Item: Zuora
Rating: 1
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Zuora is currently being implemented via API calls to replace our current internally-build billing system. We're a company that requires subscription management for year-long terms. The way we currently have our billing software set up in our internal admin system is not sufficient to handle the large user-base or the amount of revenue flowing through our system. We're implementing this third-party subscription management system in order to improve reporting and conversion rates, and to improve our future a la carte add-on items.

Pros and Cons

Manages subscription services specifically.
Can be altered to fit your particular business needs.

Their User Interface and User Experience is absolutely garbage.
They could benefit from more extensive user research and feedback. I feel like they've never had any communication with their users about the ease of using their products.
Make simpler ways to complete tasks. This could be done if they hired a UI/UX Designer. I am convinced they've never thought of hiring one.

Alternatives Considered

We've been with Zuora since before I joined the billing implementation team. This is the only third-party system I've worked with and was the only true alternative for us to use in replacing our internally built system. I wish I would have been around during the final decision on Zuora in order that I could have had more input in choosing an alternative company/solution.

Likelihood to Recommend

Subscription Management for Subscription Based Service companies. If they improved their user experience and product usability, they'd be in a much better position for me to recommend their product to other companies. [Zuora is less appropriate for] Really any company that needs an easily understood/simple implementation product to manage subscription based services. If you are not technically savvy, or if you don't have 25 hours per week to keep up maintenance in Zuora, then it's not the product for you. I would personally not recommend this product to anyone or any company.

Support Rating

A support request is emailed to their support team, then an automated response is sent to you in a couple hours saying "Hey, someone will take a look at your support request soon". Then somewhere around 12-18 hours later, an actual support member responds with "Have you checked out our tutorials? Here's one that sounds like it might help you". I don't want a tutorial given to me that I've already read through that only exists because of the terrible user design of Zuora's user interface.

Zuora Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
None	Slow Resolution Poor followup Problems left unsolved Not kept informed Escalation required Difficult to get immediate help Slow Initial Response

Premium Support

No - Zuora is already expensive, and their normal customer support is slow and uneducated, so we had no feeling of added value paying for additional Zuora services to help us resolve issues that are only issues due to the poor usability and experience of managing Zuora.

Bug Resolution

Yes - Not timely, refer to my last response regarding the "initial" and "actual" support request response. The requests I've made have only had actual responses made to me in 12 hours or more.

Exceptional Examples of Zuora Support

I did have one situation where I had a positive experience after emailing our designated support/integration rep about the terrible user interface design and how difficult it was to use. After explaining my frustrations, this individual offered to have himself and his lead developer personally meet with me so that we could talk about my frustrations and help them get a better idea on how to improve their product. This meeting never did get scheduled, but the fact that he mentioned it and at least had the idea of meeting with me was a positive interaction.

Usability

Well aside from it being absolutely terrible to look at, navigate, interact with, complete processes, delete things, change things, do minimal-effort tasks... no one can properly pronounce Zuora.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
None	Do not like to use Unnecessarily complex Difficult to use Requires technical support Not well integrated Inconsistent Slow to learn Cumbersome Feel nervous using Lots to learn

Easy Tasks

Absolutely Nothing
Not one thing
Literally not one single process

Difficult Tasks

Making Account Subscription Changes
Managing Customer Account, invoice, and subscription dates
Deleting things. How is it so hard to delete things? Just have a trashcan icon and let me delete it!

Zuora... Difficult to say, difficult to use.

Overall Satisfaction with Zuora