14 DAY TRIAL // Switching to Mac is a topic we've previously covered with the help of Marketcircle's CEO, Alykhan Jetha. The man's ambition to convince companies big and small that Mac is the way to go has brought about the creation of a new page on Marketcircle's website. A banner saying “Make the Switch” greets visitors of a section that is entirely dedicated to those who are considering making the switch to Mac.
Marketcircle Inc. develops award-winning business applications for Mac OS X, including a business productivity management software called Daylite, and Billings, a practical time-billing and invoicing application. Incorporated in 1999, Marketcircle Inc. is located in Toronto, Canada (with partners worldwide).
After spotting the newly added segment on Marketcircle's site, we thought why not call up Mr. Jetha and take another swing at the subject.
A portion of the “Make the Switch” banner found on Marketcircle's website
Softpedia - Switchers generally associate their move to the Mac with having to switch to a totally different set of work tools, both from a functional point of view and from a visual perspective. In short, people are afraid of change. Would you say the difference is that big? Also, as a company CEO that has seen so many smiles from switchers, what advice would you give PC users to leave these fears behind?
AJ - While the actual change is not that big, the perceived difference can be quite big. PC users just don't know what to expect and that unknown is the root of a large amount of fear. After all, they use their PC to earn a livelihood and any risk to that is a big risk for them. The best thing for a potential Mac-switcher to do is to go to an Apple store and play around with a Mac. Ask the helpful staff to demo the machine and answer some key questions that might be holding the new user back. Once a PC person gets answers, some of his or her concerns will evaporate (this always seems to happen). A new user can buy a Mac and make sure it dual boots into Windows and Mac OS X - then play around and learn the Mac while still maintaining the existing work environment. Soon the new user will spend less and less time in Windows - guaranteed - and... to improve their work environment and work-flow productivity, the new Mac user might install Daylite Productivity Suite and Billings 3.
Softpedia - Another big concern for PC-focused businesses when considering the switch is how smoothly the process of migrating data will go. Surely you were faced with answering questions like‚ "Are we going to lose anything in the process?‚" or "Are some things going to be exported as something else?‚" and the proof lies within your move to create a tool that imports ACT data from a PC to Daylite on a Mac. When and how did you realize you could actually convince PC users to move all their data onto a Mac?
AJ - Moving data is tricky. The bigger the data-set the less likelihood of moving the entire set perfectly. This has nothing to do with either a Mac or PC platform. It's mostly about the application you are moving from and to. So the key thing to understand is what is absolutely necessary to move over, then ensure it will move intact.
A few years back, we got tons of requests to import data from ACT - both from old Mac classic users and current PC users. Sensing an opportunity, we investigated the possibilities of how to import data and we decided to write a visual basic tool on Windows. The demand was sky high (for us, at least), so it was easy to justify the investment. The tool extracted the necessary data from ACT 6 on Windows and put it in a format that Daylite could understand. ACT 6 could import from the old ACT 2.8 on Mac, so we killed two birds with one stone, so to speak.
A screenshot from Marketcircle's video tour on moving data from ACT to Daylite
Softpedia - According to the video tutorials, Daylite actually re-groups some of the data imported from ACT. Is it true that Daylite imports ACT data and makes it even more usable? This seems like a very good reason to make the switch!
AJ - That's exactly what we believe. Daylite is not a replica of ACT, so we have to move the data around in ways that make sense in Daylite and to the user. The result is impressive, I think. Some old ACT stalwarts may not agree, but a good majority of users like the transformation.
Softpedia - Your efforts are admirable, given that you decided to step in and do some research for creating an export/import tool for ACT and Daylite. However, some may say this move resulted in Marketcircle "stealing" Sage Software's customers. But is this necessarily bad? In other words, would you say the switch to Mac is a road that businesses, be they big or small, will eventually take?
AJ - You know, a few years back, the co-creator of ACT called me up and basically told me that he was not happy with the way Sage was handling ACT. That fact, plus the many problems users experience with Windows (mostly malware related) have given us an influx of customers. There are months when 50% of the people that contact us are switchers or about to become switchers. The Marketcircle team doesn't go out and hunt for ACT users – somehow, they find us.
Softpedia - Are you getting any kind of support from Apple for your Mac switchers informational page initiative?
AJ - For this effort, not particularly, but Apple has been very helpful with other initiatives.
Softpedia - Is Marketcircle going to use all the experience it's got to try and convince more businesses to make the switch? If so, does Marketcircle plan on adding a new look / feel to its software to support these ongoing efforts?
AJ - It's expensive to convince Windows users to make the switch, so we won't do it directly. If a similar opportunity (to the ACT opportunity) presents itself, we'll make the appropriate tool and let customers come to us. Softpedia - How about the iPhone? Do you think Apple could start a switch campaign in this area as well?
AJ - I think what Apple is doing now is working just fine. There is a lot of curiosity about the Mac among Windows users who own iPhones.
Softpedia - How many switchers would you say are 100 percent certain they've made the right choice, and how many PC users do you see switching to Mac in the nearby future, and why?
AJ - While I can't determine specific numbers, I'm seeing three, general kinds of switchers.
1) People that used Macs in the past but had to switch to Windows for some reason or another in the past. Those people are coming back. 2) People who are frustrated with the Windows environments and are looking at their options - often triggered by owning an iPod or iPhone. 3) The younger crowd who is not bound by the concept of "have to be on Windows" and likes cool stuff.
I see the second group growing moderately over the next two years because of the continued frustrations with Windows. This group may have some remorse, if they don't find the exact solution they need or if they are unwilling to modify their behavior - but they have much to gain if they do make the switch and can adapt. I see the third group growing exponentially because this is the new generation - and these new users are very tech and design savvy, and plugged-in to what works best. The first and third group have no reservations about a switch.
As always, AJ has been extremely open when discussing the switch to Mac and its benefits. Small business heads should pay particular attention to some of the aspects AJ points out to in our interview with him, as they may just hold the key to their company's success. You can visit Marketcircle here, and here is Marketcircle's Mac Switcher page. Anyone here thinking of making “the big switch”?
