Value Pricing when you are adding a app to QBO

Why would you charge a fee, before the work was completed to the clients expectations?

If it integrates and works, then charge your fee.  I would think that fee would be negotiated before hand too.

Hi BJB55,

In general, we have a rule at Parkway that we never charge for the time that we spend learning something, unless it is truly unique to an individual client. This really becomes relevant when it comes to researching new applications, especially for long time clients.  If we engage a brand-new client which is demanding an unfamiliar application, we would request a deposit toward workflow design. This should help you avoid most scenarios by allowing you the opportunity to evaluate the application ahead of time.

Here are a couple important tips to help you avoid some of costly mistakes:

• Before you do anything, create a backup company file with Chronobooks. This will ensure that even if things go horribly wrong with the integration you can back up the company file to the data right before you started the integration process.

• Always maintain a live company file specifically for testing.  If you have multiple Pro-Advisors within your company, you could use one of your ProAdvisor Accounts as a test company that can always be overwritten.

"If you find a software that does 80% of what you expect it to do, then you found a great program. If it does more, then you probably built it yourself!" 

• Educate your customer about integrations and make sure they understand that there may be complication outside of your control.

• Remember that app demonstrations are meant to get you excited! The company will still want your money and your subscription just as much tomorrow as they do today.

• Patience with a client goes a long way, especially when you are changing the workflow they are use too.

• An app company that makes improvements based on subscriber feedback, will always end up the best in its category. (Knowify is a great example of this.)

Finally, as a value-based accounting firm, none of our clients ever receive a bill for a specific application, instead we add on a new service package that include both the cost of the application as well as our time expected to maintain the integration itself.  

Hi @BJB55. By integrating an additional service, this may change your value pricing plan, or it may simply transfer the cost of the 3rd party app to your client. It really depends on how this app is going to change workflows. If it were me, this would be a discussion that would happen with the client prior to integration. Out of curiosity, did you recommend the app, or did they? With new apps seemingly being created daily promoting greater workflow efficiency it is important to remember learning how to use them is a cost of doing business. You may put in more hours in a given month learning how to use the app, but the whole purpose of these 3rd party integrations is to make your client's workflows more efficient and effective; thus saving you time in the long-run. If the apps are not doing this, they are not worth the cost of subscription. Additionally, I would never charge a customer up front for work that I was not 100% certain would add value to our relationship and improve their business.