PAC and Grassroots Professionals Say Aristotle Tops DDC, VOCUS, CQ-Roll Call in Public Affairs Council Survey

WASHINGTON, Sept.18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The industry-respected independent "2013 Client Satisfaction Survey: Public Affairs Software", conducted annually by the Washington-based Public Affairs Council, shows that professionals who subscribe to services from one of the "Big Four" PAC and Grassroots full-service providers rate Aristotle's customer care and technology superior to VOCUS, DDC and CQ-Roll Call Group for the fourth year in a row. In the survey, Aristotle receives highest combined scores of all four of these PAC/Grassroots firms, whose customers were asked to rate their vendor's software, training, customer service and follow-up. There were 220 respondents, 67 of whom are Aristotle clients.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130918/NE81564-a ) 
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130918/NE81564-b )

The survey respondents also reported spending significantly less on Aristotle for average Initial Cost and Maintenance than DDC and CQ-Roll Call. Aristotle customers listed their Initial Cost at an average of $30,331, and their annual Maintenance at an average of $16,834, while DDC customers reported average charges of $40,344 Initial Cost and $58,500 Maintenance. CQ-Roll Call charges for these categories were $31,000 and $31,500 respectively, while Vocus charges $25,928 for Initial Cost and $27,733 for Maintenance. 

The survey is available through the Public Affairs Council, a non-partisan, non-political association for public affairs professionals at 550 member companies and organizations.  Its mission is to advance the field of public affairs and to provide members with the training and information resources they need to achieve success while maintaining the highest ethical standards.

"This is a big endorsement from the most demanding and sophisticated customers I know," said John Aristotle Phillips, CEO of Aristotle. "They run powerful, effective political organizations. They have clout because they know what they are doing. We have worked very hard to give them exactly what they say they need and they have paid us a huge compliment." 

Phillips continued: "This is a very big year for our company. We have a lot of exciting innovations in the works at Aristotle, and this recognition makes me extremely proud of our employees who work so hard to make this happen. We are the only company with 24/7 client service and a 100% unconditional FEC compliance guarantee. Aristotle is not only better, but we're less expensive than many of the alternatives and we can prove it."

Recruiting the top people and continuously improving our software is why our customers have ranked Aristotle number one of the 'Big 4' firms four years in a row," said former FEC Chairman and Aristotle SVP of Compliance David Mason. 

About Aristotle

Aristotle is recognized as a global pioneer in political technology, providing indispensable tools to those who seek to use the democratic process to influence decisions at the ballot box. Every occupant of the White House — Democrat and Republican — for more than 25 years has used Aristotle products and/or services.  Also, many U.S. Senators and members of the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as Democratic and Republican state party organizations, are Aristotle customers. For information about career opportunities or for client inquiries, go to www.aristotle.com.

About the Survey – Note from the Public Affairs Council
* The 2013 Client Satisfaction Review of Public Affairs Software is a product review service. As such, while the information provides useful guidance to grassroots and PAC software users, many provider-specific sample sizes are too small to yield statistically significant comparisons. Therefore, findings are not to be used for marketing purposes and do not serve as an endorsement by the Public Affairs Council.

Please Note:
1. Data include all surveys submitted with more than three respondents per vendor.
2. Costs can vary per vendor based on services purchased. They range from those purchasing basic products to those purchasing multiple and/or optional services. Please contact the service providers for current pricing details.

SOURCE Aristotle