We’ve been working hard to create a bunch of new features that will help you and your clients succeed online. Most clients will benefit from these new features but there are some clients who simply won’t recognise the value or their requirements are so simple that they wouldn’t make use of the features provided. Therefore, we are introducing new plans with different levels of functionality that will let clients choose the plan and features that best suit their needs. This approach means clients won't have to pay for features they are not using and clients who recognise the value of these features, can use them.

It’s important to recognise too that the new AI functionality we’re introducing with Flint 3 does have a cost to us to provide this service and the pricing takes this cost into account in the plans that include Flint 3. These new plans allow Rocketspark to focus on greater feature development where we can add greater value.

Yes, we’ll be hosting webinars to introduce the new features and demonstrate how they work, ensuring you feel confident when discussing them with your clients. These webinars will also cover the new plans, equipping you with the knowledge and resources needed to have effective conversations about the changes. We’re committed to supporting our Design Partners and ensuring both you and your clients can make the most of the new features and plans.

With the introduction of new subscription plans there are feature levels and clients will be able to select the plan that best fits their needs. For the majority of clients they will stay on their current plan and then choose to move to a higher level plan to access features that will help their business such as Flint 3, the customisable dashboard and advanced forms. 

There will be a smaller number of clients that, due to their current feature usage (such as having a higher number of forms in use or a shop online on a website builder plan), will move to a higher level plan. Clients will be able to clearly see their plan change in their website dashboard and the features they are using.

If your client does not want to move to their new plan, you can help them review their plan usage. If there are features that aren’t used, they can potentially move to a lower tier, which will make their website more cost effective.

The most likely scenarios available to avoid a plan movement are:

• They can reduce the number of forms in use on their site by removing unused forms.

• If they have an online shop enabled on the Website Builder Plan but are not actually selling anything they can turn the shop off. 

• Some not-for-profits may be collecting donations with a single product in their shop. They might consider a donation platform like Donor Box to collect donations, but note that these 3rd party donation tools have their own fees which might end up being more expensive than moving to an ecommerce plan and paying the difference in subscription plan price at our not-for-profit rate. 

We’re informing all our website customers of the new plans on Monday 25 November 2024. They will receive an email with information about the exciting new features we are launching and also details about the new subscription plans.

We are aiming to launch the new features such as Flint 3, our new dashboard and custom forms on 20 January 2025. 

Your clients will be encouraged to login to their dashboard where they will see what plan they are currently on, what their feature usage is, and what plan they will migrate to at their next billing date. 

For example, if a client is paying for their website annually they won’t move to their new plan until their next bill cycle but of course they can opt to move to the new plans at any time to get the benefit of the new features. 

As a Rocketspark design partner we want to equip you with this plan movement information too. You will be able to see this information for each of your clients when you log in to Design Studio and click into the settings for a client and their plan movement will be displayed.

Time flies when you’re having fun. Our last price increase took place for payments from 1 February 2022 so it will be just short of 2 years since our last price increase. The price increase we are introducing is not large (especially relative to inflation over a 2 year period) and by introducing new plans we’re providing customers with the choice of what functionality they wish to pay for. 

With many clients facing significant price pressure in 2023 we held off doing a price increase but I’m sure most business owners will recognise that price increases are part of running a business especially over a period of extended inflationary pressure.

We will be creating specific resources to help you have effective conversations with your clients. These will be made available soon.

If your client renews their plan for a year before the new plans come into effect on 20 January 2025, they will benefit from the current pricing and all of its current inclusions until their annual plan renews at which point the new pricing and plan inclusions will apply. They can choose to upgrade to the new plans at any stage before their plan renews to access the new features and they will just pay a pro-rata amount of the difference to upgrade to a more full featured plan. When their plan renews after 12 months, they will be charged the new pricing. 

Some clients may opt to switch from a monthly plan to an annual plan to beat the price rise which they are welcome to do anytime prior to 20 January 2025.

In an unusual situation, it may be possible that the new plan isn’t visible on your client’s dashboard. If this is the case, please contact your Partner Success Manager or our friendly Customer Success Team who will be able to help you out.

If your client is considering a lower-tier plan, start by reviewing their current usage together. Take a look at which features they’re using now and decide which ones they’re happy to not use. That way, you can ensure the new plan still meets their needs while keeping things simple and streamlined.

Yes, any subscriptions that have not been upgraded before 20 January 2025 will be subject to the new pricing plans. If your client were to choose an annual plan prior to 20 January 2025 we will honour the old pricing.

We understand that a price increase can have an impact financially. We have tried to be balanced in our approach to the plans and prices so customers can choose the features and level they are committed to.

We take a human approach to our new plan changes and if you or any of your customers have an exceptional circumstance please reach out to our friendly Customer Success team to see how we may be able to assist.

All not-for-profits that are eligible for a 50% discount will still receive a 50% discount that will be applied to the new pricing for their designated plan. 

There are some not-for-profits on a much older legacy plan but these plans don’t have the ability to be upgraded to access the new features such as Flint 3. As the new features will benefit not-for-profit organisations as well, we are moving all not-for-profit websites to the standard discount process so that they can choose any of the business plans, and their assigned not-for-profit discount will be applied to whatever plan they choose. 

Supporting not-for-profit organisations is important to us and we support a large number. We know that the recent prolonged inflationary environment has created pressure for not-for-profits too and we’d encourage any that need additional support to reach out to our customer success team to discuss their needs.

We’ve spoken personally with a number of partners about the new feature launch, plan changes and price changes and the vast majority have been very positive about what we’re launching and how the new features will help them and their clients to be successful. Most business owners understand that price changes are a part of business life.

We recognised that price increases can be challenging to communicate to clients, but framing the changes positively and focusing on the added value often helps. 

One of our most experienced partners highlighted to us that the new features and pricing plans were a great opportunity to engage with clients and discuss how these new features will help them.

Here's how you can approach the conversation:

1. Highlight the Benefits: Make sure you’re up to speed understanding the new features we’re launching and how they will help. Also highlight the high quality support that Rocketspark provides and encourage your client to contact us if there are any aspects of their website performance that they’d like help with. You can then emphasise that the new pricing comes with added features, improved functionality, and ongoing enhancements to the software. Explain how these changes will help your clients achieve better results and make the management of their digital life easier.

   If your client doesn’t feel they are getting value from what you’ve created for them or from what Rocketspark provides, this is a great opening to have a conversation about how you can support them to get value from their website. If you don’t feel equipped to advise your client on how to get better results from their website please contact us and we’d be pleased to provide guidance.
   

2. Acknowledge Their Concerns: Show understanding by acknowledging that any price change can feel disruptive. Highlight that Rocketspark are committed to providing excellent value and service and are not slowing down in what we’re creating for your clients to help them succeed online.
   

3. Provide Context: Share the rationale behind the pricing adjustments.

   • Rocketspark have created new plans with feature tiers so that those that use and value the features will pay for them.

   • Like all businesses in the recent period of extended inflation we’ve experienced increased operational costs and, as a prudent business that wants to continue developing a high quality service, we need to review and adjust prices to maintain viable operating margins.

   • We’ve continued to invest in innovation to help clients succeed and these innovations are enabled through investing into innovative team members. 

   • Security is an ever present and growing threat so we’ve significantly ramped up our investments in security and engaging external experts to guide and test our platform. All clients benefit from this investment.

   • We’ve continued to invest in the underlying performance of their website to ensure the Rocketspark platform will deliver top-notch results for clients.
     

4. Offer Support: Let them know you're available to discuss the changes in detail and help them make the most of the new features included in their updated plan.

The new features and subscription plans will apply automatically to plans that renew from 20 January 2025. If you’ve already paid for a subscription before this date, the new pricing won’t take effect until your current subscription renews.

For example:

• Annual subscription: If you have an annual subscription that renews before 20 January 2025, nothing will change for you until your plan renews. You’ll continue to have all your current plan inclusions. However, you may choose to upgrade your plan to access the new features before it renews and just pay a prorated amount to upgrade. When your subscription renews at any time on or after 20 January 2025 the new pricing for your plan will apply.

• Monthly subscription: The new monthly plan subscriptions will occur for subscriptions that renew on or after the 20 of January 2025. You can also choose to upgrade at any time before your monthly plan renews to take advantage of the great new features.

As a Rocketspark partner, the plan change will have a positive impact on your commission earned. As your clients move to the new plans with updated pricing, your commission is calculated as a percentage of their subscription fees. This means higher subscription fees will result in increased commission payouts for you. The exact impact will depend on how many of your clients are on the new plans and their chosen subscription level.

Please reach out to your Partner Success Manager, or alternatively, you can reach out to our Customer Success team by phone or email.