AwardSpring

Benefits:

I like that the software is relatively easy to use and all information is readily accessible. I also like the follow-up feature/additional requirements because it allows me to decide what I want to do be it gathering data or creating thank you cards . My favorite "feature" about the software is the team of people who provide assistance and support (i.e. Sales, Implementation Specialists, and Tech Support) AND the fact that they listen to your feedback and ideas and will often implement features sparked from those conversations. What that means for everyone using the software is the platform will keep getting better, and anything better than awesome is excellent in my book.

Drawbacks:

Dashboard and Email features

In sum:

When we purchased the software we had a really quick deadline to get everything implemented in time for the scholarship season. As with any new software, there was a learning curve and we did have a couple of hiccups along the way, however the customer support was absolutely awesome at solving any issues that cropped up and helped each of us understand the platform and it's capabilities better. With some companies you purchase their product and you regret it or never hear from them again. That is not the case with AwardSpring, they are there for you when you need them. I cannot say enough about the customer support and service!

Benefits:

The platform has a nice user interface for the applicant. It's fairly easy to create and edit applications.

Drawbacks:

You can't have more than one cycle open at once. The list of canned reports is small and custom reports take several days. There is no easy way to see applicants who are working on applications.

In sum:

The customer service is great. I'm almost always able to speak with someone when I call rather than having to wait or receive a call back. I think the price reflects the quality of the platform.

Benefits:

This software is intuitive to scholarship processes and allowed us to significantly reduce administrative time.

Drawbacks:

I cannot think of a single thing at the moment.

In sum:

Amazingly easy implementation Strong customer service support from AwardSpring staff Easy to use software with no glitches Integrated (with blinding option)review process Happy donors, reviewers, staff and students

Benefits:

I like that I am able to copy all my scholarships to the next award cycle. Individual reports that is tailored to my needs and request.

Drawbacks:

Same application form for all scholarship.

In sum:

Award Spring has the best user support staff I have ever experience. They listen to your needs and is able to give you exactly what was requested.

Benefits:

It is difficult to narrow down my favorite thing about AwardSpring, but if I have to only choose one it is definitely the administrative time is has saved me! From setting up scholarships, to helping applicants through the process, to reviewing applications, to awarding and receiving thank-you notes, the process is seamless and easy! Definitely well worth the money!

Drawbacks:

My least favorite thing is that sometimes it takes a while for the things on my wish list to be implemented, but there is a wish list! That in itself is awesome! The staff and developers look at the wish list and try to implement the items you suggest!

In sum:

In addition to the administrative time AwardSpring has saved me and our scholarship review team, our students love it! This process is so easy for a school that spans 11 counties with one scholarship rep! My job is worlds easier thanks to the AwardSpring platform! The ladies in support are amazing too! I know them by name and there is no waiting on hold nonsense. I can't speak highly enough about this product and the staff!

Benefits:

The ease of having all my scholarships online and one application for the students.

Drawbacks:

It's easy once you get it all set up, but I have a few scholarships that are a bit tricky but Award Spring walked me through it. It's sometimes hard to delete/add a question.

In sum:

They are very helpful when I call and always resolve my problems.

Benefits:

Videos are good that you provide for training. Your support personnel are excellent.

Drawbacks:

Setting up the scholarships and their respective cycle can be challenging.

In sum:

I am a new user to this program. I am grateful for your support office as I navigate this software. Some of this is difficult to understand or figure out. With your support team we have been able to take care of business.

Benefits:

AwardSpring is a very easy to use software that allows for any type of question an organization might wish to ask their applicants to be asked easily with defined criteria. It makes the students lives easier with being able to see their applications, continuing at any point. We are able to retrieve data fairly easily and generally customize the application almost however we wish.

Drawbacks:

There are a few deficiencies with the product, namely there is no ability to do custom reporting, you cannot update a list of options after making them (e.g. Q3 has options A, B, & C, later on you want to add D, you cannot without deleting and recreating the question), and all scholarships must share the same application base, that is without making things conditional if you have 2 or more scholarships, they share the same questions, which is irritating if you have very different scholarships.

In sum:

Overall AwardSpring has been a very positive experience, the first year we started with AwardSpring we saw a more than doubling of the number of applicants to our scholarship coming from a paper application. There are no major issues with the product at all and the tech support is very responsive to questions asked while also taking feature requests. We have recommended AwardSpring to several other organizations who have also had just as positive experiences.

Benefits:

That it centralizes the scholarship application, review and selection process.

Drawbacks:

There is no automatic notification to the students when a reference letter is posted to their application. And no automatic way to let them know that reference letters are missing.

In sum:

There are some great advantages for the students--ability to apply anywhere, anytime they have internet access. Fabulous that the application is saved as they go. Customer service was stellar throughout our first year experience. The initial set up was time consuming, but well worth it. For the most part, reviewers liked the process. The biggest challenge was setting up scorecards and getting reviewers to complete in a timely manner.

Benefits:

Since switching from a manual system to AwardSpring, we have changed our focus from administration to development. Now entering our fourth season, our community-based program has grown from $70,000 in scholarships to $160,000 expected in this coming year. Students love it because they need only complete one application to apply for many of our scholarships.

Drawbacks:

The "award" stage requires a few steps, and it is easy to forget them, year to year. Perhaps a prompt to take you to the next action item would help.

In sum:

I've been very pleased with AwardSpring. Many of our early suggestions for product improvements have been implemented by the staff, and we always get prompt answers to any questions that arise. The initial set up took some time, but every subsequent year the ramp-up work is minimized because of the ease of using the system. We now focus on developing more scholarships for students, rather than admiistering them.