Penelope Software Reviews

“Holding my data hostage!!

Pros

I cannot think of many things that I like about this software. I have come across several much better alternatives that are more flexiv and user friendly. Apps like Asana for task management, Harvest for time tracking and various invoicing apps work better and cost less.

Cons

This software is very outdated. It lacks user friendliness, making it hard to navigate. There is no keyword search function resulting in case notes becoming an overwhelming and unusable mess. Generating excel reports is not possible only cumbersome PDF ones. It takes far too many clicks to accomplish even simple tasks. The customer service is subpar despite being customers for almost a decade. They only provide client data once and in a coding format that only IT professionals can understand. If you want the data in a usable format, they charge an exorbitant amount, equivalent to twice a year's service cost. They claim it will take 35 hours, which begs the question of why they don't have an efficient process in place for something they should be doing regularly. Leaving the service is nearly impossible unless you're willing to abandon all your historical data or pay a hefty fee. I feel taken advantage of, as they are falling behind their competitors.

“It is user-friendly

Pros

I can manage my caseloads easily by this product.

Cons

The FAQs are not as helpful as I would like. Some tasks like adding a not attending worker to every service file, consume a significant amount of time.

“easy to use and customize

Pros

I like how the software is simple to use and can be easily customized to fit the requirements of our program.

Cons

Generating graphs from our reports in Penelope is not possible and I find that disappointing.

“Great features but some need features

Pros

This database is exceptionally well developed. It offers great features that can be customized to suit your specific needs.

Cons

Certain features and reporting have restrictions that require extra effort on our part to make them work as needed. The inability to delete errors results in many unnecessary entries, cluttering and confusing certain sections.

“Makes it easy to manage everything

Pros

The software is simple, user interface for our frontline counselors efficiently gets new users up and running. Its excellent for day to day case documentation and file management.

Cons

Understanding our specific needs and customizing the software proved to be a challenge. The software offers a multitude of functions and options and we had to work through some errors using the sandbox environment.

“Recommended for non-profit organizations

Pros

It offers some level of customization and is easy to use. The pricing based on user licenses works well for smaller nonprofit organizations.

Cons

The software confuses new staff members by using different names for the same action such as Cart or Unit. And there is also a lack of reporting options.

“Best for case management

Pros

The ability to link clients, family members and case workers as a single entity in a single case is valuable. Creating event triggers to remind us to fill out assessments is a helpful feature.

Cons

It is not possible to download the backend data through the web interface. This needs to be done via a separate ODBC connection which is a bit of annoyance.

“Great features but should be more organized

Pros

It has the capability to capture data for every aspect of the process. It is feature rich. Reporting directly from the raw data (from the backend) is possible but we need to have some additional info to make it work effectively.

Cons

Data entry and retrieval can be confusing since information is scattered throughout the software. I also dont like the reporting feature because of many standard reports being too specific.

“Everything becomes accessible

Pros

Penelope is complete when it comes to documenting service appointments, client assessments, referrals, notes, agency workshops and meetings. I can access the raw data via ODBC and prepare it for reporting, grant writing projections or program surveillance. The built in reports are also useful. The feature that syncs appointments with Microsoft Outlook is very convenient. Athena Software provides extensive documentation for Penelope which I find extremely helpful. Managers can easily view staff caseloads.

Cons

Accessing raw data and preparing it is quite limited without paying for a support meeting. However the provided data dictionaries and data maps are helpful. In the beginning the login credentials for downloading data can be frustrating as they are not immediately updated by the engineers but once that is resolved, ODBC works reliably. Athena responds fairly quickly to other issues. Unfortunately they do not provide support for using R but thanks to sufficient documentation from R developers, I managed to figure it out.

“So many good features

Pros

We have created a procedures manual for our volunteers based on your instructions to perform specific tasks related to recording activities and events. Even our less tech savvy volunteers can perform well thanks to the intuitive case management features. Experienced volunteers can easily pass on the learned procedures to new volunteers.

Cons

The software has a lot of features and its value increases as we learn more about it. However the learning part can be challenging for volunteers who only come in once or twice a month for a four hour shift. Constant relearning and retraining are necessary which is why we maintain a procedures manual.

“Great customer support

Pros

The Engage tool (client communication) has had a significant impact on our interactions with clients especially during COVID lockdowns. The customer service and support are always prompt, knowledgeable and flexible to our needs. Although our particular business slightly pushed the Penelope system beyond its intended scope the Athena team has been incredibly accommodating and creative in resolving our issues.

Cons

Configuring and testing the software can be difficult. The testing environments are helpful but like any software, its impossible to fully understand the consequences of system changes without testing each expected output individually. I have seen other systems that handle this aspect slightly better than Athenas Penelope.

“Really helpful and user-friendly

Pros

I find Penelope to be a user-friendly and easy to use client management system. It is the most effective system I have used in my 15 years of experience with client management systems.

Cons

I cannot think of any issues at this moment

“Expensive!

Pros

I find the support provided through submitting tickets to be very helpful. The system stays up to date with new releases and Athenas backup service is very helpful for us.

Cons

While I know there are many other features available, we have not fully explored them. However based on our limited exposure the software feels quite expensive.

“Wish it were easier for us

Pros

Its not the most easy to use software because we have to get a trained team onboard with us to customize it as per our needs.

Cons

The software lacks ease of use and requires multiple steps for tasks that should be simpler. Obtaining information and generating reports for our funders is also challenging within the system.

“Customization is fantastic

Pros

The best feature of this software is its ability to integrate multiple programs with different services. It allows me to track our families and the services they use regardless of location or program. The convenience of accessing Penelope and the extensive support from Athena (trainings, guides on the website and direct technical support) are additional outstanding features.

Cons

In the start integrating this software with our current business processes gave us a hard time. The Excel exporting feature, or lack thereof was particularly difficult. While there is an option to export data it requires additional training and time especially when merging relevant identifying and service information.

“It has been a huge help

Pros

I like that using this program will enable our office to reduce paper usage and transition to digital health records.

Cons

The setup process is very time consuming and one should not underestimate the amount of time required for this project. And some of the terminology used differs from our geographical area and office which adds a lot more to the learning.

“Needs better interface

Pros

It helps me track the progress of our clients as they go through our four phase continuum of care.

Cons

There are aspects that are not easy to navigate. it is not clear how to reach the desired destination and one must undergo training in the process as it is not self explanatory.

“A little tricky to use

Pros

It provides most of the information I need so its going well so far.

Cons

I am having trouble obtaining the exact outcomes I need. I am not sure what else to say. There seems to be a lot of back and forth involved in retrieving information. When asked for specific details about an individual client its not as simple as it seems.

“Its complicated

Pros

It has everything necessary for conducting therapy and submitting billing. I don't think you did need anything else really.

Cons

This software was not easy to use for us. It could be due to the administrators setup but even after using it for years, it remains the same, hard to understand and confusing.

“Perfect for us

Pros

Penelope was the perfect solution for the advanced case management work our staff performs across the U.S. Our customized employment professionals required a case management system that allowed for detailed narrative descriptions and the team at Athena was able to accommodate this need.

Cons

It takes some time to get this system but the effort to learn it is definitely worth it.