Thomson Creative Solutions -- Write-Up Solution

Arthur, King. True to its name,
Creative Solutions has been first
to market with many innovations
that are now presumptive industry
standards. Write-Up Solution boasts
more users than any other competitor,
featuring a full arsenal of product
options you would expect to find
in the market’s leader.

Write-Up Solution features general
ledger, bank reconciliation, flexible
financial reporting and after-the-fact
payroll. User productivity and efficiency
are driven by robust and mature
integration options. Those surveying
Write-Up Solution will receive affirmative
answers to product performance inquiries,
proof that Creative Solutions has
listened to its user base. Don’t
expect many “we don’t
do that” answers here.

The new purchase price for a single
user is $1,800; renewals are $610.
A five-user non-network system costs
the same as the single-user. The
new purchase price for a network
system with four concurrent users
is $2,800; $3,200 for eight concurrent
users. Network renewals are $810
for four concurrent users and $890
for eight concurrent users. Per-call
support costs are $90 per hour,
billed in 10-minute increments.
Or you can pay $48 per month for
a support contract. Teletraining
costs $195; interactive CD training
costs $250. Classroom training is
$395, and on-site training is $1,800.

LEARNING CURVE & EASE OF USE – 5 Stars
Setup and data entry are fast. Conversion
is available from many leading software
packages. Navigation through menus
and sub-menus is straightforward
and logical, written to take advantage
of Windows operating system conventions
that are familiar, which will boost
user confidence and bolster the
learning process. Automatic “smart”
features abound. Data entry will
satisfy all users whether they are
heads-down or mouse-tab advocates.

REPORTING & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – 4 Stars

Formatting of financial statements
is flexible, and financial reporting
is powerful. However, this is an
area of Write-Up Solution where
the learning curve isn’t easy.
Formatting of financial statements
can be difficult. Personally, I
found that after taking the electronic
tutorial and a hands-on class that
formatting of financial statements
was still a problem for me. I am
sure that repetitive work with the
formatter would have made things
easier for me, as adequate formatting
tools are provided. In my case,
it was probably just a matter of
integrating the tools and the interface
with the way I think. I am sure
that that the rewards of this in-depth
learning experience are many.

INTEGRATION, IMPORT/EXPORT & PRODUCTION PROCESSING – 4 Stars
Integration spoken here. Creative
Solutions has an in-depth suite
of companion products that allows
the user to import or export information,
including Payroll “Service
Bureau Style” software, Trial
Balance, Audit, Client Accounting
modules, Tax Programs, Depreciation,
Paperless Document Management, Scheduling,
Practice Management and more. Flexible
batch control over printing is available,
from one client to all clients within
the system.

SCALABILITY & PORTABILITY – 5 Stars

Write-Up Solution offers something
for everyone, from the sole practitioner
to the large accounting firm. Twenty-five
years of progressive computing experience
assures users that Creative Solutions
will respond to change. Common software
platforms in the Creative Solutions
integrated product line allow users
to expect similar behaviors, which
fosters user confidence.

SUPPORT, TRAINING & HELP SYSTEM – 5 Stars
A wide variety of guides, tutorials
and product walk-throughs greet
the user from disk to web. Training
and consulting opportunities are
available via traditional telephone
support, customized on-site, teletraining
in virtual classrooms, and hands-on
training in local and national forums.
Creative Solutions also boasts ARNE2
(the Accountants Resource Network
in its second incarnation), a free,
online Bulletin Board where users
discuss everything, getting help
with problems and having frank discussions
with fellow users. Users share what
works and what doesn’t work.
As a result, Creative Solutions
gets a virtual X-ray of its products,
obtaining information no survey
or focus group could ever glean.

INTERVIEWS
– WHAT USERS HAD TO SAY

Like any software user base, Write-Up
Solution users differ in the exact
mix of integrated products and the
clients they serve. Our interviews
found that Write-Up Solution licensees
were happy and universally agreed
that Creative Solutions was very
good at listening to its user base.

2004 OVERALL RATING: 4.5

The choice of a write-up program should be based in large part on identifiable attributes of the write-up program that best fits the sum of the individual needs of the practice. In no particular order, factors that lead to the sum include setup & learning curve; training & support; program pricing & cost of updates; data conversion, maintenance & storage; efficiency & flexibility; and integration with a practitioner’s other programs (tax, payroll, analysis, word processing, etc.). Finally, throw in a wild card ‘ the practitioner’s overall dedication to technology.

Technology