Clarity Software

Have adopted clarity over the last 2 years, learning more and more, getting better and better!

Comments: Our business has become much more efficient at keeping log of all of our incoming jobs/leads. We run reports to check all jobs on system in the next few days and generally organise ourselves much more effectively.

Pros:

Simplicity of basic functionality in order to log our jobs. Sales module and reporting are fantastic, can easily see our job profit/loss. Customer support is second to none with a monthly support contract, any issues are quickly resolved over the phone and via team-viewer. Customisation of works orders and quotations is high, with an integrated module specifically for adjust these templates etc. Implementation team are also fantastic and understand your businesses needs in order to install the system with the least hassle. Moving forward i know the production module is also a powerful tool, having had a few demonstrations. This is next on our list.

Cons:

Report building is complex, we have recently attended a course on this (offered by touch systems, half a day learning at their site), learnt a lot but still much more to learn. Previously using salesforce we were used to this element being easy however it's not rocket science and will go in over time.

Great System with good support and team is constantly refining it.

Pros:

The system is easily understood and intuitive to use. New team members catch on really fast and it enables us to see what each team member has done with real time feedback from the production floor on the production status when using the Shop floor data collector. It gives us a much better understanding on the true costs of our jobs and timing required to finish it. The ad on modules like Production and Purchase order modules are a must to tie up all costs to a job and make tracking super easy. The really great thing about Clarity is that is modular so you can grow the system as your needs grow. For my business the Calc wizards such as Direct to Sheet and Roll wizard was an absolute must as we could simply not run the production and costs as efficiently as we do with out it which also helps us win business. Any CRM system is as good as you take the time to set it up and the information you put into it which is key. Clarity where really great in guiding us to get this right. The Support is also top notch. We are based in South Africa which did make me nervous at first but being on similar time zone and the speed at which Clarity get back to us on a problem has made me at ease over the years.

Cons:

The Calc Wizards have a lag which can get really annoying but I know this is being addressed and the software could use some add on features like automatic follow up per quote and better Email campaign integration on there Clarity Go Marketing. Those are my major gripes.

Avoid at all costs!

Comments: Clarity are a bad company to deal with, so I would definitively think twice before signing up, even if you think its great system. Shop around. Once signed up we can not get out of our 3 YEAR contract with them even though we do not use the system! We used it for 3 months, NO ONE PERSON in our company go on with it, they interface is so clumsy and full of glitches that support have to sort out, (example if you click on a company invoice, it will take to so another invoice, go back and click on it again and it will take you to the correct invoice... nightmare when you think you are going to the correct one to start with and your are marking the wrong invoices off as paid). So basically after many more issues (which I will happy explain somewhere but this review platform limits how much you can write so just hitting on the main points at the minute) 3 months we went back to them and said this system is not up to scratch and not what we have been promised. They said there is nothing they can do and they will NOT be cancelling our contract... because the contact is actually with a leasing company and NOT with CLARITY! I'm guessing there is a reason they started to use a leasing company to stop people getting out of their contacts. I have no idea why, if someone is not happy and has been miss sold they will not just part ways, I haven't asked for my money back just to leave the contract as we do no use their system (paid over a year already) but they will not.

Pros:

Not many pros at all to be honest. Support is good, but they need to be.

Cons:

Pretty much all of it. Its a very outdated CRM system, on the face of it when they come and do the demo it looks really good, but they do show you ALL of the features & functionality (but not all is included when you sign up and this becomes VERY convoluted when you want to do things that you were shown). So they have the corporate blurb about how you are given modules that work for you, and they say they come and assess your needs etc prior to signing up, but they do not, the sales man that comes down tells you want you want to hear and they system can do this that and the other, basically a yes man to get the commission. Once signed up and you have to start using the system all the cracks start to appear. Things that you were shown in the demo that you go and try and do all of a sudden are not included in your module, but we have paid... but we have paid for another user to use that module not everyone, so if you buy a module you have to buy a user for it... this is where things start to get VERY expensive as modules all do different things.. so sales module, invoice module, production module, delivery module, fitting module so on and so forth... if you buy, say the production module, and you have 5 users, you have to get a license for each of the users to use that module. So say we buy the invoicing module and you expect the whole team to be able to invoice... you have to buy the whole team separate licenses. This was not explained during sign up.

Clarity streamlined so many processes in the business that it changed entirely how we work.

Comments: Speed of quoting; accuracy of order information; improved scheduling to ensure orders are completed on time; sharing of order information... it has been transformational to the business. Highly recommended.

Pros:

The live production screen allowing you to not only see jobs, but use that screen to go directly to a job is a key benefit over other MIS platforms. Everything works very easily, but importantly, you need only use the elements that you want to use. If you choose to overlook a feature then everything around it still works perfectly so it is possible to make Clarity work for you however you work. The support team are excellent and open to development suggestions at all times if there isn't an instant fix. I don't believe you will get such opportunities with some other platforms.

Cons:

There can be a few too many clicks in some areas to move around, but that is being very picky. The cost to add extra users also seems a little unnecessary, but that's the same with all software I guess.

The Clarity Software Experience

Comments: Once through to the right person, the staff are attentive and extremely helpful. In my experience, the most responsive were the technical team with the training and query support. Overall a decent company to deal with.

Pros:

Fairly straight-forward interface with easy on the eye graphics. As logical as most transaction software systems. Great for small businesses such as ours.

Cons:

The set reports are not always what you want. However, like all BI systems, once you get your head around SQL and report writing, the effort is worth it to save the time future but support from the Clarity team is always there to get you through it. Don't like the use of 0845 customer service number couple with long wait times (& therefore extortionate costs for mobile users). The customer service vs accounts vs install team vs technical support can be a bid disjointed.