Canopy

Canopy takes the headaches out of client management by offering a way to keep client info organized.

Comments: Improved practice management and time management. As well as a simple way for clients to securely share their files with me.

Pros:

That all client info, files, communication, notes, and tasks are in one application. It has helped eliminate the need to jump around from application to application to find the info I need to manage all my clients accounts.

Cons:

The task feature can use some updates in simplification and added features. I still prefer Jetpack Workflow to help manage my tasks until Canopy improves this feature. I also get frustrated that there isn't a way to simply email a file stored in Canopy to a client that maybe isn't using the portal feature, rather than downloading and adding to an email as an atachment,

Best Software We've Found!

Comments: I've had nothing but good experiences with Canopy. The transition and set up was pretty easy, the support has always been helpful, it's easy to use and even our clients have mentioned liking the client portal much more compared to previous software we've used.

Pros:

It's easy to use and I love that it's continually updated and improved upon. Suggestions are actually considered and implemented which shows that they really care about providing the best product.

Cons:

I really don't have much to complain about but one thing that would be helpful is being able to automate due dates to avoid weekends or holidays if they're on a semi-monthly schedule.

Customer Service is Terribly - This Company is too new to meet deadlines

Comments: Purchased a license in order to use their Tax Prep software (NOT the tax management software - ability to track clients and manage the funnel of taxes). Was told everything would be ready in time, and I ensured they knew I was only buying now because the Tax Prep software was going to finally be ready. (They told me 4 different dates for when this would be ready as I've been working with their sales for 2 years, waiting for them to get things together). Jumped in and decided to make them our company for our tax prep business, and everything went wrong. Salesperson we worked with had quit, implementation team was slow, and then I got off the phone with a support person who casually mentioned that the tax software was tossed out for this year. We had no clue, completely SOL as we have 4 weeks until tax season started and had to rush to find another company. All done without an apology, just "oh that's funny, I thought everyone knew that we couldn't get the software ready", even though we were assured that it would be - for a quick sale I imagine. Lots of back and forth with different support team members. We had been paying for two months and getting everything switched to their platform - which took an enormous amount of time and effort from our people, just to be told they won't have it ready for us and we will not receive a refund. I told the support manager before about this review being posted and was told I "might get a call back" for help.

Pros:

The software is cloud based and therefore easy to access.

Cons:

The company consistantly made promises that they were unable to uphold. Pushbacks on product releases that we desperately needed, and no refund for their mistakes. Not the company you want to go with when you need something dependable. They're a tax company which makes it even more absurd that they mess around with deadlines.

Canopy is Great for Small- and Mid-size Tax and Bookkeeping Firms

Pros:

The two features that my firm likes the most in Canopy is the Client Portal and Tax Resolution (IRS transcript delivery service). When purchasing the software, we knew we needed a Client Portal through which clients could exchange documents with us via their smartphone, and we've really liked that feature (being able to brand it as "ours" is a nice touch). What we didn't know - until we used it - was just how much time we save with pulling IRS transcripts through Canopy's Tax Resolution tool versus pulling transcripts through IRS e-services. Once your Form 2848 is on file with the IRS, you can pull every transcript for which you're authorized for a given client with the touch of a button. They download directly from the IRS in PDF format, and with one more button you can save every transcript to the client's file. The time savings is incredible, versus downloading individual transcripts one year and one form at a time.

Cons:

I personally feel that the e-signature process is a bit clunky, but that's probably just because I don't have much experience with IRS-approved e-signatures (which require knowledge-based authentication). But at least I know that Canopy is compliant with IRS regulations concerning e-signatures!

Best Tax Resolution Software Out There!

Comments: Love Canopy and can't imagine doing our jobs without it!! The support staff is outstanding both via chat and calling in. They have been open to new ideas, are positive and almost always help us to solve our problems.

Pros:

The software is intuitive and easy to use. I'm sure we under utilize it but it works great for our small office. The thing we like best is that it keeps us organized! There are so many great features though including allowing us to be paperless.

Cons:

I wish we could customize the text in the "Notes" section. We use Notes a lot. Would love to be able to use colored text - red for deadlines, green for amounts due, etc. Also wish we could search the contact list by phone numbers. We often receive incoming calls in which the name listed on the caller ID is not the name of the actual person. Currently, we have to enter the phone number into our cell phone to see if it is someone we have spoken with before or a current client.