Number of Seats/Users: EMS offers discounts based on the number of users or seats. A higher volume typically leads to a better discount structure, especially for enterprise-level usage.

Commitment to a Long-Term Contract: Discounts are often provided to companies that commit to using the service for a longer period (e.g., 1-year or 3-year contracts). A longer commitment shows EMS that the company is serious and willing to invest in the platform long-term.

No Active Discounts: Companies that are not already receiving other active discounts may have a better chance of qualifying for additional discounts from EMS. EMS reserves discounts for new customers or those not currently under promotional pricing.

Volume or Usage Commitment: EMS offers discounts if you agree to a minimum amount of usage or transaction volume. This could be based on data storage, transactions, or other metrics tied to how much you will use the platform.

Enterprise-Level Negotiation: Companies that qualify as “enterprise” due to their size or complexity (e.g., having large teams, multiple departments, or geographical presence) may be eligible for additional discounts from EMS. Such companies are often in a position to negotiate for better pricing.

Early Renewal or Prepayment: EMS often offers discounts if you renew early or prepay for the entire contract period. This is a common approach to securing a lower price.

Here at Spendbase our internal data shows that EMS is seen as a powerful, mature scheduling platform, especially for universities, schools, and multi-building organizations – but it often comes with usability and support pains that impact total value for money.

Key positives our Spendbase clients highlight
– Strong core functionality:
– Handles complex room, event, and academic scheduling reliably
– Excellent detail levels for events, resources, and logistics
– Good reporting and queries once configured correctly
– Flexibility & configurability:
– Can support very different use cases across campus units, religious institutions, and enterprises
– Custom views, templates, event types, and resource management are highly valued
– Operational impact:
– Reduces double-bookings and conflicts
– Centralizes scheduling “in one place” for large organizations
– Outlook integration is a real productivity win for some teams

Main friction points affecting ROI
Our internal data shows consistent themes that can increase “hidden costs”:

• Support & services:
• Slow or difficult ticket resolution
• Perception of extra charges for small changes or add-ons
• Need for repeated follow-ups and long time-to-fix
• Usability & UX:
• Desktop “boxy” and dated; web and mobile lag behind client features
• Non-intuitive search (e.g., last-name-first logic)
• Clunky flows for editing bookings, billing, and wizards
• Technology gaps:
• Weak or missing API for integrations
• Poor native Mac support, web client not always a full replacement
• Mobile app and web client sometimes buggy or behind main client version
• Complexity & maintenance:
• Many separate modules and installs to manage
• Configuration, billing, and master calendar setup can be heavy lifts

What this means from a Spendbase discount and optimization perspective
– There is often room to negotiate around:
– Support tiers and professional services (given the pain around tickets)
– Pricing for additional modules that clients feel forced into over time
– Optimization opportunities we typically look for:
– Right-sizing licenses for power users vs casual requesters
– Consolidating overlapping tools (e.g., other scheduling or event systems abandoned in favor of EMS, or vice versa)
– Ensuring you actually use paid modules like mobile, web, and signage, or removing them if adoption is low

Overall, EMS delivers strong functional value, but the user experience, support quality, and ecosystem gaps are exactly where Spendbase can usually unlock better discounts and cleaner contract terms.