FE NXT is much friendlier to use.
July 10, 2017

FE NXT is much friendlier to use.

Petra Hall | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Financial Edge NXT

Currently Financial Edge (FE) NXT is being used exclusively by the finance department, but the plan is to roll-out departmental access to selected information. The plan is to allow department managers direct access to their current budget, expenses, etc., thus eliminating monthly reports and improving day-to-day financial planning. However, we are still in the implementation phases, and most of our staff are heavy users and are waiting for more functionality before they will make the switch.
  • The user interface is much easier to work with. It may seem like a little thing, but the changes to font, colours, and screen organization make the system much more approachable.
  • When entering journal entries, the newest items added are at the top of the page.
  • The knowledge base access is much more visible - people are more likely to use it!
  • When entering transactions in a journal, you can't just tab after the last field and have the next line appear; you have to click a button.
NBS has been using Blackbaud's Financial Edge since the late 1990s, Blackbaud's donor management software for nearly as long, and their student information system for the past five years. It would be unbelievably difficult and complex to switch to another financial package.

Blackbaud's old teacher and student interfaces have reached the end of their lifetimes, so we were faced with switching to another SIS (probably not compatible with Blackbaud's financial and donor tracking software), or using their new hosted solution. When NBS moved to Blackbaud Hosting, part of the deal involved getting access to FE NXT.
Much more suited to managers and above who need data summarized in easy-to-digest format, but with links back to the details.

The functionality for heavy users is lagging, but Blackbaud has been making significant improvements - adding new functionality all the time.

Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT Feature Ratings