Pros
No doubt, dependability of the system, being available but the support is really excellent. They know the system they support and response to issues as well as resolution is one of the best I've ever experienced.
Cons
The system is applicable to private instruction businesses, such as music lessons, but the mindset of being able to adapt the system to bring the best user experience to people of the business world of the Arts, such as music education, can be a struggle and I have asked for some changes in future upgrades but have yet to see them. For example - being able to edit naming like clients to students, or allowing automatic attendance taken, enabling the instructor to only need to manually change for cancellations, etc. There needs to be a part of the applications design that can address the broader needs of their targeted customers, such as a music school and not a one size fits all, like an exercise business.
Hi David,
Thank you very much for your review and your feedback. We value you, Anita, and your business.
Please continue working with our team to provide feedback and suggestions on improvements. It is important for us to understand how businesses work and use cases as we create new features and enhancements to our product.
Thank you,
Cindy Schneider
Manager, Customer Success
Glad we made the switch to this program. Although it doesn't provide everything we need yet, and although there are some things that I'm still doing manually due to some functions not working like our company needs, it does seem that FrontDesk is making frequent updates and changes to their product to meet the needs of customers. So, I'm hopeful that the features id like to see improvements on will be happening soon. Customer service has been helpful in hearing my frustrations and has been good with helping me find temporary work-arounds. Overall pleased with the product!
Pros
Easy to use and love the accessibility though the phone app. This has been a good program for our small company budget too.
Cons
We find the reporting to be difficult. It's ok when you need to pull one bit of info but if you need multiple layers of info/filters in one report its near impossible. You essentially have to run multiple reports and then compile the data from those several reports to get the info you need. This may not be the case for everyone, but it has been for our company. Several of our necessary reports are impossible to get and I've had to do a lot of searching for info the very difficult and long way. Customer service folks have been helpful in trying to find alternate work arounds but the reporting is my biggest issue with FrontDesk.
Hi Krista,
Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying Front Desk so far and we really appreciate your feedback.
We plan to release some updates to our New Reporting that will make it easier for you to gain insights into the performance of your business. We'll share more info with you as soon as it's available to share.
Also, Front Desk has a mobile version that can be accessed within your browser on Android and other mobile devices. We are currently evaluating all aspects of our mobile experience and will keep you updated.
In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to our Customer Care team at [email protected]
Best,
Kris and the Front Desk team
Short story - I was glad to find a software that gave me a lot I needed, but as my music school offers primarily one on me, private lessons, the class/gym structure made it pretty difficult to configure for my purposes. Good news, is FD Support was a great help! Also, the business model I must use of not having employees, but self employed contracted teachers, adds more difficulties of complexity and lack of ways to incentivize them to carry out necessary functions. Although not a problem of FD, but never-the-less, an issue I must deal with.
Pros
Overall, in spite of comments above, I do love what Front Desk offers in the way of reporting and communications with my customers...and the Support team is really amazingly helpful and always willing to do whatever it takes. THIS is a true pass of an excellent company , to not just offer a great product or service but BE THERE for the users.
Cons
Again, my biggest issue is functionally in my business model, as the structure of FD is based more on class offering and not geared toward private, one on one, services. I would also like to see more functions in breakdown of what staff members can and can not do.
Hi David,
Thank you so much for your review! I'm happy you're enjoying Front Desk so far and appreciate your feedback about our Customer Care team.
Front Desk is designed to support businesses that offer both group classes and appointments.
It's been a while since we last chatted and I would like to schedule a call with you to learn more about your experience using our appointment functionality.
To schedule a time that works well for you, please email me at [email protected] and reference my reply to your review.
I look forward to speaking with you!
Best,
Kris and the Front Desk team
We looked at many others, from the low end to the very high end. We actually began deployment of another product and found that "the devil is in the details" - there were significant workarounds and changes to our business practices that would be required, and which we were not willing to make.
So we looked again, and found that, while not perfect, Front Desk did meet 100% of our "Must Have"s and the clear majority of our "Nice to Have" items without requiring us to squeeze into a predefined mold.
All the products out there have feature lists that sound great, but with most, the further we dug into actual implementation, the harder the task became. With Front Desk, instead I found that several of the business practices that make our school unique were handled very elegantly by the software. This is primarily due to the fact that Financials (payment plans, billing, etc.) are completely decoupled from Enrollments (maintaining Schedules, Attendance, etc). At first this was disorienting, but I soon realized it was the distinctive that provided much of the flexibility we needed.
Pros
Very easy to use, modern / clean interface. The site is essentially identical on a Desktop and on Mobile devices. Note that some would say lack of an "App" was a Con (that was my first reaction) but the Mobile friendly website performs very well on all platforms.
Lots of flexibility around pricing models - per class as well as per instructor pricing, e.g. Prices, Discounts and Coupons are all clearly delineated in their roles and each is modifiable at time of sale. The Merchant Account Rates were the best we found also.
Viewing schedules for a few dozen teachers can be overwhelming; Front Desk has great flexibility in filtering the schedule (by person, activity, location, etc) as well as flexibility in presentation (list, day, week and month formats). Innovative use of colors also helps make attendance status clear at a glance.
I am also very pleased with how flexible the Customer view of the website is. The presentation of our "Course Catalog" can be very customizable, including defining what navigation tabs are available in the interface, etc.... not just what colors and icons are used! (We have yet to integrate the Front Desk website with our main site, but will do so next quarter.)
Cons
The Payroll functionality appears good with one glaring exception, which is that it does not support hourly pay; instead, you use either commission rates or pay per task (as opposed to per hour). In other words, an instructor earning $20/hour must be separately configured to earn $15 for a 45 minute class and $10 for a 30 minute class. This makes payroll setup (and maintenance with changing rates) quite a bit more labor intensive. So, the system is flexible, but not very efficient. In our case, we've opted to use the reporting functionality to generate all payroll statistics we need, and roll them up in a spreadsheet, rather than take on the multiple Pay Rates per Instructor overhead. We can always adopt their Payroll tools later if we wish.
The Reporting function has apparently recently been revamped; the Interface has "Classic" and "New" Reports sections. So, my hope is that the New Reports functionality will be enhanced soon. The data content, and its filtering are very robust - however, right now there are still significant shortcomings; Column order/width cannot be adjusted, for instance. Reports can be grouped only at one level (by Instructor, or by ClassType, but not both).
These problems can all be worked around by using the Export to CSV or Excel to handle those requirements offline.
Hard copy printouts are also not very impressive for the schedules and reports, although they're functional.
Hi Mike,
Thank you so much for your review! I'm happy you're enjoying Front Desk so far and we really appreciate your feedback.
We plan to discontinue Classic reporting soon and are working on some updates to our New Reporting that will allow to you gain deeper insights into the performance of your business.
We'll share more info with you as soon as it's available to share.
In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to our Customer Care team at [email protected]
Best,
Kris and the Front Desk team
Pros
It allows our schools to run their business and track key information. We have worked with them to continue to evolve and fine tune this software to our unique business case and a lot of features have been added in the 4 years I have been administering it. Their reporting and API have also progressed over the years which as been a key component to allowing us to customize and expand functionality for our system.
Since this is one of our core platforms we have to be able to support our system/franchisees if issues come up, and their support team has always been super timely and helpful.
Cons
As with any software, there are some growing pains and functionality that do not completely meet our unique needs. Their team has been committed to working with us to change this and as a result a lot of features have been added. In a perfect world we would like to be able to have more control over the reporting integrations, as well as global administration. We currently operate this software in 235 locations, 9 countries, and in 3 languages so there is a lot of visibility/functionality that we need. 2019 is a big year for us as we continue to grow as a business, so we look forward to working with Pike13 to help meet our needs.
Hello,
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide a review of our product. We value hearing from all of our customers and are happy that we are able to partner with your team and the schools.
Thank you,
Cindy Schneider
Director of Customer Success
I have been with FDHQ from the very beginning. Not only did they start off with a very solid product, they have improved incrementally over the years. They know their "Why" and do not stray from what they are really good at.
Pros
Ease of use. I can train new staff members very quickly in how to use FDHQ. The mobile functionality is great, too.
Cons
I wish their were billets for class services. That way I could assign different pay rates for each class to the same person for doing different jobs.
It would be a lot cleaner of a look if the FDHQ website could be separated by services and embedded into the gym website. Also, this would create a more seamless experience for the user.
Courses need to have wait lists.
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for your review! I'm glad that you are so happy with Front Desk, and we appreciate that you've stayed with us for so long!
Your feedback is important to us as we continue to improve and build our product, and the reporting feature is one of the areas that we're looking at.
I am happy to tell you that we very recently rolled out waitlists for classes. Hopefully that will make your life a bit easier! You can see how to enable the feature here: https://frontdeskhq.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/205838123-Enabling-a-Waitlist-on-a-Class
Don't hesitate to contact our support team at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Katie and the Front Desk Team
Pike 13 satisfies 85% of our business needs. Their alliance with TransNational provides speedy and affordable payment processing. Their customer service has been exceptional even when their answer is no!
Their platform works well with multiple locations. Their financial reporting is excellent and the payroll module is accommodating to a wide variety of compensation plans.
Pros
Pike 13 is robust enough to provide the services and information that we need to operate our business without being overly complex. Ease of use and adaption for multiple locations is a bug plus.
Cons
There are 3 things on our "Don't like" list. These items have been on our "Don't like" list since 2013. It's pretty likely that they will remain there since they are not a priority to Pike 13.
We continue to struggle with member reporting.
Dashboard information is not customizable. We get information that Pike thinks is important, not what we think is important.
The merchandise sales portion of the software is not user friendly. POS transactions are multi step time consuming processes, and doubly so if a customer wants to purchase more than 1 item.
Hi Jim,
Thank you very much for taking the time to provide this review and your feedback. We appreciate your candor.
As we make changes to the product and reporting, we will work with your account manager to ensure we are taking your needs and use cases into consideration. Please continue providing feedback and specific details on what you would like to see so we have something to reference if we make changes to reporting and merchandise.
Thank you,
Cindy Schneider
Manager, Customer Success
It has been great for my business but I do feel for the high price it should have a lot more features and be easier to use for the problems I listed above.
Pros
I enjoy the options for courses and series and most things I can figure out on my own without calling customer service so it is easy to use. I like the reports feature and making schedules is pretty easy as well.
Cons
I dislike that there is not a retail option to track retail, make labels, track inventory. So much extra work. I wish there was an app or easy way for clients to access their schedules. I have trouble understanding the revenue screen sometimes. I also dislike that I cannot use a dependent's parents credit card that is saved. For example, if enrolling a child who has a credit card saved under the parent, it doesn't show under the child so I have to enroll the parent in the class to charge that card. I will probably look into MindBody for next year because of the inventory issue and I have heard it is similar in price to Pike? I also would like to use the app "Loyal Snap." Many studio owners have said it is AMAZING for retaining clients and inviting clients back and I saw that app is only compatible with MB. If Pike was much cheaper I would like it more since it doesn't have the same features as MB, I don't think it should be the same price. Also would love training videos/tutorials to train staff and for myself when I started. A manual only option is not helpful for most people.
Hi Mallory,
Thank you for the feedback and suggestions. Your account manager will reach out to you to gather specifics and use cases.
Thank you,
Cindy
Pros
Ease of use, and reliability are amazing! But my FAVORITE thing is definitely the staff app. I can do almost everything from the staff app, so I can work from anywhere, at any time.
From running payroll to creating packages or plans, it does it all. Most apps come with limited function, but this software is almost as complete as the desktop version.
And what I love about the company is they are always trying to get better. We have been users for man years and they add things I haven't even thought about needing. Its a pleasure to be a customer.
Cons
The reporting can be a bit confusing for me. Recently they have added a new reporting feature which has much more information, but I still struggle trying to see exactly what I need at times.
But I cant even call it a complaint. I had to really think of something to answer this question.
Hi Marissa,
Thank you so much for the feedback. We truly appreciate knowing what works and what our customers would like to see. As questions come up about reporting, please continue working with our customer care team and your account manager. We are happy to have calls to help you build exactly what you need to see.
Thank you,
Cindy Schneider
Manager, Customer Success
Pros
The software is very user friendly and has a quick learning curve for new users. Scheduling classes, managing multiple locations, processing automatic recurring billing for tuition, and booking recurring appointments are at the top of the list.
Having the ability to see class openings across the week allows staff to quickly sell enrollments to new and existing customers. Scheduling new classes is a simple process with just a few clicks. Customizing memberships is also a simple process and billing is automatic.
Pike13's Customer Service is outstanding and they really listen to feedback from their clients.
Cons
The lag time in reporting is frustrating. I would like to see all reporting in real-time. I would also like the ability from the Franchisor side to control the standard service offerings across all locations.
Hi Julie,
Thank you so much for the review. We are thrilled that so many things work well for the franchisees and corporate. And we appreciate the feedback on how the product can be improved. We will continue to make updates to the software and are happy to have you and your team with us while we do this!
Thank you,
Cindy Schneider
Manager, Customer Success
Pike 13 (in particular the support team) have been first-class and first-rate since day 1. The ease of use and the highly-customized features and benefits make me feel like the entire platform was designed personally for me. Customer service makes me feel as if it was designed only for me.
Excellent product. Pike 13 helps me stay engaged in the business of making money (not sitting and staring at a computer trying to get the software aligned with my goals- like so many other products). Pike 13 allows me maximum effectiveness with my clients and business goals.
Pros
High-level functionality and effectiveness made simple. Ease of use makes staff training expedites their ability to utilize benefits right away.
Ability to customize plans and passes.
Reporting capabilities.
Cons
Inability to freeze coaches' schedule once classes have been assigned.
Limited to only 1 email account (especially if they workout at multiple facilities).
Inability to create a multi-facility pass or plan.
Hi Kevin,
Thank you so much for your review and feedback. We are thrilled that you continue to bring your facilities on board with us. I will have your account manager reach out regarding the feedback for more details.
Thanks again!
Cindy Schneider
Manager, Customer Success
Pros
Pike 13 is super intuitive and easy to use. If it has the function, you'll be able to find it and utilize it rather easily. Customer service was always quick to respond to my needs, although it was limited to emails only -- no call center.
Cons
For the overall functionality compared to other brands, I think Pike13 is overpriced. Also, the ability to put training plans on hold was supposedly a feature this software had, but it didn't work correctly; it gave my clients significantly more sessions than they had paid for. Pike13 admitted to me that it didn't work correctly and said they didn't have the resources to make the fix anytime soon. As an independent trainer I needed the ability to put training plans on hold for when I or my client's went on vacation, got sick, etc., so I found another software provider at a much lower cost.
Hi Jeramiah,
Thank you for your feedback. We are sad to see you go, but understand you need to do what is best for your business. We appreciate you taking the time to review our product.
Thank you,
Cindy Schneider
Manager, Customer Success
I tested many management systems and my final choice was Front Desk.
The main reason is that the front end and back end are well thought out and well layout. It doesn't take university level training to run this platform. It was made to be simple first. When testing some other platforms i would get lost in the setup process and I'm very knowledgeable of all tech stuff...
The sales staff and support staff is uber friendly and you always get the impression you're calling a friend....
Here in Quebec we have bilingual costumers. The system doesn't allow on the costumer side to pick their language. Once you pick your language all the system will reflect that language. This is an issue for some of our costumers and this could be a cool options to offer in the near future. Also, some of the french translation are bizarre and inaccurate' and some sections aren't fully translated.
There's some annoying bugs ( i already sent all this to their support team)
1. Locations don't display correctly this is confusing for my customers... Its been a couple of months and it hasn't been fixed... We have 3 locations and sometimes the incorrect location would show up on the client sent bills... I always get confused clients calls)
2. Not having a direct call line was a problem sometimes...
3. Bugs are fixed a little slow to my liking.
4. The selling enrollment layout on the admin side is just a mess' we have about 40 enrollments that we sell and they are organized randomly' we can't manually organize them either' so every time we sell stuff we have to go one by one' we loose a lot of time doing this.
5. There's no possibility to show and make a client accept terms and conditions in enrollments' its possible in classes but not enrollments' don't understand why?
Pros
Friendly customer service
Ease of use
Easy to setup
Clear Apple like layout
Cons
No possibility to call... They will call you if you request'
Email support sometimes slow to respond more than 48 hours
Follow up on bugs is somewhat shaky.. sometimes I wouldn't get a return email
95% of our clients didn't sign the Docusign waiver upon registering' so the implementation of this option is not great
More bugs than I expected
Future wants
Capacity to segment each class in man and women section. Very use full when you run a latin dance school ( Mindbody gives you this option by putting a lead and follow option to each class )
Front Desk HQ has an amazing team of support specialists that are incredibly responsive and patient with their customers. I just recently made a big transition with my strength and nutrition business and wouldn't have been able to make the switch if not for the expert team of professionals who assisted me throughout the process.
Pros
It's honestly not as much about the software as it is about the people. I find the software requiring some workarounds
Cons
It'd be cool if clients with account credits can have plans attached to them that are auto debited monthly instead of manually having to go in and do it. It'd also be nice to be able to create a plan that allowed for unlimited of one service and a set amount of another service so I don't have to sell one person multiple plans and have them accept multiple terms and conditions as a result.
Hi Drew,
Thank you for the feedback. We're glad you're enjoying Front Desk so far. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if there is anything we can do to help.
Best,
Kris and the Front Desk team
Allows us to automate processes that normally require hours of Labour. Best user interface on the market and none of their competitors come close to the end user experience as Front Desk has.
Pros
-User Interface
-Intuitiveness
-Customization of appearance
-Logical approach to page progressions from the front and back end of the software
Cons
*Important to note that although constructive, these aren't the key features to Front Desk's software and are just based on our needs as a business.
-no virtual storefront for clients purchasing merchandise
-The only unintuitive feature in the software is the sign in kiosk
-No perfect merchant integration solution
Hi Greg,
Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad that you've had such a great experience with Front Desk. Your feedback is important to us as we continue to improve and build our product.
Don't hesitate to contact our support team at [email protected] if you ever have any questions or experience any issues.
Sincerely,
Katie and the Front Desk Team
It's been great. I think I've been a client for at least 4 years or so. Great customer service and an overall ease of use. Thanks, guys.
Pros
I love the look. It fits very well with the layout of our website. Customer service is always awesome and is always right on with their "fixes" and have even helped me with work arounds that they didn't initially have answers for.
Cons
I feel like you guys are pretty good about keeping up with customer needs. I've run into a few issues over the years of Pike13/Front Desk just not having a solution for my issues but in most every case I blame that on our business. We do a lot of different things with our Youth Program and it's hard to expect one service to meet all of our needs.
Hi J.T.,
Thank you so much for your review and feedback. We truly appreciate you and your business. Please continue to reach out to customer care and your account manager. We do track all of the suggestions we receive and it is good to know use cases as we make enhancements to our product.
Thank you,
Cindy Schneider
Manager, Customer Success
We've been using FD for 3 years and we have grown to rely on it and trust it. We especially like the thoughtfulness of features like time zone support that its competitors do NOT have.
Pros
It is scalable and there is plenty of room for us to grow into it. The new bulk enrollment feature makes it easier than ever.
Cons
No customer service telephone support. Can't tag plans and passes so they appear where you want them in the menu which forces you to make custom HTML menus. Clients sometimes find the interface confusing mainly because you can't just sign up for a class or workshop without going to the date of that class or work shop first.
Hi Richard,
Thanks so much for your review! I'm happy you're enjoying Front Desk so far and we really appreciate your feedback.
I would like to schedule a call with you to address your concerns and share some upcoming updates to our customer service offerings.
To schedule a time that works well for you, please email me at [email protected] and reference my reply to your review.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
Kris Knowles
Manager, Customer Care at Front Desk
For the amount of Clients and Staff we have, the program simplicity is much needed and great for our community. Customer Service and Set-up/Account Rep are quick to respond, friendly, and work with you to get things resolved. This is one of the main reasons we enjoy Pike13 for our business so far. Although we are waiting for some better feature/functionality developments to give it all 5 stars.
Pros
Customer Service is superb and best in the business.
Ease and simplicity in teaching staff and clients to use on front and back ends.
Notices posted at the Top of Pike13 when developments/updates are coming.
Cons
As a newer product, features need development to increase efficiency. The ease of use can also hinder needed functions when trying to make things too minimal. Examples: App, Kiosk, Services, No Charge Services, Use of Gift Certificates, etc.
Hi Serenity,
Thank you so much for your review and feedback. We all enjoy working with you and your team.
We value your use cases and feedback, so please continue to share that with our customer care team and your account manager. While we cannot make all changes, as we make enhancements, it is great to understand how the product is used and the functionalities desired.
Thank you,
Cindy Schneider
Manager, Customer Success
Front Desk is awesome. Great, easy interface that maximizes the potential for our business. We have been able to manage our clients more efficiently and haven't even reached the tip of the iceberg on what we can do with the functionality.
Pros
Easy to use. Great reporting. Extensive capacity on capabilities for varied business models. Makes life a heck of a lot easier!
Cons
Depending on the customer service rep you get will depend on your service. Overall we have had an incredible time with their customer service, however sometimes they can be short with you and not fully answer your questions (to be fair- I have a lot of them so I would be short with me too). My only wish is that we had a little more offering of phone calls or webinars to review some more complex solutions.
Hi Shannon,
Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying Front Desk so far and we really appreciate your feedback.
We're sorry you haven't had an amazing customer service experience with every member of our team and I would like to schedule a call with you to discuss your experience in greater detail.
To schedule a time that works well for you, please email me at [email protected] and reference my reply to your review.
I look forward to speaking with you!
Best,
Kris Knowles
Manager, Customer Care at Front Desk
In the past we have used a couple of other yoga studio management softwares, including Mind Body Online. A little more than a year ago we switched to Front Desk and we have never had second thoughts. This software is at the same time intuitive and powerful.
Pros
- Easy to use and does what it is supposed to
- An incredibly powerful integration with Mail Chimp that allows you to programme automated emails based on member/customer activity.
- Great reporting
- Customisable customer site / front end
- PayPal integration
Cons
- A few features of minor importance are still missing
Hi Christian,
Thanks for your review! I'm glad that you have been so happy with your switch to Front Desk - we love hearing that!
Please feel free to let us know how you think we could improve your experience with Front Desk. Your feedback is important to us as we continue to build our product.
And as always, don't hesitate to contact our support team at [email protected] if you have any issues or questions.
Sincerely,
Katie and the Front Desk Team
As a FIT4MOM franchisee, Front Desk makes my life a lot easier than it otherwise would be, keeping track of scheduling, billing etc.
Pros
Ease of setting up class schedules, client profiles, credit card billing.
Cons
I have trouble running the reports I need. Figuring out numbers for budgeting purposes etc. When I track things like new clients in an excel spreadsheet separately, where I know my numbers are accurate, I can't get Front Desk reports to give me the same results.
Hi Amy,
Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad that Front Desk has helped make your life and running your business easier.
Your feedback is important to us as we continue to improve and build our product, and the reporting feature is one of the areas that we're looking at.
As always, please don't hesitate to contact our support team at [email protected] if you ever have any questions or experience any issues with your Front Desk.
Sincerely,
Katie and the Front Desk Team
I really like the system if the refund can be fixed.
Pros
It schedules, emails clients, bills, reports and keeps me on track.
Cons
The refund process, there is no safety net. If you have a new employee they could easily refund the tuition without any stop gap. There needs to be a level of security such only allowing owner level to refund, at the very least force you to comment why your refunding or have to put a code in. We deal with thousands of dollars and it could all be refunded with 1 click of the mouse. I have used this software for almost 3 years and have to train that NO one other than me is allowed to refund.
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for taking the time to review the software and provide feedback on the refund process. We have provided your feedback and scenarios to our team.
Thank you,
Cindy Schneider
Director of Customer Success
I use the system daily for membership management, product sales, and analytics. When I have an issue, I send an email to support and almost immediately get an email response saying my request was received. Then q direct me mail from a support engineer follows soon afterwards. I've used it for 2 years and rarely have any major issues. It is quite reliable and now with the mobile apps, makes using the system that much easier.
Pros
Cloud based with extensive documentation and very reliable customer support.
Cons
Non integration with Square technology. We are now using Square for some merchandise sales and it would be nice to have the two work together, with Pike13 being the source of all data.
Hi Robert,
Thank you so much for taking the time to provide a review and feedback. We enjoy working with you and value your business.
Thank you,
Cindy Schneider
Manager, Customer Success
I spent months reading online reviews about scheduling softwares and I trialed dozens of them. Front Desk is the only software with huge flexibility, incredible customer support, and a Point of Sale system built in. There are many softwares that look enticing at the beginning, but once you get into the nuicences of running a business through them, you realize how important customer support is. Front Desk has a rockstar team based in Seattle that knows my business, has infinite patience, and has excellent communication skills.
Pros
point of sale built in, ease of use, ability to schedule appointments, classes and courses, a simple app for smartphones, awesome and friendly customer service.
Cons
The only thing I can't currently do with this software is restrict clients by age (birthday). For example if I want to run a summer camp for 6-12 year olds, a 5 year old could register if the parent chooses to ignore our requirements.
Thank you, Jordan. We're glad you are enjoying Front Desk so far. We appreciate your feedback and will keep it in mind as we continue to improve our service offering. As always, please let us know if there is anything else we can do to support your business.
Best,
Kris and the Front Desk team
It's almost good. There are definitely things that need fixing, but they don't seem to care and are not evolving. I wish there was a customer service number though. I can't believe there is no way to get answers when you need them. Very disappointing.
Pros
I do like the dashboard reporting. I can easily keep track of the money that comes in and any payments that fail, etc.
Cons
The set up is super weird. Like, the software assumes all teachers that teach the same class make the same rate of pay. You have to manually add each teacher to each class in order for them to get paid as well. Instead of assigning pay rates to teachers, you assign them to classes, and even then, it doesn't assume any of your staff is allowed to teach that class. We have 75 classes a week on our schedule and several of them are different types of classes, so each time we add a class (or a new teacher), we have to manually add every teacher to the pay for that class. The customer service is bad. In fact, there is NO customer service number. You literally can't get answers unless you email them and the answers you get back are often a link to one of their self help articles and don't really answer your questions. Also, if you want to raise your prices on existing memberships, you will have to do that manually for every single person. The digital waiver set up through docusign does not work well and no one will help you set it up. Families are unable to manage each other so each child has to have their own unique email address to have a waiver on file as well as an account with us. Parents are always mad about this.
Probably one of the worst features is that if someone is on an autopay contract/membership and their payment fails, it's not very obvious. They can continue to take classes (the system does not automatically cancel them nor do they show up as unpaid).
Hi Jessica,
Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. We appreciate it and value what our customers have to say.
I am sorry to hear about the poor level of customer service you receive. Your account manager will reach out to you soon to discuss your concerns further and ensure you have all of the information for our customer care team. He will also ensure that your feedback is added to our internal system that tracks requests.
Thank you,
Cindy Schneider
Manager, Customer Success
The best aspect Pike13 has brought to my business is organization of scheduling and billing, including how the business is doing. I would, however, like to see more qualifiers in the "Insight" dashboard, of monthly financials, customer growth, with a more drag and drop method of viewing what I want to see...in other words more of the quick snapshots that all businesses want to look at quickly, without making everything only buildable reporting, that I have to spend a lot ot time learning and creating, etc....more like QuickBooks, or typical Dashboard applications that display what's going on with the business.