Just think—you are about to release a new version of your software and you're bubbling with excitement. You anticipate it will attract new customers, but you would also like to increase your revenue from your existing ones. Then, why not make it an upgrade? This will boost your revenue with upgrade licenses.

You will reach new users with the new features, but you will want to market your upgrade to your existing users who will reap the most benefits from it.

Everyone likes to be up to date 🙂 Your users will want to upgrade even if they don't need the new features. Being up to date is of value because of the belief that the latest version is the best and most non-problematic one.

There is another important consideration. If you offer different versions of your software, such as standard, gold and platinum, then users should be able to switch versions. A user with a standard version should be able to upgrade to gold or platinum, which will positively impact your revenue.

What about your license manager?

A license manager should be able to manage upgrade licenses differently from other types. A user with an upgrade license will need to enable it to access the software upgrade. Until then, the license manager would recognize that the license is legitimate, but not enabled. The user would then need a form to enter both licenses for the upgrade. The license manager brings this functionality to you.

How do upgrade licenses work?

Basically, a user has two license keys. The first key belongs to the current version and the second is for the upgrade. The users enter both keys into a form (this form can be included in your software or in your e-commerce store). Afterwards, the current license is deleted, and the upgrade license becomes valid.

For example, let's say Person A has My Great Product V1. They order the upgrade, My Great Product V2. Now, this individual has two licenses.

• Person A visits your e-store and opens the upgrade form.
• They enter both license keys into the form.
• Now, they can use the upgraded version.

OR

• Person A opens My Great Product V2.
• They open the upgrading form.
• Enters both license keys.

Now, they can use the upgraded version.

What did you add to KEYZY?

We've taken care of both aspects for upgrading—your e-store and your software. Also, we developed our dashboard and APIs. Let's see what they are:

• When you add new licenses on the Licenses page, you need to specify whether those licenses are upgrade licenses or not. When they are upgrade licenses, you need to select which SKU to upgrade from.
• We updated our WooCommerce Plugin. Now, you have an upgrade form. You just need to create a new page and use our new shortcode [keyzy-upgrade] in it. The webform handles the rest for your users.
• We added an upgrade function to our C++ Client Library. Your users can upgrade the license right in your software! If you haven't already downloaded the new version, please use this link.
• We have a new endpoint on our API! Please check the details with this link. Regardless of your programming language (C#, Python, PHP, etc…), you can use this API for the upgrade operation.

Reminders

• Your users should have a step-by-step guide that provides clear instructions for software set up and upgrade.
• Pay close attention to the ordering process and double-check it, in addition to the SKU and license settings in the new version.
• Ensure you fully test your upgraded software otherwise, you may have a hard time keeping up with the support tickets.

Happy upgrading!

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash