If you’ve been shopping around for a Customer Success Platform solution, you may have heard of the recent merger between Catalyst and Totango.

For businesses currently exploring their options, it’s important to consider the potential implications of this merger. As Catalyst and Totango work on integrating their technologies, there will be transitional phases that could affect the availability and functionality of certain features.

As for pricing, Catalyst’s CPO assures current customers that costs won’t change, although that remains to be seen for new customers considering these solutions.

Everything mentioned above can greatly impact a business’ decision on their Customer Success platform. Which is why in this buyer’s guide, we’ll break down the pros and cons of Catalyst and Totango based on recent reviews, and make the case of why Vitally is a great fit for businesses shopping around.

What Is Catalyst?

Catalyst is a growth platform focusing on improving Customer Success outcomes by enhancing post-sale revenue and customer lifecycle management. 

It prioritizes customer-led growth and aims to become a major player by combining with Totango to create a unified solution that addresses a broader range of Customer Success needs. 

Catalyst offers basic automation capabilities and a more standard set of features with limited customization options​​​​.

What Is Totango?

Totango is an enterprise-grade Customer Success software designed to help businesses manage their customer engagements and maximize the potential of customer interactions. 

It offers advanced enterprise-hierarchy health scoring capabilities that provide teams with the tools to confidently forecast retention and engagement. 

Totango’s platform aims to deliver measurable growth and value by managing the entire customer lifecycle​​.

What Is Vitally?

Vitally is a highly flexible and intuitive Customer Success platform, focusing on improving team efficiency and platform customization. It provides robust tools for internal collaboration, extensive customization, and advanced automation capabilities.

Vitally is often praised for its user-friendly interface and seamless integration capabilities, offering a variety of automated actions and extensive API support for tech stacks. It also includes native tools for customer collaboration and real-time data utilization, making it a comprehensive tool for managing Customer Success operations.

Take a free platform tour of Vitally right here.

Pros and Cons of Catalyst

What Customers Like (Based on Recent Reviews)

• Ease of Use: Users find Catalyst easy to use and malleable to fit their needs, which facilitates strategic account planning and multiple functions within Customer Success organizations.
• Integration: Catalyst users appreciate the seamless integration with Salesforce and the ability to organize Salesforce fields.
• Visibility to Account Health: The platform helps users track customer health and calculate health scores using various variables.
• Meeting Preparation: Users can easily prep for meetings by having all stats, notes, metrics, etc., in one place.
• Navigation: The platform is seen as easy to navigate and allows users to see true updates on accounts and reach out to prospects.

What Customers Dislike (Based on Recent Reviews)

• Lack of Dashboards and Templates: There is a lack of out-of-the-box dashboards and templates, which can be a disadvantage for managers when reviewing their teams.
• Data Sync Issues: Some users experienced difficulties syncing data from their data warehouse.
• Notification and Customization Limitations: Notifications for tasks can be overwhelming, and there’s a desire for more customization options for non-admin users.
• Pop-Ups and Layout: Users mentioned too many pop-ups and a dislike for not being able to see everything on one page.
• Task Management: The task management features seem to be basic, and customers find it cumbersome to map out success planning.
• Internal Collaboration: There are no tools for internal collaboration, leading teams to rely on external tools for project management and knowledge sharing.

Pros and Cons of Totango

What Customers Like (Based on Recent Reviews)

• Customization of Dashboards: Users appreciate the ability to customize dashboards for easy viewing and transparency, which helps in managing a large number of accounts more effectively.
• Automation: Totango automates many previously manual processes, allowing account executives to focus on other projects.
• Event-based Tasks: The creation of event-based tasks that can be organized per account and on a timeline is valued for daily prioritization of work.
• Salesforce Integration: Users find the integration with Salesforce to be great, providing easy access to high-level information on accounts, similar to Catalyst.
• Forecasting: Totango has significantly improved the efficiency of forecasting by providing an easily digestible way to view all accounts and forecast faster.

What Customers Dislike (Based on Recent Reviews)

• Limited Email List and Segment Integration: There is a desire for more flexibility in integrating custom email lists and segments, including the ability to cherry-pick accounts for inclusion or exclusion based on factors outside of Totango’s criteria.
• Sub-Account Impact on Health Scores: Users note that sub-accounts can negatively impact the overall health score for a customer, and wish there was a feature to weigh this impact differently.
• Intuitiveness: Some users find the platform not very intuitive, requiring a learning curve to locate necessary information.
• Glitches: The platform is reported to be a bit glitchy, with occasional needs to refresh the webpage.

How Vitally Stacks Up Against Catalyst & Totango

Earning G2's "Best Results" award in the CSP category for four straight quarters (and counting!), Vitally offers several competitive advantages over Totango and Catalyst, particularly in areas like customization, user experience, automation, and integration capabilities. Let’s take a more detailed look at these key competitive edges.

1. Customization and User Experience

• Hubs and Views: Vitally provides customizable Hubs that allow teams to create tailored workspaces for different needs such as team roles, lifecycle stages, or customer segments. This stands in contrast to Totango and Catalyst, which offer limited customization options, making it challenging for users to tailor the platform to their specific workflows and needs​​​​.
• Ease of Use: Vitally has an intuitive user interface, which users find easier to navigate compared to the more complex interfaces of Totango and Catalyst. This ease of use extends to the ability to quickly test and implement ideas directly within the platform.

2. Automation Capabilities

• Playbook Branching and Actions: Vitally’s automation builder supports branching logic and multi-step flows, which are absent in Totango. While Catalyst does offer some automation, it is limited to basic tasks and email actions, whereas Vitally allows for a broader range of triggers and actions, enhancing operational efficiency and effectiveness​​​​.

3. Integration and API Flexibility

• Depth of Integrations: Vitally supports a wide range of integrations with modern tech stacks and offers extensive API documentation, which facilitates easier and more robust integrations compared to Totango and Catalyst. This includes advanced syncing capabilities with tools like Salesforce and data warehouses.
• Bi-directional Syncs: For example, Vitally offers bi-directional syncing with Salesforce, allowing for seamless data flow between platforms. Catalyst, on the other hand, lacks a comprehensive Salesforce integration, limiting the functionality for users who rely on Salesforce as part of their tech stack​​.

4. Collaboration Features

• External Collaboration: Vitally includes features like Docs for shared success plans, which are powered by real-time customer data. This feature is designed to enhance collaboration directly within the platform, a functionality that Catalyst lacks entirely. Totango offers some collaborative tools, but they are generally less integrated and less flexible than those provided by Vitally​​.

5. Scalability and Pricing

• Scalable Pricing: Vitally’s pricing model is transparent and scalable, accommodating a wide range of business sizes and growth stages. This contrasts with Totango, which has tiered pricing that can become cost-prohibitive as needs expand. Catalyst also has structured tiers, which can limit access to full features without upgrading to more expensive plans​​.

Vitally Is the Right Choice for Customer Success Impact

Companies looking for a comprehensive Customer Success platform choose Vitally for its exceptional customization, powerful automation, seamless integrations, and out-of-the-box functionality. Whether you’re a CSM looking to manage your accounts more efficiently, or a Customer Success leader looking to empower your team to reduce churn, Vitally can do it all.

For those considering Totango or Catalyst in their search for a CS solution, or if you’re looking to migrate from either of those platforms, Vitally is a compelling alternative — and we’ll ensure a smooth transition and a platform ready to grow with your team.

To see how Vitally stands out, consider a personalized demo to experience its full potential firsthand or explore our free platform tour today!