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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    CaptivateIQ

    Score9.3 out of 10
    N/ACaptivateIQ in San Francisco offers their flagship sales commission management product designed to enable companies to manage and tailor mission critical sales incentive compensation programs for their workforce.N/A

    Varicent

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AFrom quotas to sales and compensation, Varicent helps revenue leaders in enterprise organizations chart a more effective, connected path to revenue by providing vital data, insights, and sales go-to-market planning tools.N/A
    Pricing
    CaptivateIQVaricent
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    CaptivateIQVaricent
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    CaptivateIQVaricent
    Considered Both Products
    CaptivateIQ
    Chose CaptivateIQ
    CaptivateIQ is way easier and requires a smaller team to operate. It is relatively easy to make adjustments, which is very beneficial. However, having better connections from CaptivateIQ to Workday would be helpful. Another good thing about CaptivateIQ is that it requires less …
    Incentivized
    Chose CaptivateIQ
    Compared to Varicent ICM -> CaptivateIQ exceed every expectation and more. Not only is the system superior, but the people that we've worked with from sales, to implementation, to customer support have been incredible!
    Incentivized
    Chose CaptivateIQ
    We have one experienced user in our organization. Based on his experience in the previous company, he recommended the team implement CaptivateIQ as our commission calculation platform. After the first meeting with the CaptivateIQ team, we felt that the key features that …
    Incentivized
    Varicent
    Chose Varicent
    Varicent is the leader in the ICM space because it is scalable and is always making improvements / enhancements based on customer input. However in my opinion based on my own experience, all ICM providers operate similarly in that they over-promise to get a customer's business …
    Incentivized
    Chose Varicent
    Varicent was the best combination of cost, features, and scalable
    Incentivized
    Chose Varicent
    Out of all of the products I have ever evaluated for this space, Varicent is head and shoulders above the rest in my opinion. For me, I think of Varicent as akin to building an Access database while the other programs are like building an Excel data model. In Varicent you …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    99%
    Would buy again
    350 Answers
    92%
    Would buy again
    35 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    99%
    Delivers good value for the price
    236 Answers
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    31 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    350 Answers
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    36 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    99%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    206 Answers
    77%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    20 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    175 Answers
    81%
    Implementation went as expected
    25 Answers
    Features
    CaptivateIQVaricent
    Sales ICM
    Comparison of Sales ICM features of CaptivateIQ and Varicent
    Feature
    CaptivateIQ
    8.2
    337 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Varicent
    6.7
    55 Ratings
    16% below category average
    Sales compensation plan creation8.4271 Ratings7.148 Ratings
    Complex sales crediting8.5245 Ratings7.548 Ratings
    Sales compensation process automation9.1312 Ratings7.452 Ratings
    Incentive auditing/regulation compliance8.1211 Ratings6.546 Ratings
    Sales compensation dashboards & forecasting8.2281 Ratings6.447 Ratings
    Incentive modeling8.2207 Ratings6.243 Ratings
    Agile incentive strategy8.1176 Ratings6.538 Ratings
    ICM mobile visibility6.6166 Ratings6.232 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    CaptivateIQVaricent
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    Everstage
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Everstage
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Salesforce Spiff
    Score8.8 out of 10
    CaptivateIQ
    Score9.3 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    CaptivateIQVaricent
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.1
    (353 ratings)
    7.3
    (67 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.1
    (6 ratings)
    4.8
    (15 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (15 ratings)
    7.0
    (59 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.2
    (3 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.8
    (3 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (53 ratings)
    6.8
    (6 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.7
    (2 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.7
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    6.8
    (6 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.2
    (3 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    4.3
    (3 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.8
    (58 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    5.9
    (3 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    5.9
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    CaptivateIQVaricent
    Likelihood to Recommend
    CaptivateIQ
    In terms of setting up special incentive programs, it might be better to have those paid out directly. Sometimes the system needs to be manually updated if for say a special service is sold to a pre-existing company. On our end we have to create "new customers" to reflect these new structures of incentives. It still works on CIQ, but it would be helpful for something on the site to allow us to modify this directly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Varicent
    For the use cases we have at the bank, ICM is a perfect solution. For any bank or institution that has similar requirements, ICM would be a perfect solution. But I also think for any use case that has any sort of incentives based on Sales done, this would work amazing, as both Calculations and reports are handled by ICM very well; it's an all-in-one solution, I feel like.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    CaptivateIQ
    • Employee Self-Service: CapIQ include self-service portals for employees. This allows them to access their compensation details, track their performance, and understand how their pay is structured.
    • Error reduction - Manual calculation of incentives and bonuses is prone to errors, especially in organizations with complex compensation structures involving multiple variables, such as sales targets, performance metrics, and different payout rates. These errors can result in underpayments, overpayments, or discrepancies in compensation, which can lead to dissatisfaction among employees.
    • Real-Time Updates: In dynamic environments, compensation plans may change frequently due to shifts in business goals or market conditions. Compensation incentive software can quickly adapt to these changes, ensuring that compensation calculations remain accurate even as plans are updated. CapIQ allowed me to track my incentives live.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Varicent
    • Flexibility - Varicent is not template based. You can implement the model specifically for your organisation.
    • Scalability - Since it is not stick to templates you are able to expand the model for other domains as well.
    • Reporting - Several ways of reporting are possible and each has their own benefit/purpose.
    • Strong/Powerfull Calculation Engine delivering fast results/speed to insight
    • User Interface is minimized to what you need and is not showing off all the functions it can "also" do
    • Strong audittrail
    • Appears to be almost unlimited in what you are able to create
    Read full review
    Cons
    CaptivateIQ
    • Reporting is challenging. Even exporting payouts requires selecting a date, so if I want a full year of payouts for the entire team, I have to run 12 reports and combine the data. They have a reporting function, but it also requires a significant setup, and I have yet to figure out how to combine data from all of our plans with different columns.
    • Tracking down changes from prior periods can be tricky. This usually happens due to user error (whoops - admin set up something not quite right), but it might be nice to easily see what changed or why there is an increase or decrease from a prior period impacting the current payout.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Varicent
    • As [the] model gets more and more transactional data, the calculation time increases. This should/can be handled internally with better model optimization.
    • Migrating from one env to other sometimes is challenging. There can be better 'Alerts' or 'Explanation' provided to handle it or at least to give a hint of the error.
    • For managers viewing their rep's report, the access part can be made easier. It should be linked to Payee hierarchy and access can be done automatically.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    CaptivateIQ
    It fits our need and allows a lot of piece of mind. It has a lot of features we like and they keep innovativing and adding to it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Varicent
    Customer support from IBM is impeccable. They are quick to respond and they don't nickel and dime you for every request you make. Their goal is to ensure your success and as a user, I really feel like they listen to my concerns. That's not to say there are no problems. All software has its issues, but I don't feel like those issues fall on deaf ears.
    Read full review
    Usability
    CaptivateIQ
    I give this rating because I think that this works really well, and it helps our teams see things faster and we are able to keep up with pay outs, I give Captivate a 10/10 because I love the format and how quickly we are able to see the payouts
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Varicent
    Any calculations can be implemented as there are hardly any limitations on complexity. However, online real-time usability is lacking - a simple user enters, and the system calculates work in a way that it is in the browser and hence still needs overnight to be properly reflected in the batch calculations and backend tables.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    CaptivateIQ
    No answers on this topic
    Varicent
    Never went down in last 3 years that I worked with it (every hour of the day basically). That is a 10 in my book.
    Read full review
    Performance
    CaptivateIQ
    No answers on this topic
    Varicent
    All is fast, but with API's it is sometimes slower due to the application we are pulling data from. Reports are loaded directly or within seconds and our reports are very detailed with many columns and rows.
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    CaptivateIQ
    We used support during our initial setup regarding statment errors. They were quick and concise to respond and help us solve our issues regarding this. They also directed us to the office hours that enabled us to learn of new features and upcoming announcements.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Varicent
    Giving a 10 would suggest there is no room for improvement. I don't feel like their support is perfect. However, I have never met another team that was more dedicated to making sure we get what we want and need.
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    CaptivateIQ
    No answers on this topic
    Varicent
    The training was good in general with a nice trainer as well. But, the training could be better if it is more focussed on our process/data etc.
    Read full review
    Online Training
    CaptivateIQ
    No answers on this topic
    Varicent
    There is a learning portal with many videos about navigation, creating reports and managing your model.
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    CaptivateIQ
    I worked with a vendor to implement. CIQ support was very good. The implementation was very fast, particularly compared to other platforms
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Varicent
    Test test test. Make sure that the product is calculating everyone 100% correctly. DO NOT accept a 70% pass rate as some companies would like to have you believe is acceptable. This means conducting thorough testing by providing 100% of all expected results, but it will be worth it when you know that the compensation plans are working entirely as expected.
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    CaptivateIQ
    Spiff is super sleek and a top contender, honestly, though the price point difference between Captivate and Spiff took Spiff off the table quickly for us. Sales Cookie: we used it for a bit as Captivate didn't have a Hubspot integration, but we quickly outgrew the software and needed a more complex solution. Xactly just doesn't have a great user experience and level of customization needed for our plans. All of this to say, Captivate absolutely wins every time on value for cost and functionality compared to other solutions we have vetted.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Varicent
    In 2015, we used a scorecard containing 80 attributes in our review of Oracle, Callidus, and Xactly & Varicent. Oracle did not have true self serve capabilities- programming was heavily required, not intuitive, out of the box functionality was limited. Callidus & Xactly could not provide us a demo using our data, statements could not be sent out in bulk form, difficulty in importing/exporting to CRM. Varicent excelled in most areas and was the clear winner.
    Read full review
    Scalability
    CaptivateIQ
    No answers on this topic
    Varicent
    It is very scalable and adaptable to changing complexities of calculations and business rules under a variety of different scenarios. It does not get full points because in large data loads the time needed to calculate and import the data increases exponentially and may cause issues related to timing potentially.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    CaptivateIQ
    • As a sales representative in this 700+ employee company, I couldn't tell you the ROI.
    • I will say it probably saves me an hour a month compared to traditional compensation reviews/approvals (think about PER representative)
    • There was an increase in sales representative satisfaction with commission tracking.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Varicent
    • Compliance - with a central system used for calculation incentive payments and commissions, we are able to provide reports and data showing every detail of how payments are calculated and why they are justified. We can also identify anomalies and outliers.
    • Integration with our payroll system is seamless. Except for regular pay, nothing goes to payroll without going through ICM. The process for paying incentives/bonuses/commissions is now very structured and efficient.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    CaptivateIQ Screenshots

    Screenshot of Automatically syncs commission data to power commission reports in real-time across every team. Data sources can be integrated directly into the commission system.Screenshot of Customized user access and visibility into commission plans and data to meet security and compliance requirements.Screenshot of The Approvals workflow, where reps and managers can ensure every payout is correct before it’s distributed.Screenshot of Displays for business performance by team, comp plan, territory, or any other metric to make data-driven decisions.Screenshot of The reps' view into earnings, with a homepage and customizable commissions statements that outline how much they've earned, details by deal, and future earning potential to keep them motivated.

    Varicent Screenshots

    Screenshot of Varicent providing clarity and transparency to sellers, helping them to find answers faster and have confidence in compensation plans.Screenshot of Tools for sellers that help them align strategic initiatives, and that help them understand which deals will help them win.Screenshot of Varicent ICM model compensation plans that display the financial impact of changes. Its ability to more accurately forecast commission payouts with “what-if” assumptions, users can budget more effectively for sales compensation costs, manage target total compensation for sales representatives and assess plan effectiveness.Screenshot of Shareable information sent to the right people to drive the right results.