudioCloud, version 3.1.268, we have added in the option to send emails directly from StudioCloud's servers. This new feature resolves issues that some people have experienced when sending emails. If you have experienced any of the problems below you may want to consider using this new feature.

  • If you use an email account that is not supported by Adobe Air such as Hotmail, Yahoo, or .Mac
  • Your internet service provider blocks access to sending emails from a specific port
  • You experience internet issues when sending emails
  • You travel and can not predict if the service you are using will be blocking you from sending emails

To enable this feature simple go to settings, click on the Manage Email Accounts button, edit the desired email account and then select the "Send From Server" checkbox under the outgoing mail tab.

Please note that this feature is only available for customers who are paying subscribers or are on a 15 day free trial.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Support Policy For Free Accounts

Due to overwhelming demand for StudioCloud’s products we need to re-emphasize our support policies in order to continue to give our paying clients the best possible customer service.

In 2010 we released StudioCloud’s free product and announced that the free product did not come with customer support. Free StudioCloud accounts could and still can access the written tutorials, video tutorials, and/or community forum but other support options were not available to them.

Over the last few years, we have not been strict in enforcing this policy. However, due to the large number of customers who are using our free services, we are now enforcing that policy and we will no longer be able to provide support for free accounts.

When you sign up for a free StudioCloud account, you also receive a 15 day free trial of all of StudioCloud’s services. During the 15 day free trial period, you will receive support in order to make sure you can get StudioCloud up and running. We encourage you to take advantage of this time period to really try out StudioCloud.

After the 15 day free trial has expired you will need to subscribe to the PartnerBoost, EmployeeBoost or one of our add-on products, which start at $10 a month, to receive support. All of our paid for services come with live chat, email, and trouble ticket support. Please also note that StudioCloud does not have any contracts, our subscriptions are month to month, and you can cancel at any time.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Importing Data Into StudioCloud





StudioCloud has introduced various free and paid-for methods whereby information from 3rd party software solutions can be imported into StudioCloud. Many clients have taken advantage of both of these methods and have been able to transfer their information from 3rd party software solutions to StudioCloud quickly and easily.

Unfortunately, some StudioCloud clients have experienced problems when transferring their information. Most often the core issue can be traced back to different versions of the same 3rd party software exporting the data differently and causing issues.  Due to StudioCloud being unable to control how the data is exported from 3rd party solutions, these accounts will need further assistance in helping to get the data imported into StudioCloud.

If you have a question about how to import your data into StudioCloud from other 3rd party software then we are happy to help.  However, if you experience a problem during the import process that would require that we look at your exported files in order to resolve it you would need to purchase the paid-for service for importing data because of the time intensive nature of resolving these types of issues.

You can read more about StudioCloud's paid-for importing data service by clicking here.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

StudioCloud At Imaging USA

Hello everyone! Come by and see me in Nashville at Imaging USA.  I will be in booth #555 with Ron Nichols and ProSelect.  Ron will be giving live demos of the amazing sales and presentation software, ProSelect, and will show how StudioCloud and ProSelect are integrated to make your workflow streamlined and efficient.  He will also be doing demos of his post processing tools.   

We will be offering special trade show pricing for this coming Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, February 1st-3rd.  If you have been waiting to upgrade to PartnerBoost or EmployeeBoost or want any of the add-ons, this is our best pricing! Usually you have to attend the Imaging Expo to receive this pricing but this year you can look for the special pricing on our website or at the Imaging Expo. We will give more details soon!

In honor of Imaging USA, we are also having a drawing on Facebook and one lucky winner will win $500 to spend at B&H photo.

Here is the link to the drawing details on FaceBook. StudioCloud FaceBook Contest

Cheers,

Cori Rae

        

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

System Upgrade 12/31/2014

Our team will be performing system maintenance starting 12/31/2014 at 6:00 PM MST.  We expect the maintenance to last 3-4 hours.  During that time the syncing functionality of StudioCloud will be unavailable but you will be able to continue using the StudioCloud software on your computers.