[mikael]

Tech,

The process of moving from "free" (bundled) to "fee" support has indeed been done by a lot of companies. In general, it's a good move, even if only to start recognizing reality -- There Ain't No Such Thing As Free Support.

While the shift will tend to decrease your call volume, if handled appropriately, the real reason for making the move ought to be much more strategic.

Many software companies, if not most, begin life in a "take the money and run" mode. Their profit model is to take the bulk of their profit from the initial sale of the product, and hope that everything after that breaks even or makes a little more. The problem with that model is that it is not very stable. After a while, as the company matures, the general trend is to go to an income-stream model where the profit is taken incrementally over time from a variety of transactions.

Front-loaded companies tend to think of their service departments in terms of the effects they have on sales. A good reputation means increased sales, a bad rep means more resistance to sales. However, when you start to shift over to an income stream model, the perception of the service group has to change. Now you'd better be run as a profit center, and you are a critically important factor in managing that ongoing profitable customer relationship.

Forgive the lengthy preamble -- the real reason you need to be pushing for a shift to paid support is that in any company, Power Follows Money. If you want to win, get yourself associated with an income stream.