Avalara software Reviews

Pros

Avalara has crafted a logical and well-planned tax calculation solution that simplifies complex tax scenarios like surcharges and nested taxes in the telecommunications industry, which are unfamiliar to many traditional CPAs and accountants.

Cons

Avalara's implementations and customer support have consistently fallen short. Every time I've worked with Avalara, my team and I have ended up doing the majority of the work to implement, test, and go live. This has been an ongoing issue across multiple products we use. It's crucial that Avalara addresses this promptly.

Pros

The products are simple to navigate, and we've had favorable experiences with most of them.

Cons

When I need assistance, the customer service at Avalara often leaves much to be desired.

Pros

Avalara has been instrumental in meeting the legal tax requirements for my small business ??.

Cons

I find Avalara to be an excellent source of tax information, and I have no complaints about it.

Pros

What stands out to me about Avalara's product is its intuitive design.

Cons

At the moment, I don't have any issues. The product works really well for me.

Pros

What impressed me most about Avalara was its seamless integration with various platforms and its automation of tax calculations, which significantly cuts down on manual work and reduces errors in tax compliance.

Cons

What I found most challenging about Avalara was the complexity of the initial setup and configuration. It can be time-consuming and may require technical support to ensure everything integrates and functions correctly.

Pros

Easy to Use: The platform is intuitive and integrates smoothly with other systems. Comprehensive: It handles various tax tasks such as calculation, filing, and certificate management. Accurate: Avalara stays updated with tax laws to ensure precise tax calculations. Scalable: It suits businesses of all sizes.

Cons

Cost-wise, Avalara can be quite expensive, especially for small businesses. The initial setup and integration are complex and can take up a lot of time. Some users have reported that customer support isn't as responsive as expected. Additionally, frequent updates and changes sometimes disrupt workflows and necessitate further adjustments.

Pros

Avalara AvaTax and Returns are essential for us due to the volume of transactions and returns we handle. Moreover, Avalara stays ahead of tax regulation changes, relieving us of that burden.

Cons

I've found that Avalara's help desk isn't particularly helpful, especially when dealing with issues like incorrect tax calculations. Resolving these matters often involves lengthy back-and-forth exchanges via tickets.

Pros

AVA TAX simplifies multi-state sales tax calculations and generates tax reports. Sales tax rates are always up-to-date.

Cons

ECM Pro needs to integrate with the state tax ID lookup system.

Pros

When it operates correctly for certain states, it's a pleasant experience.

Cons

It's frustrating not being able to speak to someone who truly understands how the software operates. Currently, I'm navigating through the system somewhat blindly, as the customer support line seems ill-prepared to handle technical queries. Their lack of knowledge about the system sometimes requires me to explain its functions to them.

Pros

Seems like a solid product (though primarily geared towards the US), offering a variety of services under one roof.

Cons

My experience with Avalara's sales representatives left much to be desired. They seemed more focused on making the sale rather than offering trustworthy advice. During the implementation process, we needed more guidance and would have appreciated personalized assistance, even if it meant paying for it. Clear communication about international system capabilities, especially for a Canadian corporation like ours, was lacking. Compatibility issues with Avalara also slowed down our system significantly, despite raising the concern with their tech team.

Pros

I appreciate that Avalara keeps up with tax rate updates automatically, saving us the manual effort.

Cons

I have no complaints about Avalara. It fulfills our needs efficiently and effectively.

Pros

Their tax calculations appear reasonably precise.

Cons

I've encountered issues with Avalara's report filing being inaccurate and incomplete, and it's incredibly frustrating not being able to reach a human for assistance.

Pros

The sales pitch for Avalara made it sound incredibly user-friendly and easy to implement. The enthusiasm was convincing. However, after signing the contract, the support turned out to be extremely disappointing. It's surprising that this company remains in business.

Cons

Avalara charged me to register in 10 states, but later informed me that they couldn't complete the registration for 5 of those states. Despite multiple requests for a refund, they never reimbursed me. Their organizational disarray was evident from the frequent changes in my representative. During the first month, I had to file returns myself in each state, as Avalara didn't even notice the pending deadlines. This level of incompetence was disappointing, given the substantial fees I paid for their services.

Pros

It is remarkably easy to navigate their website due to its user-friendly design and intuitive layout, making finding information and accessing various features a hassle-free experience. I also appreciate the dashboard alerts about approaching nexus thresholds. While our previous account manager was responsive and helpful, our new one unfortunately isn't.

Cons

Their email method is chaotic and confusing, starting new email threads with every response. This made it nearly impossible to keep track of multiple ongoing projects. Their website also experiences regular downtime, often with critical pages not functioning properly, which adds to the frustration. The hefty state registration fees are another drawback, considering we essentially provide all necessary filing information ourselves.

Pros

Tax calculations are accurate, barring any API downtime.

Cons

I've been struggling to get a clear answer from Avalara's support team regarding a significant billing increase. Despite multiple attempts, including submitting a support case and making phone calls, I've received irrelevant responses or no response at all. The lack of communication and mismanagement of my case have been extremely frustrating.

Pros

The company was founded on making a typically burdensome process as seamless as possible. I implemented Avalara years ago at another company and was thoroughly pleased with the service. DAVO integrates seamlessly into our restaurant POS systems, helping us manage sales tax liabilities separately from our operating accounts, which has been a significant improvement.

Cons

My past interactions with Avalara featured outstanding customer service. However, with their expansion into new business areas like DAVO, I fear they may have diverted focus from maintaining this level of customer care. I miss the personalized interaction that used to define their service.

Pros

I value the ease of use, especially as a small business owner juggling multiple responsibilities.

Cons

I'm not a fan of Avalara's headquarters being located right next to my apartment in Seattle.

Pros

It's convenient and stress-free. I no longer worry about filing taxes.

Cons

Contacting Avalara can be incredibly frustrating when changes occur, either through the state or otherwise.

Pros

Takes away the headache of managing sales tax.

Cons

We haven't encountered any negative issues with the product.

Pros

Sales tax management has become increasingly complex, but Avalara has been invaluable in streamlining the process. Despite a few issues, it saves us a considerable amount of time and effort.

Cons

Setting up Avalara can be challenging, and when it doesn't work as expected, it disrupts document processing.