Disable License Request Features
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I have brought it up with our account rep, as well as other contacts at Smartsheet. I am not a pitchforks kinda guy, so rebellion is out for me… and I need the software, so kinda over a barrel. But a well organized campaign I can get behind. Possibly a petition or getting enterprise users to submit feedback en masse. (Not just admins like many of us, but all the day to day users on an enterprise plan). Unfortunately, I doubt there would be much success in getting significant participation. Images below show our company license landing page, where it suggests they let Smartsheet know they do not like the banner. I would be surprised if 5 people submitted that feedback. Its easy enough to point it out to me in meetings, but they have other things to do than campaign.
I will give Smartsheet the benefit of the doubt in that they want day to day users to know what is available. And as a business owner, I also understand the economics and advertising aspect to increase income as well. Which may be significant… I would be curious to know the statistics on license purchases that result from the 'button'.
Ultimately, I truly believe that there is a disconnect between Smartsheet's intent, and the actual user experience. Compared to other platforms that I have used, their 'upgrade' banners are the most egregious, and the narrative ("join your team", "manage your own projects") is the most confusing. And after the lead in, they send the user to their "organization" to make the request. I feel like there is so much wrong here…
I think it's unlikely the banner will ever go away completely. I would be prefer to see neutral language like "Enterprise Plan Collaborator" instead 'unlicensed'. I think the enterprise should allow the trial period, and it should not be automatic. I think ONE upgrade button is more than sufficient. I think the benefits explanation needs to be more accurate (aren't they already collaborating?). Ultimately the benefit a license provides is creating new content and workflows… which requires ongoing support and adherence to policy. A more accurate description would be "join your firms Smartsheet Support Team".
The best (or most likely?) outcome might be having Smartsheet create a feedback group from enterprise users to work out a compromise.
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Just a thought…
Current banner and pop-up (yes… I clicked the banner in this test account…so now have a trial)
An alternative I could live with (note the single upgrade button)
The cynical approach…
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This is totally ridiculous on Smartsheet part. We have over 300-400 subcontractors we are looking to be just users and don't need a license. We are getting crushed with requests. We may need to look elsewhere at a different program now.
Here is another example that Smartsheet completely ignores and doesn't care. I swear it seems sometimes their developers actually don't listen to the anyone in the forum or even use the program. So frustrating. More like DumbSheet sometimes!
