Frequently Asked Questions about QI Macros | |||||||||||||||||||
We help people think! |
Pricing and Licensing
Maintenance and Technical Support
Software Validation and FormulasWho are Your Customers?
OtherPricing and LicensingLicensingThe QI Macros is a single user perpetual license. You need to purchase one license for each user, regardless of whether the software is loaded on a network or on individual PCs. There are no annual maintenance fees. We do offer optional maintenance and update plans where users receive the latest version of the software every quarter. QI Macros License AgreementThis license agreement is a legal agreement between you and KnowWare International Inc. It permits you to use one copy of QI Macros on a single computer. By opening and using the QI Macros software, you are agreeing to be bound by the terms of this agreement. The QI Macros is owned by KnowWare International Inc. and protected by U.S. Copyright laws. You may transfer one copy to a hard disk. Any enhancements added to the existing macros are considered the property of KnowWare International Inc. You may not copy, rent, or lease the QI Macros or the documentation accompanying it. Pricing and Quantity DiscountsQuantity discounts are calculated on a per order basis so make sure you consolidate your orders to receive the best possible price. Pricing, shipping and other order information can by found on our purchasing page. How do I order?You can order in one of the following ways:
Orders are filled in 24 hours and shipped Priority mail. Overnight service is available; it just costs more. For item # and pricing information your can view any or our order pages or download our latest QI Macros product brochure.
. Can I Get a Quote?You can receive a quote by clicking "Review Order" at the end of any order page or fill out our quote page. Do you have an evaluation copy?You can download a 30-day evaluation copy at www.qimacros.com/freestuff.html. Maintenance and Technical SupportWindows, Excel and Mac compatibilityPC: Supports ALL VERSIONS of Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, NT and Vista, even networks (just load the macros on your PC and tell Excel to look in your alternate startup directory). Supports Excel 97, 2000, XP, 2003 and 2007. Macintosh: Supports MacOS 8-X and Excel 5.0, Office 98, 2001 and 2004. The QI Templates work in Excel 2008, but the macros will not because the Macintosh Office team chose not to support VBA code. QI Macros Maintenance PolicyWhile every new release of the QI Macros seeks to be backward compatible with as many releases of Excel as possible, it cannot pretend to be forward compatible with future changes to Excel (i.e., service packs and new versions). We seek to support recent Excel changes, however, we do not provide endless support. To meet varying customer needs, we offer:
QI Macros Upgrades and EnhancementsThe QI Macros are upgraded on a regular basis whenever customers request new functionality or when Microsoft comes out with a new version of Windows or Excel. Recent upgrades contain many time saving enhancements and new tools. A complete history of our upgrades is available for review. Upgrades are optional and are provided to our current customers at a discount. You need to purchase one upgrade for each license you own. Quantity discounts are calculated on a per order basis. Check pricing, order and download immediately on our upgrade order page. QI Macros Technical SupportAnswers to frequently asked questions and common error messages can be found on our QI Macros technical support page. We also provide technical support via phone and email from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Mountain time Monday through Friday. Customers can email their files and questions to lifestar@rmi.net or call 888-468-1537. QI Macros questions are answered free of charge. However, there is
a $95 fee for Excel and Statistical Process Control (SPC) coaching (up
to 1/2 hour). Customers will be notified in advance if their question
is considered an Excel or SPC question requiring payment. Replacement PolicyThe QI Macros comes on a CD with a 36 page user guide. If you order on our website, you can select download only or you can download and also elect to have a CD and user guide shipped to you. If you select download only, please make a backup of the setup file immediately.
Based on the number of calls we get, we can assure you computers crash! Protect your investment - make a backup by copying the setup file to a CD and store it in a safe place where you can find it. Should you need to inquire about a replacement, please have as much of the following information as possible: If you do not have all of this information, we may have to search our database for your record and your request may be delayed. TrainingThe QI Macros are so easy to use, most folks can learn to use them in as little as 5 minutes. Here are the training resources that are available. Free Training Resources
How did they come into being?In working with improvement teams, I have found that most people are fearful, even phobic of two things: math and computers. Drawing graphs and charts sometimes made team members feel stupid, and they transferred that feeling to the improvement process. More complex software is fine for statisticians, but a complete turn-off for most folks. I found that everyone wants is a simple, easy-to-use, all-in-one set of tools for documenting their improvement efforts. Like most people, I feel more comfortable using a familiar tool like Excel than I do trying to learn a bunch of new software. So I created macros to draw the graphs and a menu bar to make them easy to use. Then I added fill in the blank templates that are even easier to use. These tools and a laptop PC can accelerate your team by allowing you to immediately create graphs in team meetings. Just-In-Time documentation! Couldn't I just develop them myself?Sure you could, if you had thousands of hours to spend recreating and maintaining these macros, templates, and their associated documentation. The companies that have done this evaluation, including the U.S. Postal Service, concluded that the costs in time, money, and product delay simply wouldn't be worth it. After all, they're only $139 + $8 S&H, and there are quantity discounts when you buy more than one copy. Can team members see my output?Because the charts and graphs are in Excel, you can Email them to anyone who has Excel and they can SEE them. You can also copy and paste the charts and graphs into any Microsoft Office product--Powerpoint, Word--or other presentation tool (e.g., Pagemaker). Can the QI Macros be customized?QI Macros are written in VBA. We can create custom versions for you. Just let us know what you need and we will send you a free quote. Requirements can be emailed to lifestar@rmi.net Do you do other Excel programming? You bet! If you don't see what you want in the QI Macros, we can take
any reference material and put it into an Excel template or macro. We
often: Tailor the macros for Fortune 500 companies Develop Excel-based case studies for internal training Develop new macros and templates Develop measurement "dashboards" for mission-critical processes. . Why are they only $139 when other packages cost more than twice as much?First, most companies are hesitant to spend $300 on a new tool without a lot of research. Even then, in today's tight budgets, not everyone can have a copy. Limiting tool availability limits your speed, quality, and profitability. I found that the bestselling software in the world is priced around $100 to $150. I'd rather sell more at a reasonable cost, than a few at a higher cost. Second, because the macros use the power of Excel for data handling and graphic displays, my development costs are lower than for traditional statistical tools. This also holds down the cost of technical support.
© 2007 KnowWare International Inc. (888) 468-1537 |
It contains over 70 fill in the blank templates such as the Ishikawa diagram, QFD, DOE, FMEA, PPAP, and Gage R&R for MSA. Performs ANOVA, t-test, F-test, and regression analysis.
|
|||||||||||||||||
