We’ve all seen the movies with a successful character who has a luxury hotel suite for themselves alone or a perpetually reserved table at the finest restaurant, in case the need to lounge, lunch, or both might arise. Presented like that, this type of convenience might seem rather out of reach. Yet, that is not entirely the case.
Shepherd has a service that does just that: puts you at the top of the list when you need assistance the most. This blog looks at Shepherd Support: the most cost-effective and time-saving support service for your NetSuite-native EAM. It might not serve you a 3-star meal, but you will get 5-star service.
Knowing assistance is there when you need it
Shepherd Support is the official name for Shepherd’s new annual support plan, designed for companies that want to get long-term value from their implementation rather than treating it as a one-time event.
Shepherd is highly configurable. It’s one of the major selling points for many customers: a bespoke feel without the cost.
In fact, very few customers run Shepherd in standard, off-the-shelf form. As their teams learn more about what Shepherd’s software can do, they obviously start looking for ways to tailor workflows, refine processes, and expand functionality. Sometimes that is quite immediate, with the potential obvious from the start, while other times it may come up further down the line.
This new service meets that reality by helping customers maintain consistent communication with their implementation team and secure ongoing enhancements at a predictable, discounted rate. Without a support plan, meanwhile, companies will risk two things.
Why a support plan matters
Firstly, there is the unknown cost of no planned support. It should be said that customers without the support plan are not left to their own devices: they will get help. But that help comes at standard rates. So all it might take is one somewhat involved case to address, and they will already have spent more than an annual subscription that delivers more would have cost them.
Indeed, statistically, typical time and materials billing can increase costs by twenty to thirty percent compared to a pre-selected plan. That uncertainty can also make it harder for many organisations to secure budget approval or plan development cycles with confidence.
This is the second risk: without the support plan, you effectively trade a known discounted price that you can feed into your GL under planned expenses, for an unknown sum that will eat into your profits at the end of the financial year. Maybe it will be small, maybe it won’t. Shepherd will help as best it can, as quickly and efficiently as it can, but that can only mitigate this unknown figure that will come home to roost, not eliminate it. The alternative is to not touch your Shepherd product despite opportunities you might see, which has costs of its own in terms of competitiveness, client satisfaction, and so on.
Predictability over guesswork
The service itself is straightforward: companies choose an annual support plan that allocates hours for enhancement work they are likely to need after go-live. Those hours come with a discount of twenty to thirty percent over the standard rates, depending on the level of service paid for. This, together with the assurance that improvements can be scheduled as part of a continuous partnership rather than requested ad hoc, and queued accordingly. Instead of unpredictable monthly invoices, customers benefit from stable planning and clearer internal budgeting.
As usual, this offer was created as a result of direct customer feedback. Many Shepherd users had asked for discounted rates in exchange for committing to a set number of hours, while others highlighted how difficult it was to manage spending when enhancements were billed reactively. When enough people ask for a service, you’d be crazy not to start offering it up front.
Virtually the entire point of Shepherd, as a company, is to reduce unnecessary waste and expenditure in a company’s own operations, so it makes sense to extend that thinking to how they access Shepherd’s. By providing a predictable framework, the annual support plan fills a real gap: it gives companies control, visibility, and a structured way to evolve their use of Shepherd over time.
A partnership that deepens over time
From the customer’s perspective, the experience becomes simpler and more intentional. Teams can continue their weekly or bi-weekly calls, deepen their expertise with the system, and schedule enhancements, knowing the cost has already been accounted for.
The focus shifts from managing invoices to maximising the value of the software. If you know you have paid for a service, you will start looking for ways to get the most from it, and that, as seen time and time again, is good for both customers and Shepherd.
So while you’re actively looking for ways to get the most out of this paid service, those who have opted to go the ad hoc route will probably be looking for ways to maintain the status quo. Which of those two attitudes would you say makes for a more innovative, successful business?
A foundation for long-term success
Success with this service is easy to picture. Customers feel confident that their yearly investment in Shepherd is aligned with their priorities. They see their tools becoming more closely matched to their requirements, and the partnership strengthens as both sides work with clarity and intention.
The result is a long-term collaboration where Shepherd’s contribution to their operations continues to grow with the client-organisation, giving that organisation more out of Shepherd each year. And if that sounds like the kind of cost-effective convenience you want to enjoy, it is time to send your Shepherd contact an email asking for more information.
