Ncontracts

Pros

I enjoy the ability to customize the program to fit our needs for a mid size credit union. In addition, I feel their program allows us to manage our contracts, stay on top of deadlines, and run reports needed to be successful. As well they are essential in our ability to meet our NCUA requirements with security reviews.

Cons

While I have used NContracts for the past three years and would not move to another platform, I would request to have a 10 key format when entering dates instead of a calendar function; however, this is a very minor change i'd make.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Ncontracts

Pros

I appreciate the available Dashboard to quickly see where I stand within the software. I enjoy the colorful setup and the system was very easy to learn.

Cons

The reports could be a little more dynamic to create and offer all of the fields available but if I ever need a report that I can't create, support is always willing to create for me.

Pros

Continual updates. We’ve been using Passageways for a long time but hadn’t kept up with upgrades. Upon relaunch, we were happy to be able to take advantage of many enhancements that have been provided along the way.

Cons

There are things that could be streamlined with building tools and roles/permissions. Sometimes, the site is buggy.

Pros

We moved from Excel spreadsheets to the NContracts portal. Wow! Our data is easy to upload and analyze both. We get fantastic reports that we utilize in executive meetings, audits and internal reviews. We have excellent support from the staff any time we have a question. Implementation was a breeze. We were up and running in a couple of weeks.

Cons

I do not think we utilize the portal to it's full abilities. It can do much more then I ask!

Pros

We use several Ncontracts software programs. They were quick and easy to implement. They provide automated solutions to our compliance needs which saves much time. The cost is reasonable, and the support is great!!!

Cons

For some complicated and infrequent functions, like submitting the annual HMDA LAR, we required support to train us, but it worked seamlessly once the process was explained.

Pros

I like the interface for the most part - it's typically intuitive and the support is very good and responsive when needed.

Cons

Navigating or updating multiple vendors - you can't middle click to open vendors in their own tabs which really hinders bulk updates.

Pros

The platform is easy to configure while providing some degree of flexibility to allow us to adapt to changes or custom fields needed for reporting. The integration between modules is very good which prevents our team from re-keying redundant information. Their support and training is also far superior than most other technology providers.

Cons

Initial configuration, while not difficult, does take some time to enter all of the necessary information. While much of the informational fields are not required, they are needed if you truly want the full benefit of the product.

Pros

Specific to NCommunity, we liked the ability to analyze data against benchmark data to be able to identify where we need to focus our CRA efforts.

Cons

The overall deployment of the application has been challenging. We are 3 months in and still haven't been able to use it. While everyone has been working to try to figure things out, it is still frustrating

Pros

NContracts provided Vendor and Business Continuity solutions to the bank at a time when we needed to advance our Vendor Management and Business Continuity programs within our bank and has been helpful with monitoring and storage of the necessary information.

Cons

NContracts costs compared to some other solutions is higher, There is some issues within the program that make it harder for a small institution to utilize. Also no way to mass export information in the case of de-conversion.

Pros

Customer Service is very responsive and the ability to have a one on one consult twice a year with an expert is awesome!

Cons

Initially understanding the system and what the information was telling me was overwhelming. However having great customer service made that easier over time.

Pros

NContracts is fairly easy to use with template suggestions and a streamlined user experience. Everyone gets the same set up for vendor management, change management and risk management.

Cons

There is a bit of a learning curve and we wish their repository (historical contracts) were easier to search.

Pros

Great for ease of communication between multiple departments

Cons

I have no complaints. This was an was platform to use.

Pros

We were looking for a one-stop-shop for employee communication, documentation and other processes needing streamlined. OnSemble has provided a great platform for this. While it has not solved all our internal needs, it has provided a valuable, flexible and fun resource.
*Central repository for documentation, policies, procedures and forms, etc.
*Search function that makes finding documents a snap.
*Ability to personalize pages, giving departments flexibility to build to their needs.
*The help desk module has been excellent to work with and has been implemented for all but one area.
*The supply/inventory module has made supply ordering for branches so much easier and user-friendly.
*Building pages, once the basics are down, is pretty easy, even for the least "techy" person.
*Customer support is fantastic and they have an online forum where you can collaborate with other OnSemble users.
*Ability to create roles where people can be divided into different categories, allowing for confidentiality where and when needed.

Cons

*System Permissions module seems to be a bit out of date and does not appear to have upgrades to its functionality. This was a feature we were hoping to use more robustly.
*Forms module appeared to be something we could utilize, but does not customize as easily as we had hoped. However, we know other users have used it successfully.
*There are periodic bugs that don't seem to make sense or will only be repaired with updates.
*There is a risk of creating too many layers of permissions, making it cumbersome and confusing if you do not create a good mapping from the onset.
*Implementation seemed a little clunky, but it may have been we did not know the right questions to ask in the beginning.

Pros

Simple, Intuitive, scalable vendor management solution enabling rapid end user adoption and the realization of tangible business benefits within a very short period of time. Easy navigation good screen layout, search, drill down, workload tracking , status reports and document management functionality. Combined with other Ncontract products such as Ncontracts, Ncontinuity and Nrisk provides the essentials to manage and take vendor management to new levels for improved cost and risk management.

Cons

Product could be enhanced by enabling one to track and report on vendor costs, manage vendor resiliency ratings, and the opportunity to create and generate program level reports against established key performance and risk metrics. Ability to undertake requirements gathering, RFI's and RFP's from within the solution and enhancing the survey functionality would be an added bonus along with the use of AI/ machine learning to provide concise summaries of agreements

Pros

I was thrown into our portal from day 1 and had to learn how to access a lot of it on my own and by attending the annual Passageways conference. It is safe to say, I feel a lot more comfortable now than I did 2 years ago. Something may break, but tech support does an amazing job of reaching out and resolving it for you. If the problem cannot be resolved through email, they have no issue with hopping on a call with you to resolve it.

Cons

We are not on the most updated version right now. However, going forward I feel that the portal could use a more modern look to it. We have run into a couple issues of not being able to do something exactly the same way in Chrome as we can do in Internet Explorer, which is not a huge deal, but can be inconvenient for staff at times.

Pros

The canned responses in their library for both risks and controls. Vendors are all in a listing and each due diligence vendor has its own questioner.

Cons

The reports could have another grouping for Auditors and Board of Directors.

Pros

I think the best selling point for this software is the support, because it doesn't matter what something looks like if it doesn't work. The OnSemble support team is absolutely excellent. Their response times are usually same day, and everyone is friendly and helpful above and beyond the minimum to get the customer off the phone and out of their hair.

When you pair that wonderful support experience with the functionality and flexibility of their actual software product, no other intranet I've experienced compares. Our portal allows us to create a website-like experience for our users, increasing engagement and giving us a better ROI than other options I've used in the past.

Cons

This is something that their developers are working to upgrade, but many of the modules have aspects that look a little outdated design-wise or don't have the ability to customize colors and fonts the way I'd like in an ideal world. However, this is very minimal, and as I said, something their team is working to correct.

Pros

We've been a Passageways customer since 2012 and are extremely pleased with the robust capabilities. While it's great as is, the commitment to continually upgrading features and functionality is very much appreciated. We're looking forward to a full redesign next year to take greater advantage of the many recently launched enhancements.Can't wait to make a great intranet even better!

Cons

Love the existing platform, but would like to see a mobile app in the future!

Pros

Our organization loves the set up and functionality. The user set-up, workgroup access, and island options have really helped us to increase our communication between locations and to engage our employees. What I love most is that our portal gives a landing page for our staff to come together, share information, resources, and feel connected.

Cons

I think some of the islands and features are still a little clunky and some of the designs look a little out-dated. It would be great of the site was more responsive to different devices, and if there was a mobile option for both iphone and Android. We'd also like to see improvements made for document sorting/display on list islands. It would be great if there were options to organize accordion drop-down menus for files, and if you could choose how uploaded documents would be displayed.

Pros

Honestly, intranet software is funky. It's all funky. Some of it's funkier than others, and I would say OnSemble is an acceptable level of funkiness. What REALLY makes the difference is your Customer Support Manager and the tech support team. They are good, kind people who truly want to make the product work for you. They work so hard to make you happy and they are a joy to go through this beast of a project with. That's why I would choose OnSemble again. This is my 4th intranet relaunch project, so I know what I'm talking about.

Cons

Some modules are built in a way that doesn't make sense from a user or author perspective, and you have to do some workarounds to get them to work "normal." I made a bunch of feature requests and am confident Passageways is working to improve their product.

Pros

This software allows us to create and maintain an engaging usable intranet portal without hiring outside programmers or spending excessive time trying to figure out what we are doing. The end result is a professional, functional and aesthetically stunning intranet that is easy to use.

Cons

Because we house it on our internal server, some changes require a phone call to customer support and scheduling access to our server, however that is not the norm if you're not hosting it yourself.

Pros

There are several modules that are available for you to make your intranet as simple - or complex - as you need it to be. The portal flexibility is helpful.

Cons

Some of the modules may be too simple, or not fully customizable in the ways you expect - but Passageways Support and Consulting are available to help craft solutions that fit your needs.

Pros

Onsemble is easy to use and creates a high quality and very professional image within our organization. Anytime we have questions or experience technical difficulties I always feel like I receive 100% of the technicians attention until my problem is resolved.

Cons

the forms module is my least favorite app. It is very antiquated and I had higher expectations HOWEVER, I do believe that this module is on the radar for an upgrade. Yay :)

Pros

The content management system (CMS) provides a number of widgets to create and manage an internal website (aka, Intranet). With the recently released upgrades, great improvements have been realized in capability and performance. And, one feature that I especially like is the site analysis functions to track page utilization. Oh, and the support team... Primo!

Cons

Before the latest release, the biggest dislike was probably screen layout difficulties. Now... some of the widgets are still a bit clunky in working, but overall the functionality is there to do most anything you need to in the interface.

Pros

You don't have to have an education background in software to learn & manage the product effectively. Which also means that managing this is not time consuming. Also when we have ideas and suggestions Passageways is very open to them, asks questions to understand & works to include the new features or make the improvements you suggest.

Cons

At times some of the modules or islands don't function as simple or as straight forward as you would expect. But, as long as you share your frustration or suggestions for improvements with Passageways they do what they can to improve it to your satisfaction.