I’d say there are plenty downsides of cloud platforms. Like, you have to rely on a cloud. And anytime you need a cloud, it gets dicey when you have no connection.
Clouds might be great if you’re siting in an office and need to connect with other people sitting in an office. For people who drive to different locations every day, and sometimes vastly different areas, having to wait until you get a connection to go to the next step is pretty lame.
Or when you are home and your kids manage to suck up ever bit of bandwidth with the newest Mindcraft plug in.
I used to use a cloud based program and it was a pain in the rear.
I don’t get this is different than any other program. Phones, laptops and desk tops all have autoupdate features.
Sometimes I wake up and my phone has downloaded and installed the latest HIP update I didn’t even know was coming. Much like my phone/computer downloads and updates dozens of other programs/apps on a regular basis.
What Ian was saying is sad but true. We see many programs come and go each year because they don’t realize there are only 20k inspectors to market to and 20 different programs competing for that business. Then you have to convince them to switch from a program they already have, which isn’t easy. Since only a small fraction of inspectors change software each year, it’s a very, very small market to ssell to. Most never do the math to realize what you can make and what it costs to pay programmers, sales & tech support, the government, etc. There’s at least 3 different new programs that have entered the market in the last 3 months alone.
That being said, competition is good as it drives progress with new features and new ideas. You never know when the new guy will succeed Welcome aboard Kevin. The biggest tip I can give you is to listen to your users and their ideas. They often have good ones!
I get the skepticism. Completely warranted, as there’s no reason to trust we’re different than the rest that have come and gone. Trust has to be built by showing up everyday and improving for your users.
I will say we’re not completely naive, as we did the research, ran the numbers and looked at many of the products out there. Small market, sticky product due to so much time invested, long list of companies coming and going. Large mountain to climb for sure. Like you said, we’re just listening to early adopters and trying to provide a great service & product.
Thanks for the advice and keep rockin it. You’ve set a great example.
I haven’t been very active on the forums lately but I just have to pitch in here as I’m thoroughly impressed with what Kevin and his brother Michael have been able to accomplish in such a short time period.
I have been writing all of my Reports using a WORD system since I started in 2012 as none of the software really appealed to me for different reasons - until Spectora.
Their Reports are the nicest I’ve come across, sure their sample report needs some work but it’s more or less so you guys can see how it’s laid out to the client digitally, with the option to download a .PDF of course.
Also, the amount of tools and features they are constantly introducing at lightning fast speed are super impressive. Virtually everything that has taken the biggest names in the industry years to implement, have been implemented within months through Spectora - online agreements, SMS notifications, email reminders, online payment integration, monthly earnings tracking, etc.
Their customer service is second to none, their outlook is positive, their appreciation for our industry is thoroughly impressive and their interest in making their software an important part of our business is their main priority.
So for everyone thinking negative things about the new guys on the block, that’s fine, stick to what you’re comfortable with. For those looking for the next best thing in the Home Inspection Software industry, give Spectora a try!
Welcome aboard Kevin. The biggest tip I can give you is to listen to your users and their ideas. They often have good ones!