Item: Avalara
Rating: 7
Author: Memorie Brown

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Avalara in conjunction with QuickBooks, Amazon, and Big Commerce to address the tax requirements for our business from state to state in a wholesale market as well as with resellers across multiple platforms (one being Amazon). We have a B2B website, and our facility is in Oregon, where sales tax does not apply. We needed a solution to juggle all of these variables while staying in compliance with each state's requirements.

Pros and Cons

Collect data and use it process returns
Software design
Training

Communication in the implementation process
Checks and balances for company support
Pricing

Return on Investment

Positive- freeing up employees and man hours; minimal interaction required
Positive- in compliance, staying abreast of ever-changing tax requirements from state to state; timeliness
Positive- integrating with existing software and providing avenues to save time and money

Systems Integrated With

Big Commerce
Quickbooks
Magento
Webgility
Office

The integrations were fairly easy to achieve, and the staff was knowledgeable in the initial setup. There were some hiccups in the performance on different occasions, and getting support was less than timely, in my opinion.

Usability

For the most part, it is what you put into it. The integrations work well for the most part. It is easy to use the online support tools to navigate all that Avalara offers. They are constantly offering opportunities to educate their consumers and really listen to feedback. An arena like sales tax is always changing, creating situations and scenarios that cause us to experience unforeseen issues. Avalara's support team could use some training on empathy and conveying information in an easier way to understand.

Additional Capabilities

Avalara Returns
CertCapture

The Avalara Returns is a time saver. CertCapture takes a lot of leg work on our end and feels a bit redundant.

Likelihood to Recommend

It is definitely a great answer to monthly return filings and tax compliance. They also provide modules that address and integrate with other software you use. Extracting data and compiling it is made easy and works with little interaction. If you don't sell in multiple states across the US, it would make sense to complete the services Avalara provides within your company to avoid costs. The cost and the setup is expensive and takes time.

Avalara Helps with the Ups and Downs of Tax Compliance

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with Avalara