Why is HearForm including these frank comments about Sycle?
Since Sycle started in 2002, we have watched the exaggerated claims made by this Marketing and Advertising founded company. We have since come to realize that people are trusting and can only assume that what they are being told is the whole truth. Since no one else is informing customers about what might await them with Sycle.net, after these many years, we have decided to speak up.
If customers knew that Sycle.net would charge them a minimum of $5,000.00 if they ever want to save basic limited financial data when they leave, customers may think twice before choosing Sycle. Although Sycle's terms of use explain that the customer owns their own data, Sycle makes it very difficult to migrate all of that data to another system, if the customer ever leaves Sycle. You can decide for yourself if that is a violation of HIPAA. It certainly is frustrating when a company lets you check in with your data, but you cannot easily check out with all of that data. See...
Abandon-Ware?
According to Sycle's founder, Sycle was started in 2002 as a way to automate patient communication for hearing healthcare professionals.
At that time, 2002, Sycle offered its customers eight plain looking automated letters within its software program. 13 years later, those same eight letters are the only choices that Sycle displays in that very same marketing module. Sycle ahs said that "Our CRM product allows customers to create unlimited templates and letters, all customizable by the customer." However, We found no other letters that have been added to the marketing module. It's as if time has stood still. Just two weeks ago, a customer who upgraded from sycle.net to HearForm told us this exact quote, "Sycle.net's letters made my practice look unprofessional to my patients and referring physicians." Automation is certainly helpful, but does it make sense to pay $0.45 to $0.65 per item plus postage for a generic looking limited choice of marketing letters.
HearForm, on the other hand, offers its customers 350 fully customizable and mail merge ready letters. (Sycle asked us to not show you their letters.) You can send these letters yourself or upload them to a marketing vendor. It's your choice. HearForm helps you to present the professional image that you have worked so hard to build.
Based upon its website and software, Sycle has offered virtually no innovation in this foundational area since it's founding 13 years ago. A significant number of other Sycle features have never been updated or enhanced since Sycle's first year of operations. Sycle.net is becoming very outdated since most of the enhancements added in the last many years have all been new ways to increase revenue for Sycle.net itself. There have been very few non-Sycle revenue producing enhancements added by Sycle.
After 13 years (as of 2015), Sycle still has very few fields that can be searched. (HearForm offers searching in over 9,00 fields.)
- Want to print Labels in Sycle... still waiting.
- Want to print Superbills in Sycle... still waiting.
- Want to print Audiology Reports at no charge in Sycle... still waiting
- Want to Text Patient Appointments in Sycle... still waiting.
- Want to FAX Patients, Schools and Physicians in Sycle... still waiting.
- Want to print directions to your office in Sycle... still waiting.
- Want to use Telephone Support Marketing in Sycle... still waiting.
- Want to Print HR Forms in Sycle... still waiting.
- Want to Enter Chart notes with quick entry templates in Sycle... still waiting.
- Want to Animate multiple audiograms in Sycle... still waiting.
- Want to Store Documents for Free in Sycle... still waiting.
- Want to insert instantly visible Images in Sycle... still waiting.
- Want to integrate photos and signatures with iPads and iPhones in Sycle... still waiting.
- Want to Add New Office Forms in Sycle... still waiting
- Want to Add New Letters in Sycle... still waiting..
- Want to Add New Screens and Layouts in Sycle... still waiting..
- Want to Purchase Sycle Outright .. still waiting..
- Want to Store Sycle directly on your computer (If you don't trust internet security) ... still waiting..
...and On and On.
Newer Features added by Sycle
We do not begrudge Sycle for making a profit, but there does not seem to be an emphasis on adding enhancements that make life easier for their customers. Instead, the vast majority of new enhancements are designed to bring in more revenue to Sycle.
Here are the major enhancements offered by Sycle.net in the last many years (most of which add to their bottom line.)
- $29 per month per location (eDocs) (20 Gigs of stoarge)
- $52 per month per location (Audiology Reporting)
- $250 per migrated Noah database - NOAH 4 Sync (plus $99 per workstation for Sycle help.)
- $Patient Financing - Merchant fees vary by plan and are competitive. Currently, there is a special 4.9% rate.
- $399 binaural/$299 Monaural Fee per fit lead- Sales Generation
- $45 to $ 65per 100 letters plus postage - Patient Communications
- $Variable Fees - Patient Newsletters
- $199 set-up per Office - eClaims
- $75 set-up per Tax ID - eClaims
- $32 per monthly fee plus per claim - eClaims
- $37 per month for 100 claims - eClaims
- $ Extra Fees - Credentialing Services
- % of each invoice - Full-Service Billing
Sycle has added some very basic enhancements that do not directly add to their bottom line. For example: After 9 years in business, Sycle sent out a press release bragging about the fact that they now have a repair form. (See below.) HearForm had a significantly more advanced repair form 21 years before Sycle's announcement. Sycle's newest repair form is still not nearly as advanced as the form we released in 1991.
SYCLE.NET PRESS RELEASE: "Repair Form: We are thrilled to announce the addition of a Repair Form into Sycle.net. This new form has been vetted with major manufacturers and has been given a big thumbs up! Now generating a repair in Sycle.net could not be easier! You will now see a “HA Repair Form” button appear at the lower left of the invoice. Once you click that button a pre-populated repair form will be generated allowing you to print."
A quick comment from a different previous Sycle user that has tried both HearForm and Sycle...
"After having been a HearForm user for about 10 years I succumbed to the hype of Sycle.net. I did sign up for it and have been using it for about 6 months. As a small office I have found that the auto mail features do not live up to the hype - and alas, or in my case - "hooray"! I have decided to return to HearForm.
One of the nice things about Sycle.net was that I never had to worry about back-up, but wait - I can use online back-ups, which do the same thing. And it is FREE!!! Better than the monthly cost of Sycle.net. So many options!
I feel that HearForm is more intuitive. Being able to customize and print the letters I want to mail and being able to mail them myself is very helpful. In addition, on several occasions I have gone back to my HearForm database to do a search that is just not possible on Sycle.net - or not easily done. Entering the manufacturer is much easier in HearForm - without having to go through a long list each time. Entering info onto an audiogram is very much easier - one click instead of having to enter a numerical value.
HearForm is more customizable for everyone’s individual needs - for instance I can highlight those people I wish to send a newsletter and that makes sending newsletters convenient and fast. And how nice is it to just enter a zip code and have the city, state and country automatically appear! Over all, HearForm is more professionally designed and much easier to use.
This time I will stick with HearForm and their great personal service! Thank you Michael Huskey"
Read All TestimonialsLong time, no problems! We are part of Audigy now and it's kind of fun to watch the Audigy Member Message Board light up with Sycle.net problems / issues pretty regularly. We just keep cruising along with HearForm. Thanks for the great product!
(HearForm Custom since March, 2009)Jim Oliver, Administrator Oliver Audiology & Hearing Aid Services
San Diego, CA