User Reviews
ConnectWise PSA by ConnectWise
USER REVIEWS - All reviews
Purchased Date: October 01, 2007
Director, Qbit Computers
May 10, 2012
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Pros
"If it isn't in ConnectWise, it didn't happen" is their mantra. CW will capture every single piece of time and expense in your company, it will manage marketing campaigns, projects and even stock.
Ours links to Kaseya and MYOB accounting but the preferred setup is Labtech and Quickbooks. Quosal quoting completes the suite to be everything a small IT company needs.
Cons
It does everything adequately and none well. Whilst it is riddled with bugs, it is getting better. Issues like stock control not being able to count are gradually being ironed out. Reports are basic bordering on non-existant - but every release improves on that.
One annoying "feature" is the ease in not doing things correctly which causes problems later on. For example you can add stock items to a service ticket but if the tech forgets to mark it as shipped then it will remain in the stock count. Why not a prompt that you're about to close a ticket with unshipped items? How about the option of not using shipping at all?
User interface if very annoying due to inconsistencies. Sometimes you have to search, sometimes you don't. If a search returns a single result, sometimes it just fills in the form for you, other times you have to select it from a pop up list of one.
Overall
If we were to do it all again, we'd still opt for ConnectWise. It does the job but it is very much a leap of faith putting your business and livelihood under the control of such inconsistent software.
User forums and user group meetings are great as is the annual conference - there's more to be learned from other users than the company itself.
CW also has training in other areas of running a small IT business. They run webinars and seminars on sales, marketing, staff hiring and firing, etc. You get a lot more than just software.
Purchased Date: September 01, 2011
Founder, Syntress, LLC
March 05, 2012
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Pros
This is THE software for a company that provides technical services. It tracks everything from assets to travel expenses in minute detail so you can focus on building your business.
* Installation on PC
- This is a breeze, it works great out of the box for us on Windows 7 and in Terminal Services.
* Google Apps
- Works great with checking Email and Scheduling Resources through Google Apps
* Invoicing
- It was quite the wake-up call to see all the hours we were not able to bill for with our old support portal. (Just be careful to document your work properly because it becomes viewable to the client).
* Transparency
- This software lets your clients see everything going on behind the scenes, from Support Issues to Travel time. It's a must for any honest entrepreneur.
Cons
* Constat errors.
- This software produces lots of errors
* Slow Support.
- ConnectWise has very knowledgable people on staff who can work through ANYTHING that you have trouble with. Unfortunately, they are impossible to get on the phone, by chat or by email. Unless we call and call and call and call and call, we often wait days/weeks for someone to get back.
* Unintuitive Interface
- They should hire someone from Google, Apple or Syntress to rework this interface. It's so cumbersome that common tools are hidden behind clicks and clicks before you ever find them.
- There is no tour to learn the software
- It's confusing with screens that look exactly alike on every page.
- The tabs to view multiple pages are helpful but impractical, it would be better to let the information open in a new window as well.
- No HA - when its down, it's down.
* No Online Payments *Yet*
Overall
If you are starting out your operation then this could be a bit pricey to get going. However, if you are established and need to grow, I don't know how you could not find this tool invaluable. Hopefully they work on the issues that I've described and things get better.
Purchased Date: October 01, 2007
Owner, Safe Network Solutions
March 18, 2011
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Pros
We've used ConnectWise since 2007, and over the years, the product has seen a multitude of feature improvements and enhancements. For an IT consulting firm looking to track client agreement invoicing, service level agreements, employee productivity, sales opportunities, marketing campaignment management, or inventory and purchasing, ConnectWise can do it with flying colors.
From a client perspective, ConnectWise makes it easy for end users to submit service requests as well as get the status of said requests. An integrated web portal for clients allows the review of hardware and software assets, service request approvals, and invoice reviews. Additionally, for our larger clients, we've been able to extend service capabilities to in-house IT providers while hosting them through our installation.
Due to the great support, active community, and rapid development, I can't imagine running my business without ConnectWise. While the software is great, the community is even better.
Cons
I ranked Ease of Implementation as 3 stars. Keep in mind that we implemented CW in 2007, so much of the onboarding may be different today. Given the capabilities of the software, some pain should be anticipated and expected as you learn how to utilize the software.
Additionally, setting up the integration between ConnectWise and other 3rd party apps can take some time. With most applications, you setup 1 or 2 API accounts, grant access, and test the integration. Some integration takes more time.
One example is the integration for QuickBooks. To really get the accounting side setup, expect to spend some time and money working with a qualified accountant (if you don't have one on staff) to ensure all data is passing through and classified correctly.
Even with the cons of setup, the ConnectWise University is very well done. Video tutorials are available on almost any aspect of management, and step-by-step checklists are available for just about any multi-step process.
Overall
I would highly recommend IT firms looking to improve their internal efficiency and client support look at CW for a PSA tool. The software is stable, support is great, and updates arrive quickly. Access to your data can be gained through any web browser, iphone / droid apps, or through the native .net application.
Many vendors are writing to the CW API allowing for real-time data integration from products such as backup solutions, spam and virus filtering, firewall statistics and even sales opportunities. CW integrates with MANY RMM solutions providing even greater management capabilities.
The biggest benefit is by far the great and active ConnectWise community. We are very involved with the ConnectWise users group on a quarterly basis and we attend the partner summit (ITNation) annually. If you are only looking for PSA software, ConnectWise can fulfill that need. If you're looking for a great community of business peers, ConnectWise will bring an even greater ROI.
Purchased Date: N/A
Web Developer/Designer, 14 Perspectives
April 14, 2010
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Pros
On the surface, ConnectWise is a full featured business management suite. It boasts features such as a support ticket system, project management tracking and client billing with integrated time-tracking. The wide-array of features bundled in the ConnectWise software allows the business user to accomplish practically any business management function in multiple ways. The work-station installation is pretty easy and only requires .NET and Internet Explorer running in a Windows environment.
Cons
Persistent bugs and .NET errors make ConnectWise highly unusable. By not streamlining application features the end user is left spending countless hours trying to figure out the best way to use the software.
Permission based user account controls add additional difficulty to the administration of ConnectWise. Lack of permissions can cause numerous business down-times. Project management capabilities are overly-complicated typically taking the administrative user multiple trial-and-error attempts.
Tickets submitted to the ConnectWise product support department gained an initial response within one or two business days. Resolution could take up to a week. In one instance better product documentation could have provided an answer but waiting for one week to get a response from the support department was unacceptable. In another instance there was no solution for a Windows 7 compatibility issue. The "canned" responses were typical but didn't provide any resolution.
Overall
ConnectWise can probably streamline the majority of business management. However the overly-complicated graphical user interface and lack of documentation drastically diminishes any positive features included in this business management software. Final verdict, pass on this product!
