FRONTSTEPS Reviews

“They suck

Pros

I absolutely despise Fronsteps - it is genuinely terrible software.

Cons

Frontsteps is a terrible software package. It has severe limitations when it comes to customization and they make changes to features without informing clients. Their service is abysmal, and they don't back up their servers. We experienced a role change that confused one of our users, leading to accidental deletion of a content folder. When we requested a backup from Frontsteps immediately after the incident, they informed us that they don't perform backups. It was an extremely frustrating experience.

“Easy to use

Pros

The tablet and app are user-friendly for both me and the homeowners.

Cons

The program is still under development, and it's not always easy to use.

“Frontsteps, an excellent program for Community Associations

Pros

Setting up Frontsteps is a breeze, and you can easily customize the options to suit your needs.

Cons

I wish I could add additional links to the left side menu after logging in. However, I was told that it's not possible. I wanted to include links to Dwelling Live and our accounting software.

“Do not transfer previous owners email address to the new owners file.

Pros

It's fairly straightforward to use.

Cons

It bothers me that previous owners' emails remain active and attached to new owners' files. When I send an email blast, it goes to both current and past owners. It would be helpful if, once a home is sold and the new owner is added to the system, the contact information of the previous owners would be removed, especially their email addresses.

“Not Worth Using

Pros

The menus are simple to navigate, and accessing owner features is somewhat straightforward.

Cons

The tech and customer support are terrible. The instructions and how-to videos are outdated, and there's no indication of when they will be updated. It's difficult to reach a real person, particularly for financial support. We still have missing funds, and many features lack an undo option.

“I am amazed people still use this

Pros

Logging off. The software is utterly useless; I honestly can't think of anything positive to say about it.

Cons

The system has so many glitches that I'm surprised it even functions properly.

“The good the bad and the ugly

Pros

It is reasonably priced, and since FS acquired it, there have been some improvements.

Cons

The compliance features on the Surface tablets were unusable.

“From an End User Prospective Failed to meet Expectations

Pros

It provided only a minimal amount of necessary information.

Cons

There is a complete absence of reporting and confirmation of online submissions for end users. There is also no notification of changes or additions to documents. The provided options are not available. The list of issues goes on.

“Must have for Managers

Pros

Integration with TOPS One and syncing with back-office functions are relatively easy.

Cons

I can't change the background graphics, but it doesn't affect the functionality.

“easy enough to use

Pros

I appreciate being able to stay connected with my neighborhood through this website. However we havent fully utilized FrontSteps, as we intended to use it for paying our yearly dues. Unfortunately, the exorbitant fee associated with it prevented us from doing so. I'm not sure if this charge is from FrontSteps or something else.

Cons

It seems outrageous to be charged a large fee for paying dues. Additionally, there is a bit of a learning curve when using the site, as finding documents requires some digging.

“Great Product and Great Service

Pros

The software is intuitive and incredibly robust. It offers a plethora of features, more than one could possibly need, which is fantastic!

Cons

There are no negatives to report about this software. It's a great product, and my employees love how easy it is to use.

“Not for us

Pros

I can't say much positive about it. It's not visually appealing, and the website is confusing. Residents struggle to find information and can't see if they've paid bills, the payment amounts, or their outstanding balances.

Cons

It's not user friendly at all. There are many third-party integrations (billing) instead of using their own software. Sending out emails is not easy, and there's no option to set up a single source email. Navigation is also challenging.

“Caliber / FrontSteps Review

Pros

It's easy to use and can store a vast amount of data. We've mentioned numerous times how comprehensive the software is. We appreciate its ability to handle both accounting and community management tasks, eliminating the need for multiple software solutions.

Cons

Certain features lack customization options to meet our needs. The delinquency process has been particularly difficult to align with our workflow. After using the software for over four years, it would be beneficial to have training for one or two people in our company to have super admin rights. We have to contact support multiple times to address issues. With proper training and access, we could resolve some of these problems ourselves.

“Review

Pros

It provides an all in one solution instead of relying on multiple vendors.

Cons

There are limitations that prevent the end user from easily undoing or removing an entry or fixing a mistake.

“Nothing but positive

Pros

I find this product to be user-friendly and it enables us to better serve our communities.

Cons

I have not found anything disappointing about this software.

“Review

Pros

It's easy to use - very simple and to the point.

Cons

I had to make a call to request a login and then call again to confirm the login.

“Customer Service experience

Pros

The setup process, as a user, was well-defined and easy to follow.

Cons

I am a resident using the software for a condo association managed by Signature. I believe there are a few "bugs," but I also think that integrating with condo owners/association may not be a priority and is their responsibility.

“I highly recommend Front Steps for Condominium Management

Pros

Front Steps is incredibly user-friendly and doesn't have any bugs.

Cons

There is nothing that I didn't like about it.

“Great product

Pros

It's easy to use and serves as a great platform for the community to communicate with the Condo Board of Directors. It also helps the Board of Directors send out bulletins to the community effortlessly.

Cons

I have no complaints. I can accomplish many tasks with just a few clicks, and the system is easy to manage.

“Frontsteps Admin

Pros

As the administrative person responsible for managing Association websites using Frontsteps I appreciate the ease of functions for accomplishing my tasks. I can easily locate the areas where I need to add or delete information and follow the prompts. With condo management changes happening frequently, this is crucial for making weekly updates effortlessly!

Cons

I wasnt involved in setting up Frontsteps websites for the associations, but once they were up and running, it was easy to get started. However, some owners struggle with signing in or remembering their username or password, requiring us to reset it on our end.

“Top notch customer service and technical help

Pros

It's easy to use, and the technical support and customer service are excellent.

Cons

The main photo on the home page doesn't offer much flexibility for customization as we need.

“Caliber Review

Pros

Caliber is user friendly and easy to learn. When issues arise, the customer service team can quickly resolve them. Caliber can now be accessed through web applications, allowing employees to use the program while working remotely.

Cons

It would be great to have a more intuitive report writer included in the software.

“Caliber Association Management

Pros

The management functions, such as compliance and work orders, utilize a consistent dialogue process, making training easier. The graphical user interface (GUI) follows a standard format with right click functions.

Cons

There are missing reports for management, and changes to the program don't seem to be thoroughly tested before being released globally. Association management programs often follow a "one size fits all" approach to comply with state statutes. I suggest that a company design a program that can be state-specific or regional while maintaining an open architecture for easy user feature additions.

“Syncs with Condo Manager

Pros

We needed a solution that could integrate with our existing association management software, and FrontSteps has worked perfectly for us.

Cons

The only downside is the online help platform which could benefit from additional tutorial videos for users who have no knowledge of web design.

“Wonderful Customer Service

Pros

I appreciate the support I received from customer service. While the software itself is adequate its not as straightforward as it could be.

Cons

It's not intuitive enough. Having drop down menus would be helpful for addressing questions while filling in the data.

“Easy to use!

Pros

Setting up the site was incredibly straightforward. As someone who isn't particularly tech savvy and doesn't have much experience in this area, it's refreshing to be able to set it up without needing much assistance. I also appreciate the daily notifications and how easy it is to operate.

Cons

It would be great to have a "general information" page readily available on the main screen instead of relying solely on recent bulletins. It would facilitate members access to important information without the need for extensive searching.

“Best Customer Service in America

Pros

The software is user-friendly, and the reports feature is fantastic. It has significantly simplified my job. Every time I've reached out to the IT Help Desk, they've been amazing! It's not just a great software program; the people behind it are even better.

Cons

I haven't come across any feature that I dislike!

“New User

Pros

FrontSteps is a software that is easy to use.

Cons

Regrettably, there were a few minor issues when working with other software, but they were eventually resolved over time.

“Very good software

Pros

It effectively showcases the property, capturing attention.

Cons

I always desire more coverage and secure options.

“FANTASTIC customer service. Exceeded all expectations.

Pros

Customer Service: I received a response to my question within 24 hours (even sooner). The answer was concise, polite, and to the point. After a few days, I received a follow-up email to ensure my satisfaction (to which I didn't respond). A few more days passed, and another follow-up email was sent to request closing the ticket. The customer service was absolutely fantastic, exceeding all expectations. Thank you!

Cons

As a user, not an admin, I would appreciate the ability to edit the guest list within my own subgroup. I want to have control over MY guests, not the entire community's.

“Caliber experience; from a Admin POV

Pros

What I love the most about Caliber is the extensive range of features it offers. It provides numerous options and processes that enable users to perform their tasks efficiently. Another aspect I appreciate is the integrated accounting within Caliber, which helps keep everything in one place, ultimately increasing efficiency.

Cons

From an admin perspective, the sluggish processing time for certain features is my least favorite aspect. It causes significant delays for our users and, in some cases, requires a complete software or PC shutdown.

“Thank you for always being wonderful!

Pros

The customer support is phenomenal! There are daily features we use that allow us to hide information based on user level, and it's incredibly helpful.

Cons

We currently use Association Voice, but some of the features are outdated. Our organization is still deliberating on the next upgrade.

“NO SUPPORT

Pros

Since they took over from Athomenet: absolutely nothing!

Cons

I'm disappointed with the service, especially since they keep removing access to products or features we had in the past.

“The worst Product and Support I have ever experienced

Pros

Nothing. They acquired the company that previously provided our website. Although the old product was outdated technology, it was powerful and enabled us to communicate effectively with our owners.

Cons

The interface is extremely poor, yes poor. The naming of menu items and submenus lacks coherence, and the software is riddled with bugs. During the conversion process, they failed three times to convert our data from the acquired company, even though they possessed the necessary data. I had to step in and do it myself. Their email system currently only sends to 79 out of our 300 registered users, and we've been waiting for over 1 1/2 weeks for them to fix this bug. Their support is the worst I've ever experienced in the IT world.

“Stay away!

Pros

It may look nice, like putting lipstick on a pig. But if you genuinely care about your business, do not use FrontSteps!

Cons

This application feels very clumsy. The interface is antiquated and non-intuitive, especially considering the market it serves. Finding information through the nested file system is challenging. It's extremely easy to make mistakes, such as double payments, and the accounting system fails to reflect accurate payments.

“NO CUSTOMER SERVICE

Pros

It's relatively easy to use, although there was no training provided.

Cons

Previously we dealt with AtHome support, and their customer service was excellent. Issues were resolved within 24-48 hours, and we could easily speak with someone at their support desk. However, now they don't answer the phone, and it takes a week or more to receive a response via email. Our website went down, and it took a week for someone to address the issue, yet it remains unresolved. It's frustrating!

“Association Website a work in progress

Pros

The overall appearance and user-friendliness for residents are straightforward to navigate. Communicating with residents is made easy through email and text blasts. Residents can also customize the type of notifications they receive to reduce or increase the number of devices used. Sign up is simple for both users and management.

Cons

As the page manager there are numerous areas that require improvement. The calendar lacks an option to add recurring items, forcing me to manually enter the same event every week. The files section is not user-friendly either. It doesn't allow dragging items/documents from one folder to another. The only way to change document locations is to download them to a computer, then upload them to another folder. I don't have the ability to update/change or remove information on the landing page; it can only be done by the Frontsteps team. There are many other shortcomings that need attention, too numerous to list here.

“Review

Pros

I appreciate the website format, especially the drag and drop feature for uploading files.

Cons

I feel like the software is still a work in progress. I frequently encounter several error messages.

“Thumbs Up!

Pros

Incredibly user friendly! The customer service is always pleasant.

Cons

N/A. I'm extremely satisfied with the product.

“Websites for associations

Pros

I'm impressed by how easy it is to set up a template and edit the information.

Cons

It's frustrating not being able to rearrange the modules as desired.

“Customer support does not exist for this company

Pros

It seemed promising initially, but as the manager for our community, it has turned out to be a disaster.

Cons

Their customer support is absolutely nonexistent. They never respond to support questions.

“Oversold with no support

Pros

While there is a central location to work from, it's not particularly useful when the site functionality is lacking. Unfortunately, none of our ten sites are running as they should so I have no real understanding of what the finished product entails. I'm not confident that it will improve much in three months unless I hire an external source to address it. It's disappointing to say that I can't find any real pros.

Cons

The software falls far short of its promises; almost everything requires a do it yourself approach. The sales pitch emphasized receiving a comprehensive site with data conversion from the old system and increased functionality. However the main site is so poor that I'm forced to continue using the old one, despite it being embarrassing. Out of the nine sites, four are not functioning at all and the remaining five lack the capabilities of the previous sites in terms of adding and removing content. The sites are more difficult to use, and it seems I may need to hire someone to see if they can deliver what I need. What frustrates me the most is signing a contract based on a promise. While I can input information into the new site, making that information easily accessible has become a major problem.

“Poor documentation, training, and support....did I say poor?

Pros

The initial introduction sounded impressive, but the transition and support have been poor, as well as the communication trying to reach them via phone, email, or Facebook has been challenging. My gut feeling is that this company took on too much too soon and has internal employment issues that they aren't addressing. Their expertise seems to lie in marketing the product and handling money transactions, but the rest is subpar. Have you ever heard of a platform with no documentation?? There's nothing written or available for download it's almost as if they embarked on a platform without knowing how to administer it properly. So far, I'm not impressed. It took three months after signing the contract to get in the queue for transition... it's unbelievable. They didn't even send an email with a timeline, I had to track them down.

Cons

As mentioned in the pros, I have encountered only cons thus far.

“I am the secretary of an HOA and use this software to keep record for all of our home owners

Pros

The interface looks fantastic and I have the ability to update different parts of the system and website on my own.

Cons

I appreciate their help center. although I sometimes find it challenging to locate the specific answers I'm looking for. Since I received the website without any formal training, navigating the site's backend can be difficult at times.