WORK[etc] - a great four-letter word ending in k[etc]
December 21, 2017
WORK[etc] - a great four-letter word ending in k[etc]
Score 9 out of 10
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Overall Satisfaction with WORK[etc]
We use WorkEtc across our company for nearly everything. CRM. Project Management. Customer Support / Support Ticket System. Knowledge Base. Sales & Marketing.
We replaced about 9 distinct "silos of information" that were cumbersome and *not* interoperable with one uniform, highly-customizable, easy-to-use source for documentation and management. WorkETC enhances accountability and accuracy.
We replaced about 9 distinct "silos of information" that were cumbersome and *not* interoperable with one uniform, highly-customizable, easy-to-use source for documentation and management. WorkETC enhances accountability and accuracy.
- Self-created custom fields and custom tags make it easy to categorize clients by services delivered. Custom tags also allow you to build Smart Lists to easily show progress on jobs being done across all clients that match the 'tag category' you're working on.
- The program syncs with Google Apps effortlessly, and nearly transparently. Particularly useful for Google Mail and Google Calendars, our most-used Google Apps. I understand it does the same for Microsoft Outlook users.
- Self-created Project Templates ensure *all* nuances of every project are addressed. Why re-invent the wheel? Project Templates are enhanced regularly and easily. Project Templates include simple, succinct 'To-Dos.' For more background and where applicable, the To-Dos include a link to a corresponding Knowledge Base (KB) article detailing our SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), including the "why" behind them. Knowledge Base articles can be private (staff only, by permission), public, or semi-private (e.g., staff and clients, or a particular client only).
- A little thing I'd like to see (haven't suggested it to WORK[etc] yet) is a bit more granularity in assigning new support tickets. It's very easy to assign one, or dozens. of new support tickets to a category and/or individual without having to open the tickets. I'd like to see that be a bit more granular, being able to assign a priority, deadline and/or client to each ticket without having to open the ticket. For all I know, that can be done now...as powerful as this program is, and as much as we customize it and use it daily, I believe we're only harnessing 2 or 3% of its capabilities.
- Setting up project templates is time-consuming - if you want to do it right. Nevertheless, it is well worth it! Routine complex projects that used to require at least six people and at least as many "silos of information" are now done with two or three people, and - at most - 2 or 3 silos of information. And that's only because I haven't fully integrated the program with our Accounting programs (and there is an API for Quickbooks). I'd say the initial investment of perhaps 80 hours on my part was saved five or ten times over during our first six months, with better accuracy, accountability, and documentation. Since then, the ROI is at least 20 or 30 times annually of my time...the one thing I can't buy more of.
After the Great Recession, I wanted to reduce the complex system of non-interoperable programs we were using. The idea of one simple, comprehensive system (coupled with Google Apps, that is) appealed to me a great deal. The accountability and documentation features are a very pleasant, very large PLUS. We have yet to tap into anywhere near the complete functionality WORK[etc] offers! We used NetSuite for a while, but it was far more complex, less user-friendly, and cost a bloody fortune.