A success plan is a subscription service that includes access to many valuable resources and technologies.  While the plan is “active”, typically on a 12-month term, your company’s investment in SOLIDWORKS is fully supported by MLC CAD Systems and SOLIDWORKS Corp. Term licenses require an active plan, but perpetual licenses will continue to operate even if they are inactive.  See the plans for full details, but being active provides the following critical benefits that are not available anywhere else as they are not offered a la carte:

• Software patches and the annual new release version.  Files are not fully backwards compatible, so staying active is necessary to operate and collaborate with other companies
• Expert customer service beyond basic license support.  This includes access to product experts, basic how-to guidance, and full vendor support of bugs and enhancement requests.
• Software, resources, and benefits to add value to the user experience

Inactive licenses lack support, upgrades, self-paced training, and access to escalated troubleshooting resources.  Renewing a license that has been inactive will incur backdating charges.  The vast majority of professional users renew their plans each year.

Value!  The price for a success plan is a fraction of the cost of the software and employee compensation.  An active plan makes users more efficient and provides valuable resources at the exact point of need.  Expert support by phone or email for any problems you encounter, on-demand training to expand proficiency and efficiency, and annual new releases packed with enhancements.  If a license is being utilized in any meaningful capacity, a success plan is a massive value.  

Lapsed licenses that are renewed in the future are subject to back-dated charges for the inactive period, meaning savings would be very low while the loss of support can have a huge impact on daily operations.  Let us know if you need help navigating your specific needs.

SolidProfessor is the premier on-demand CAD training provider, but it goes beyond expert videos on almost every topic you can imagine.  Visit SolidProfessor.com to explore the full library of learning resources for yourself, but the main features include:

• Lessons targeted to each user’s needs.  From beginner to advanced skill levels, general topics to specific functionality, and access to version-specific lesson files that incorporate new functionality with each release
• Support for SOLIDWORKS, 3DEXPERIENCE, Mastercam, and nearly every other leading CAD Platform, perfect for companies utilizing different CAD tools across the organization
• Skills assessments, perfect for measuring skills for new or prospective employees and identifying areas for improvement.
• Certifications to engage users and reward their self-guided learning accomplishments.
• SOLIDWORKS Add-in to bring learning resources into the SOLIDWORKS interface.  No need to dual-screen the lesson and the model, everything can live inside one interface.
• Administrative access to build custom learning paths, monitor course completion and quiz results, 

Customer Service at MLC CAD Systems includes technical support but goes beyond simply responding to calls for help with a problem.  Our entire multi-discipline team is ready to help your team with advice and expertise on a range of technologies and industry challenges.  Local resources take the time to get to know your team and your company to provide advice and support tailored to your needs and understanding your unique history and environment.

We want to be your first call when you start to investigate a solution or new capability.  We may be able to save you time and money or recommend solutions that are compatible with your existing solutions and skillsets.  

When expert technical support is required, application experts can be reached directly by phone, email, or our via website including an option to upload related files directly to our team. All interactions are organized into cases and tracked so you can review previous engagements or utilization of this team.  We do not have front-line agents, all cases are handled by experts with industry experience, degrees in engineering or a similar field, and are often industry leading experts in multiple fields.

Our library of SOLIDWORKS Technical Guides are searchable, browsable by category, and are always updated as new information is released.  These guides are publicly available but may be created by customer request or after a support interaction.

The Customer Portal is a web-based hub for SOLIDWORKS resources including:

– The latest versions of SOLIDWORKS software and service pack updates
– A Knowledge Base and a wide range of technical documents, such as Help, Tech Tips, Macros, and Best Practices
– Ability to make enhancement requests
– View your service requests (SRs)
– View your software performance reports (SPRs)
– Edit your customer profile
– Share your customer experience with the SOLIDWORKS development team
– Preview SOLIDWORKS beta versions and upcoming SOLIDWORKS Early Visibility (EV) Service Packs

You will receive the same high quality technical support from MLC CAD Systems with either the Essential or Elite package. The advantage of the Elite program is that you will have access to an on-demand site license for SolidProfessor up to 3 times the number of your SOLIDWORKS users. This offers significant value for customers with several users, or those with multiple CAD applications.

In addition, Elite offers “Ask an Expert” sessions, a live instructor-led training credit for $500, and a discount of 20% off MLC CAD Systems services.

For perpetual desktop SOLIDWORKS licenses, the software will continue to operate, with the exception of SOLIDWORKS Visualize Standard and CAM Standard.  Term licenses are not perpetual and will stop working. No data will be lost.

Licensing support, such as managing active computers or recovering lost licenses will always be provided for software purchased from MLC CAD Systems.  Installation files for the latest version that was active can be hosted for access, but no automatic downloads are available.

Success Plans are intended to benefit SOLIDWORKS users, so the Essential and Elite Success Plans only apply to SOLIDWORKS CAD licenses.  Additional licenses, such as Simulation or PDM, would be operated by an active SOLIDWORKS license with a Success Plan. 

Any applicable benefits from the success plan can be applied to any product you own.  For example, you can request an Ask an Expert session to discuss any SOLIDWORKS or 3DEXPERIENCE product you own.  SolidProfessor has educational content for nearly all SOLIDWORKS modules and products, as well as other CAD and CAM tools, making it possible to benefit users beyond SOLIDWORKS users.