Pro-Services Assisted Software Bundles

Overview

This article details the required billable services allowances that must be purchased with all Pro-Services Assisted (PSA) Software Bundles. It includes information on

• Available Bundles – a list to the article that lists all bundles (and specifies which are PSA bundles)
• Required Pro-Services Allowances – details on 1) Orientation & Planning Services and 2) ERP Connector Services, including when these apply, what deliverables they include, when they apply to PSA bundles.
• How Billing Works – details on how billing works for these allowances.

Background

PSA Bundles, along with Standard Bundles, are the two types of optional software bundles that CIMcloud offers to extended the capabilities & features of the base CIMcloud platform. “Bundles” are a collection of one or more features.

Available Bundles

The following article includes a list of all CIMcloud optional bundles organized by type (Standard vs. Pro-Services Assisted).

• Optional Software Bundles Overview

Required Pro-Services Allowances

The following includes a list of the two (2) required professional services allowances that apply to PSA bundles.

Orientation & Planning Services Allowance

This allowance is for a block of time with an experienced consultant on the CIM Pro Services team.

• Hours Included: 15 hours is typical, but could vary by bundle (see your estimate).
  • Note: The standard allowances represent the typical work expected when completed on the latest version of the CIMcloud platform.  Your customizations, complex configurations, use-cases, etc. could cause this to vary.  We target to set allowances that work most of the time.
• Deliverables:  The allowance is allocated towards two deliverables.  Your time block is prioritized for deliverable #1.  Any remaining (unused) time can be applied to deliverable #2.
  • Deliverable #1: Introduction & Planning Help:
    • Discuss your use-case and business needs.
    • Help validate your use-case is a match for the bundle / features.
    • Help determine if customizations are needed (customization time is sold separately).
    • Orient you to the features, including basic setup & operations instructions.
    • Help you plan your strategy to configure features & settings, prepare data, implement, and roll-out the features.
  • Deliverable #2: Implementation Support:
    • Help with any questions or issues that come up (configuration, compatibility with other assisted bundles, etc) during implementation, testing, and live roll-out / stabilization.
• When Required: Always. This services allowance is required any time you purchase a PSA bundle (i.e. with your initial CIMcloud order, with an upgrade after go live, etc).

ERP Connector Services Allowance

Most PSA bundles include both 1) features on the CIMcloud platform, and 2) fields and/or tables of data that need to sync between CIMcloud and your back-end ERP software system.  This can become complex to install, particularly on a live site.  For this reason, most PSA bundles require an additional services allowance to be purchased (to handle the ERP sync portion of the bundle install process).

• Hours Included: varies by bundle and ERP system (see estimate).
  • Note: The standard allowances represent the typical work expected when completed on the latest version of the CIMcloud platform.  Your customizations, complex configurations, use-cases, and/or local ERP environmental conditions could cause this to vary.  We target to set allowances that work most of the time.
• Deliverables: This allowance is allocated towards three (3) deliverables.
  • Deliverable #1: Planning & Verification of Work
    • This includes an experienced consultant collecting feedback on which features in the bundle you plan on implementing, reviewing your site and existing data, considering which ERP system you are working with, and confirming or modifying the plan to get the new features connected with your ERP system.  Note: They will also notify you if they expect the actual hours required to exceed the standard allowance.
  • Deliverable #2: Preparing Platform Data Work
    • Some PSA bundles require the initially installed settings and/or synced data to be changed to support the new features.  In some cases, data rework is required.  This deliverable involves executing the changes to the existing site data, if needed, to make it compatible with the new feature / bundle moving forward.  This could include modifying data on the platform and/or modifying ERP sync configurations (part of deliverable #3 below) and refreshing data from your ERP to CIMcloud.
  • Deliverable #3: Modifying the ERP Sync (to Connect New Features)
    • Many PSA bundles include features that share data with your ERP system.  This includes 1) tables and/or fields that already existing in the ERP and need to be synced from the ERP to CIMcloud, or 2) tables and/or fields that are involved in transactions (orders, invoice payments, returns, etc) and need to sync from CIMcloud to your ERP system.
• When Required: All upgrade orders.  These services apply any time you purchase a pro-services assisted bundle as a upgrade / add-on after your initial CIMcloud order.

Process Steps

The following outlines the steps involved in executing the two services allowances described above.

Where This Fits:

The below steps (for the services described above) occur at the following points in these 3 major implementation processes.

• New (First Timers to CIMcloud) Implementation Process – Complete the below steps while you are completing Stage 2.
  • This applies to you if you are about to purchase CIMcloud (or just purchased it).
• Migrations (from Classic to Current) Process – Complete the below steps while you are completing Stage 2 (starting with Step 1).
  • This applies to you if you are a long-time Website Pipeline or CIMcloud customer and you are considering (or already) migrating from the classic version our of product to the current version.
• Software Bundle Upgrade Process – Complete the below steps while you are completing Stage 1 > Steps 2, 3, and 5.
  • This applies to you if you previously purchased CIMcloud and are about to (or just) purchase a PSA bundle to be installed on your existing CIMcloud platform.

Special Notes:

• The ERP Connector Services Allowance only applies to Software Bundle Upgrades.  Why? Because connector services for PSA bundles are already incorporated into the overall platform and ERP sync deployment steps for New Implementations and Classic-to-Core Migrations.  
• On rare occasions, customers who purchase a migration ALSO purchase new PSA bundles or features (that they did not previously own and/or use).  In this less common case, the ERP Services Allowance may apply to you on your migration project.

Steps:

• Prerequisite: Order
  • You purchase the software bundle with required services allowance as part of one of these orders: i) new CIMcloud implementation, ii) migration, or iii) bundle upgrade.
• Step 1: Consultant Assigned
  • The CIM pro services group assigns a consultant to the services allowances.
• Step 2: Discovery Call(s)
  • The CIM consultant conducts one or more scheduled discovery call(s) with you to confirm your use-case, help verify the bundle features will do what you need (if not, they will indicate customizations may be needed which are handled via our Customization Process), initially orient you with the bundle features, and help plan your data and implementation strategy.
• Step 3A: Bundle Installed (but turned off if you are already live)
  • You support CIMcloud’s efforts as needed.
• Step 3B (if applicable): ERP Connector Services Are Complete
  • You support CIM Pro Services group’s efforts as needed.
• Step 4: Orientation Call
  • The CIM consultant conducts an orientation call with you to officially turn the bundle over, further orient you with the bundle features, and discuss your next steps (to implement).

Moving Forward: The bigger project process (new implementation, bundle upgrade, or classic-to-current migration), takes back over from here.  In all cases, you will be doing the following with the PSA bundle:

• You Complete Self-Service Implementation & Testing
  • Consulting / implementation support can be provided with any unused allowance hours (note: if your allowance runs out, you can approve more hours at any time).
• You Complete Live Roll-out of the Bundle
  • Consulting / implementation support can be provided with any unused allowance hours (note: if your allowance runs out, you can approve more hours at any time).

How Billing Works

These professional services allowances are typically executed by the CIM Pro Services group (CIMcloud’s in-house pro services practice) at standard hourly rates.  An allowance is just a pre-approved block of time (typically pre-paid) to be used for the services described in the deliverable above.  You will be billed for actual hours only.  Prepayments for services are added as a credit memo on your account and then used when actual hours are billed (credits are used to pay the invoices).  Any unused credits can be applied to other projects.  If the allowance is not enough to cover the actual hours needed, you can approve additional hours to be added to the allowance.