90 Minds Community

I spoke to Jeff Roth today about the various issues we've seen  and discussed regarding Avalara ranging from: 

Update: Jeff used to be the CEO at Sage VAR SWK and is now VP of Strategic Alliances at Avalara

• Problems with AVATAX totaling ( which seems to go back to mid-2019)
• Issues with customer service and customers reporting they get handed from one person to another at Avalara
• Marketplace setup not being ideal ( which is a recent question )

Jeff was pretty receptive to the feedback and did not push back on my observations. His is the VP of Strategic Alliances but sounds like he is also overseeing the channel in some way.

I stressed how the issue with totals might not seem like a big deal until you consider that many customers using Avalara are larger in size and repeatedly asking them to have everyone out of Sage for a period of time can become a problem.

He indicated Avalara is in the process of improving their partner processes including implementations. Each Sage partner should have a SAM ( or whatever the technical name is for Avalra account manager ) that they can reach out to for issues. It sounds as if they also have a CIP or Certified Implementation Partner program available for people who want to handle the implementation portion directly rather than having Avalara manage it.

I think Jeff is an excellent resource for the group for cases where there is clearly an issue with a process or technical capability within Avalara. Typically anytime I see a group of 90 Minders share an "I have this issue too"  then I know there's a problem ( as opposed to a customer who is just difficult or an off-the-rails implementation).

In any case, Jeff said to share his email and cell phone with anyone who may have an issue and they can reach out directly to him. 
973-464-4446 or jeff.roth@avalara.com

The issues I spoke to Jeff about were all related to long-standing issues where multiple members seemed to have very similar experiences (as well as sharing overall that the customer experience at Avalraa is often described by our customers as "being shuffled from one Avalara person to another".

As always, I never share anyone's name or feedback associated with any person.

It may be worthwhile to have some type of future organized group meeting with Jeff to share our mutual experiences or we could simply have him as a resource for bigger issues that arise with Avalara. He seemed pretty open to whatever we might suggest.




For reference, these are the posts that stick out with somewhat common themes between different members:

Avalara Marketplace

https://community.90minds.com/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=13&MessageKey=61e5fea2-fba8-41b6-8c69-db4571938c1c&CommunityKey=4593d843-4557-43ff-ba4d-6240681ed696&tab=digestviewer&ReturnUrl=%2fbrowse%2fallrecentposts

AVALARA not totaling

https://community.90minds.com/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=13&MessageKey=48529d62-0a2c-495c-8e32-a9d9af88b8b2&CommunityKey=4593d843-4557-43ff-ba4d-6240681ed696&tab=digestviewer&ReturnUrl=%2fbrowse%2fallrecentposts

SO History not saving totals for SO where AVATAX is sales tax code

https://community.90minds.com/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?MessageKey=a0b01cb3-9f8e-4f04-9607-5f295c8885c6&CommunityKey=4593d843-4557-43ff-ba4d-6240681ed696&tab=digestviewer#bma0b01cb3-9f8e-4f04-9607-5f295c8885c6




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Wayne Schulz - Schulz Consulting - 860-516-8990
------------------------------

Three years in a row, Avalara turned down the offer to join 90 Minds as an Affiliate.  The one year we were close to having them join just three days before MOTM started, they insisted that they wouldn't join unless they could present a session during MOTM.   They'd been sent membership materials in November, just for reference. 

I'm sure they would love the feedback from our group, and I'd be more than happy to speak to Jeff about a membership where he could then peruse a group meeting of 90 Minds members.

------------------------------
Moira Goggin
Chismet Consulting Corp.
Long Beach CA
------------------------------

Avalara assigns an account manager and an implementation specialist to new sales.  These employees seem to know AVATAX but not Sage 100.  I found the implementation very inefficient and frustrating.  Multiple emails about what should be basic setup issues.

------------------------------
Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Assistant to the Traveling Secretary
------------------------------

This is an encouraging development. 
We've had a relatively good experience with Avalara. We do have an assigned AM, but she can usually do little more than try to contact the right people. It is like pulling teeth to get anybody Sage-competent when that is actually needed. Communication during implementation leaves lots to be desired; most smaller firms really should retain their Sage partner as their project manager for the implementation process, because the cat-herding is beyond most in a busy little company.  
-
My outsider's take on the firm is that their growth has blinded them to handling the nitty little details at the invoice level. Their customers now have a very wide range of use cases, and some are beyond their initial design specs.

Avalara should reorganize their tech support/engineering support with this need in mind. Instead of trying to make the complainer go away, have a faster-response team of support specialist feeding into dedicated interface engineers to address things like the totalling.  

Not supporting the marketplace usage is mystifying, as this is a huge development in ecomm and no surprise to anybody. I suspect they are already aware of this hole. 

I hope Jeff can make a strong case for change to his executive leadership for these changes. He is pretty strong at that skill.

------------------------------
Jerry Norman
VP, 90 Minds
Smartbridge Partners
512.419.1444 x112
------------------------------

I have a meeting with Jeff on Monday although it's curious that he sent the email meeting request to my business email and not my 90minds.com email address.  I wonder where he got the Chismet address and name?  I make Affiliate membership offers for 90 Minds through my 90minds.com address.  Funny how those things happen. 

------------------------------
Moira Goggin
Executive Director
90 Minds, Inc.
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-16-2020 08:34
From: Jerry Norman
Subject: Avalara Issues update and observations

This is an encouraging development.
We've had a relatively good experience with Avalara. We do have an assigned AM, but she can usually do little more than try to contact the right people. It is like pulling teeth to get anybody Sage-competent when that is actually needed. Communication during implementation leaves lots to be desired; most smaller firms really should retain their Sage partner as their project manager for the implementation process, because the cat-herding is beyond most in a busy little company.
-
My outsider's take on the firm is that their growth has blinded them to handling the nitty little details at the invoice level. Their customers now have a very wide range of use cases, and some are beyond their initial design specs.

Avalara should reorganize their tech support/engineering support with this need in mind. Instead of trying to make the complainer go away, have a faster-response team of support specialist feeding into dedicated interface engineers to address things like the totalling.

Not supporting the marketplace usage is mystifying, as this is a huge development in ecomm and no surprise to anybody. I suspect they are already aware of this hole.

I hope Jeff can make a strong case for change to his executive leadership for these changes. He is pretty strong at that skill.

------------------------------
Jerry Norman
VP, 90 Minds
Smartbridge Partners
512.419.1444 x112
------------------------------

If your curious - ask him. Then come back here and share. It wasn’t me if that’s what your implying. I also didn’t share any member names with him rather I contacted those members privately and provided Jeff’s contact info which he said was ok to do. You can ask those members as well.

---------------------------------
Wayne Schulz - Schulz Consulting - 860-516-8990
---------------------------------



Original Message:
Sent: 10-16-2020
From: Moira Goggin
Subject: RE: Avalara Issues update and observations

I have a meeting with Jeff on Monday although it's curious that he sent the email meeting request to my business email and not my 90minds.com email address.  I wonder where he got the Chismet address and name?  I make Affiliate membership offers for 90 Minds through my 90minds.com address.  Funny how those things happen. 

------------------------------
Moira Goggin
Executive Director
90 Minds, Inc.
------------------------------

Thank  you @Wayne Schulz I was planning on following up with him on that topic, Monday.  I know you are very careful to never reveal a member's name associated with comments and are always respectful of our rules. 

As I recall, I you wrote those rules, right?
​
:)

------------------------------
Moira Goggin
Executive Director
90 Minds, Inc.
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-16-2020 19:00
From: Wayne Schulz
Subject: Avalara Issues update and observations

If your curious - ask him. Then come back here and share. It wasn't me if that's what your implying. I also didn't share any member names with him rather I contacted those members privately and provided Jeff's contact info which he said was ok to do. You can ask those members as well.

---------------------------------
Wayne Schulz - Schulz Consulting - 860-516-8990
---------------------------------




Original Message:
Sent: 10-16-2020
From: Moira Goggin
Subject: RE: Avalara Issues update and observations

I have a meeting with Jeff on Monday although it's curious that he sent the email meeting request to my business email and not my 90minds.com email address.  I wonder where he got the Chismet address and name?  I make Affiliate membership offers for 90 Minds through my 90minds.com address.  Funny how those things happen. 

------------------------------
Moira Goggin
Executive Director
90 Minds, Inc.
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 10-16-2020 08:34
From: Jerry Norman
Subject: Avalara Issues update and observations

This is an encouraging development.
We've had a relatively good experience with Avalara. We do have an assigned AM, but she can usually do little more than try to contact the right people. It is like pulling teeth to get anybody Sage-competent when that is actually needed. Communication during implementation leaves lots to be desired; most smaller firms really should retain their Sage partner as their project manager for the implementation process, because the cat-herding is beyond most in a busy little company.
-
My outsider's take on the firm is that their growth has blinded them to handling the nitty little details at the invoice level. Their customers now have a very wide range of use cases, and some are beyond their initial design specs.

Avalara should reorganize their tech support/engineering support with this need in mind. Instead of trying to make the complainer go away, have a faster-response team of support specialist feeding into dedicated interface engineers to address things like the totalling.

Not supporting the marketplace usage is mystifying, as this is a huge development in ecomm and no surprise to anybody. I suspect they are already aware of this hole.

I hope Jeff can make a strong case for change to his executive leadership for these changes. He is pretty strong at that skill.

------------------------------
Jerry Norman
VP, 90 Minds
Smartbridge Partners
512.419.1444 x112

To follow-up - met with Jeff and Christie Whipple.  Sent them an application same day, and they have not returned it. 

And surprising, they didn't want to tell me who let them know about my post.

------------------------------
Moira Goggin
Executive Director
90 Minds, Inc.
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 10-16-2020 19:29
From: Moira Goggin
Subject: Avalara Issues update and observations

Thank  you @Wayne Schulz I was planning on following up with him on that topic, Monday.  I know you are very careful to never reveal a member's name associated with comments and are always respectful of our rules.

As I recall, I you wrote those rules, right?
​
:)

------------------------------
Moira Goggin
Executive Director
90 Minds, Inc.
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 10-16-2020 19:00
From: Wayne Schulz
Subject: Avalara Issues update and observations

If your curious - ask him. Then come back here and share. It wasn't me if that's what your implying. I also didn't share any member names with him rather I contacted those members privately and provided Jeff's contact info which he said was ok to do. You can ask those members as well.

---------------------------------
Wayne Schulz - Schulz Consulting - 860-516-8990


Original Message:
Sent: 10-16-2020
From: Moira Goggin
Subject: RE: Avalara Issues update and observations

I have a meeting with Jeff on Monday although it's curious that he sent the email meeting request to my business email and not my 90minds.com email address.  I wonder where he got the Chismet address and name?  I make Affiliate membership offers for 90 Minds through my 90minds.com address.  Funny how those things happen. 

------------------------------
Moira Goggin
Executive Director
90 Minds, Inc.


Original Message:
Sent: 10-16-2020 08:34
From: Jerry Norman
Subject: Avalara Issues update and observations

This is an encouraging development.
We've had a relatively good experience with Avalara. We do have an assigned AM, but she can usually do little more than try to contact the right people. It is like pulling teeth to get anybody Sage-competent when that is actually needed. Communication during implementation leaves lots to be desired; most smaller firms really should retain their Sage partner as their project manager for the implementation process, because the cat-herding is beyond most in a busy little company.
-
My outsider's take on the firm is that their growth has blinded them to handling the nitty little details at the invoice level. Their customers now have a very wide range of use cases, and some are beyond their initial design specs.

Avalara should reorganize their tech support/engineering support with this need in mind. Instead of trying to make the complainer go away, have a faster-response team of support specialist feeding into dedicated interface engineers to address things like the totalling.

Not supporting the marketplace usage is mystifying, as this is a huge development in ecomm and no surprise to anybody. I suspect they are already aware of this hole.

I hope Jeff can make a strong case for change to his executive leadership for these changes. He is pretty strong at that skill.

------------------------------
Jerry Norman
VP, 90 Minds
Smartbridge Partners
512.419.1444 x112