Knowa Reviews

Pros

Having everything related to invoice approvals gathered in one place has really helped me. It makes the whole approval process much more manageable and I also appreciate getting notified as soon as the invoices have been approved.

Cons

One annoyance is the scroll bars on the side when entering requests for decisions. They're too small and since there are two of them next to each other, it's very easy to click away from the one you're trying to use and end up getting a message asking whether you want to cancel.

Pros

It has given my group a much clearer way to communicate on specific topics, with discussions that feel a lot like a face-to-face meeting but with the added benefit of a reliable audit trail showing the conversation and final outcomes. It has taken over from the old email chains which used to get messy, confusing and hard to follow. The platform also offers a very helpful central document store that everyone in the group can access. Also, it has been a very effective way to manage meetings, from inviting attendees to sharing a complete meeting pack with all the relevant attachments. Everything stays available afterward as well which makes it very useful for future reference.

Cons

Moving people away from relying on email for every message and getting them to use it for discussions that needed closer management did take some time but with support and encouragement from their team, we got there in the end. The system has a lot of functionality although it is not always immediately clear how to use every feature. That said, their team are always happy to provide training and guidance documents to help. At this point, it has become an essential tool for my group.

Pros

Getting started with it was simple and it gives our team a secure way to share documents with each other. The governance features also help simplify what would otherwise be a very involved and time-consuming process.

Cons

Nothing notable to complain about here and their team has been very responsive in working with us to address our additional requirements.

Pros

Being able to track and add both material and non-material decisions has been really useful. It also helps a lot that documents can be sorted and notes can be added directly to discussions.

Cons

Something I'd still like to know is whether there's a way to delete an email from a conversation. I accidentally attached an email to a scheme discussion that wasn't relevant to that thread.

Pros

Having live meeting pack management has been a big plus especially with the option to restrict user access. It's much better than printing out meeting packs and makes the whole process feel more current and efficient.

Cons

What I'd still like to see is a replace document feature for meeting papers, like I've used in other systems, instead of having to delete files and upload new versions each time.

Pros

Working alongside the Knowa team, we've been able to design a governance framework that fits the way we deliver our services. It gives us a reliable, user-friendly place to hold pension scheme data across our full client portfolio. Also, it supports a solid decision-making process and helps us keep a close eye on important statutory and compliance deadlines which is a key part of supporting our AAF02/07 controls.

Cons

Like any new software or process change, there is always a learning curve when it comes to getting familiar with the system and understanding how everything works. That said, their support has been outstanding throughout, from onboarding to online help, one-to-one guidance and the fact sheets and cheat sheets they provide. Whenever we've requested an adjustment or further development, the team has responded promptly and done everything they could to meet our needs.

Pros

Just about every part of it works well. Setting up meeting agendas is simple and sharing them is even simpler. Approvals for all sorts of reasons are quick to handle. The audit trail is complete which is really valuable. It keeps everything in one place too,papers, decisions, documents, the risk register and TKU records. There's no dependence on the employer's IT systems so confidentiality isn't a concern. Cybersecurity is excellent, the pricing is good, the staff are friendly and helpful and it even cuts down on paper use.

Cons

Honestly the only downside that comes to mind is that when I'm uploading a large number of documents into different folders in the reference store, it can be a bit slower than I'd prefer. That said, I'm not exactly the most patient person either.

Pros

To have everything in one secure place is the biggest advantage of Knowa. Reference resources, documentation and meeting materials can all be stored within the same environment and it also lets us put together meeting packs and publish them so participants can log in and review everything themselves. The time and effort it saves are enormous.

Cons

A challenge has been getting complete and consistent engagement from some trustees who are a bit hesitant about newer technology. That is not really a fault of it, more of a generational issue. Quite a few users also have trouble using the @ symbol in discussion threads so the software could maybe make that guidance or reminder more visible and clearer.

Pros

Right from the start, the platform has been very simple to use and fits our business needs really well. Also, the customer support has been consistently strong and helpful.

Cons

The only challenge has been moving all of our data and processes into it since we want everything managed there. That said, the team has been very supportive throughout the transfer process and the final outcome has been excellent.

Pros

Using it has been simple and user friendly from the start and the support team has been knowledgeable and high quality whenever we've needed help.

Cons

Our trustees are taking a little longer than expected to make full use of everything it offers.

Pros

Right away, Knowa feels user friendly to use. Most things are placed where you would expect them to be and it only takes basic IT knowledge to find your way around the system. Documents and correspondence are kept securely which removes the hassle of people struggling to open encrypted emails and attachments. The ability to give specific people access to specific areas is very useful since different scheme advisers and the scheme sponsor can all view only the documents and meetings relevant to them. Renaming documents is also simple and it's good to see Knowa actively addressing glitches and continuing to improve the platform.

Cons

What they can improve is the structure of the document storage section. A more conventional setup, like a standard library with folders and subfolders, would feel more natural. The current "Groups" approach doesn't really work for me as a document library and it can be quite slow when opening folders and files. A more familiar File Explorer-style layout would be better. I also don't like that after amending a sub-item in an agenda, the system sends you back to the top of the agenda instead of returning you to the place you were working from.

Pros

Even after not using Knowa for a little while, it still feels really simple to come back to and pick up again which is something that really separates it from other options. The meeting packs, agenda setting and all the meeting-related tools are especially useful and very simple to work with. Another big plus is the support from Will, Aled and the rest of the Knowa team. Their product knowledge and training approach are genuinely outstanding and they're always down to earth, helpful and a pleasure to deal with.

Cons

I can't fault Knowa at all. I recommend it to pretty much everyone I come across.

Pros

The filter options make it simple to find the right meeting.

Cons

Every now and then, I have to sign in twice before I can access the system.