Need Client info re R9 2009 Update

http://ptknova.intuit.com/self...

There is a knowledge based article about this topic. Try the link listed above.

Mary

I'm Bill Teague, the editor of the ProAdvisor Newsletter and most Alerts. Sorry for the delay in response; your note was just brought to my attention.

Yes, this promise for client language was made in a Nov. 18 Alert..

A reference copy of the Alert as a PDF is posted at http://billsnewsletterblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/proadvisor-alert-quickbooks-2009-r9.pdf

Look under the heading "HOW: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES COMING SOON" and the subheading,"Your Clients."

I dropped the ball. No such language was incorporated in the Nov. 23 issue of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Newsletter. I really apologize.

In a second Alert on the topic released yesterday, posted at

http://billsnewsletterblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/pap20091203-qb09r9x2.pdf
 

we instead simply asked for ProAdvisors to send their clients to the updated link with more information based on Intuit's experience with technical support calls:

www.quickbooks.com/R9 

This link solves for installation issues around R9 but does not provide ProAdvisors with language they could send to
clients on the general issue of requesting updates to QuickBooks 2009. I'll try to post such language here this afternoon and include it in the next appropriate ProAdvisor communication.

GENERAL

Here is a general note you can send to clients currently on QuickBooks 2009 (Windows) or Enterprise 9:

Dear [Client]:

A patch update (R9) is now available for QuickBooks 2009 and Enterprise version 9. This patch is different from most releases. The process you go through to apply it is very similar to the one you do when you upgrade to a new version of QuickBooks - both your program and data file(s) will need to be updated. 

If you are using QuickBooks 2009 on a single computer, you would apply the update as you would normally. Complete instructions can be found in the Step-by-Step Installation Guide at

www.quickbooks.com/R9

If you are using QuickBooks on a network, such that the QuickBooks application is on one machine and the QuickBooks Database Manager is on another, just be sure that you update QuickBooks in both locations. Instructions for doing this are also in the Step-by-Step Installation Guide at 

www.quickbooks.com/R9  

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Seeing as how I don't have a database that I manage regarding who has registered which software, why would we as ProAdvisor's need to send anything to our clients?  Intuit has the database tracking who has registered software.  This database includes email contact for each of those software owners.   Why didn't Intuit send the email notice directly to the customer as well as the ProAdvisor's?  The proactive approach would have been to directly alert all those needing to be notified with a note to contact your local support should you have questions or issues.  Instead, all this did for those of us who are now in our busy season, and don't have the resources to track registered software, was make US take the hit instead of Intuit when the client had problems.  Additionally, because they were already upset by the time they called me, and did not feel this was "their" problem, I did not receive any compensation for assisting them.  The least you could do in the future is release an update like this during the summer when most of our businesses are a little less hectic and more thoroughly explain what fall-out could potentially exist as a result.  "The file will not be backward capable" does not nearly begin to describe the issues that arose for those who are networked and in a multi-user environment.   Did you not "test" before releasing the update?

Hi, Bill Teague again, and in the interest of full disclosure, if it wasn't clear earlier, I’m an Intuit employee. I'm responding to the Dec. 5 comment above. We're sorry for the problems. Intuit knows about the complexity of the R9 release, so several days ago we temporarily “turned off the spigots” for the R9 Automatic Update. Since then wait times for callers have gone down and levels of support have gone up. In the interim, R9 remains as a manual update for those users who want to take advantage of its enhancements sooner as opposed to later. Intuit continues to update and expand its collection of online resources supporting this process at www.quickbooks.com/R9 .

Now we are looking at ways to better prepare users who are likely to need more than just a typical Automatic Update, e.g., where more than one machine is involved, before the update takes place. We will also be testing short periods of turning on the spigot now that a Dec. 4 Alert was sent to most users of record, providing more background around the release. We're hopeful that this metered process will eliminate the aggravation for your clients moving forward.