Silent Auction Pro Erfahrungen

Excellent Event Planning Software!

Kommentare: We are a hypothermia shelter that houses 12 guests during the coldest months of the year, and have a fundraising gala every 2-3 years. At the beginning of our planning process for our February 2020 gala, we wrestled with the question “Do we really need an auction and event planning package for our little event?” At the end, there was no question that Silent Auction Pro was a HUGE reason why our event went so smoothly and exceeded our fundraising goals!

Vorteile:

I cannot say enough good things about our experience using Silent Auction Pro. Some of the key things that we liked: Event Coach. From the beginning, we were assigned an event coach ([SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN]), and she proved incredibly helpful in both understanding Silent Auction Pro as well as anticipating what other issues might come up before, during, and after our event. She checked in regularly, and was available even on weekends. Training Videos. Silent Auction Pro has a large number of training videos on YouTube that were very helpful. Admittedly, they seemed difficult to understand when I viewed them before we actually signed up, but once I was on Silent Auction Pro and able to play around, they made much more sense, and proved very helpful. Pricing Structure. At first, it seemed expensive to pay $800 and still give up 2% of our proceeds to Silent Auction Pro. However, the 2% is only out of auction proceeds, and not things like tickets or sponsorships. That kept the 2% cost down to under $300, for a total cost of $1,100. Comparing that to the many, many hours of time saved, the ability to start the auction before the event, ability to easily sell tickets, and all the communications tools made it worth the money many times over! Usability. While I would not call Silent Auction Pro the most user-friendly website in existence, it is user-friendly, and with a minimal amount of practice it becomes very easy to get around. The reports are also very useful and easy to generate.

Nachteile:

There were a few very minor bugs, but that was it. I didn't care at all for WorldPay, which is one of the two credit card processors that Silent Auction Pro works with. They had horrible customer service and wanted to know WAY to much personal information about me in order to open an account. But that isn't Silent Auction Pro's fault ...

Solid Auction Platform to use.

Kommentare: Overall, a good experience. We will continue to use it for our auction.

Vorteile:

The platform fits our needs quite well. The Silent Auction Pro staff are very helpful and responsive to your needs.

Nachteile:

I have found it hard to navigate at times. Trying to find the exact place I need to go to do what I want.

Review

Vorteile:

Not a million screens amongst which to navigate.

Nachteile:

There is a lot of repeat info on each screen. Would be great if information could be streamlined a bit.

Great Auction Software, Superior Customer Service!

Kommentare: They are always there to help. The software is pretty easy to use and navigate. I can't imagine doing my events without Silent Auction Pro. Very professional and easy to work with.

Vorteile:

Their customer service is outstanding. Not only is it the best in the industry, it is the best anywhere. Today customer service is so horrible. You rarely get a live person to talk to. Companies don't give out customer service numbers. They expect you to use chat or send in a ticket and they will respond via email. Customer service is dead in this country. It is not that way with Silent Auction Pro. They are always available, always helpful and always get you the information you need in a timely fashion. Their software is generally easy to use and has many features. There are different software options depending on your needs. The pricing reflects the complexity of your requirements and is generally very fair.

Nachteile:

They are constantly upgrading and listening to customers' needs. Some of the standard defaults are frustrating, especially the page view, where you cannot adjust it to your needs. Instead of giving you a choice, it sets a standard of 10 records per page view, and you constantly have to change it to put more than 10 records per page. We should be able to set our own defaults. Sending out emails to previous attendees does not allow us to remove those who are attending during the current year so we end up bothering those people while trying to get others to attend.

Children's Miracle Network Topgolf fundraiser

Kommentare: Nothing but good. I did not get help from my event team so had to do things much on my own. If not for the Silent Auction platform, I would be in rehab now.

Vorteile:

Everything I needed plus outstanding customer service. I had a couple of needy moments and when I reached out to support, I received answers very quickly.

Nachteile:

When creating an auction item from a donation, the system did not advise me what the next auction item number would be in the sequence. However when I entered a number that was already used, I was presented with an error messaage stating it was a used number. If I was more dilligent, I would have kept a list of numbers as I used them, but for us lazy folks it would be nice if the sytem displayed the last used number.

We love Silent Auction Pro!

Kommentare: SAP has been fabulous for us! It is very easy to navigate. Entering and editing our silent auction items is very easy and actually fun! The personal support from a couple of SAP teammates has been invaluable. Highly recommend.

Vorteile:

We have used Silent Auction Pro (SAP) for three years for our small-ish nonprofit. Donations to our organization go through SAP and we use them for our annual silent auction.

Nachteile:

Can't think of anything. I have never had a glitch with SAP.

Family Promise of Montgomery County Loves Silent Auction Pro

Kommentare: The Staff does an excellent job coaching you throughout the entire event process; from setting up the event, creating tickets, posting auction items and ultimately closing out the event. A very patient, professional and knowledgeable staff that is excited to help at all times...

Vorteile:

Silent Auction Pro helps make your event stay on track. The software does a wonderful job keeping up with your money and donors which is extremely important in the non profit word.

Nachteile:

Need an export to QuickBooks tool (which I hear is in the works)!

Church of the Little Flower

Kommentare: Easy to use and nice, professional end result

Vorteile:

Misty and customer service were with me throughout the Auction even over the weekend and in the evenings.

Nachteile:

Reconciling accounts! Many of the donors are also bidders.

Very Powerful, not very pricey.

Kommentare: Online auctions require good software. SAP meets the challenge and excels at paper bidding and live auctions as well, integrating the results into common invoicing/check-out. Our experience has been very good.

Vorteile:

On-line bidding and automated event invoicing/check-out. Friendly, competent support staff.

Nachteile:

To be maximally effective, email addresses and cell numbers need to be captured, for ALL guests at registration/ticket purchase. Most 'registering' users do not have this info (or refuse to enter it) for their guests making it a chore to hunt down before the event, or binding up check-in. Credit cards on file is also difficult, but at least is not mandatory. Don't have any good suggestions, though, except maybe allow guest names (only) during registration.

Great Experience

Kommentare: Staff is great to work with and Silent Auction Pro is a great resource to improve revenues into your accounts

Vorteile:

Easy to operate, simple and carefree, the program is flexible to accommodate your wishes.

Nachteile:

Without alot of emails or Facebook contacts its difficult with out buying into names list.

the most user-friendly software ever used

Vorteile:

Silent Auction Pro is an incredibly user-friendly software with a website that's easy to navigate. Over the years, I've continuously learned and become more familiar with its extensive features, such as donation reports, contact history, and mobile online bidding. The customer support is exceptional, and their comprehensive reports can be easily downloaded for event wrap-ups. The Bidsheet Pro option has revolutionized our planning process, offering a seamless experience from donation entry to checkout. The software's extras, like logos and communication tools, were invaluable in enhancing our auction.

Nachteile:

Silent Auction Pro has its challenges, requiring research and self-starting to fully utilize its functions. Customer support was helpful, but the software's interface can be cumbersome with excessive clicking. While some features need improvement, the developers actively work on updates based on user feedback. Learning the system was a worthwhile endeavor, despite a few quirks.

I highly recommend using SIlent Auction Pro

Kommentare: Our online auction was very successful duw to using SIlent Auction Pro. We made a lot more $$ than we did the previous years using the online option.

Vorteile:

The application was easy to use. So many options to make your event that much more successful. Once you learn the ins and outs, you will lvoe it. Plus, the customer service was fantastic. Anytime I had a problem, I got a quick and easy answer.

Nachteile:

Now this isn't a bad thing per se, but there are so many options to use.

This software was a Game Changer for us!

Kommentare: I can't imagine using another software program. This is a program that can easily taught and transferred among changing administrators of your event (ours is a school/band fundraiser, so our parent teams are different and evolving each year). Since the software is straightforward and user friendly, it makes it easy to recruit and replace team leads (unlike our previous system, which made a potential new team lead say "oh, I couldn't do that! That looks complicated!"). We have appreciated the support from Silent Auction Pro, especially when we first got started with the program. It's been a real blessing to our event!

Vorteile:

This software has made the planning process so smooth for us. The Bidsheet Pro option has been the best fit for our event. The ability to enter donations/auction items, credit the student bringing in the auction item, and then have an online catalog to share, bidsheets, and an easy checkout process at the click of a button has improved the process for us 10-fold.

Nachteile:

I do wish there was an option to download the reports into a Google Sheets format. The reports automatically download into Microsoft Office Spreadsheet format, which is the better format for functionality, but as an organization, we appreciate the ability to share documents with Google.

Customer Support makes all the difference

Kommentare: The software is well-thought out and easy to use, but the customer support makes all of the difference. Customer support was able to help us during our Saturday night event with any issues or tough situations that came up.

Vorteile:

The software is well-thought out and easy to use.

Nachteile:

We did not have any major issues with the software

Highly Recommended!

Kommentare: From purchase through event conclusion Silent Auction Pro continues to provide Clay County Clothes Closet with a high level of responsive, professional support. This is key when you are a small non-profit which is managed and facilitated by volunteers. The software is a perfect fit for our organization and we have plans to continuing using Silent Auction Pro to manage our on-line fundraising initiatives.

Vorteile:

Responsive 24/7 Customer Support Professional appearance which allows for customization Report analytics Ability to generate mass emails Ability to display large number of auction items

Nachteile:

The pricing is challenging for a small non-profit organization's budget.

Thumbs Up

Kommentare: We've really enjoyed working with them. Last year, we had to completely switch to an "all on-line auction" last minute. The support we received was excellent. It was our first time to use them and they truly helped us with the process. If you don't use the software year round, it can be challenging when you pick it up again however, they took us through it again this year. [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] has been the best customer rep and event coach we've had and hope to continue to have. Her knowledge and mot of all her attitude truly makes a difference. You feel you have a partner and not just a provider. It was like have a "concierge service" which made it easier to use for us. Events are very challenging to execute specially when we do them tight budgets and limited staff. They made the process pleasant and easy for us and our customers/donors. They listened to our suggestions and have adapted some of these in the system. Overall, the features, service and support we receive from SAP are definitely worth the switch and the cost.

Vorteile:

Customer Support/having an event coach and cost.

Nachteile:

Some reports are not exportable. Some features can be enhanced to make it more user friendly but the staff are very helpful. They are very open to taking suggestions and continue to enhance their system. I have found that continued use and their enhancements have made the program more user-friendly.

Good just got better

Kommentare: We've been using Silent Auction Pro for the last two years, and each time they have gotten better and better. Their support team is outstanding, always available to help, and always willing to walk you through whatever you need. They are also extremely receptive to feedback and have implemented features that we've asked for in the past. We have been very pleased.

Vorteile:

The online auction is an amazing feature. The catalog is easy to navigate and manipulate on the back-end. On the front-end, it gives a great view and an amazing user experience. The online bidding is very streamlined. It's easy to place a bid. I especially love the option to place a max bid, where you can have the software bid for you.

Nachteile:

The menu items can be confusing at times. When looking for something in particular, it can be hard to know which menu item to look under. Things like "Edit Group," "Edit Event," "Auction Admin," and "Auction Day," can seem very similar and it's hard to tell what exactly falls under what.

Great tool to have. Change is it's Middle Name!!!!!

Kommentare: As a former systems engineer (in my previous career), I found the system to be easy to work with. There are a few things I think should be in different places, but it is just my preference. Support is everything!!! If you are lucky enough to get [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] as your support person, you will be just fine!!! She talked me "off a few ledges" the days leading up to the event. Things we usually do in person (and for cash) had to now be done through the system. Rethinking is the name of the game right now and [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] helped me iron out all the issues we had to rethink!!!

Vorteile:

The ability to change! In this year of constant change, we were stopped 48 hours before our Auction was to take place in March of 2020. We were never able to hold an in-person option but we were able to switch all the data we had already entered to go from live to on line with just a few quick and easy steps! we finally held the Virtual auction in November 2020.

Nachteile:

We did not take a picture of every item in a basket, just the combined basket itself. That was fine for the main page. the drill down page listed every item in the basket but the individual pictures did not exist so the item said No phot to Display. We ran out of time to take all the pictures so we dealt with it. I would've preferred it to at least show the basket from the main page. Zoom capabilities only existed when a user drilled down. This is usually not an issue since our silent auction is in person...… just not this year! [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] gave me great ideas to deal with the virtual aspect of our auction to try to make it as personal as possible!

Using SAP for silent auction for a Non-Profit group.

Kommentare: Saves us so much time. Used to use excel and mail merge to create bid sheets. Then had to enter results into a shared Sheet. Checkout took a lot longer since had to search the sheet. Also never had an online presence before so this gives us access to more people.

Vorteile:

Using this tool enables us to reach more people. I also like that checkout takes a lot less time and the customers like getting a receipt. The ability to print and check all the items from a donation or auction item perspective is so helpful when setting up. I also like the email feature so we can send messages to our patrons and Thank you notes to our donors. The ability to text winning bid status is fun too. Having the patrons credit card information helps make check out a breeze even if they are not present at the time of close out of the auction.

Nachteile:

Minor glitches with downloading to excel if you use that option. Easy to clean up though. There is a lot to learn to get going with the software but once you understand it, it is easy to use and the customer service is excellent.

Windsor Farm Elementary PTO Silent Auction Pro Review

Kommentare: Silent Auction Pro provided an ease and professional quality to our annual auction we had not previously enjoyed. In years past, our annual elementary PTO Fundraiser and Silent Auction was a tedious process. We would create our Bid Sheets and Display Sheets on separate programs. We would have another person create our event programs. Our donations would be logged in an Excel Spreadsheet. We would have ticket sales go through the office secretary. It wasn't seamless and it wasn't efficient. The checkout process at the event was also a mess as we didn't pre aucthorize credit cards and would have weeks of clean up trying to collect money from bidders who left without paying. Silent Auction Pro from the moment we received our first donation and our first ticket sale to the end of the auction provided a new ease and professional quality. The software is an Auction Administrators best friend as it tracked everything needed to make the event successful. We are a PTO of an elementary school and each year our auction makes a net profit of anywhere between $25-28,000. This year we had our most successful auction and I do believe it was because Silent Auction Pro freed up some of the time we used to spend on data entry. I was able to essentially run this auction by myself with the help of Silent Auction Pro. with over 300 auction items. I would highly recommend the program. The customer service was wonderful as I had many questions with this being my first time. It is an efficient tool to run a successful auction and event and I look forward to the opportunity to use this program again.

Vorteile:

Easy to use, great customer service, able to manage all needs in one platform.

Nachteile:

n/a

Great product

Kommentare: Silent Auction Pro completely changed the way we ran our annual silent and live auction. It took us out of the time-consuming task of tracking everything by Excel worksheets and allowed us to focus more on the actual fundraising.

Vorteile:

We used this software to transition from using Excel worksheets (SO time consuming) to check people out from a live auction, to swiping credit cards and capturing their info for faster checkout. We were able to track our history of donors and popular items, and streamlined our request process to focus on what bidders really wanted. Selling tickets to the event became a much easier process as well. The software was intuitive, and the customer service was great.

Nachteile:

While we loved our experience with Silent Auction Pro, we eventually felt we needed to switch companies to a platform that allowed for public searches of online auctions, rather than requiring a link and approval from an Auction Chairperson. We switched to another company in order to take advantage of a large and searchable/public auction community. However, that switch has cost us much more money. Instead, a strong marketing campaign on social media would bring the extra bidders without paying the more expensive subscription fee that the other company charged us. I will encourage the next Auction Chairperson to use Silent Auction Pro.

First experience with Silent Auction Pro

Kommentare: Managing a remote, virtual auction isn't easy but Silent Auction Pro made it as easy as I can imagine!

Vorteile:

I had the distinct pleasure of working with Silent Auction Pro’s auction software and “coach” [SENSITIVE CONTENT]. Initially they were to support a live event with both a silent and a live auction, but Covid had other ideas and put us into a virtual Silent Auction. I am not a software wizard by any stretch of the imagination but found I was able to navigate Silent Auction Pro well with some brief instruction from [SENSITIVE CONTENT]. The “help” function was also truly “help”ful. When obvious that it would take longer to explain it me than to just do it, [SENSITIVE CONTENT] often stepped in and just took care of it for me! Suffice it to say I became somewhat proficient in managing our auction through a successful close! I have worked with several SaaS providers for other purposes, and none has been as easy to learn and navigate as Silent Auction Pro. Thank you C[SENSITIVE CONTENT] and Silent Auction Pro!

Nachteile:

It worked for me without a hitch. Occasionally I had to try multiple tabs to find what I was looking for.

This software has made our silent auction events so organized.

Vorteile:

I like that it keeps up with event records, prints off info sheets, bid sheets, and anything else I need for our silent auctions. I also like that we can sell event tickets through this site and the purchaser's credit card number is saved for express checkout from the auction.

Nachteile:

The great thing about this software is that any time I find something that I don't like about it or I feel there is a way it could be improved I am able to contact them and they make improvements based on my feedback.

Very Responsive Customer Service & Support

Kommentare: We started using SilentAuction Pro during covid for our annual art auction fundraiser. This year we made it a hybrid event (online bidding but viewing the art in person). This helped us keep the supporters we picked up when we were fully online and allow folks to view the auction items in person. It turned out great and we learned a lot on how to do it even better next time.

Vorteile:

The instant log in link. The messaging module. The ability to have multiple photos and video.

Nachteile:

The menu can be challenging to get used to/navigate.

A happy client!

Kommentare: Very good to excellent.

Vorteile:

First and foremost, we were thrilled to raise more than $10,000 from our previous online auction. I was super impressed by the customer service and support before, during and after running our auction. The software is easy to use from both the administrative side and bidder side. The software is aesthetically appealing. It attracted our usual bidders as well as those (of an older generation) that were hestitant with using eBay. We received many comments from our bidders that they liked this software.

Nachteile:

Would like features added to the software that deal with shipping items. For example, would like to be able to assign shipping charges to an auction item that the bidder can view when bidding. Also, would like ability to add multiple photos for an item.