Upshot is a case management system used by charities. It was originally developed for use in the sport sector. Some of Makerble’s clients used to use Upshot. This is a summary of why they left Upshot to use Makerble.
Incoming Referrals
Upshot only has a single referral form
This means that if you run multiple programmes or services and want to be able to ask different stakeholders different questions, you need to add skip logic to the one Referral Form you have.
This puts a lot of strain on a single form and means that in practice, you have to compromise between having something that works across all your programmes but doesn’t provide the full breadth of information you would like to have.
By contrast, Makerble gives you unlimited referral forms for each project.
You can embed Makerble referral forms in your own website and add your own branding
If you want to future-proof the system that you use, it’s important to consider whether your system gives you the flexibility to add additional forms as you go along.
Safeguarding and Communication
Upshot does not allow you to communicate directly with clients, participants or stakeholders
If you want to message beneficiaries before an event to remind them to attend, you need to do that from your work phone or email account. That information is not brought into Upshot.
This means that your communications records are spread across multiple members of staff and potentially volunteers.
This is a risk from a safeguarding perspective as it means you no longer have a clear paper trail of the interactions your organisation has had with the vulnerable people you work with
Makerble has an SMS messaging centre and an Email messaging centre.
This allows you to
Send bulk messages to contacts via SMS or Email
Receive messages from contacts via SMS or Email
See your organisation’s entire SMS and Email history with each contact
Usability
Upshot can be difficult to use, especially for people who are not familiar with corporate reporting systems
Makerble is designed to look like Facebook but built to perform like Google Analytics.
This means that your staff and volunteers find it easy to navigate and actually enjoy using it.
This reduces the likelihood of people being too busy to input data. When systems are not intuitive, staff typically input the bare minimum that they can get away with.
Makerble works on laptops, tablets and mobile phones.
Conclusion
Upshot works for organisations that only need a single referral form and whose staff have the time to invest in learning how to use a complex system.
Makerble provides extensive customisability that means that your system is future-proofed and able to adapt as you grow.