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Kickserv vs. Blackbaud Education Management Solutions

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Kickserv

    Score9.3 out of 10
    N/AKickserv is a field service management solution, headquartered in Austin, Texas. It includes features such as dynamic scheduling optimization, invoicing and online payments, and detailed reporting.

    $79

    per month

    Blackbaud Education Management Solutions

    Score7.1 out of 10
    N/ABlackbaud Education Management Solutions is a unified student management system for K–12 private schools. Blackbaud Enrollment Management System™: Gives schools and families the ability to track admissions progress from first impressions all the way through the application process to acceptance, enrollment, and tuition payment. Blackbaud Learning Management System™: Track students' academic performance and progression…N/A
    Pricing
    KickservBlackbaud Education Management Solutions
    Editions & Modules
    Starter
    $79
    per month
    Business
    $159
    per month
    Premium
    $239
    per month
    Solo
    Free
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    KickservBlackbaud Education Management Solutions
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    KickservBlackbaud Education Management Solutions
    Considered Both Products
    Kickserv
    No answer on this topic
    Blackbaud
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    73%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    85%
    Delivers good value for the price
    11 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    87%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    83%
    Implementation went as expected
    10 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    KickservBlackbaud Education Management Solutions
    Small Businesses
    ServiceTitan
    Score7.4 out of 10
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    Medium-sized Companies
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    Enterprises
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    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    KickservBlackbaud Education Management Solutions
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (10 ratings)
    7.0
    (120 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.5
    (9 ratings)
    Usability
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    6.5
    (7 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (115 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (21 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    KickservBlackbaud Education Management Solutions
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Kickserv
    We use KickServ for nearly every aspect of our operation and cannot think of a scenario when it is "inappropriate" or "less appropriate". It is the backbone of our operation and is used for everything from data gathering to estimates to invoices to payments and accounts receivables to reports to tracking to storage of photos and past invoices. Better searching abilities would be good instead of having to create tags for things we don't know we are going to need later.
    Incentivized
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    Blackbaud
    A good, and constantly improving solution for private schools. I don't know that a lot of its functionality would be well suited to public schools, but maybe? The integration with other Blackbaud software is a huge plus for us, as we have several of their other products including their flagship Raiser's Edge. Smaller schools may not need the sophistication of Blackbaud solutions, and it is not an inexpensive option.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Kickserv
    • Organization - keeps everything organized nicely and has several different filters that you can use to view only the information you need.
    • Simple website - this was important because you want it to load quickly when you are in the office and on the road.
    • Database - keeps track of the things that you enter. This is nice when trying to get information on a product or a price when requested by the customer.
    Incentivized
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    Blackbaud
    • Seamless integration between the LMS, EMS and SIS modules
    • Real-time, effective chat support helps me not only with urgent needs but also to work through possibilities for increasing how we use the product.
    • Feature upgrades monthly that respond to voiced needs from users
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    Cons
    Kickserv
    • Integration with email marketing
    • Advanced searching capabilities (i.e. If I wanted to search for every job I did that had the words "water damage" in their descriptions).
    • More ability to customize templates (like adding additional artwork, pictures)
    Incentivized
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    Blackbaud
    • Forms - lack of conditional questions
    • Gradebook -lack of links to assignments
    • Not being able to customize displays, for example, Grading tab - we just finished 1st semester and teachers could only see the current quarter but not the 1st one which is still part of the first semester. Lack of customization in assessments.
    • Scheduling- even though re-running generating schedules, we're still getting a high number of unscheduled students. Lack of being able to limit the number of scheduled classes in a row for teachers.
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    Kickserv
    It's perfect for our company. We rely on it. Tech support is great. We're very happy.
    Incentivized
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    Blackbaud
    It is a solid product. We have some issues with the capabilities of the website building components and the out dated technology behind its communications software but overall Blackbaud Education Management Software services to combine numerous functions into one product.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Kickserv
    It is intuitive enough, but there is some training that will be necessary because of a perceived redundancy within their workflow. It can be hard to distinguish which stage a customer is in (thus what the most important thing to be working on, if you are in sales, for instance) without some training.
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    Blackbaud
    Blackbaud EMS is very usable from my perspective. I am a power user and get lots of valuable functionality. It is, however, a complex system. Sometimes necessarily complex to accommodate flexibility for diverse customer needs. Some complexity seems unnecessary and/or hold-over functionality from earlier versions; nice to see this type being evolved away from over time. It is valuable to receive regular updates to the system along with good release notes of what changed and notices of significant changes in advance.
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    Support Rating
    Kickserv
    Very good technical help. The team is well-versed in their product and what to look for, particularly when interacting with other software platforms. You nearly always get a live person when you call, and if you don't, they will return your call promptly. This is another factor in my client's decision to move forward with their solution.
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    Blackbaud
    Decent support however the chat feature can take a great amount of time out of the workday. If for instance you are waiting for someone to respond in the chat and there is a fire drill, if you are not responding within a few minutes, you are disconnected and have to start all over again. It would be great if you could submit your problem and then whoever has the most experience, can respond. The training in the Blackbaud University is good but also time-consuming - a 3 hr training in the middle of a workday is a lot to ask. I like the 90-minute sessions. It would also be great to offer a shorter webinar to update on any changes implemented. Other than the email I subscribed to, there is no information on how these updates actually work.
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    Alternatives Considered
    Kickserv
    Easier to use than Salesforce. More robust than Zoho. More functionality that is easier to learn than both.
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    Blackbaud
    Blackbaud K-12 is very similar. I feel like I would be trading one set of issues for another so it's kind of a wash. We are very much hooked into the Blackbaud website with our Google SSO, SmartTuition, and Schooldoc integrations. It would be difficult for us to transition. That is the main reason I haven't really entertained other web firms.
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    Return on Investment
    Kickserv
    • We are essentially paper free. No paper work orders.
    • We've been able to avoid a layer of middle management by supplementing this layer with technology. KickServ is a part of that layer.
    • Negatively speaking, like all technology, it has created a void of human level connection. Because we know that we can deliver work orders to our foremen remotely, we are less likely to drive up to the shop and shake a hand or see someone face to face. We had to learn that lesson the hard way, that both technology and human connection are necessary to maintain our culture.
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    Blackbaud
    • Negative - The rollout is brutal. Blackbaud said it could happen in 6 months, but that is definitely not a reality. It will take well over a year, and one complete school cycle to actually integrate everything correctly.
    • Positive - The amount of time saved in data processing has allowed our office to become more involved in other areas of the school.
    • Positive - The ease of having everything in [one] place, from inquiry to application to contracts and course registration, has been a HUGE benefit to our applicants and their families.
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    ScreenShots

    Blackbaud Education Management Solutions Screenshots

    Screenshot of Topics pages help organize units of learning throughout the year in the Learning Management SystemScreenshot of Blackbaud's education management solutions come with strong reporting tools to get the information you need quicklyScreenshot of Schedule view makes it easy for teachers to manage their daysScreenshot of Blackbaud Enrollment Management System Admissions Checklists help applicants track their progress in the admissions processScreenshot of Blackbaud's education management solutions come with strong reporting tools to get the information you need quicklyScreenshot of Keep track of all the key information about your students in one place