Survey says...!

[Abby Normal]

ATX users are a self-sufficent bunch. Only 74% needed tech support, one of the lowest in the industry. And the rating of support was, surprisingly, on par with the industry.

http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/issues/2017/aug/2017-tax-software-survey.html

[Jack from Ohio]

A big problem with ATX tech support is as follows:

Those of us who have the high priced high end packages do not get any preference for tech support.  Their tech support people will spend an as much time is needed with a client that uses PPR and does 5-6 returns a year as they will with those of use paying the high price for the larger practices.  This clogs the tech support system to the max and has been a source of complaint for several years.

If I spend $1,200 + extra fees and the other fellow spends $100, how should he rate the same amount and support as I do?  Majority of tech support time is spent with the 25 returns or less users.

Another example of how ATX has no clue what its customer base truly needs, nor how to properly configure their customer service department.

[jklcpa]

CCH will give you that exceptional tech support as "concierge customer care" with their Advantage package, all for the low, low price of $3,759.   But wait, there's more...call in the next 10 minutes and we'll throw in...

 

 

[Edsel]

I used ATX in the days they were headquartered in Maine.  Since this is an ATX board, I won't go into the issues of my departure - suffice it to say I do not like to change and would not have done so unless felt strongly.  Many years have passed and I'm sure circumstances have moved on.

However, I believe ATX is still form-based.  For those of us old enough to remember what it was like to fill out the 1040 by hand, there is no comparison.  Most of the other packages are questionnaire-based and not forms based.  I believe this is the chief reason ATX customers have to spend less time on the phone than others. 

I am very happy with Drake, and don't wish to change.  However, 75% of my time with their support is because I don't know what factors are causing a particular line item to read incorrectly.  I must call and find out what needs to be changed because of a cause-and-effect relationship between the answer to some questionnaire and the tax line item.  This would not be necessary if the software were forms-based.  I have approached them about changing, but they have reasons to remain as they are.  So if you are using ATX, you do have this advantage.

For the record, you will find me quite adverse to the dumbing-down of the mind to reduce trained professionals to keypunch operators.  Sit down - keypunch numbers into a software package - and [poof!!] out comes a tax return.  And then print out a pre-determined invoice to charge the client for this service?  Sorry - not as long as I'm alive and doing tax returns.

 

[jklcpa]

Edsel, did you know about Drake's enhancement where a right-click on many of the line items in a calculated return will bring up a box that shows the source entries that feed into that line?  It's one of the tools that the support people use, and it was made available to the preparers.

I called a couple of times, mostly about state issues early on in the season where I alerted them to something that needed to be corrected. 

Overall, from that survey it shows that Drake's customers are happier in almost all areas that any other software out there. Good for them.

[Abby Normal]

13 hours ago, jklcpa said:

CCH will give you that exceptional tech support as "concierge customer care" with their Advantage package, all for the low, low price of $3,759.   But wait, there's more...call in the next 10 minutes and we'll throw in...

 

 

I could have renewed/upgraded to Advantage for 2,500 which was only 800 more than I paid for Max + 2 licenses. I thought about it.

[Abby Normal]

7 hours ago, jklcpa said:

Drake's customers are happier in almost all areas that any other software

But only marginally. It's not dramatic. All the software scored between 4.0 and 4.5, which means most users like their software.

[Catherine]

On 8/5/2017 at 2:28 AM, Edsel said:

So if you are using ATX, you do have this advantage.

Except I recall the very *great* frustration with ATX when the jump-to bunny took me around in a total circle, *never* showing me where the problem was.  Usually ended up being interference from a completely separate area, or an over-ride that was needed to stop the program from doing something bone-headed.

I thought I'd detest the non-forms-based structure of Drake, and there are times I miss the jump-to bunny (less, with some of the new features), but I'd never go back.

[JohnH]

Forms-based data entry is  much less useful than is commonly exposed.  It frequently jumps to a supporting schedule anyhow. So Drake simply has you begin the data entry process where forms-based software ends up. 

I had very little trouble abandoning forms-based entry when I switched from ATX to Drake 5 years ago.  Maybe that's because I had used Microvision before ATX, but in any event  it wasn't a difficult transition. Once the user reaches a small degree of software transparency, it becomes very clear that forms based entry is seriously overrated. And the speed & efficiency gains are phenomenal.   But that only becomes apparent after the user has invested sufficient time and energy in making the transition.