WORKetc

Working Etcetera with WorkETC.com

I first encountered this product when it was barely a brand new company many years ago. At the time I was seeking a comprehensive business management solution for a small tech services business. At that time in history, there was nothing like this on the market at all, and I was enthusiastic about finding it. I tried hard to make it work, but back then, the company was very small and they were literally trying to tackle every possible business need with a very small team. I admit that all those years ago, the product wasn't ready yet for prime time, and I abandoned it for other options.

Now, many years later (like 7 or 8 years?) I am starting a new business and once again on the hunt for the optimal toolset for my administrative, sales, project and accounting requirements. I remembered how comprehensive WorkETC was and came back to give them another look. I am now building my entire business process and workflow from CRM-Sales Lead -Conversion to Quote-Conversion to Sale-Project management-Billing-Support around the way this tool works. They have added mobile apps to the mix since my first experience with them and they look very solid so far.

Overall, this product is the only toolset of it's kind that is this comprehensive in all facets of running a services and products based business. I strongly believe that it can work for almost any kind of requirements for any type of services. I am a fan and promote the tool to my own clients every chance I get. But there are some pros and cons which I will elaborate on in the following sections of this review.

WORK[etc] connected our disconnected teams

Expected More, Received Less!

The software boasts superior functions that are marketed to increase productivity. Although, this may be true in the long run, the amount of time and lack of support on the front end makes adoption an issue.

From the start, the system would not accept a conversion from free trial to paid account. When calling sales, there was a sales agent available even at night- WOW!
Little did I know that this does not filter down to support!

The webinars are overall good; but, the time allotted per webinar is not adequate to cover the material and allow time for questions. They are free though!

Once you join and begin using the software, the first thing is to load the data. OK, where is the import tools- there they are! The system will upload the data and respond back that the contacts are already there and when your check, there are no contacts. This stops you cold as contacts are the basis for the system's first step in programming.

Support! Ah, here lies the issue. The company failed to respond for over 24 hours to support emails and their own form. They do not provide a phone number for support. In fact, the support comes from an "unknown number." When calling the main number, you will simply be told that no one is "available to help you." Again, the only way to get a support tech is to make a fuzz. Who really has time for that in business?

2 starts for the product- would have been higher if I could actually have gotten to use it.

0 starts for support

5 stars for sales and marketing.

Does this seem a little off balance to anyone? Not recommended!

It just makes day-to-day things easier!

We've been on WORK[etc]'s platform for over 2 years now and it's hard to imagine how were keep communications with our clients and employees organized before with just emails and hand written notes! WORK[etc]'s value lies in the cross-integration of all assets, including Contacts/Companies, Support Cases, Tags, Notes, Timekeeping and Discussions. What is great about WORK[etc], is that even if you don't use all of their features, the entire system is very a la carte where you can pick and choose what you need to use, but it all works fluidly together as one. For example, we haven't used the Financing area to bill clients as it's done through our parent company, but we do use the Expense tracker for reimbursements, which is nice to have a digital record of.

You will not find a more supportive platform.

I'll apologize for the lengthy review in advance, but hear me out. My company is small...7 employees, but growing. We rely on technology to help us serve our clients better while managing a very complex set of compliance requirements (on a daily basis) to meet regulatory demands.

We needed a system that wouldn't force us to change our work flows to conform to theirs. We've found that with WORKetc.

On the CRM and Project modules, we use them extensively for lead management, regulatory filings and then annual management of our accounts. I just can't explain the ease and natural progression of the Projects/Sub-projects/Tasks that support each of our processes...you just have to experience it. Recently, I thought I had...I'll call her "Susan" (Queen of WORKetc New Client Onboarding) on the "auto-progressing" when it came to moving on to the next sub-project after completing the previous one. Not going to happen, I'm thinking. Know what she said? "Yes, it will do that, but I think you might want to think about a different method that will be better for your process". She then launched into a series of questions about our business and how we worked as a team. What?

Truthfully, customer service is what I want to finish with. As you can gather, I'm a huge supporter of this platform. I'm not paid to do this, not an employee, just a small business person trying to improve on what we do. To help with that, I really needed a system that was backed with superb customer service so they could help us identify the best way to use the system. Know of any platforms that provide that? Incredibly rare, but I found one. I've NEVER experienced the level of support that I've found here, and I've tried multiple platforms.

WORKetc offers something called, "Quick Start". Let me save you some time...do it. The cost is offset against the subscription, so it's a no-brainer!

Save yourself a tremendous amount of headache...experience their service firsthand. I promise you won't regret it. If you'd like, reach out to me directly with questions or comments and I'll respond as soon as I can and share our best practices. Maybe it will help you, maybe it won't, but I'm a believer in WORKetc and want to encourage other creative users to join in and make it even stronger.