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APS vs. PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    APS

    Score5.6 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    APS is a national workforce management and cloud-based HR solution provider. The platform includes core HR, payroll, time and attendance (including manager and employee self-service), compliance tools, and onboarding.N/A

    PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool

    Score5 out of 10
    N/AThe PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform is a talent management platform designed for Higher Education and Government organizations, now from PowerSchool (acquired August, 2018). Modules include analytics, applicant tracking, position management, onboarding, records management, and performance management.N/A
    Pricing
    APSPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    APSPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsThe Payroll solution is offered as a standalone service, but additional solutions must be used in conjunction with the Payroll solution.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    APSPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Considered Both Products
    APS
    No answer on this topic
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    86%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    86%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    80%
    Implementation went as expected
    4 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    APSPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of APS and PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Feature
    APS
    9.1
    34 Ratings
    10% above category average
    PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    -
    Ratings
    Pay calculation10.033 Ratings00 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors8.013 Ratings00 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment10.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.023 Ratings00 Ratings
    Direct deposit files10.033 Ratings00 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management9.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reimbursement management8.913 Ratings00 Ratings
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of APS and PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    7.7
    8 Ratings
    6% above category average
    New hire portal00 Ratings9.07 Ratings
    Manager tracking tools00 Ratings7.07 Ratings
    Compliance tracking and reporting00 Ratings7.07 Ratings
    Performance and Goals
    Comparison of Performance and Goals features of APS and PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    5.8
    3 Ratings
    23% below category average
    Corporate goal setting00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Subordinate goal setting00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Individual goal setting00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings6.03 Ratings
    Performance tracking00 Ratings2.03 Ratings
    Performance Management
    Comparison of Performance Management features of APS and PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    2.7
    3 Ratings
    87% below category average
    Performance plans00 Ratings4.02 Ratings
    Plan weighting00 Ratings2.02 Ratings
    Performance improvement plans00 Ratings2.02 Ratings
    Review status tracking00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
    Rater nomination workflow00 Ratings2.02 Ratings
    Review reminders00 Ratings4.02 Ratings
    Workflow restrictions00 Ratings1.02 Ratings
    Multiple review frequency00 Ratings4.02 Ratings
    Reporting00 Ratings1.03 Ratings
    Succession Planning
    Comparison of Succession Planning features of APS and PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    7.3
    4 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings6.33 Ratings
    Candidate ranking00 Ratings7.04 Ratings
    Candidate search00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
    Candidate development00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Recruiting / ATS
    Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of APS and PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    PeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    7.3
    3 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Job Requisition Management00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Company Website Posting00 Ratings7.22 Ratings
    Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.12 Ratings
    Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings8.12 Ratings
    Customized Application Form00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Resume Management00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings2.72 Ratings
    Candidate Search00 Ratings7.92 Ratings
    Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Collaboration00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Task Creation and Delegation00 Ratings7.12 Ratings
    Email Templates00 Ratings7.82 Ratings
    User Permissions00 Ratings8.42 Ratings
    Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Reporting00 Ratings8.62 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    APSPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Small Businesses
    Patriot Payroll
    Score8.6 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Netchex
    Score9 out of 10
    SumTotal (legacy)
    Score7.9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.1 out of 10
    Cornerstone Galaxy
    Score8.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    APSPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.7
    (37 ratings)
    8.0
    (20 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.7
    (6 ratings)
    7.0
    (12 ratings)
    Usability
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    6.8
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.7
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    APSPeopleAdmin Higher Ed Platform, from Powerschool
    Likelihood to Recommend
    APS
    APS Payroll is an easy to use payroll system, and integrates well with some things such as the APS Hire feature, which handles onboarding, and the eSelfServe timeclock feature. It exports well to Quickbooks, but is only ok with NetSuite. (It works but is a completely manual process and takes a lot of setup.) Our tax registration and filing has been fine and we're always apprised of any tax discrepancies such as small Unemployment overages/underages when filed compared to what was withheld.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    Organizations who have very few applications and/or very few positions posted are probably less likely to benefit as high from PeopleAdmin. Large organizations who have several positions and/or several applications/applicants can definitely benefit from this product. This product is not as well suited for performance management as I had hoped because there is not a lot of freedom to creating and designing different evaluations for different position types in the system when you have an organization that has thousands of different employees and types.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    APS
    • It's fast and intuitive. Our previous contractors were ADP and Paychex and neither were intuitive. Our payroll runs have less errors now than with previous vendors. Payroll prep time is down from 5 hours with ADP to 2 hours with APS for the HR Manager.
    • The limiters are great. I'm always afraid of that error that no one caught. Let's assume that you add a $200 limiter to overtime. Any time that a staff member is about to receive more than $200 in overtime for that pay period, a red flag goes up for the HR manager to double check.
    • We have 3 programs in public schools that block certain ports. APS has a 2nd feature using GPS so that staff can only check in for their shift while they are in the designated GPS range. Great for someone who has to report to a remote location. Just add the GPS coordinates and they can't check until they get to the project.
    Read full review
    PowerSchool Group LLC
    • Applicant tracking was a good use of this tool for our department. I think it could use a few more customization features but overall it was a good tool to weed out applicants who were not qualified for the position.
    • The system has some canned reporting tools that also worked well for our department and management needs.
    • It was a great place to house our position descriptions and provided a readily accessible source for hiring managers to make requested updates and changes and for employees to see and have access to their position descriptions.
    Read full review
    Cons
    APS
    • Reporting - We have six different business units and the reporting is separate for all three. Most reporting I do requires information from all business units so am running six reports and then copying and pasting to get the report I need.
    • Multi-state taxes - We have a number of employees who live in New York and work in New Jersey. APS OnLine is designed to accommodate one state withholding so ability to have "worked in" state and "lived in" state taxes withheld went away. This was a shortfall.
    • The Carrier connection setup took much longer than expected. After a year, we are still having some issues with some items transferring over to the GL.
    • The CA overtime calculation does not calculate after 8 hours per day, only on the 40 per week so we override each week.
    • Reporting - when running Benefit reports, it recognizes employees who formerly carried the plan but may have dropped it. To get around this, we have to delete off the employee's record so the history is not readily available.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    • PeopleAdmin's internal report writer needs work. Currently, in version 7, reporting can only be done requisition number by requisition number. The report writer needs to be modified so it can create reports enterprise-wide.
    • PeopleAdmin's Data Mart product needs substantial modification. In version 5.8, on a monthly basis, PeopleAdmin provided us with an Microsoft Access database containing our historical data up to that period end. In version 7, the "Data Mart" contains our historical data. The Data Mart consists of over 300 files. These files are not database table downloads nor is it parts of a database data dump. Rather, the files appear to be scrapes from html pages. They contain html codes and other character data that needs to be cleaned before they can be uploaded. The files are not in a table-by-table format. Any one file can contain data from two or more tables. The format of the Data Mart makes it difficult to load the data into a database and format it in a table structure that is comparable to the Access database provided with version 5.8.
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    APS
    I have been using the system for over a year now and feel more comfortable with the functionality of it. I have just recently implemented the benefit administration portion.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    We are evaluating our options as it relates to PeopleAdmin. We are likely to renew as we can not find another product that gives us the functionality we have with PeopleAdmin 5.8 in the area of Position Description. Outside of that, we would likely be close to finding another product solution.
    Read full review
    Usability
    APS
    The APS Payroll software is very easy to use, and it is easy to train new employees on it. The APS Payroll support team is very helpful and response time is quick. It is easy to enter/change employee information, adjust salaries and benefits, etc. New features have also been added that makes it even better, such as being able to set up your own income/deduction items.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answers on this topic
    Reliability and Availability
    APS
    I haven't had any outages
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    APS
    Very quick
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    APS
    I had to learn APS on my own, and the support team held my hand. They are still there when I have an occasional question. Anytime I need support, I can call my rep or send an email and help is on the way, without failure. The support team is awesome
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answers on this topic
    In-Person Training
    APS
    Even if it wasn't in-person on location, we felt like we had our trainer in the room with us.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    APS
    We had great webinars.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    APS
    It would have been helpful to understand the phases of the implementation up front so I could have prepared differently for enrollments, billing, and transfer of information to payroll. At the end of the day, I'm happy with the selection and the system and anticipate I will like it better as we go along. We have done a number of other system implementations in the past few years, and this has been pretty painless, however, I've had a few surprises.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    APS
    We had used ADP for years and had always struggled with their customer service. With over 20 locations (20+ W2s, quarterly filings, etc) we had a lot of questions. We would have to call and sit on hold for long periods of time to talk to someone who couldn't always answer our questions. Then we would get different answers from different people or have to re-explain our issue. It was a major time suck for my employees and they dreaded having to call all of the time. For us - the final straws for us to switch providers were: +Numerous year end filings with incorrect names and addresses (they couldn't keep our 20+ locations separate even though our paperwork was completed correctly) +Incorrect SUI rates for several locations that resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in overpayments which was a lot of money for small hotels. We had sent in numerous requests for them to fix this but it never happened +Lack of care - even though we were having all of these issues, nobody would work with us to get them all resolved and make sure to remedy the situation. We had to seek out a manager to get them resolved but even after this, we still had more issues. Overall - DON'T stick with ADP or even think about switching to them. They might be able to slash prices but their poor customer service and lack of care will cost you in the end. It's not worth it. APS does everything ADP had the capability of but we don't have the errors or headaches we did before. I am really looking forward to this year end!
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    I've used both Target Recruit and HR Smart. When working with Target Recruit it quickly became apparent it was not the right solution for us. Another solution we examined prior to selection PeopleAdmin was iCIMS. iCIMS is a very social system but was not as familiar with the Higher Education recruitment processes as was PeopleAdmin.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    APS
    I've never had a problem with the system nor in finding the right information.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    APS
    • We were able to transition quickly and continue to successfully hire and onboard new hires for several Clubs that opened within weeks of moving to APS.
    • We do struggle a bit with the ease of reporting simply because our locations are all under separate EIN and that can make it difficult to easily combine data queried under custom reports, so the volume of reporting that I might wish to be able to push through weekly in order to help address 'real time' trends is not always available.
    • The lack of effective dating for position and wage changes does mean that HR and available APS data is not 'real time' accurate and that HR does need to return to the system to update changes well after-the-fact, which is not ideal.
    Incentivized
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    PowerSchool Group LLC
    • We are now able to track our recruitment sources to determine our ROI on university paid subscriptions.
    • We have reduced our recruiting approval review times by 50%
    • We have identified areas for improvement substancially by having robust reporting available at our fingertips.
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    APS Screenshots

    Screenshot of workforce planningScreenshot of expense management