Intuit Eclipse held its 11th Users Conference at the Omni Champions Gate Resort in Orlando, drawing more than 700 members of The Eclipse Users Group/User Friendly Organization (UFO).

“Speak. Listen. Respond. That's what this conference is about,” said Dave Merenbach, Intuit Eclipse's general manager, during the meeting's opening ceremony.

Attendees got an update on Intuit's Release 8.0—the latest upgrade in its software line. The 8.0 rollout began in 2005 but was put on hold at one point, mainly because of feedback they'd received from user group members.

Keith Watson, director of customer relations for Intuit Eclipse, said the upgrade from Release 7.0 to 8.0 included enhancements that needed some tweaking based on initial feedback from customers.

“One told us, 'You are not preparing me to be successful with this upgrade,'” he said. “So we stopped [the rollout], assessed the situation and got our ship back on course.”

Merenbach admitted that the hold up initially caused some frustration on the part of Intuit designers, but said they also realized that such a response symbolized the relationship between the company and its users—one that has been mutually beneficial over the years.

“The [Intuit Eclipse] troops all believed we were doing the right thing in delaying it. Being honest with them is part of the customer commitment. If you do right by the customers, you just don't roll it out,” he said.

The tweaking and stabilization work on Release 8.0 was completed earlier this year. Its roll-out schedule was re-started in March and has been progressing since then, Intuit officials said.

The conference also featured various training seminars conducted by Intuit Eclipse officials on topics such as “Purchasing and Inventory Control Parameters” and “RF Warehousing: Best Business Practices.”

Attendees also had the chance to meet with the company's product development specialists and support consultants.