In this article:
- Do you need help with LivePlan?
- What type of support do we offer?
- In-App resources
- In-App Help
- Other LivePlan Resources
Writing a business plan and learning how to use a new piece of software can both be individually complicated tasks. At LivePlan, we strive to provide you with the clearest road possible with our software so you can focus on the details of writing your business plan. That being said, it’s natural to have questions. So, how do you get help in LivePlan?
Do you need help with LivePlan?
Meet the LivePlan Customer Advocacy Team!
We are live agents offering personalized support. If you have questions about LivePlan, our highly skilled Customer Advocacy Team is your single best resource! We’re a small, locally-based team of LivePlan experts dedicated to helping our customers get the most out of our software. We’re happy to talk to you via email or live chat and provide support tailored to your specific situation.
How to reach us for support
In the lower right-hand corner of your LivePlan account, you will see an icon with a question mark inside a blue box. This is our support button. Click on it at any time to bring up real-time support options. We're here to help in Live Chats or email Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. U.S. Pacific time.
What type of support do we offer?
Live Chat
Chats are our primary and most effective form of support! We will provide tailored support based on your needs. For more complicated questions, we’re happy to have you add one of our team members as a temporary contributor to your LivePlan account to troubleshoot more specifically. It’s much easier to understand your issue if we’re looking at the same thing!
Email
If it’s not urgent or after hours, we’re available via email at help@liveplan.com. Once we receive your email, we’ll answer it as soon as possible. Emails are generally answered within 24 hours, except on weekends.
LivePlan Kickoff Session
We want you to get the most out of your first months in LivePlan. We offer free classroom-style instructional sessions hosted live every week by a member of our team. These sessions are designed to show you the ins and outs of using LivePlan so you can get the most out of your initial experience with our software.
Click here to sign up for the next LivePlan Kickoff Session!
The LivePlan Help Center
You're already here! Just use the search box in the upper right corner of this page to ask any question you have.
Our Help Center contains over 250 detailed articles that explain financial statements and many accounting concepts and shows you how to use LivePlan. Even if you are unsure of the exact term to search for, try taking a guess when searching on the homepage of our help center. Often, we can find what you're looking for.
In-App resources
LivePlan AI Assistant
This powerful AI-powered tool is available for both Standard and Premium account users and offers tailored features to your plan, forecast, pitch, and Dashboard.
Click here for more information about the LivePlan Assistant
Plan and Pitch
In the plan and pitch section, the AI Assistant can offer personalized improvements, check for grammatical errors, or reformat to a desired tone. If you don’t know where to start, the AI Assistant can even start writing for you based on your company description.
Forecast
In the Forecast, you can use LivePlan Assistant to suggest entries for Revenue, Direct Costs, personnel, and Expenses. The AI Assistant will generate a list of possible entries depending on the business details entered in the Company Options.
Monthly Review
If you are a customer utilizing LivePlan for the ongoing forecasting and strategic planning of an existing business, the LivePlan Monthly Review will conduct a comprehensive analysis of your actual performance relative to the forecasted figures. This review will provide a detailed report offering insights into performance discrepancies, focal points for attention, immediate action recommendations, and long-term strategic goals.
In-App Help
The Guide
LivePlan includes a step-by-step guided path to help you contextualize and visualize your progress as you develop your business plan from start to finish. While it’s not a requirement to use LivePlan, if you’re new to the planning process, using the Guide can help you map out a productive approach.
Instructions and examples
The instructions and examples in LivePlan are located at the top of the topic editors for any of the premade topics or forecast sections. They are designed to help you better understand every section of your business plan.
Plan
Forecast
The LivePlan Learning menu
Access various free resources through the LivePlan Learning menu, located by clicking on the book icon near the lower-right corner of the right-hand menu. This includes guides for Growth Planning, our Getting Started videos, a library of free sample plans for inspiration, and other helpful resources.
Collaborating Using LivePlan
You don’t have to do it alone! LivePlan is designed for teamwork right from the start. Whether you have a business partner or advisor, you can send them a contributor invitation to co-edit your plan. Additionally, you are encouraged to invite multiple guests to your LivePlan account for further feedback on your plan.
Other LivePlan Resources
Additional Self-guided learning resources
Even outside of your plan, LivePlan has a number of additional resources available to help you gain a deeper understanding of business planning that will help you become a stronger LivePlan user.
-
The LivePlan Blog offers straightforward advice on starting and managing a small business.
Bplans.com is our free educational sister website, with thousands of pages of how-tos, checklists, guides, our sample plan library, and much more. - Bplans.com is our free educational sister website, with thousands of pages of how-tos, checklists, guides, our sample plan library, and much more.
- LivePlan Webinars give you a chance to sit down with our executive team and other experienced business professionals at LivePlan. Their extensive knowledge of the software and the business landscape will provide valuable insights on utilizing our software to optimally enhance your business's success.
LivePlan’s Professional Services
What if you'd like the help of a professional who can work with you or even do the work for you? LivePlan has a team of professionals ready to take on the heavy lifting involved in creating a customized business plan to meet your specific needs.
Through this paid service, we connect you with an experienced business plan writer who excels at transforming complex ideas into clear, actionable plans. Our writer will work closely with you to ensure that your vision is accurately represented, helping you to articulate your business goals, strategies, and financial projections in a comprehensive and cohesive manner. This tailored approach not only simplifies your planning process but also gives you a polished, lender-ready document ready to make a strong impression on potential investors or financial institutions.
For more information about this service, please and we can get you connected.
Entrepreneur agencies near you
In the U.S., the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) offers an abundance of resources and support for entrepreneurs. They provide one-on-one mentorship, access to market data, and educational materials at little or no cost. Although SBDC advisors are not specialists in LivePlan, they can offer valuable, hands-on assistance with your business plan that will aid you in your LivePlan journey.
Visit https://americassbdc.org/find-your-sbdc/ to help you locate the office in your area.