Item: Vertex
Rating: 10
Author: Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Vertex

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Up until the end of the year we were using Vertex to assist with the filing of sales / use tax returns, but since that process has been outsourced we are no longer using that particular product. Now we are using the Vertex Tax Engine and Exempt Certificate Manager system to assist with the calculation of sales and use tax, and for storage of the exempt certificates.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Customer service is top notch, and always has been. Usually a question is answered / resolved during the initial call.
Products are simple and easy to use. This doesn't mean it's not a robust system, because it is. Vertex has made it very easy to use.
Vertex notifies of any changes happening at the state / local level in a timely manner, giving us the opportunity to react appropriately.

Cons

For the exempt certificate manager, would like to be able to complete and send exempt certificates right from the system
For the exempt certificate manager, would like to be able to send a link and have the customer complete and return their certificate for our review

Return on Investment

When I was filing the sales / use tax returns, I was able to get returns for ten different legal entities in 45 states filed in less than a week. If I had to do this with an excel spreadsheet, I don't know that I would have been able to do that by the deadlines. Being able to get the filings done in a short window freed me up to do other work.
Using the Tax Engine has made our addition of sales taxes to invoices simple, and the calculation of use tax complete without a second thought. Our customers are happier because they're being charged the correct amount of tax, or if they've provided a certificate being charged no tax.
We're almost looking forward to the next states sales tax audit as we figure the taxes have been properly managed, and all of the documentation needed to prove why no sales tax was collected from customers was submitted timely and on file. No more searching for a contact at the customer for their certificate!

Vertex Tax Accuracy

So far, all the calculations have been done correctly, with no rework needed. Our old system didn't have the depth needed to correctly add taxes according to the correct address, so there are hundreds of lines of "disputes" that need to be resolved, taxes credited back to customers, and amended returns to be filed.

Scalability

Each time we acquired a new legal entity, we simply added a new company to the list of imports, imported the data and filed the returns. The setup for new entities is simple, and adding states is a matter of clicking that box.

Usability

As I said earlier, I filed returns for 10 different legal entities, all with different filing frequencies, in 45 states. Once I had everything set up in the system it was a simple matter of dumping the data in, pushing a few buttons and printing off the return. There's no way this would have been able to be done without using the Vertex software.

Key Insights

Do you think Vertex delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Vertex's feature set?

Yes

Did Vertex live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Vertex go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Vertex again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Oracle PeopleSoft ERP, Microsoft Excel

Likelihood to Recommend

I have used Vertex since the very beginning of my career. I have always found the information clear, and easy to use. The documentation to use the product was thorough. We file returns in all 45 states that have sales / use taxes and having the ability to import data, key additional data in and print out a signature ready return has made life easy. I've never wanted to look at any other return preparation software as none of them come close to the product that Vertex created.

Vertex Feature Ratings

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