Evolution Payroll vs. Smartsheet

We have a small company with very simple needs. This software meets those needs, but it looks like it is capable of doing so much more than what we use it for. I typically use only a few screens and a few reports. It is very well suited for our needs, but I don't know the full functionality of the system due to our limited needs.

Incentivized

Smartsheet shines for collaboration. When you have multiple people involved with planning events Smartsheet makes it easy to share and collaborate. For instance, multiple people can be in Smartsheet working at the same time. Also setting permissions for exactly those who need to know is quite easy with Smartsheet. For data analytics and general spreadsheet purposes Excel is better but for project management and event planning Smartsheet is superior

Incentivized

• Payroll management
• Provides accurate employees' reports
• Helps us in tracking payroll taxes

Incentivized

• Its hard to overstate the value of familiarity. Being able to use a tool that has some familiarity takes away the time needed to train and orient employees on a new tool and allows an organization to hit the ground running.
• Smartsheet covers most of the basics of a project management tool, the usual tasks, milestones and project viewing options.
• For data viewing, you get multiple data viewing options including a calendar view (good for marketing teams and those who work around scheduling), Kanban, Gaant etc

Incentivized

• One problem it has is if you try to cut multiple checks for a person (sometimes) it creates an error which requires assistance from the processor to get it straightened out.
• You need to pay close attention when reviewing prior to submitting. Sometimes if you think you saved something it might not have saved it and if you don't catch it before you submit, it requires assistance to get corrected up to and including voiding a check and re-issuing.
• In my opinion, it's somewhat expensive. I have been looking at other providers who would use a different system, and they seem to be significantly cheaper. That may not be a direct correlation to the software but to the provider.
• I don't know if it is capable of allowing a user to create new reports, but if it doesn't, that would be something to consider as a missing functionality.
• I haven't found an area that allows for tracking pay increases. We simply overwrite a persons rate of pay when we give a raise, so there is no tracking of the date a raise was given or a comparison showing what they made prior to or when the last raise was given. (That I am aware of).

Incentivized

• Smartsheet set up is similar to Excel, yet when you upload an Excel file, things like conditional formatting are lost. Smartsheet has its own conditional formatting, and you have to reinstate the rules. It would be great if those would apply automatically once a file is uploaded
• Some Smartsheet management and access rules can take some tweaking to work properly. This may be a case of offering more info to admins so they can apply these better and with more efficiency

Incentivized

Evolution is provided by our current third party payroll processor. We are currently considering changing processors, because of increased prices and competition is priced significantly lower.

Incentivized

It definitely meets our needs as far as organizing and archiving our tasks and files. As we train more staff to view it, I see opportunities for more improvement, which I am sure this program can handle. I look forward to seeing continued improvement from Smartsheet on their capabilities and functionality.

Incentivized

Smartsheet is very easy to learn. However, while I have been able to pick it easily, Microsoft Excel and Project super users that I have trained on Smartsheet get bogged down in the differences and can find it frustrating. Explaining the differences ahead of time and why Smartsheet is being chosen instead of a different software seems to counteract those reactions

Incentivized

I give this rating because it fills a niche in the market. MS Project scares many away from proper task management but there are limited tools our there, especially cloud-based that are mobile-friendly. Smartsheet fills this market gap, especially for small to medium-sized businesses. IT is not fair to compare it to MS Project, but fairer to see what gaps it fills.

Incentivized

It's absolutely paramount to take a few minutes to actually play with the software. It's nearly impossible to do anything wrong or make a mistake which cannot be fixed easily. Under the help menu is Live Training option. After you familiarize yourself with the commands, watch the live training for some in depth understanding of how to make the software fit your needs perfectly.

The ease of integration of Evolution Payroll with other essential platforms makes it a reliable and unique software for us. This software also distinguishes itself from others because it is easy to use and affordable. It has high-quality features that work very well for us when it comes to payroll management.

Incentivized

Jira and Redmine are much more robust and technologically advanced project management solutions. I enjoy using either when managing a very large project. However, I prefer to use Smartsheet for my smaller to medium sized projects. As for Google Drive - I would say that Google sheets and Smartsheet are almost identical in my opinion when it comes to functionality. Personally I prefer to manage smaller projects via Google Drive, but it is a personal preference!

Incentivized

• Accuracy is one amazing thing I love about Evolution Payroll.
• It collects data from other systems to make payroll management excellent
• It is affordable and reliable

Incentivized

• This has really opened up collaboration across teams. A lot less working in silos.
• It hasn't fully replaced any one tool so it means having to go to another place. Hopefully, we can eliminate a tool or two in the next six months.

Incentivized