Blackbaud Education Management Solutions

We use Blackbaud Community for support with what other schools are working with as well as the Idea Board. In the past when we contact Blackbaud support, our issues are resolved quickly and with the support that we need. We have not had an issue that has not been resolved and are so appreciative of the speed in the responses to our requests.

From my experience, this is a major flaw of the system. When I come across a problem I know it will take at least 24 hours to hear back from anyone (regardless of the status I rate the problem) and I have never been able to get a 2-way conversation going. I wait for an answer, it usually either only partially addresses the problem or is not a fix, then I have to point out why it doesn't work, and I wait another 24 hours for a response.

We try to use support but sometimes they do not even get back to us or send us the wrong information. There is no follow-up.

I am generally quite pleased with support so I give it a 8 - really hard to get a a top score from me. I find the support online chat to be most useful ... generally short queue times and always good support reps. This rating is for the support operation. Expanding beyond the support operations and reps, I am somewhat less satisfied with the responses ... "... not supported ...". The support department organization often completely resolves my issue and/or answers my question. But, despite quick and professional support, I may still have an unmet destire/need.

Generally very responsive, especially within chat feature. Usually, the representative is very knowledgeable and provides quick, accurate solutions and guidance. The status updates on the support page are helpful, though usually lag an issue becoming apparent. The knowledgebase is helpful if you know exactly what you're looking for; it is very keyword-sensitive.

I use chat support a lot! It is really helpful to be able to get someone quickly and to have someone to lead me to the right knowledge base article or to show me how to do something. It's also helpful when they tell me something is not possible so I don't waste any time trying to make it happen. Our current account executive has also been responsive and helpful.

It is hit or miss. A lot of support reps are great but not always.

There are many ways to contact support that are helpful and easy. More attention could be paid to customer-recommended updates and new features.

Quickly responsive, but sometimes you have to repeat your question again when you connect with someone after inputting the information in when opening the ticket.

Calling is difficult. First-line reps aren't too knowledgeable. Have started posting cases to save time. Sometimes, turn around time for questions is long.

I think it is above average but still needs improvement with customization.

I gave 9 out of 10 to Blackbaud Education Management Solution because The search function of Blackbaud is extremely easy to use. They are also thoroughly informed. Further, we were ready to call our representative to come out and give us personal training if our team needed further help. We use Blackbaud mainly for monitoring contributors, which works well for our teams.

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.

For the most part, support is okay with Blackbaud Education Management Solutions. However, often times due to the wide range of features, it can be difficult to receive support immediately without the support representative having to consult with someone who specializes in the area with the issue. Previously, when Blackbaud Education Management Solutions was owned and managed solely by WhippleHill, Inc. and was much better and much more robust.

Over the years they have worked hard to provide competent, well trained support staff. While I may not have always rated them this high, they have been performing at a pretty consistent level for a while now. Between using the knowledgebase, chat, or phone call options, I feel well supported when I need assistance.

Lately the support has been less than pleasing. Long wait times. Last support issue I had, I asked for someone to call me and they just didn't. My account rep barely responds to my emails.

Great support team, very responsive and great solution overall.

Support is fantastic. Most issues can be handled with a short chat. Phone support wait times are very short. Staff product knowledge is great. They are all friendly and caring.

In the past, I found that I often knew more than the support analyst that I was talking with. I have felt like support is much more informed now; especially impressed with those who are knowledgeable in EE and Education Management. I love being able to chat with support!

It is a helpful and effective system, but it also often seems overly complex, and there are a number of glitches. Many times, performing the correct task doesn't actually do what it is meant to do, and the task has to be repeated a number of times. Support staff have indicated this is because of caching issues, and so the same action has to be repeated numerous times before the system catches up. As another common example, clicking on the gradebook for a course sometimes opens it in the same window, and sometimes as a new window. Inconsistencies like this make the system as a whole unpredictable and thus makes it feel somewhat unreliable.

Over the years the support I have received has always been excellent. 99% of issues are resolved during the chat. The 1% has been followed up once the solution has been found.

To date, I have had a very good experience. The support at the conference was excellent. I was able to get help creating and updating our report card with the new report card builder.

I have had minimal need for support so far because we are still working with our consultant. He is very accessible and helpful when needed. I wish the consultants were more quickly trained on some of the new features - for example, the report card builder and transcript builder.

As mentioned previously, support is great for the majority of the time. There are instances where you are clearly getting someone who is new to the products and may struggle a bit but that will happen anywhere you go :).

Working with Blackbaud for more than 10 years, we have seen the responsive nature of Blackbaud listening to schools and educational trends and creating solutions to respond to the needs of schools.

It appears the customer service reps are available and eager to help. Thank you!