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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Ascentis (discontinued)

    Score7.5 out of 10
    N/AAscentis HR uses web-based management programs to help automate complex HR processes. Ascentis’ other services included customizable payroll, time and attendance and recruiting modules. Ascentis was acquired by UKG in March of 2022, and will be discontinued.N/A

    Paycom

    Score7.4 out of 10
    N/APaycom supports HR and payroll with automated, employee-first technology that supports every stage of employment. Its single database enables seamless data management, to reduce errors, endless data entry and time-consuming administrative tasks.N/A
    Pricing
    Ascentis (discontinued)Paycom
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Ascentis (discontinued)Paycom
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Ascentis (discontinued)Paycom
    Considered Both Products
    Discontinued Products
    Chose Ascentis (discontinued)
    Unlike the others, Ascentis was built as an HR solutions platform--not an extension of a payroll company looking to expand into HR. The payroll side is well-represented with founders who are ex-ADP employees, but by being focused on HR as a whole, this puts the emphasis on …
    Incentivized
    Chose Ascentis (discontinued)
    We selected Ascentis because the features and price were a reasonable match for our business objectives at the time. What stood out about Ascentis was the ability to customize and integrate with our internal tools.

    We are currently starting to evaluate other software and are …
    Incentivized
    Chose Ascentis (discontinued)
    Paycom. We went with Ascentis because Paycom did not have the ability to customize our performance management tool
    Incentivized
    Paycom
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    78%
    Would buy again
    40 Answers
    95%
    Would buy again
    317 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    90%
    Delivers good value for the price
    35 Answers
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    290 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    86%
    Happy with the feature set
    44 Answers
    96%
    Happy with the feature set
    321 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    65%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    22 Answers
    91%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    228 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    65%
    Implementation went as expected
    24 Answers
    90%
    Implementation went as expected
    220 Answers
    Features
    Ascentis (discontinued)Paycom
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Ascentis (discontinued) and Paycom
    Feature
    Ascentis (discontinued)
    7.1
    150 Ratings
    10% below category average
    Paycom
    7.8
    390 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Employee demographic data6.7137 Ratings9.0354 Ratings
    Employment history7.3140 Ratings8.5340 Ratings
    Job profiles and administration6.9128 Ratings8.2341 Ratings
    Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.6.7126 Ratings7.1341 Ratings
    Organizational charting5.290 Ratings7.3261 Ratings
    Organization and location management8.0109 Ratings7.5298 Ratings
    Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)8.8102 Ratings7.3283 Ratings
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Ascentis (discontinued) and Paycom
    Feature
    Ascentis (discontinued)
    7.8
    125 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Paycom
    8.0
    402 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Pay calculation7.1115 Ratings9.1390 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors6.162 Ratings6.447 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.328 Ratings8.713 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration6.7108 Ratings8.0338 Ratings
    Direct deposit files9.2100 Ratings9.8389 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management8.692 Ratings7.1323 Ratings
    Reimbursement management8.851 Ratings7.2219 Ratings
    Leave and Attendance Management
    Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Ascentis (discontinued) and Paycom
    Feature
    Ascentis (discontinued)
    7.8
    105 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Paycom
    7.7
    354 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Approval workflow7.999 Ratings7.8337 Ratings
    Balance details7.099 Ratings7.4338 Ratings
    Annual carry-forward and encashment8.484 Ratings7.8282 Ratings
    Employee Self Service
    Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Ascentis (discontinued) and Paycom
    Feature
    Ascentis (discontinued)
    7.0
    153 Ratings
    14% below category average
    Paycom
    8.8
    402 Ratings
    9% above category average
    View and generate pay and benefit information7.8138 Ratings9.8395 Ratings
    Update personal information8.6151 Ratings9.6398 Ratings
    View company policy documentation5.4110 Ratings8.6354 Ratings
    Employee recognition6.061 Ratings7.3192 Ratings
    View job history7.3108 Ratings8.9316 Ratings
    Asset Management
    Comparison of Asset Management features of Ascentis (discontinued) and Paycom
    Feature
    Ascentis (discontinued)
    5.8
    33 Ratings
    33% below category average
    Paycom
    4.9
    26 Ratings
    49% below category average
    Tracking of all physical assets5.833 Ratings4.926 Ratings
    HR Reporting
    Comparison of HR Reporting features of Ascentis (discontinued) and Paycom
    Feature
    Ascentis (discontinued)
    6.3
    147 Ratings
    17% below category average
    Paycom
    6.7
    346 Ratings
    11% below category average
    Report builder7.0144 Ratings7.2340 Ratings
    Pre-built reports7.5142 Ratings7.2337 Ratings
    Ability to combine HR data with external data4.673 Ratings5.855 Ratings
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of Ascentis (discontinued) and Paycom
    Feature
    Ascentis (discontinued)
    5.1
    98 Ratings
    43% below category average
    Paycom
    7.8
    342 Ratings
    1% below category average
    New hire portal5.398 Ratings8.0339 Ratings
    Manager tracking tools4.976 Ratings7.6293 Ratings
    Performance and Goals
    Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Ascentis (discontinued) and Paycom
    Feature
    Ascentis (discontinued)
    7.2
    57 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Paycom
    5.5
    199 Ratings
    36% below category average
    Corporate goal setting6.743 Ratings4.236 Ratings
    Individual goal setting7.653 Ratings6.9186 Ratings
    Line-of sight-visibility7.138 Ratings4.835 Ratings
    Performance tracking7.250 Ratings6.2195 Ratings
    Performance Management
    Comparison of Performance Management features of Ascentis (discontinued) and Paycom
    Feature
    Ascentis (discontinued)
    6.0
    63 Ratings
    26% below category average
    Paycom
    7.0
    247 Ratings
    11% below category average
    Performance plans5.659 Ratings7.4228 Ratings
    Performance improvement plans5.650 Ratings7.0216 Ratings
    Review status tracking5.857 Ratings7.5222 Ratings
    Review reminders6.555 Ratings7.1228 Ratings
    Multiple review frequency6.650 Ratings6.0204 Ratings
    Succession Planning
    Comparison of Succession Planning features of Ascentis (discontinued) and Paycom
    Feature
    Ascentis (discontinued)
    5.9
    27 Ratings
    28% below category average
    Paycom
    6.8
    34 Ratings
    14% below category average
    Create succession plans/pools6.421 Ratings9.124 Ratings
    Candidate ranking6.421 Ratings6.830 Ratings
    Candidate search5.027 Ratings5.833 Ratings
    Candidate development5.823 Ratings5.429 Ratings
    Recruiting / ATS
    Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Ascentis (discontinued) and Paycom
    Feature
    Ascentis (discontinued)
    5.5
    89 Ratings
    34% below category average
    Paycom
    5.7
    239 Ratings
    30% below category average
    Job Requisition Management5.485 Ratings5.8214 Ratings
    Company Website Posting5.279 Ratings5.2211 Ratings
    Publish to Social Media5.659 Ratings4.8169 Ratings
    Job Search Site Posting5.871 Ratings5.3196 Ratings
    Duplicate Candidate Prevention5.657 Ratings6.3185 Ratings
    Applicant Tracking5.783 Ratings5.4219 Ratings
    Notifications and Alerts5.369 Ratings7.1225 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Ascentis (discontinued)Paycom
    Small Businesses
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    PeopleStrong
    Score10 out of 10
    PeopleStrong
    Score10 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Ascentis (discontinued)Paycom
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.2
    (164 ratings)
    7.9
    (425 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    6.3
    (12 ratings)
    8.9
    (23 ratings)
    Usability
    7.6
    (44 ratings)
    9.1
    (24 ratings)
    Availability
    6.7
    (5 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    7.1
    (4 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.2
    (150 ratings)
    9.1
    (52 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.3
    (4 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.3
    (5 ratings)
    8.2
    (7 ratings)
    Configurability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    3.0
    (1 ratings)
    5.5
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    6.7
    (4 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.6
    (3 ratings)
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.6
    (3 ratings)
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Ascentis (discontinued)Paycom
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Discontinued Products
    In working with Ascentis in payroll, the program makes my job so much easier. I am new to this position and the learning process has been so much easier with this product than those in the past. I appreciate the patience I am given when I call in for assistance as well.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Paycom
    It's very mobile friendly, especially for people that aren't tech savvy. We have an aged workforce where we were really concerned about how they would adapt, going from the comfort of using paper to a mobile and online application. But the training was really easy and the adaptation has been simple for us as a company.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Discontinued Products
    • Easy to use software. I have had several new HR employees comment on how easy the system is to learn!
    • Problem Solving- Ascentis is always problem solving! When we were in the process of selecting a new payroll company, we needed unemployment claims management assistance for our locations, something Ascentis did not currently offer. The sales rep went out of his way to find a unemployment claims management company that would work with Ascentis and us. That company has helped us keep an 80% win rate for our claims!
    • User conference- Engage is an awesome way to learn more about the products Ascentis has available as well and meet up with the staff you work with every day!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Paycom
    • I would say the communication post-implementation is amazing. Allie is our representative. She's amazing. Caitlin is amazing. I just met Travis last week at the office. Amazing. The communication is great and helpful, so if one of the team members don't have the answer, they can just jump in. For instance, I was on a call with Caitlin yesterday and she was like, "I'm not really sure about this answer. Let me see if I can go run it byTravis." I know he's on another call and instead of him saying blah, blah, he came over and looked at the screen and was like, do this, do this. It's a little different. So I would say the customer service is the best.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Discontinued Products
    • Updating the system so it is one platform and not two.
    • Create changes to the benefit enrollment process and upgrade the system so hire dates do not need to be changed to trigger benefits for status changes.
    • Focus updates on HR Admin, mobile application, ATS and transitioning to one platform. Larger areas of focus have been on the payroll portion of the system with a few updates to other areas.
    • When something is broken, quicker turn time on fixing the issue.
    • System needs updates to support AAP reporting.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Paycom
    • I think that when we do need a response back, which is very unlikely from the contact about something that's happening or going on, it can take a little long to get back to us. Longer than we would like because obviously it's an emergency to us, but we understand they have tons of emergencies they have to solve. But I think that's the only aspect.
    • I know from a payroll standpoint, which I'm not really privy to because I don't work on the payroll side, there have been some little hiccups that about certain formulas used, certain credits being issued that we've already filed for tax credits that we filed for. So I know that my CFO's already on top of it and pay comes on top of it as well and it's getting resolved, but obviously that's a big issue that needs some work there.
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    Discontinued Products
    This rating would be a 10 if it were not for some issues we have been having recently with the benefit carrier connections. The carrier connections are critical for us so how these issues are resolved will be key in our renewal decision.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Paycom
    Because it has everything that we need and as we grow, we are learning how robust Paycom can actually be but we need to be willing to spend the money. It's not expensive but we, as a company, are not used to spending that much on a system for HR and payroll.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Discontinued Products
    I'd give it a 7.5. If the modules were easier to access and not so buried (or placed in left field to find), I would give it a higher rating. As I said, as the potential to be great if ACCESS to other modules was easier.
    Incentivized
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    Paycom
    The interface is very intuitive, you can navigate it pretty well. Everything's pretty much spelled out and the features just flow really well. They make it easy for you to go back and forth with the UX/UI type of interface. So I think it was built pretty well.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Discontinued Products
    They normally give you notice when an update will affect the use of the system. Otherwise, when we have an error , we send a message to the support team. Sometimes someone will get right back with you and sometimes it takes a while.
    Read full review
    Paycom
    They are very dependable and I have never experience any outages
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Discontinued Products
    Yes, this pages do load pretty good but there are times when things are slow and I believe that's because they are sometimes trying to do updates.
    Read full review
    Paycom
    Yes, Paycom's performance is excellent, no issues.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Discontinued Products
    Support is attentive and quick to answer the call and get the answer for you. If they for any reason cannot answer right then, they are back to you within a day and always seem to have a sense of urgency. You truly get the impression that they are aiming to make you happy.
    Incentivized
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    Paycom
    Our TSR has been wonderful to work with. Every step of the
    way he was quick to respond and answer any questions we had. I knew I could
    reach him at any time (day or night) and he would be available to assist.
    Implementing a new HRIS system is obviously a huge task and I contribute all
    our success to our rep Kurt! Of course, with any implementation, there were
    bumps along the way and issues. But I always knew we would work as a team to
    get those issues figured out. Working in the Paycom system has been smooth and
    easy to learn and I enjoy the employee self-service interface. Our managers
    have had positive things to say and are all excited about the changes we have
    been able to make to our organization due to Paycom being implemented.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Discontinued Products
    First, to clarify our "in-person" training was done mainly through Web-X meetings and conference calls. It was the closest thing we got to as far as an "in-person" training for this software. However, for the large majority of it, this type of training worked out well. We were able to share our screens and the trainer was able to share his/her screen. We could follow along with what we were doing in our database in real time and see how different functions worked and how manipulating our information could produce different results. It was also nice in that it provided for real-time results if something hadn't been coded correctly or we were having issues as to why something wasn't working the way we thought it should be. However, it did have some downsides in that we often had to rely on a conference phone and that made it difficult to hear people on both sides. Also, sometimes the trainers had internet difficulties when working from home and that caused issues with the WebX meetings.
    Incentivized
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    Paycom
    They were a sales person and not really a good trainer.
    Incentivized
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    Online Training
    Discontinued Products
    Ascentis HR has a number of online training videos to watch on a number of different topics. I gave it a lower rating because there is not much interactivity with the videos and it seems to cater to really only one or two learning styles. Plus, one has to be pretty motivated to go to a separate area to access the videos and then pull up a specific one to watch it and then learn. From my experience, people know that they are there, many just don't take the time and effort to go find them and actually watch them - especially since the username and password are different from their normal username and password.
    Incentivized
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    Paycom
    All the online training modules were short and straight to the point. Every module teach you how to use the system. If there is one thing they know how to do is training. We did implementation during the pandemic so all had to be done online or via zoom meetings.
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    Implementation Rating
    Discontinued Products
    It was very easy to implement, but the customization pieces should really be fleshed out in order to determine the full need of an organization at the time of implementation. I believe if a little more time was spent on the requirements, the recruiting module would not have to be customized again at a cost at a later date.
    Incentivized
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    Paycom
    Not at all satisfied it was a nightmare we spent over 8 months with the implementation team having issues after issues all related to the Puerto Rico regulations (half my employees are in Puerto Rico) and at the end we were moved over from the implementation team to the production team without all the issues being resolved
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Discontinued Products
    Ascentis has far better customer service and the implementation experience was also better. The ability to do a lot of customization is also easier with Ascentis as it's smaller organization. The payroll has positive and negatives compared to ADP but the accuracy is the same in both. Ascentis just started their community site which doesn't have a lot of traffic but hopefully can become more like ADP's community site, which was extremely helpful to me as an administrator.
    Incentivized
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    Paycom
    We really only had Paychecks and that was our biggest problem is that with several different companies, it was very hard If you had a salary employee and didn't terminate them in the prior company, they get paid twice, so this has really been definitely a big help for us.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Discontinued Products
    Large acquisition would be very complicated, seems more appropriate for companies under 100
    Incentivized
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    Paycom
    They are not able to meet our current needs
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Discontinued Products
    • HR DPT. is much more effective, as we can assess any employee information no matter where we are, etc. This helps to provide information immediately when requested!
    • Employees have access to Ascentis, and therefore to their timecard, open enrollment, etc., from anywhere at any time!
    • Time, PTO requests, employee goals, and evaluations can be approved from anywhere at any time!
    • Recruiting can be accessed any where at any time, and this helps with hiring, internal communication, etc.
    Incentivized
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    Paycom
    • I think our fiscal team who handles the ROI would say that it has had a negative impact just because a lot of stuff is a la carte and we weren't aware of that before we went into a business relationship with Paycom. So I think it's had a negative impact.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    Ascentis (discontinued) Screenshots

    Screenshot of Access all of your details including, paychecks, personal file, timeclock, etc via our mobile app.Screenshot of Punch-in and punch-out on the go.Screenshot of Centralized location for everything related to a user or admin.Screenshot of Every employee has access to their personal information in one location.Screenshot of Pre-built reporting along with Ad Hoc reporting gives you the ability to understand your business as a whole.Screenshot of Benefit enrollment made easy for your employees.

    Paycom Screenshots

    Screenshot of a new study that reveals that for a composite organization representative of interviewed clients, unifying HR and payroll in a single-database software with automation and streamlined workflows achieved a three-year 362% ROI and resulted in: $1.4M net present value*; over 45% total time saved by HR; 80% time saved on compliance work.Screenshot of IWant, which is a command-driven AI engine in a single database, for instant access to employee data.Screenshot of Direct Data Exchange®, which takes a detailed pulse of how employees interact with Paycom. It automatically assigns a dollar value of savings based on Ernst & Young research.