Penelope Software

Want to leave this service but they hold your 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 intuitive 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This software is very outdated and not intuitive. 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.

Ease of use

Pros

Managing caseloads is made easy by the 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.

Penelope Review

Pros

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

Cons

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

Well developed database

Pros

This database is exceptionally well developed. It offers great features that can be tailored 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 numerous unnecessary entries, cluttering and confusing certain sections.

EXcellent system for client files and caseload management

Pros

The software is intuitive 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.

Penelope review from a Not for Profit Organisation

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. Additionally there is a lack of reporting options.

Great 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 users 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.

Captures all Data but All Over the Place

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 it requires some additional knowledge to make it work effectively.

Cons

Data entry and retrieval can be confusing since information is scattered throughout the software. Also The reporting options are lacking with many standard reports being too specific.

Penelope from the Perspective of Reporting and Program Surveillance

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.

Case Management with Penelope - Volunteer Users

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 capabilities 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.