Botkeeper vs. Lockstep
We've compiled a few key differences between two automated accounting solutions: Botkeeper and Lockstep. Choosing the right automated bookkeeping solution is critical, and we want you to have the best information possible to do so. Ready to see the power of Botkeeper? Click below to book a live presentation.
Overview
Don’t settle for incomplete platforms.
A true automation-based bookkeeping platform will help you operate your end-to-end bookkeeping programs. While there are many bookkeeping solutions available today that can help streamline bookkeeping tasks, not all solutions are built the same. This page will help you understand the differences between Botkeeper and Lockstep so you can decide which is the right bookkeeping solution for your firm.
Bookkeeping Services
Investing in an automated bookkeeping solution can transform your business. As the bookkeeping decision-maker, it's important to choose the right combination of tools and services that can deliver power and flexibility and are easy and delightful for your team to use every day.
To truly transform your bookkeeping, you need an integrated set of tools that help you drive accuracy, efficiency, security, and ultimately tie all your bookkeeping efforts back to ROI.
With Lockstep, you get technology that automatically tracks invoice aging and sends personalized reminders and statements to customers. You also get a self-service portal to access invoices, make payments and automate cash applications. Their technology flags next back collection activities, records your notes, and tracks your follow-ups. Their goal is to eliminate the cash traps in your AR and AP processes.
With Botkeeper, all of this functionality is built directly into the platform, offering your firm a comprehensive solution. Using machine learning, artificial intelligence, and robotic process automation in conjunction with the expertise of senior accountants, we augment the manual and time-consuming tasks, creating lightning-fast and hyper-efficient bookkeeping (data entry, reconciliations, classifications, etc.).
Botkeeper is able to fully automate your bookkeeping department with human-assisted AI. And you can benefit from avoiding increases in headcount and overhead costs, see and trust the health of company results due to noticeably less manual human error, and get superior reporting and real-time, 24/7 data entry.
In addition, Botkeeper provides you with comprehensive support from your own Botkeeper accounting team. From onboarding forward, we will ensure a customized experience for your firm. Plus, we offer 24/7 support, so we are always plugged in for you and your firm.
Technology & Features
Finding the right automated accounting solution for all your bookkeeping needs can become the foundation of your practice and the differentiator you need to grow. As a result, it’s important to seek out technology and features that fit your firm, staff, AND client base. This is why we’ve made Botkeeper with our CPA partners AND business owners in mind — we can grow and adapt our platform with your organization’s wants and needs. As a CPA, this means exponential value for you and your clients.
Lockstep provides you with integrations to over 40 accounting and ERP applications via a single API. This provides you with one place to connect all your vendors and customers, using their cloud-based solution that includes reporting and forecasting, automated customer communications, and collection activity management.
Botkeeper has built a full suite of tools, letting CPA firms pick the tools that work best for them and their clients. Botkeeper uses automation to combine various data sources while applying rules, processes, and calculations so you get the most insightful custom reporting and dashboards. This eliminates costly and error-prone manual accounting.
For firms looking for more, Botkeeper leverages machine learning technology to handle labor-intensive bookkeeping tasks by processing and categorizing transactions at an incredibly high accuracy level. The technology also learns more about your firm, and accuracy continues to improve. We extract data from receipts, process payroll, pay bills, send invoices, reconcile accounts, and generate beautiful reports.
With Botkeeper's Partner Platform, you have the ability to onboard and manage all of your clients through a custom white-labeled portal. Stay up to date on what is happening in all of your clients' Financial Hubs with your clickable activity feed, communicate directly with the Botkeeper accountants on what they need from you, and receive direct access to any open conversations you’re having within the tool.
The Botkeeper Client Portal is where the business owner would find financials, download statements, build custom reports, and chat with your Botkeeper team as desired. Your clients receive a central platform to connect their financial and non-financial accounts, ensuring that their data is automated, compiled, and organized. Your clients get fast, accurate, seamless bookkeeping each month, while getting the personal touch, top-notch advisory services only you can provide.
The best part is that the platforms tie together into a comprehensive ecosystem so CPAs, their business owner clients, and Botkeeper operate in a centralized hub.
Support and Success
Because having the right support is imperative for success, finding exceptional customer service is critical when evaluating an automated accounting solution. The best customer support enables fluid, real-time conversations to help troubleshoot issues and answer questions as they arise. They get back to you quickly to provide updates or solutions. They offer you multiple means of contacting them including email, chat, and direct message within the platform for your convenience. Choose an automated accounting solution that understands the value of being there when you need it.
Lockstep offers a digital onboarding where you collect the contact data directly from your customers and vendors.
All Botkeeper packages include a talented and experienced Account Manager. Their role is intended to help empower accounting firms and assist them through periods of change.
Account Managers are unique to Botkeeper, adding another valuable element to the human-assisted automation we’re so proud to deliver to accounting firms. This team of experienced accounting professionals (even CPAs!) manages relationships with accounting firms of all sizes, including some of the largest and most innovative firms out there. They offer a broad technical and product knowledge to help accounting firms scale. Their whole end game is to ensure impeccable service and insightful guidance on how to get the most out of Botkeeper’s products and services.
We'd love to talk through our innovative approach to client support and success with you, so click below to speak with one of our experts!
MEASURE ROI
Measure the performance of your bookkeeping when you integrate an automated solution, and see what your firm is able to achieve.
Lockstep provides AP technology to help accounting keep their books in sync with trading partners for reliable and predictable cash flow. Lockstep eliminates cash traps for receivables and cash leaks for payables by replacing the manual friction between the books of buyers and sellers, helping companies seamlessly integrate information and eliminate bottlenecks.
Botkeeper goes a bit farther. Our solution allows you to automate bookkeeping and pre-accounting procedures so you can dedicate more time and resources to your client base. Leverage the newly available insights Botkeeper provides and increase the value you can offer your clients. You can also differentiate your brand, help expand your firm, and diversify your service offering. Botkeeper oversees the automation so you can focus on complex accounting, data integrity, and interpretation. We’ll be hard at work extracting data from receipts, processing payroll, paying bills, sending invoices, reconciling accounts, and generating beautiful reports — so you have more time to achieve your firm's goal and focus on what matters most.
Cost of Ownership
Growth Software Without Any of the Administration Headaches
The cost of ownership is a way for you to assess the long-term value of an automated accounting solution to your firm. While the cost of the package is certainly a key component to keep in mind, it's not the only cost that you should take into account.
Lockstep bases its pricing model on the number of inboxes and the number of users. They offer 2 packages: Lockstep Inbox and Lockstep Collect. With Lockstep Collect they offer 3 options: Essentials, Standard, and Pro, and this package consists of accounting data mail merge, contextual resources, master data synchronization, customer self-service, and vendor self-service. Lockstep Inbox is a free service. All other packages' prices are not listed.
Botkeeper's pricing packages are customizable and flexible. Botkeeper has a pricing model meant for accounting firms to choose what their needs are based on a combination of their client's gross expenses, how often they need services, and the services they need from Botkeeper — but we offer the same white-glove service regardless of your package. Pricing starts at $155 per entity per month, and scales based on cadence and average entity expenses.
We know that businesses change over time, and we want to make sure we provide pricing to reflect that. We have a toolset that allows you to estimate your costs with Botkeeper, and we also have a Botkeeper specialist to walk through your needs with you and help determine the best-fit bookkeeping services. The Botkeeper pricing structure is built to grow with your firm, offering a fully customizable option.
Botkeeper is much more than just software.
Choosing a bookkeeping automation provider is a crucial decision, so it's important to consider not only the software but the support and resources you'll receive, as well. We at Botkeeper are invested in your success.
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Free Training & Education — Botkeeper resources are available to help you and your entire team learn best practices and successfully execute tactics that grow your business. Take a look at the dozens of resources available, and get started today.
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Support Is Available For Your Entire Team — Anytime you have a question, reach out and we'll answer. Our support team is happy to help, whether it's a question about our software or advice on how to best tackle bookkeeping tasks.
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Deployment — When you start using Botkeeper, you'll have a dedicated team to help you get started with the software, technical setup tasks, and execute your first successful dive into the tool. Learn more about Botkeeper Deployment here.
We've built the Botkeeper Platform to be easy for Accounting Professionals and their clients to use. That's why we're happy to share reviews of everyday professionals using Botkeeper to grow better, just like you. Click below to request a demo.
Grow your Firm like a team twice your size.
Bring your team, tools, and data together to drive high-impact efficiency in your bookkeeping department- in less time.
