We initially released the first public beta of CattleMax Online back in October, so I thought I’d share a few observations from that time period.
1. Ranchers really like “cattle records anywhere”
In the past, it wasn’t easy for multiple people to be working with the records at the same time – and all but impossible from multiple locations. Someone was always chained to a desk that was the “cattle records computer” or had to collaborate with the other users on who had the most recent copy of the records. This led many to batch their record keeping, entering records every week or so instead of daily.
Since CattleMax Online can be accessed anywhere from any device, it’s now possible for multiple people to be recording and updating information at the same time. Now we are seeing cowboys recording calvings in the pasture while the ranch secretary back at the office records sales from the morning… all the while the ranch owner hundreds of miles away is viewing reports as things happen. The same scenario plays out with parents with children off at school or in another town.
2. Removing small speed bumps leads to heavier use
With CattleMax CS, around half of our support requests were “PC issues”… installing on a new computer, deactivating an old computer, lost serial numbers, random errors that couldn’t be reproduced, etc.
However we are finding that with CattleMax Online, our support questions have become fewer but also a lot “tougher” to answer. Gone are the 30 second replies of “Go to this address and click that link”. With customers not stumbling over licensing and PC-issues, they are using the software more frequently and deeper. Here’s what I mean…
A few recent CS support questions from last week:
- Needing to re-activate and customer is only available after 5pm
- Trouble sending herd file to customer service
- “My screen doesn’t look like yours” (running old version)
- Needing a new CD since the old was misplaced
A few recent CMO support questions from last week :
- Calculating percent dam weight and using it on a Weaning report
- Downloading EPD updates from a breed association
- Adding weights in bulk instead of one-at-a-time
- Oh and yes a PC issue… help with sending a CS file for importing in to CMO
3. Who catches on to CMO fast and who takes time
CattleMax Online is a completely new product with a completely new design and feature set. As we like to say, “we brought over the best from the desktop and fixed the rest.”
Never used CattleMax We have a long list of those who have tried CattleMax but never bought because lack of certain features (Mac support, mobile version) or more likely because of the complexity of CattleMax CS. This group, who has minimal preconceived notions of how CattleMax should work, has been by far the fastest to adjust to CattleMax Online. They never had the chance to learn the CS quirks in-and-out like the next two groups.
CattleMax CS Regular users 90% of the CattleMax CS users fall into this category. They used CattleMax CS a few times a month and stick to the Preset Reports and Customizable Lists. After finding the common features (reports, group update, sale tickets), they usually get settled in and really like the improved features.
CattleMax CS Power Users This is by far the group that has taken the longest to adjust to CattleMax Online and some may never make the adjustment. You know who you are with your dozen custom fields, repurposed boxes (who needs Other ID, I’ll put xxx there), hundreds of notes per animal, and 20+ reports in the Access Companion. These customers used CattleMax CS almost daily for years, so it’s no surprise they have a very rigid set of expectations. My best advice to this group has been to evaluate the pro’s and con’s of CMO and determine if the benefits (faster data entry, mobile version, multi-user, and more) outweigh the cons of losing certain things like the Access Companion or re-learning the flow.
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