taxtrio Posted May 30, 2008 Report Posted May 30, 2008 Has anyone out there purchased the ATX Website with the Complete Tax (Online Tax Prep)? Opinions? Good? Bad? Cost Effective? Ease of Use? Productive/ or Not? What say you all. P.S. Quote
Lion EA Posted June 1, 2008 Report Posted June 1, 2008 I bought the website with my ProSystem fx at much more than you pay for the website with ATX, but it's still built by ExecuSite. I love it, even at the high price. It was up and running even before I purchased; the salesman had put my specific information on for me to evaluate. As I have time, I update the pages. I can post an article I've written in Word or whatever on my Newsletters page. They change the newsletters for me the first of every month. I can pick and choose which ones I want that month. And, I can add newsletters from their archives. It works best in IE, but the techies are working on it in Mozilla FoxFire. I use FoxFire, and the website is usually fine. Technical support is wonderful. I really only needed them when I was setting up my e-mail and when I had questions while deciding whether to buy. If an old lady like me can use it, any one can. They have a one-page cheat sheet for html, if you want to edit things. I haven't used the on-line tax prep, because my clients aren't going to do it themselves. DollarsSense.com Quote
joelgilb Posted June 2, 2008 Report Posted June 2, 2008 So, http://dollarssense.com/ is the website they setup for you? Couple of questions. Is the content on the site all provided by ExecSite (other than the contact info)? Or did you add your own links? does it seem to help generate revenue and or new clients? What do your clients think of the site? Are there any additional charges based on content? Quote
Lion EA Posted June 2, 2008 Report Posted June 2, 2008 It started with EVERYTHING from ExecuSite including a generic welcome and services and more; the salesman even had my info on there. They had links like IRS and Where's My Refund and MSNBC and Money Magazine and... Right now, the newsletters down through the Dollars & Sense are mine and things I've borrowed from you guys and groups of which I'm a member like NAEA; and everything below is their June newsletters and ones I've chosen from their archives. I've been adding links of clients and family and local states' taxing authorities to personalize the links page. I wasn't trying to generate new (cold) clients as much as trying to look less "home office" for my current clients and their referrals to me. I did get about four good leads from it, though. My clients like the site. When they ask a question and I'm busy or they don't need the info then (next year's mileage rates, maybe), I can post an article from me or from the archives and send them to my site. I thought they might use the calculators, but that's why they pay me. I've used some of the calculators! My clients have complex returns and trusts and partnerships and other businesses, so I'm not trying to bring in the stranger off the street. They've used the driving directions (I wrote my address the way it works best on MapQuest) and info re my drop off places. And, some have shown their spouses who I am via my web site. I haven't added any content that costs extra. There are other "libraries" available for extra fees. I might add a logo, if I ever get around to designing one. And, now that I have a year on ProSystem fx, I might start using the Tax NoteBook feature to upload and download organizers which costs a tiny bit with each use. I'd had a domain name "under construction" for years before I discovered ExecuSite. Quote
Lion EA Posted June 2, 2008 Report Posted June 2, 2008 I tried to send you a link to June's newsletter re its sites, but it's in a members-only section. So, I copied and pasted it into a private message for you. The formatting is crazy, but you can see the types of tips they give us each month and a sample of a web site of a CPA firm. Quote
joelgilb Posted June 2, 2008 Report Posted June 2, 2008 I tried to send you a link to June's newsletter re its sites, but it's in a members-only section. So, I copied and pasted it into a private message for you. The formatting is crazy, but you can see the types of tips they give us each month and a sample of a web site of a CPA firm. Thanks for all the info, looks very interesting. Quote
Bart Posted June 2, 2008 Report Posted June 2, 2008 Can clients upload files to you thru the website? Quote
Lion EA Posted June 3, 2008 Report Posted June 3, 2008 I think so. I bought last minute, as well as buying my tax software last minute, so didn't try out all the features during tax season. I think it's two separate things. One being the Tax Notebook which is an organizer I can upload for a small fee for clients to access and then download for a small fee when they're done. The other is a secure site, but haven't looked into that at all. Learning more about those possibilities is on my to-do list for after I get everyone off extension. The salesman told me to call him when I've tested out the Tax Notebook, and he'll remove the fees. It certainly does encourage clients to use e-mail to contact me. Quote
Bart Posted June 3, 2008 Report Posted June 3, 2008 Learning more about those possibilities is on my to-do list for after I get everyone off extension. Please let me know what you find out when you get time to check it out. Quote
MAMalody Posted June 3, 2008 Report Posted June 3, 2008 I really liked the ATX organizer a couple of years ago that was downloadable into the program. Was kind of nice. Since that is gone, I use a Word organizer that can be filled in on the computer and sent back to me. Still takes my input but works better for the client. With my business being totally internet based with no face interviews I am interested in this thread for any additional information or sources. Mike Quote
Catherine Posted June 3, 2008 Report Posted June 3, 2008 Can clients upload files to you thru the website? Yes, they can. I also have an execusite web site that I bought through ATX. You can look at it at www.grant-financial.com. Home page has a link to a secure file share -- THAT only works in IE; I use FireFox and have to use an IE tab for that one thing. But it's great; I've had lots of clients send me pdf's, original doc's they forgot to bring.... one client who is in the Philippines sends my _everything_ over the file transfer -- and ditto going back to him. Everything came with the site. All I added was PayPal (mainly for a couple of out-of-state clients who pay slowly), my local weather page (free "stickers" from weather underground), and info on me. Updated the links to include NAEA and some local folks I keep referring people to. And most of those waited quite a while. One of the other things you can do is send targeting newsletters to selected clients. I haven't set that up yet, but it's next on the list of things to do (in my copious free time, LOL). I did add the "do your taxes online" button, but no one used it that I know of. Catherine Quote
Lion EA Posted June 4, 2008 Report Posted June 4, 2008 Nice site, Catherine. That motivated me to add File Share. I'm usually able to use Mozilla FireFox. Once in a while, my site or e-mail or Site Builder or even this board acts funny under Mozilla; then I click the IE switch. The techies at Site Builder use and love Mozilla, so they'll get the kinks worked out someday. Quote
Catherine Posted June 5, 2008 Report Posted June 5, 2008 Nice site, Catherine. That motivated me to add File Share. I'm usually able to use Mozilla FireFox. Once in a while, my site or e-mail or Site Builder or even this board acts funny under Mozilla; then I click the IE switch. The techies at Site Builder use and love Mozilla, so they'll get the kinks worked out someday. Glad you liked it! Yes, it will be better when the file share works on Firefox as well. It's much more inherently secure than Internet Exploder. Catherine Quote
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