Launching ready-made plans + more!

[Brooke_C]

Hey Community,

We’ve made some changes to our plans page, activation portal and Self-Serve portal, with the goal of making it easier for you to activate, renew and understand your plan.

Before we get into the details, we would like to say a big thank you to @imm1304, @TheOldVR and @BrrMcGrr for helping shape the development of these systems improvements. Your insight was super helpful and informed a lot of our decisions! Would you like to be a part of shaping the next systems development? Comment on this thread, and we’ll note you down as the first to contact.

Update #1- Removal of the Discount Column in our Plan Builder

As of January 15th, we removed the discount column and individual service prices from our plan builder in both the Self-Serve and activation portals. These changes were made to reduce customer confusion and ultimately create a more seamless plan-building experience. Although these elements will no longer be visible, rest assured that our rate plans will continue to provide the value you've come to love!

Update #2- Launch of Ready-Made Plans

Today marks the launch of our ready-made plans. These are popular plans that include talk, text and data options that we know our customers love. You can find them by checking out our Plans and Promotions pages, as well as through Self-Serve and the activation portal. Ready-made options help take the work out of choosing a plan, allowing for an easier and faster activation and renewal process. If the ready-made plans aren’t exactly what you’re looking for, have no fear, you can continue to build your own plan exactly how you like it.

We’ve also made some other exciting improvements including the ability to easily compare our ready-made plans and the ability to toggle the purchase of Add-Ons on or off. This way you can make sure you’ve chosen the plan that’s best for you, and get through the activation process faster and with fewer obstacles.

FAQs

Question	Answer
Why is the discount field no longer included in the plans calculator?	Based on member feedback, we decided that removing the discount column from our plans calculator would make the plan-building experience easier to understand.
Are plan prices changing now that the discount field has been removed?	Our goal with this change was to simplify the plan-building experience. Even though the discount column is no longer visible, we’ll continue to offer the great, low prices you’ve come to love! No prices have changed at the time of this calculator update.
What is the purpose of a ready-made plan?	Ready-made plans make it easy for you to activate or renew on our most popular plans as quickly as possible. With services already selected, and math already done for you, ready-made plans help you check out in no time.
Is there a price difference between the ready-made plan and a customized plan, if I were to select the exact same features?	The price of a ready-made plan won't always match the price of that same combination of services in the plan builder. For instance, a limited-time promotion will likely be priced differently and might be highlighted in the ready-made plan section, but not be in the plan builder. Moving forward, we plan to use the ready-made plan section to highlight both our best ongoing offers and our limited-time promotions.

-Public Mobile Community team

[will13am]

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@makkahn28 wrote:

@Brooke_C, @Shazia_K, I have an Idea on HOW Public maybe able to explain a 90 Day Promo

Example:

Unlimited Prov-Wide Talk+Global Text+2GB on 3G for ONLY $40 every 30 Days

BUT, it gets BETTER

IF you Multiply 30x3, $40x3, 2GB Data x 3, IT COMES to 90 Days of consistent Service, &, 2GB of Data x 3 comes to 6GB on 3G, AND, $40 x 3 = $140 on the 90 DAY Cycle Term

What's yer opinion?

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$40 x 3 = $120. 

[will13am]

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@ShawnC13 wrote:

@srlawren, I figured that was probably one of the reasons.  I still think the 90 day is a HUGE bonus feature for PM for those customers looking for long term service and aren't just planning on being around for a couple of months.  When I am telling people they can save even more on a 90 day plan and they are like but I can't afford the ~$100 every 90 days I let them know they can still make monthly payments and have the money just accumulate in their account until the renewal date anyway..

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This is very dependent on the individual.  Some people can budget, others can't.  Many would prefer to make 3 payments rather than 1.  Visually the smaller payments look like a better deal.

[zhadj030]

I will disagree with most of the people here and say that I really dislike this. I even find it more confusing now, from the loading of the page you get "bombarded" with so much that is a bit overwhelming. I tend to just like the simple way it was before, building your own plan makes you think that you have a better freedom and control of what you want. I am not sure how people found the discount part confusing, if something is confusing then it is the "invoice" of what you pay for on self serve that needs a lot more attention then this . 

Yes I know the old plan builder is still available , but if it is sidelined then just keep it as is . I mean the thing that comes to mind now is : if it ain't broke don't fix it.

tltr; I don't like the new change 😞  I like the old display better . But as long as there are no difference in prices then I will just go outside and enjoy the weather

[makkahn28]

@Brooke_C, @Shazia_K, I have an Idea on HOW Public maybe able to explain a 90 Day Promo

Example:

Unlimited Prov-Wide Talk+Global Text+2GB on 3G for ONLY $40 every 30 Days

BUT, it gets BETTER

IF you Multiply 30x3, $40x3, 2GB Data x 3, IT COMES to 90 Days of consistent Service, &, 2GB of Data x 3 comes to 6GB on 3G, AND, $40 x 3 = $140 on the 90 DAY Cycle Term

What's yer opinion?

[matbasm]

@Brooke_C, If the 30 day ready made plans are (might be) less expensive than the same plan build manually, then I think the 90 plan for same features could be less attractive.  Might end up being no advantage to going with a 90 plan.

[Brooke_C]

Hey @ShawnC13 and @mimmo

We’ve selected 30-day plans for the ready-made options for 2 main reasons:

1. Knowing that other carriers only provide 30-day plans, the concept of 90-day plans is sometimes difficult for for new members to understand.
2. Along those lines, when comparison shopping, showcasing the 30-day plans makes it’s easier to compare apples to apples.

That being said, the 90-day equivalent will still be available through the plan builder, when you opt to build your own plan. We are also looking at new ways to let customers know how they can save more with 90-day plans in various places on publicmobile.ca. Stay tuned!

[pakmode]

Let's see how this goes..

[rabi]

by build your own plans

when click on 90 days than all other bottens that i click before disappear, that make very hard to see the price change of 30 or 90 days 

[rabi]

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@sbreakin wrote:

2. I also found the pick a plan selection list too long on my quite large monitor & had to scroll up & down as I made changes to see the price.

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i think that 3g data & 4g data shulde be on 2 lines in order not to scroll up & down

[NDesai]

Agreed with some of you concerned about how this is set up. Building your own plan, requires scrolling as the data column is too long. They should've replaced the discount column with 3G data option. So you have Days > Talk > Text > LTE Data > 3G Data. This would eliminate the scrolling. 

Additionally, i see that all those plans displayed on the Promotion page are also on the plan page. The "Build your own plan" is not to easy to see and new customer might not know if they can see more plans. I do not like the idea of having all those promotions plans displaying on the Plan page. 

Yes, PM should display 90 days ready-made plans on self-serve/activation instead of 30 days only. Again, how does a new customer suppose to know that they are offering 90 days plans with even more discount compare to the same 30 days plan? 

Oh well, at least i am happy to see these changes after a long time. But I am still hoping to see other major fixes before anything else  

[sbreakin]

Great to see PM trying to simplify comparison and making it easier for new customers.

Many great points already.

1. I like the idea of having specials & pre-selected/ common/ popular packages that are easy to pick. Probably best to separate some of this so the page doesn't get too long - probably by having special on a separate tab as we all like specials.

2. I also found the pick a plan selection list too long on my quite large monitor & had to scroll up & down as I made changes to see the price.

3. I am detail oriented so found the old segment price & bundle discount useful in trying to get best value combo for needs (ie. was able to see easier how much 1.5G data was compared to 3G & able to decide if the extra $ was worth it, or cheap enough to try one level higher - without having to use subtract the difference in total price at the bottom.

Saying that I can see how one price at the bottom is simpler.

4. I miss having 90 plan packages as I too think that's a great distinguishing feature of PM and once people understand how it works realize how flexible it becomes. 

BUT I also can see how some folks might be turned off by the higher price (without realizing the longer period).  Also, we have seen folks that blow through their data very quickly before they learn to use that app or phone settings to monitor use. (I set phone data setting which is only monthly to ~ 35-40% of plan so I get warning when using too much all at once). 

5. Idea - wonder if the specials could include titles & situation headings to market to specific situations such as:

- low-cost basic texting plan (where the price is kept down for teens 1st phone or someone that doesn't use much like an emergency phone). I used to use Koodo pre-paid texting plan for low monthly base and bought add-ons for talk & text which was great as I had a work phone I used all daytime & didn't use my own phone nearly as much.

- bigger data plan package (where data is especially high with perhaps a simpler talk)

-  a temporary special package that mimics/ competes with a competitors plan or special

- Canada wide special package - there does seem to be a fair bit of interest in Canada wide (despite the ability to use apps etc to accomplish an occasional call)  or Call USA deal where a popular plan then adds a long distance to USA add-on that is reduced. 

I'd like to see a promo on the USA roam add-ons but to be honest, they are well priced already for 10 days packs (but shorter 3 day pack would be nice to have). 

Thanks for the new ideas to make PM even better.

[srlawren]

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@ShawnC13 wrote:

When I am telling people they can save even more on a 90 day plan and they are like but I can't afford the ~$100 every 90 days I let them know they can still make monthly payments and have the money just accumulate in their account until the renewal date anyway..

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@ShawnC13 yes....to an extent.  Obviously your first 90 days you need to pay up front, which may or may not be a hurdle for some folks.  The other *potential* issue is: if you accumulate Available Funds this way and then end up moving your service elsewhere due to a change in circumstances or an amazing promo (e.g. the recent $60/10gig bonanza)....

[Acekiller]

sounds good, PM was overconfusing things with all the discount calculations (looking at the pre-pay bill)

[wetcoaster]

@Brooke_C

Well, while it works on the general web page, clicking "change plan" in my self serve account brings up a couple of notes about choosing a plan (pretty sure the same or similar to what was there before) and then it's all empty space, followed by inactive buttons for immediate and future dated plan change.

(I emptied the cache and used an incognito window in Chrome [my go-to for hang-ups that has always worked in the past], the other tabs in my account seem to work as usual.)

I don't have any intentions of actually changing my plan in the near future, but I hope that this gets sorted and becomes consistent for everybody. I do use my own account for screen shots in order to help people here in the community, no need to bother with that now?

[ShawnC13]

@srlawren, I figured that was probably one of the reasons.  I still think the 90 day is a HUGE bonus feature for PM for those customers looking for long term service and aren't just planning on being around for a couple of months.  When I am telling people they can save even more on a 90 day plan and they are like but I can't afford the ~$100 every 90 days I let them know they can still make monthly payments and have the money just accumulate in their account until the renewal date anyway..

[srlawren]

GUYS, you can still use the classic plan selection tool (minus the apparently confusing discount column) by expanding the BUILD YOUR OWN PLAN section under the ready-made plans.  It's just collapsed by default.

The ready-made plans are just short-cuts to some of the more popular options, but you can still build your own plans and see the prices change as you go, etc.

@Brooke_C I do agree with @PatrickB that there should be more visual distinction on the ready-made plans between 3G and 4G speed data options.  Perhaps the little badge in the top right corner of the tiles could be different colours?  

@ShawnC13 yes it appears to be 30 days only.  I think this is deliberate.  I think PM marketing is emphasising the 30 day plans on purpose because they are much closer to the calendar-monthly plans people are used to with the other carriers.  I personally would not be surprised to see this trend continue.  I think it lowers the barrier of understanding when people discover PM and start looking into the plans.  It's more familiar and comfortable.  You can still go into the build your own plan of course and choose the 90 day duration, which is what the savvy of us do to save a bit more money.

[mimmo]

@PatrickB  I think the scrolling issue started when the added so many data options  maybe they could make a 3g data column and an LTE data column  

[mimmo]

If they list all the possible  readymade combos then the list gets too long  and confusing.  I believe they are trying to highlight the most popular options, and I don't thing canadawide falls into that.  

I think this approach is good for promos but i do think the plan picker gives a better way for choosing the various plan opions.   

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@makkahn28 wrote:

What's MISSING is Canada-Wide Ready-Made Plans

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[mimmo]

What's MISSING is Canada-Wide Ready-Made Plans

[ute1978]

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@PatrickB wrote:

Currently the buttons are so large that you need to make your changes, then scroll down to see the price. In the old system it was nice to see the price change as you changed the options around.

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Point 1: I miss that too.

Point 2: I still don't like that the misleading data BONUS is still there in the buttons. The bonus is not free it costs more....

Why not just 1.5GB, 3GB, 6GB, 12GB, 18GB at 3G speed?

[makkahn28]

Take this, ONLY Prov-Wide

Why Not have a Similar, $60, JUST perhaps reduce the Data from 5 to 3GB

[makkahn28]

What's MISSING is Canada-Wide Ready-Made Plans

[PatrickB]

I do like how you are attempting to bring some clarity to the pricing page, but the one thing that I personally miss is the ability to see the price change as you change the options. Currently the buttons are so large that you need to make your changes, then scroll down to see the price. In the old system it was nice to see the price change as you changed the options around.

I can also see the emphasis on 3g data in the pricing, but it would also be nice to see a more visual indicator (especially since there's so much scrolling now) on the difference between 3g and 4g. 

You've basically dropped that visual difference between the price points by making those buttons so big... (and this is on a pretty standard 15inch laptop display)

[makkahn28]

I did, and now it's back to normal. Thanks @Brooke_C

[Brooke_C]

Hey @makkahn28, 

When I select the same options I am seeing $165. Can you refresh your page and see if that changes things? 

Thanks! 

Brooke

[ShawnC13]

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@mimmo wrote:

@makkahn28  It shows 165 for 6gb and 210 for 15gb on my plan picker (website not self serve)

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Seeing the same thing as @mimmo

[mimmo]

@makkahn28  It shows 165 for 6gb and 210 for 15gb on my plan picker (website not self serve)

[mimmo]

@Brooke_C, I like the ready made plans once logged-in in self serve.  quick and easy but as @ShawnC13 mentioned there are no 90 day plans.  Probably the because the list will get too long and confusing??  I think the plan picker was actually better in this respect. 

for the actual website the plans are a little confusing  because of the pop ups  click learn more -> then click get offer -> activate now ->pop-up which states you have to: 

Take notes. You will need to select these at Activation.

Select the following:

30-day plan
Unlimited Province-wide Talk
Plan Subtotal: $22 (or $20/30 days with $2 autopay activated) plus applicable taxes

It sounds like you are using the plan picker not a ready made plan.  I think you could simply remove this popup. 

[makkahn28]

I just saw the new interface.

NOT too bad, BUT NOT GREAT as well

The Build your Plan, Take the 90 Day Unlim Can-Wide US Talk+Global Txt+6GB LTE Data for $210, is that the Price, or will the Discounts still kick in?

If not, $210 for that would be Outrageous

[closng]

Great improvements, not to be nit picking but I couldn't help but to notice that there is too much blue everywhere, considering orange is Public Mobile's colour 🙂

For example, I saw a big blue circle to indicate the site was loading and I think the 3G/4G squares would look better in orange, just my opinion though!

[ShawnC13]

@Brooke_C, great news going to the plan page now to check out the changes!!  Ok back already, am I missing it or are there no 90 day  "ready made plans"?  I am only seeing 30 day.  I think the 90 day plans is one of the advantages to PM and helps reduce costs even more.  If they aren't listed will they becoming soon?