ProAdvisor Program Value Survey Says........

February 6, 2015

9:20 AM

We posted a very short, quick poll last week asking our audience members what member benefits of the ProAdvisor Program they found most valuable. The results, while not surprising, are very telling and should give Intuit something to consider when deciding where to invest money in the future.

35% Value the Tech Support The Most
29% Value the Software Benefit The Most
25% Value the Find a ProAdvisor Listing The Most
5% Value the Product Discounts The Most
6% Value "other"

That's what you told us. Keep watching the site and reading Intuitive Accountant for future polls and surveys.

Comments (8)

Comment Feed

New QB ProAdvisor Program

I understand Intuit's desire to 'reward' large firms for bringing business to Intuit. Intuit should send them a gift basket. I think it is bad policy to conflate marketing with expertise. The new program seems to dilute the value of skilled knowledgeable ProAdvisors.

Leslie Simmons more than 9 years ago

Free advise

I agree with all the other postings. I have a couple of other concerns. I get phone calls and emails from QB users that do not call intuits help. They email or call me, expecting free help. Since I do not know if they will be a client I usually help them. So I spend my time, do not get the client and the customer just got free help. I have also had customers call me telling me that QB phone help told them to call me.... The Find a Pro Advisor here in Alaska shows a lady from Oregon, She does state that she is headquartered out of Oregon, but lists an Alaska address. So you can get a PO box in another state and put your listing in that area???? Not fair to us locals. I did send this to my QB rep and he said there is nothing they can do... Luckily for me I have all the business I need. It is still discouraging.

Kathy Toms more than 9 years ago

Loss of Excelence

Find-a-ProAdvisor referrals generate enough annual income for me to cover the cost of the PAP program and the Payroll tax subscription, but not much more than that. But it has been a "Honor Roll of Excellence" where hard work and staying current has been an impressive marketing tool for me that keeps me ahead of others in my area who profess to be QuickBooks experts. I would like for Luis to explain to me how all these changes to the PAP give me just one new benefit instead of taking away more. Instead of being an Honor Roll of Excellence, the program has become a long list of mediocrity and an added enticement to those who have not stayed current, to continue paying the PAP annual fees , supplementing Intuit's cloud development costs.

Joyce Farr more than 9 years ago

Pro Advisor Support and Benefits

I've seen this day coming. Support is no longer quality and dependable. Techs and not business managers run Quickbooks, Techs that know nothing about what clients need or want to run their businesses. Techs that want to work with software like Microsoft provides; techs that don't care that Quickbooks built their business on the backs of the backbone of America - Small business. Techs that don't know that Pro Advisors should be just that; PRO Advisors who pay fees and pass tests and have experience before they buy their way in instead of earn their way in. Quickbooks ProAdvisor Program is going down hill fast and while all their changes may cost me a large hunk of my business; they could put Quickbooks out of business like when Quickbooks took over all the business Peachtree had.

Nancy Straser more than 9 years ago

Tech Support - WHEN it's good

I've had some major issues with QuickBooks over the years with data integrity; most recently your W-2's would not line up until January 12th.... totally unacceptable! I, like Dini below, I have all the work I need and feel, too, that QuickBooks is going downhill with too many glitches. Instead of a solid accounting program, you are adding too many bells and whistles and need to get back to the basics for small businesses. Not TOO basic, like the Simple Start (which was NOT simple).... so few people want all these online things... and the e-filing. Too much hacking going on. PLEASE get back to basics and stop trying to please everyone...

Laura more than 9 years ago

Tech Support

I have been a bookkeeper for 20 year I happen to have all the work I want. I need the Tech support the most I know how to build my business. In the pasted two years QuickBooks has gone down hill. Paying $500.00 year for tech is not with being in your ya ya club. I do not what to spent my time relearning every month, I need to work. Bells and whistles is fine But I want to do accounting/bookkeeping.

Dini Jaskowski more than 9 years ago

what is a "ya ya club"

Maybe you mean "rah rah club". I sort of agree with your sentiment. But just remember how there is no perfect software; and if there was, you could not afford it!

Bill Rogers more than 9 years ago

Reply to Jaskowski

I don't know what can be done but folks like us need to be heard. I've been a proadvisor since 1999 (passing tests and paying fees) but have worked with Quickbooks even before that. Now you can be a Quickbooks Pro Advisor by just signing up like you would for food stamps. QB wants to GIVE AWAY status of ProAdvisor a status that meant something in the past. I don't care if you're a CPA or have a doctors degree in Technology. There should be years of experience and training and costs related to status called "PROAdvisor." I've run into so many messes in the past made by CPA's who know nothing about bookkeeping and who know less about Quickbooks but try to present as PROAdvisors. Regarding Support; you're right that's the most important and yet the area that gets the least interest in Quickbooks now. They are too busy developing new techie functions instead of supporting their core business. Don't need their help building a business; I have a very successful one. Don't need their discounts because usually my clients can still find Quickbooks cheaper at Sams. I appreciate the software provided but that's part of the training my fees pay for. I have built my business and know how to build a business if I had to start all over. First thing I would do is determine if the market would support my business plan which is what QB should be doing. Checking what the market to see how to remain quality in two different markets; the small business and the large business. I've never gotten a client from the Quickbooks website although I appreciate it since I tell new clients to check me out on that site but that's after I already have them. I feel sad to see the Quickbooks that allowed customers to grow from Pro to Premier to Enterprise all the while knowing they could get support from a local source who could get expert support from Quickbooks.

Nancy Strasser more than 9 years ago