Short and Sweet Review of a Great System
Updated October 29, 2018
Short and Sweet Review of a Great System
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Modules Used
- AvaTax
- Returns
Overall Satisfaction with Avalara
It is being utilized by our accounting team. It solves the problem of sales tax automation. We have sales to ~10 states that require us to collect/remit sales tax. Avalara is linked directly to our accounting system, Intacct, in which sales tax is calculated, based on current rates, between the 2 systems automatically when an order is entered. Avalara then keeps this information on file, remits the appropriate sales tax returns as needed, and the funds are withdrawn from our bank account.
- Setup/making changes in the system is clear and easy. Other programs can be confusing, especially when it comes to dealing with multiple states, but Avalara's UX is easy to follow. They also have video tutorials for most things you'd need to do (which are decent in terms of their helpfulness), and, of course, have support that can be contacted if needed.
- Not sure this is something that could be done differently from a practical perspective, but, I find the actual transaction interface for sales to be a bit busy. It's easier once you get used to it but can be intimidating at first.
- It has significantly cut down on staff time, in terms of manually tracking requirements, etc. That has of course come with a $ cost. I couldn't really say by comparison in terms of the money spent vs the time saved, but, the time savings are definitely significant.
- Intacct
A low depth of integration but is all that is needed. It took a little bit of work to understand/get the link between the systems to work, but, once that was done, it was pretty much a breeze from there.
Yes, we use the return filing. This is another basically fully automated procedure so has cut down on a lot of the manual time and is very easy to use.
None noted
Using Avalara
1 - The controller uses avalara to automate sales tax calculation/remittance. Other than initial setup, or, when additions are needed, the process is basically automatic.
1 - Definitely someone with a general accounting background and at least some experience with sales tax and system implementation/maintenance. Someone who is willing/able to reach out to either avalara or outside accountants to get any sales tax issues resolved.
- There really is only one use case, and that is the automation of sales tax calculation and return remittance.
- None noted. Our needs are pretty straightforward and we've never ventured outside the basics needed to meet those needs.
- None noted, except to update as additional sales tax regulations come into place.
Evaluating Avalara and Competitors
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
The biggest factor was definitely usability, in terms of it being user-friendly, and more importantly, accurate.
We would probably seek out more vendors for comparison. I'm not sure what other vendors there are, and, we only looked into avalara when going through this process, but certainly it would have been better to consider other alternatives as well while going through the selection process.