Self-service buying has been around for decades. Think of the simple vending machine - designed for speed and convenience. Obviously, purchasing software requires more thought than picking what beverage or snack you want, but the idea is the same: no human interaction whatsoever. 

From the start, self-service was the way to go for Atono. Our audience is smart, knowledgeable, and skeptical. They prefer trying something out, building with it, and seeing how it actually works than talking to our "product expert". 

We also thought a lot about self-service in consumer products. You'll probably recognize that many of your favorite consumer software businesses use this approach. Apple, Netflix, Google, Facebook, to name a few. All of them make it so easy for you to sign up and get going.

So, how does self-service buying work at Atono?

Our goal is to provide the buyer with control over the purchasing process. We’re confident our service is worth a fair price and that the buyer has the right to the following:

Plain language
We provide our terms, conditions, and agreements in everyday, simple words. While they’re based on industry-standard forms and formats, we truly think there is a higher chance of someone reading them if we keep it real.   

Transparent Pricing
We publish how we package, price, and discount our products and services. Each buyer may choose what they want without pressure, tricks, or fear of a wrong decision. You can always change your mind. 

The choice is yours
You should pay only for what you need. We have established our base price and each prospective buyer can pick options. In some cases, a bundle may be a better deal but that’s the buyer’s choice to make. 

Everyday low pricing 
Taking a page out of Walmart here. We aim to provide lower prices on a regular basis over a long period of time. If we don’t earn your business, we respect your right to choose. We love feedback on this, so please send it to our CEO (me, who’s writing this article). 

Payment flexibility
There are monthly and annual plans with monthly or annual invoices available. You may pay using a generally accepted type of credit card or using an invoice. If you decide to use an invoice, we’ll give you immediate access to the service but reserve the right to perform a credit check. If your invoice remains unpaid and you aren’t working with us to sort that out, we reserve the right to restrict or cancel your service. We hope to never need to do that, of course. 

You are welcome to cancel at any time. All that’s needed is for you to pay up through the end of the monthly billing cycle. If you prepaid for a year, we’ll refund the prepaid amount within 30 days. There will be tears involved (a lot from me) but we respect your right to choose over our feelers.  

We don’t track you
How would you feel if you walked up to the ice cream counter and this was the conversation:
You: “Do you offer samples of your flavors?”
Ice Cream Scooper Person: “Why yes we do! If you would like a free sample, please give us your name, address, and credit card, in case you decide to buy after tasting. Would you like a taste?”
Me: “Uh no thanks!”

As consumers, we don't give personal information when we're just browsing. So, please feel free to browse! If you decide to become a customer, then we'll collect the necessary information required to do a good job for you. Until then, free samples for everyone!

Upgrades, downgrades, more or less users 
Changes can be made at any time during your billing cycle (month). The changes will be effective immediately, but the charges will take effect on the next monthly billing cycle. We know there’s a chance of people gaming the system, but we choose to trust the goodness in our customers.

Money-back guarantee
You should get the value you expected. If our service, software, or team doesn’t meet your expectations, we should give your money back. There is a (less than 15 minutes) process where we'll ask you to explain where we failed so we can see the faults in our ways and learn. After that, you’ll receive a refund for up to three months. We hope that every other SaaS company in the world follows our lead. Build products so good that you can guarantee them.  

There's a lot we're still learning about self-service buying. We may experiment with different strategies down the road, but the core principles mentioned above are here to stay. Our belief is that our current, future, or prospective customers should be able to learn, purchase, and use products without worry of tricks, gotchas, or confusion.