Ads in Crunch Free

TeaKayB

I understand the decision to include ads for Crunch’s paid-for service in Crunch Free, I really do! But all of the ads I’ve seen so far just tell me that the main reason to pay for Crunch is to get rid of the ads. They’re all “give us money to get rid of this intrusion” rather than “here’s why this service is worth paying for!”

It feels like being held to ransom rather than being teased an even better service. Is this really the image Crunch wants to put across? It’s not the most convincing sales technique: “rather than showing how Crunch Pro would improve things for you, we thought we’d just annoy you until you either give us your card details or leave!”

Rather than using the ads as a way of pointing out how you’re deliberately making Crunch Free more awkward and restrictive, why not use the ads as an opportunity to extol the virtues of a paid subscription instead?

At the moment I’m wavering between signing up for a premium version of Crunch and just going back to a spreadsheet. This sales tactic is pushing me more toward the latter option than the former. It’s especially frustrating that I tried to sign up for the CrunchONE option when that was a thing, but never heard any more after the initial “we’ll be in touch soon!” email.

Katie

Hi TeaKayB

Thanks for sharing your feedback - I’ll share this with our Product team. Definitely something for us to consider.

I’m sorry you didn’t hear back on your previous enquiry. There are lots of benefits to our Pro Ltd & Sole Trader packages, like unlimited accountancy support, so if you would like to have a chat with us there are a few options for getting in touch. You can request a callback, live chat via our website or call us on 0333 311 8000.

Thanks,
Katie

TeaKayB

Katie
Seriously, a pop-up ad on every page now? Almost every time I click on something I get a new pop-up ad. Dashboard to invoices? Pop-up. New invoice? Pop-up. Bank reconciliation? Pop-up after every match.

And what does this pop-up say?

"Pop-ups everywhere? Not with Crunch Lite.
Go ad free today to spend less time hitting ‘close’ and more time getting things done. And it’s not just Crunch you can clear of distractions, you’ll also remove ads from the invoices you send to clients, keeping everything professional, and on brand."

You are making a point of telling me REPEATEDLY that the only reason to pay you is to stop you getting in the way of my workflow. How on Earth did this occur to anyone as a good way to sell upgrades?

The pop-up used to be only when I signed in, which I could live with. I don’t mind the odd ad, but this is unworkable. I’m so close to going back to my spreadsheet. If you don’t want free users why offer a free tier? And if you want a free tier as a ‘try before you buy’, making it unsuable doesn’t seem like a great idea. Surely this is more reputationally damaging than just saying “now there’s no free tier”? It’s certainly not helping me to trust the brand to the extent that I want to send it any money.

I’ve got a long train journey tomorrow. I might try constantly poking the person in the seat next to me until they pay me to stop. If it’s working for Crunch, maybe it’ll work for me.

Katie

Hi TeaKayB

I do appreciate that adverts can be frustrating; however, this is a common practice within free products.

We want to continue offering a completely free version of Crunch for anyone to use. The inclusion of ads allows us to do this, and for those who only require a light touch bookkeeping, this provides a good solution.

For clients who wish to work uninterrupted on this version of our platform, we’ve introduced Crunch Lite as a low-cost, ad-free option.

Please be assured that all our software and service subscriptions allow for uninterrupted work, along with a host of other benefits such as accountancy advice and support, as well as additional software features.

As mentioned, I have shared your feedback with our Product team, and this will be taken into consideration.

All the best,
Katie

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