BoardEffect Pros and Cons

BoardEffect is easy to work with. Creating Board Books and building the library for our trustees is a seamless process. The conversion process was easy and we were able to begin using it immediately. Our staff and trustees were all trained quickly and were able to integrate the tools into the every day work process easily. I feel confident in the customer service group whenever an issue comes up, which has been very little. We build out information for 4 board meetings every twelve months which consists of 3 board books for each meeting for a total of 12 a year, however, there have been instances when an additional one was utilized. All staff and trustees have access to the library 24/7 which is a definite asset for our foundation. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

In the beginning, there was an issue that prevented automated notification when the meeting materials were ready and available to the trustees, however, new updates have ressolved that issue. As of today, we have no issues with how BoardEffect is working for us. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The migration from Diligent's BoardPaq to BoardEffect was extremely easy and the support I received during the process was very helpful. It is obvious the BoardEffect Team has put a lot of thought and work into the training, available Webinars and materials for this particular Diligent product.

I have completed two (2) Board meetings using BoardEffect. The Directors and Executive Team found the App easy to install and the internal training we scheduled with small groups was also easy and informative to get them started with the new product.

Creating the Board Meeting Book for each meeting is intuitive and easy to update the order of agenda items as well as attachments through the edit process.

I am still learning BoardEffect and appreciate the enhancements that continue to be communicated by the BoardEffect Support Team. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Preparing the meeting minutes is the only area so far that takes more time than it did using the Diligent BoardPaq product. The following areas are a bit clunky and take additional time in BoardEffect / Diligent's Meeting Minutes area:

1. Identifying the meeting attendees would be easier if the members of the workroom were already listed to select from a list. My name is the only name that pre-populates for meeting attendance. Once I start typing the names, the name selections pop up to select from, but this is time consuming due to the meeting attendees varying from meeting to meeting.

2. Reporting of voting details for meeting agenda items would be easier and quicker if a system tool was available to enter each step of the voting process. BoardPaq's system for automatically provided an area to select names for the "Move", "Second", and "Status" recording of agenda items submitted for approval. In BoardEffect, I am currently entering this information manually within a table for each agenda item receiving approval.

If I am missing something within BoardEffect/Diligent Meeting Minutes for both of these items, I would love to receive some additional training or "how-to" information.

Thank you!

Beverly Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

BoardEffect provides me with an unmatched intuitive platform that showcases exceptional design. BoardEffect's user friendly organization lets me explore and find essential materials at speed keeping me both organized and ready for meetings. Real time collaboration features within BoardEffect combined with effortless document sharing capabilities improve board member teamwork while saving valuable time and maintaining team members' shared understanding of board activities. The ability to customize board books and meeting agendas ensures intuitive platform adaptation to our organization's particular requirements. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

BoardEffect has a big feature list, but I find the task management and follow up tools could be better. Today, we depend on additional tools to manage action items and due dates, making it become often reach in confusion and confusion. I would also like to see more cohesions with our current calendar and scheduling systems, so we can better plan and schedule meetings. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The standout feature that BoardEffect has with respect to collaborative work. Together, we’ve been able to share the comments and annotations on the board documents and hit on key items to ensure we’re aligned. The way meeting materials are grouped by session also makes it easy and effective to review prior discussions or decisions. Task assignments and follow ups also make delegation easy, since everyone knows what needs to be done and who will follow up when. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

BoardEffect sometimes lags a bit when large documents or files get loaded and heavy annotations are given. This has sometimes slowed down preparation for meetings when we have had to go through lots of details in reports. But the system could certainly be improved to be able to handle these files a little more efficiently. A second worry is that some of the more sophisticated functions are counterintuitive, and need a bit more training time for new users, which slightly disrupts onboarding mechanics. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One thing that I like most about BoardEffect is the way information flows within our board seamlessly. It affords mutual space in which pertinents can be raised and discussed as well as given and received feedback. This has brought great order in the organization, making it clear to all stakeholders what decisions are critical to make. In addition, it has made items more accountable due to the tracking of tasks and we are able to follow up on the list set. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It is deficient in enabling the individuals outside the core board members such as committee members or outside advisors to fully collaborate on BoardEffect. It is challenging to engage them in the system for discussion or document review and as you would expect this always results in other processes. But it may turn a little awkward when we want their input immediately because indeed the platform does not allow the direct interaction of such stakeholders. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love having everything related to our board in one spot. It is user friendly and even our older trustees have been able to access everything they need with little to no help. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I haven't found any negatives yet. This has simplified my job many times over. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Our organization is a small-staff association and efficiency is extremely important to us. BoardEffect has streamlined board book process and serves as a great tool for us to leverage onboarding with new board members. In the past materials were distributed through email now we have one central location for all resources and documents. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I would love to have more interactivity between video and Outlook. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The Resource Library is great, Workrooms for various committees also works well, online polling for motions. Quick response from tech/support team if I have a question or issue. Everything Board related in one place. Minute taking works well too! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sometimes it is difficult to figure out how to do something (e.g. reply for a Board member) but once you locate how to do it usually everything works well. The support function is great and if I have questions I reach out to Carrie Forrester or put in a service request. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The only thing thas was a positive was attentive trainers who were doing their best with the software at hand. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I have been very unsatisified to say the least. From the beginning I expressed concern that there was no trial period before making a commitement. Having trusted what the sales consultant was tell me, our organization took the plunge and paid for a year's subscription (over $4000). Once we received access to the software and began using it, it was immediately apparent we had made the wrong choice. The dashboard and tools seemed very outdated, switching between features was clunky, and some of the features that sales told us it could do required workarounds and were't intuative at all. I expressed my concerns during the first training session and was met with "I'm sorry but there are no refunds". Upon further investigation, the refund policy was buried in there contract. You could only find it after navigating through two different links because it wasn't on the actual page I signed. Every time I was given another person's email higher up the chain to talk to I either got completely ignored or "the no refund" policy thrown in my face. All I wanted was a simple conversation with someone to talk about options. Yes a refund would have been my preference, but I was open to other options. No one took my calls. At the end of the day, this company took our money and ran. Now we are left with a software we won't use because it doesn't work for our needs. I highly recommend any other option than BoardEffect and the Diligent Corporation. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One centralized location for all parties to communicate and share reports, news, etc. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Somewhat confusing at first--however, easy to find what is needed and navigate once you get accustomed to the website. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.