Bright

Pros

Brings all the functionality of the browser portal into a mobile app. It's much easier to use the app for quick access than to get on a computer to see and use the portal.

Cons

I have very few issues as an end-user employee. I do have some frustrations over how easily I can change my details, but I understand the importance of have this administrated by senior leadership.

Pros

very helpful clear instructions in a friendly way

Cons

N/A nothing to complain about product and service always outstanding

Pros

The software is easy to set up and is user friendly.
You can save all your deadlines, references and customer information in one place.
Keep track of all outstanding tasks.
Send mass emails easily.

Cons

There are many areas that need developing eg adding budgeted hours against a client, mass documents to be attached when sending an email, uploaded documents to be saved all together, folders to be created to structure uploaded documents, exporting outstanding tasks, customised drop down boxes for short description on time log.

Pros

It is online and linked to other software and HMRC

Cons

Pricing per user, it would be better to have pricing per number of clients. Also the invoicing is not linked properly with QuickBooks.

Pros

I have tried and tested quite a few software before I came across Accountancy manager. One had a client database but required extensive work to set up tasks, especially those that are requiring, preset specific templates, another had some features that were required in Practice (i.e. Letters of engagement), but not others, so in fact, my practice and tasks were managed across 3-4 CMR's and client management software, that in combination served my practice management needs. AM was revolutionary, for it had all of the features I wanted and needed in one software.

Cons

I find filters bit cumbersome. Guess it's a very low price to pay.

Pros

I signed up to a trial with Accountancy Manager after a failed attempt to get another practice management software sorted for my practice. I had a 1on1 meeting to go through the software and for me to ask questions. They send you weekly tasks with short videos to complete. There are software setups and short videos in the actual software that you can rewatch if not sure and their amazing support team and my account manager have been brilliant helping me with any questions. It has saved me so much time, I am able to apply for authorisation from HMRC from within the software, I can get documents signed, clients can send me documents through a more secure means than just emails. Being able to email multiple clients at a time with news or information is a time saver. Tracking if the client has seen an email is a great addition too.

Cons

The worse bit for me was setting up the templates or adjusting them. As i am with ICB, there are certain paragraphs that I needed in there and i had to do it manually and check each template which took its time.

Pros

I love how straightforward it was to set up and get up and running. I really like the task management functions, how I can see what deadlines are coming up and what staff are working on. The proposal emails and e-signing of LOEs and T&Cs has been so helpful and the ability to perform AML ID checks from within the software has been brilliant.

Cons

I like the task template breakdowns but the fact they don't copy over when a new task is created can be frustrating, however, I'm hoping the new workflow functionality will sort this out.

Pros

I love that the software is user friendly and intuitive, with a pleasant looking interface. The customer support has also been fantastic.

Cons

I would love it to be cloud based (which is in the pipeline), and also more batch processing features.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Bright

Pros

We love the the culture at AM, they are so full of personality. We feel valued and very much part of the family. We love the way AM tracks tasks and organises them in to "work to lists" giving us a clear jobs list for the day, week, month etc

Cons

Invoicing. We are looking forward to this developing.

Pros

That employees can access their own payroll portal

Cons

Hasn't yet adapted for the recent ruling relating to holiday pay

Pros

Easy to use, keeps our practice running smoothly, helps client experience to be the best that it can be

Cons

None! It is a great software and I would highly recommend it!

Pros

The timeline allows easy management and monitoring of deadlines and progress

Cons

I use taxfiler - it would be great if tax due/payments on account could integrate with the client record in AM

Pros

Ease of use - it does all the essentials straight out of the box without the need for lots of customisation

Easy to import existing clients using spreadsheets

Client client onboarding is well thought out and with the production of letters of engagement and proposal emails saves me a lot of time

Client portal works well together with esigning of documents

Email reminders are brilliant timesavers

HMRC authorisation also saves me time rather than going to the HMRC site

Excellent and speedy support

The software does what you need it to do and is not big and bloated like other packages

Cons

Could do with a lower cost for additional users or specifically part time users

Would like to be able to have more reporting flexibility on the task list

Pros

Ease of use, support, regular software upgrades, never miss a deadline, client on-boarding, proposal management, customisation

Cons

Nothing major - perhaps the only minor item is cut and paste functionality can be a bit erratic when using templates. But this is minor....

Pros

Nice modern user interface.
Easy to learn and operate.
Covers RTI and Auto Enrollment.
No need for dedicated stationery.
Excellent value for money.
Fixed yearly fee includes all legislation and feature updates and support.

Cons

Would be nice to be able to attach documents to employee records i.e. contract of employment, disciplinary letters, etc.

Pros

Easy to use and to understand interface provides feature rich control for our worker payroll accounts.
Additions and deductions for multiple departments are an extremely useful feature as well.
Where the windows for software use in OS are concerned we love the automatic resizing feature which makes our job much easier.

Cons

The list of negatives for Brightpay is admittedly low , however we must mention that given the time zone difference and some accented language
that customer service interactions can be a bit difficult but not unbearable.
Also, a new software download is required each new tax season.

Pros

Holiday/hours tracking, pay rate management, tax compliant

Cons

Integration with Bizimply was little hard in the beginning but now it’s sorted

Pros

This software makes running a payroll easy. The interface is very user-friendly and inputting pay figures is a cinch. The software takes the legwork out of running regular payrolls by rolling over figures month-to-month and providing variance indicators

Cons

Setting up employer mid-year can be a little challenging until you understand how to input all the relevant information.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Bright

Pros

I like that's it's so easy to use. You don't need to have payroll experience. Brightpay alerts you need to send through your RTI and pension contributions. It also is free for auto enrolment. My previous payroll software were charging extra for auto enrolment.

I've been using Brightpay for over 3 years. I pleased to say they have never increased their prices. It's an excellent product. The developers clearly have the end user in mind. If you get stuck their help guides are fantastic. 10/10

Cons

There's nothing I don't like about it. Brightpay keeps up to date. New features are being added all the time. I can't think of a single thing that I don't like about it.

Pros

Functionality, reliability and excellent customer service

Cons

Price could be a little bit more affordable

Pros

Very easy to use and to understand, high quality support

Cons

Customer service could have a webchat, sometimes AM becomes laggy

Pros

If you have just the slightest knowledge of payroll (used to use HMRC software), you will find BrightPay a breeze.
Its simple to use, all calculations are done for you. You can print detailed payslips, which was a first for me. I can also send information straight to our Automatic Enrolment pension provider. Has a great employee calendar to keep track of holidays, sick days and absences. As the title says, its so easy to use it is child's play.

Cons

There isn't anything negative I can say about this software, except the new cloud service that has recently appeared should be available without extra charge! It would be a useful tool to have for my employees!

Pros

Firstly, as a small company I use the free version of Bright Pay, nevertheless this is an excellent software package. As somebody who works with and designs software applications, this is an example of how modern, well written software packages can be simple and intuitive, to the extent that anybody can use them with minimal training.

Cons

To be honest, nothing. I'm really pleased with the product and the vendor - The product works well and even when I needed some help with support they were quick and prompt and sorted the issue...which was actually down to my own error. - Quick Books could learn a thing or two about software packages here...perhaps wish that Bright Pay could do the accounts also!

Pros

I've used this software over two years and while parts of it are clunky, I love the annual updates and ways they continually change the platform to make it user friendly. It really feels like they listen to customer suggestions and make changes. Our employees love the self-serve model whereby they can access all their pay information on their own without going to HR.

Cons

User customization could use some upgrades. I'd like to be able to change the formatting and most-used columns and set up my dashboard more to my liking. This doesn't mean the software is not usable, it's just a bit clunky and means I do not work as quickly as I'd like.

Pros

-free for auto enrolment
-ease of use
-yearly price that doesn't increase
-easy to use user interface
-holiday and sick day calendar for all employees
-help guides and excellent customer service
-free for small companies

Cons

-backing up and restoring data is occasionally confusing
-you do need to download a new program each year
-hard to come up with negatives!