Apr 19, 2024
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Information contained in this post is based on publicly available documentation as of the most recent publish date. Products and features are continually updated and we will make an effort to update the information in this post to reflect those changes.
In the professional services industry, time is money. We work with industry leaders daily, so we know that time spent researching new digital tools is time spent away from your top priority — your clients.
Because they can’t spare the time required, many leaders end up settling for a platform without ever knowing a better solution was out there. We don’t want you to have to settle.
To help eliminate some leg work and ensure no stone is left unturned, we’re laying out the essential information you need to consider in your search for the best platform to manage your client work.
Considering Mavenlink vs. Accelo? Let’s see how they compare.
What Is Mavenlink?
Mavenlink, now Kantata after a merger with Kimble, is a cloud-based software built to support the needs of service businesses with tools to optimize resource planning, automate workflows and deliver projects on time and on budget. The platform provides solutions to boost team collaboration, improve cross-departmental visibility and ensure project delivery is predictable and profitable.
Mavenlink's team collaboration activity feed (Image from G2)
Product Offerings
- Resource management
- Financial management
- Project management
- Team collaboration
- Business intelligence
- Integrations & workflows
Pricing Plans
Mavenlink's pricing starts at $59 per user per month with the option of unlimited users. Actual pricing will vary depending on individual business needs, and additional pricing details must be requested on their website.
Notable Integrations
- JIRA
- Microsoft Dynamics 365
- Oracle NetSuite
- QuickBooks
- Salesforce
- Xero
Strengths
- Comprehensive resource management tool
- Proprietary integration platform
- Task management with multi-assignees and client interaction
- Budget change requests and approvals are managed within the platform
Mavenlink’s resource dashboard offers a quick, visual representation of business resources. (Image from G2)
Weaknesses
- Without a built-in CRM, businesses lose the ability to seamlessly track each customer's journey from opportunity and sale through to project delivery and billing
- The platform does not include sales management or quoting functions, limiting the ability to bridge the gap from prospect to client without added tools
- No built-in ticketing or service solutions system to manage and fulfill client requests, making it more difficult and time-consuming to deliver consistent client support
- Some users shared difficulties with Mavenlink’s reporting tools, including feedback that built-in reporting was too simplistic, that there are issues with lag time and that there is a need for additional training to fully utilize custom reports
What Users Say About Mavenlink
When looking at feedback provided by G2 users on how Mavenlink compares to Accelo, users find Mavenlink’s setup and administration to be easier. But users say Accelo is easier to use and do business with overall.
From an excellent onboarding experience to an intuitive user interface, Accelo users agree that the platform makes managing and delivering their client work easier. Accelo offers one central place to manage projects, billing and retainers, making it easy to collaborate across teams and departments.
Accelo was also a recipient of G2’s Best Relationship badge in the Professional Services Automation software category for all of 2022, a reflection of our focus on customer satisfaction. Users share that they especially appreciate Accelo’s fast response times, and the plethora of support materials, including training videos, online webinars, help guides and more.
Mavenlink Alternative
Mavenlink may be a solution for successfully managing team resources and delivering projects, but can it support your entire client journey from start to finish?
Accelo is an alternative to Mavenlink that offers an end-to-end solution for managing sales, tickets, projects, billing and retainers with a built-in CRM and robust reporting that connect to every stage of your client lifecycle.
From automated time tracking to its unique collaborative tools, Accelo has the features a client-based business needs to successfully plan, manage, deliver and report on its client work. Explore below as we dive deeper into these features and how they compare to the Mavenlink platform.
Accelo's platform is a solution for managing the full lifecycle of client work
Time Tracking Tools to Manage Resources
Mavenlink users tend to be happy with the platform’s resource allocation and planning approach and the financial insights these features provide. Mavenlink’s expense tracking and reporting tools offer insight into a company’s budget, time and workload. It’s important to note that the Business Intelligence product, which offers detailed reporting, is only available on the Enterprise pricing level.
Users share that they appreciate Mavenlink’s ability to connect project planning, resource management and time tracking in one place, and if you’re only seeking resource management and project management solutions, you may be satisfied with Mavenlink’s offerings.
However, if you need a platform that can that further support your client work, Accelo offers an alternative client work management solution that can support resource management and performance management across all aspects of your client journey.
Accelo’s automated time tracking accurately tracks billable and non-billable time from the moment your sales team connects with a prospect to the daily work your team does to complete a project.
Along with this accurate time tracking, Accelo provides innovative features for team scheduling, including visibility into team availability and offers dynamic team scheduling that automatically schedules work based on availability and deadlines.
Keep Track of Project Tasks and Cost
If you’re seeking a tool like Mavenlink, you likely are looking for a project management tool that can support complex projects and tasks that make up your client work. Project managers using the platform share that the multiple project views, like lists and Gantt charts, help make it easier to quickly find important information.
Accelo’s Projects product offers these options and even more advanced project management features to support the project lifecycle from initial planning to project execution. These features include custom templates, task dependencies, project accounting, workflow automation and the ability to link each project to a built-in CRM. This connection between ongoing projects and a client or company record is a big part of why users find Accelo’s end-to-end solution so powerful for managing client work.
Easily Manage Tickets
With Mavenlink, clients can submit issues to share requests and feedback or to request action items that were not originally included in a project plan. While these project requests can be used to manage client needs, the feature does not replace a full ticketing or service solution system that can process, manage and track customer issues.
Alternatively, Accelo’s Tickets product makes it possible to receive, monitor and complete ad-hoc work requests through a collaborative request inbox. With automation, you can quickly triage tickets based on urgency and assign them to the appropriate team members with custom rules and triggers. And even more importantly, the work your support team contributes to ticket management is connected to the client record for a more accurate client history.
Team Collaboration and Client Communication
Professional services teams know how important collaboration is when it comes to successfully supporting their clients. Some Mavenlink users share that the platform makes it simple to collaborate internally with project team members, but others say that external collaboration with clients isn’t as easy.
On the other hand, Accelo makes external collaboration effortless with its client portal. The portal offers an easy way to reduce manual updates, securely share documents and limit emergency or after-hours status questions from clients.
Another innovative feature that users love for enhanced team collaboration is Accelo’s Activity Stream. The stream uses email capture to display the entire history of communication and actions taken on a client account, and it was recently selected as Accelo users' favorite platform feature. Users can visit the stream to find updates on project status, check if a task was completed or refer back to past conversations to prevent miscommunication with clients or teammates.
Trial Accelo
Do you know the right tool to best support your business and your clients? Do you know everything this tool has that would benefit and impact your team?
Professional services businesses benefit from having software designed to support client work. Accelo’s client work management platform offers an end-to-end solution with a built-in CRM, sales and quoting, ticket management, billing and retainers to minimize your tech stack and simplify your work. Start a free trial of Accelo and try out the platform for yourself.
If you have questions or want a more in-depth look at the unique features of Accelo, request a demo.
About the Author
Kit Lewis is a Content Manager at Accelo, where she manages content projects, social media and content reporting. With a decade of writing for industries ranging from education to tech, past experience supporting client work and a commitment to building efficient systems, she is passionate about creating valuable content to help professional services teams.