Looks like you have some nice features here. This is not something to laugh at, at all.
I could see using something like this for a customer support email list.
Pricing is an issue, though. If I actually had a running business that was doing its customer support over email, the amount you're asking would be no problem. But I could also see just using it personally. For that, however, the price is too high by a factor of 10, maybe 20. (Compare Evernote, for example, at $5/month.)
Have you considered offering a free plan for personal use? This would give you an opportunity to demonstrate value and build a user base. At the prices you're asking, you would need only a small fraction of users to convert to the paid plans to make money.
You have some good ideas here and I think you're attacking a real problem, but you are in a space where it's going to be very difficult to get noticed. It's not going to be easy to overcome that.
"If I actually had a running business that was doing its customer support over email, the amount you're asking would be no problem"
Its primarily for this reason why I've been trying to target businesses. I've been having trouble finding a market though. If I start attacking the help desk arena I'm a new player with a lot of well entrenched competitors. If I start going after smaller players like consumers, price will have to drastically drop, revenue per customer will drop and total signups will have to significantly increase to make up for it.
My current strategy is to attempt to market to businesses, continually evaluate the results and decide if a shift in customer base is required. I would much prefer 300 customers paying $50/month, then 3000 paying $5/month ;)
Comments
Looks like you have some nice features here. This is not something to laugh at, at all.
I could see using something like this for a customer support email list.
Pricing is an issue, though. If I actually had a running business that was doing its customer support over email, the amount you're asking would be no problem. But I could also see just using it personally. For that, however, the price is too high by a factor of 10, maybe 20. (Compare Evernote, for example, at $5/month.)
Have you considered offering a free plan for personal use? This would give you an opportunity to demonstrate value and build a user base. At the prices you're asking, you would need only a small fraction of users to convert to the paid plans to make money.
You have some good ideas here and I think you're attacking a real problem, but you are in a space where it's going to be very difficult to get noticed. It's not going to be easy to overcome that.
Thanks Scott I really appreciate the feedback.
"If I actually had a running business that was doing its customer support over email, the amount you're asking would be no problem"
Its primarily for this reason why I've been trying to target businesses. I've been having trouble finding a market though. If I start attacking the help desk arena I'm a new player with a lot of well entrenched competitors. If I start going after smaller players like consumers, price will have to drastically drop, revenue per customer will drop and total signups will have to significantly increase to make up for it.
My current strategy is to attempt to market to businesses, continually evaluate the results and decide if a shift in customer base is required. I would much prefer 300 customers paying $50/month, then 3000 paying $5/month ;)