I have been attempting to drink from the fire hose and am drowning. I would like to offer a suggestion: Classes for Easel. There are a ton of youtube videos out there, but most that do what I need are for software other than Easel, and most of the videos for Easel are not what I am trying to do. There are Inventables/Easel videos, and I’ve been watching them and sucking in the knowledge as fast as I can (some are quite good), but there seems to be no format or ‘catalog’ if you will whereby a user can find exactly what he is looking for and/or a ‘start here, and progress through these videos’ format.
Some of the things that I need to do seem to be quite simple, and yet I cannot find instruction on HOW to do them.
In searching this website, it appears this (learning) was quite a discussion back in 20018-2019, but there appears to be radio-silence since. The community on Forum has been great, but I suspect that folks are tired of my questions by now. I’m willing to put in the work to learn this software, but I feel like a lamb in the forest in a blizzard. PLEASE HELP!!!
Suggestions:
Video catalog: Create a resource whereby you catalog the videos that have already been made. Some of these videos are quite good, but one must know what he is looking for - AND what that is called in order to find it on Youtube. It seems odd to use YouTube to store Inventables educational videos. Think of this suggestion as a ‘digital spiral-bound guidebook’ (yes, I’m ‘old-school’) where a student could start at the ‘beginning’ and progress through his education as laid out by Inventables - OR - could jump to the video on the topic needed by clicking a topic from the glossary. This catalog should be provided as standard fare for all Easel subscriptions. I’ve paid for the Easel Pro, and am not sure that there is the added value over the regular or even the free version. I’m sure that there are valuable tools within the Pro version unavailable to other versions, but I do not know what they are because the most needed feature - education - is not there (or if it is, I do not know where to look).
Repository for educational topics/suggestions: I have no idea if I am posting this in the correct place. I think so, but will only know if/when someone responds. Customer loyalty is dependent on customer success. Right now I do not feel that I am set up for success.
Cheat from your competition: When I decided to take the plunge and buy my X-Carve Pro, I was torn between it, and the Shaper Origin. Each had, and do, in my mind, their individual advantages. In the end, I decided to go with the stationary CNC model - X-Carve Pro, and after watching the promotional YouTube videos put out from Inventables I felt that I would have my hand held as I got my business started.
I no longer feel that this is the case as I am constantly searching for answers to simple questions. Most of the answers that I find come either from the internet from people who do not have an Inventables product, or from the Forum from X-Carve/Easel users who take pity on me. Meanwhile, the competition (Shaper) holds weekly classes for their users. I get their announcements because I purchased their Shaper Trace after being frustrated trying to figure out how to get my designs into Easel, and that product allows me to print up the design, snap a photo and upload it to Easel (I’m sure that there is an easier way, but after banging my head against a wall trying to figure it out I dropped the $100 bucks and it has been a great help). It just seems like they just just ‘Get it’ in terms of the fact that a company’s long-term success is directly dependent upon that of their customers. In fairness, I do not own that product and have not taken the classes. But the fact that they offer these classes and Inventables DOES NOT speaks volumes.
Dedicated Easel Customer service line: Often I find myself with my back against a wall, and out of desperation call the Tech Support group. I do not imagine that this is what these fine folks are there for. If they are TRUE “Tech Support” they are there to help with machine and/or software problems - NOT educational issues. My suggestion is to have a group of people who’s sole job is creating customer success.
With this said, I am a businessman, I understand that nothing is free. Fair enough. Offer this service with your premium subscription (as well as an ‘add-on’ option for those using a lesser subscription/free version). Just be sure to reread the paragraph above to see what your competition is offering their customers for FREE before deciding the pricing for this service. That said, at my current frustration level, I would pay a premium to get out of this hole that I am falling into.
*Please note: I have nothing but praise for the folks at Tech Support. I’m sure that they sigh when they see my phone number on caller ID, but they have NEVER been anything but responsive and have always tried to help.
Inventables University: In my past career I was a 20-year Account Executive before moving onto sales then management. It was my job for those 20 years to guarantee that our customers were so successful and so happy with our products and services that they NEVER wanted to leave. I would fly to a customer and offer trainings and support, and yes, hand-holding. Additionally, we held “Tech Forums” twice a year at our company’s headquarters whereby customers would send employees to come and learn about our company, new products and services coming on-line, as well as attend classes ranging from beginner through advanced. I taught many of those classes. Additionally we held 'Round-table discussions" where our customers could sit and talk with engineers (both software and hardware), Customer Support, and Management personnel, and discuss their pain-points, their thoughts, and ideas.
Nearly EVERY product that our company released over the 50 years in business was the brain-child of some customer who at one of these round-tables said; “That’s great and all, but what we in the field REALLY need is ______”. These “Tech Forums” were always FREE of charge to any and all customers. The customer was responsible for their travel and lodging, but everything else was covered by the company (we even fed them and held a barbecue at the end of the week for everyone to mingle and discuss the Forum, what they learned, and offer suggestions for how the company could make the next forum even better).
This is, in my opinion Inventables’ biggest failing. Now, I suspect that the vast majority of Inventables’ customers are single users such as myself, so flying out to visit my little one-man shop likely makes no financial sense, but classes held at Inventables Headquarters seems like a company interested in customer success to me. The interesting thing about the Tech Forums at which I taught for over 20 years is that I believe that I learned as much from my customers as they learned from me. We have two ears and one mouth for a reason. It is one thing to make and sell a product/service, but until you see how it is being used in the field in “real life” you are living in a bubble, and eventually that bubble runs out of oxygen.
I could go on, but I think that you get the point. At this point, nearly all of the products that I intend to make and sell reside - still - in my head. They seemed so easy to make when I saw the promotional videos prior to purchase, yet they are still trapped in my head due to lack of knowledge on HOW to convince Easel to tell the X-Carve Pro how to make them. The answers are out there, you likely know said answers, but I cannot find them, and I don’t know who to ask. If I can’t find answers soon, I will have to close up shop and go back to the workforce. Mine won’t be the first dream unfulfilled, but I’d like to think that Inventables would like to see me succeed and boast to others about the products and services that I used climbing the ladder to that success.
All my best,
Joe
Wooden-U Workshop