5 Unexpected Costs When Buying Business Intelligence Software

We’ve listened to a wide range of customers that are in the market for new business intelligence (BI) software, and we’ve noticed a major reoccurring theme: at one point or another, most people encountered an unexpected cost related to their BI software. Whether it was a lack of features they were told would be included, or hidden training costs revealed later down the line, these customers felt the sting of hidden fees.

So that you don’t get caught by a similar surprise, we compiled the top 5 complaints we hear from people who have suddenly found themselves with an unexpected cost.

Click here to download “5 Mistakes Executives Make When Buying BI”

Unexpected Costs When Buying Business Intelligence Software

1. Unlicensed features. There’s a lot of glitter thrown into BI demos. Vendors try to entice new customers with a plethora of useful features and tools. The catch? More often than not, vendors provide a fully unlocked trial version—for a limited time. The customer purchased an affordable BI solution, but once they started using it, they realized crucial features were missing. The security, cloud storage space, or companion app they were shown in the demo expired along with their unlocked trial, leaving them frustrated when they saw the real cost required to unlock each one.
2. Customer support? Try calling professional services. That enthusiastic, around-the-clock customer support that’s ready to help at any time? Many people claim it disappeared when their trial version expired, and that their level of support dropped after they became a customer. In certain cases, customer support vanished entirely, only to be replaced by a professional service team that would rack up a hefty bill whenever help was needed.
3. Required training. Vendors tend to make their BI software appear user-friendly and intuitive. The reality is that it becomes quickly apparent each user needs specialized training to get the most of the software. The vendor either claims they have a team ready to train each user, or that the software is easy to understand. But their specialized training team usually comes with a price tag attached.
4. More updates, more money. BI software is fast moving, with updates and upgrades appearing on a regular basis. If a customer skips a round of updates, they may discover their BI software quickly becomes obsolete, along with any technical support once offered. Most vendors sell the latest version of their software but fail to mention the difficulty and complexity involved with upgrading that software. In some cases new hardware and new training is a prerequisite, forcing the customer to call professional services and pay another fee.
5. Expensive shelfware. Here’s one of the worst-case scenarios we hear: A customer pays to install and deploy new BI software to their team, but no one knows how to use it and it quickly gathers dust. Not only was money wasted on new BI software, but the original problem—the reason business intelligence software was purchased in the first place—goes unchecked and unsolved. Why? Oftentimes new software is purchased in a bubble, one in which vendors dress up their software with bells and whistles then sell it to consumers by requiring they buy all the necessary user licenses at once. It’s not quite robbery, but boy, can it feel that way.

The Bottom Line

We hear the pain that unexpected costs have on people, and we decided to create a better business solution. With 5000fish, you get:

• Simple, transparent prices. There’s no confusion on what is or isn’t included. Unlimited concierge support. Our customer success team wants your business to succeed, with your business intelligence objectives in mind.
• Unlimited concierge support. Our customer success team wants your business to succeed, with your business intelligence objectives in mind.
• Multiple learning paths for training and support, at no additional cost. We provide self-paced training courses, free webinars and training paths that adapt to each user.
• Low operations and maintenance cost. Our software is built around the idea that technology should carry a light footprint and be easy to upgrade.
• Low-risk entry into business intelligence. Whether you’ve used business intelligence software before or not, you can start with one user license to make sure our software works for you. You can add more licenses at any time, and we don’t lock you into a multiple license contract.

If you’re looking to avoid the common pitfalls and unexpected costs associated with most business intelligence software, contact us to request a demo or find more information on our website. Start your trial today, and see how Yurbi can bring your data to life.

Have you ever encountered an unexpected cost? We want to hear your story. Leave a comment below and tell us what happened!

Click here to download “5 Mistakes Executives Make When Buying BI”