Sports "packages"

[boxofrocks]

I posted this on dgrin, but thought I'd try here as well:

Came back to Smugmug after a year hiatus (went to Exposure Manager) because they finally added packages and coupons. Now it seems I'm having a hard time using packages the way I envisioned (and requested for years).

For example: I want to use them as team and individual photo packages for sports teams. Each team would be in a seperate gallery, and a "team photo" will be specified as part of at least some of the packages. I was able to do this easily with Exposure Manager, but it seems that Smugmug lets customers choose any photos they like to add to the package. For parents that have been used to buying "team photo packages" for years, I can already tell this is going to cause confusion (expecially since it seems that the way a customer chooses what photos they want in their package is from the tinly little thumbnails that scroll across the bottom of the screen. If I've taken a few of each kid with the expectation that they will choose their favorite, they will find it hard to pick which one they like from the very tiny sample).

Am I missing something here? Surely there's a better way to do this.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can share!

[ldelacruz]

You do the orders.

[ZacW]

Hey Thomas,

I just spoke with Andy and he said that he will reply to your post on Dgrin. You should see a reply on there at some point tonight.

-Zac
SmugMug

[boxofrocks]

Originally Posted by ldelacruz

You do the orders.

Well that was helpful.

[ldelacruz]

Originally Posted by boxofrocks

Well that was helpful.

Glad I could help!

[camera shy]

Why leave and then come back ? EM looks like the best package.

[Rson]

Originally Posted by camera shy

Why leave and then come back ? EM looks like the best package.

Because Smugmug has the best support (at least in my case) price has nothing to do with value. For instance, take a bottle of water....sell it in Dallas and it goes for 1 dollar, sell it in Haiti after the earthquake and it is now 10$. Why the difference, Value. I would rather pay a little more and have exceptional support and features than a low cost. Best is relative when you have a bad customer service issue.

[boxofrocks]

Originally Posted by Rson

Because Smugmug has the best support (at least in my case) price has nothing to do with value.

I agree with your basic value proposition wholeheartedly, but who specifically are you comparing SM's support to when you say they're "best"? Did you ever use Exposure Manager? I found their service to be fantastic. I even spoke to someone on the phone there a time or two, and they were very helpful! They even have a live chat.

All in all, Exposure Manager is a quality company offering great service on a good product. Not as sexy, or as many bells and whistles as SM, but what they do, they do really well. It's a great offering for those who sell sports photos and packages. I may go back just for team packages in the short term.

Smugmug's service is really good, but no matter how much you, they, or anyone else brags about it, they are painfully slow ot bring pro feature requests to fruition. How many YEARS did it take to get coupons and packages (and a package offering that falls short of even "low budget" vendors)? Pros languished needing features while engineers built sexy GUIs.

SM is a nice company with a good product and nice people, but I still get the feeling that providing tools for pros who make their living at this is not the top priority in their business model. That's OK--no one can be all things to all people, nor should they try.

[boxofrocks]

Originally Posted by ZacW

Hey Thomas,

I just spoke with Andy and he said that he will reply to your post on Dgrin. You should see a reply on there at some point tonight.

-Zac
SmugMug

Saw his reply this morning: "We'll take this as a feature request - I don't know how hard this'd be Tom but it sure makes sense."

For those on the TPF board that follow this my reply is copied below. I post it here just to see if others see this the same way I do and possibly have another suggestion.

Thanks for the reply, and happy new year Andy.

I'll expect it sometime around 2014 then?



I mean--really--doesn't SM do competitive research? If not, I'll be happy to show them how it's done elsewhere--I really mean that; it's not meant as a snide remark. This is an offering that other companies that charge less have had for quite a while. Pros, including myself, were asking for it years ago--I was even promised a phone call from Baldy about it, but that never happened. So out come packages missing the one thing a lot of us wanted them for in the first place--the ability to sell team photos.

I know that it seems like I always come here sounding bitter, but more than anything else, I'm dumbfounded that it takes so much pleading to get stuff done that enables pros to make more money--and when we make more money, SM makes more money. Right?

I know, I know. So once again, for good measure:



I'm sorry to say (I mean that sincerely) I'll have to reopen my Exposure Manager account if I can't find a workaround by the end of the week.

Thanks for the help to those that offered.

[mercphoto]

Go back to Exposure Manager. As you (and I) have noticed SM is YEARS behind the services of a vendor like EM. And I've never had an issue with EM service and support.

[w9ctm]

Tom,
I'm sorry to read of your problem, but I LOVE the gif!!!!!

[boxofrocks]

Originally Posted by mercphoto

Go back to Exposure Manager. As you (and I) have noticed SM is YEARS behind the services of a vendor like EM. And I've never had an issue with EM service and support.

Probably re-opening my account today. I already spoke with them this morning via instant chat about some details I had questions about.

Imagine that!

If SM (with their legendary customer service) has that feature, I must have missed it.

Not a SM hater, just disappointed in them.