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VIEWPOINT CONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE V6 REVIEW

Cameron Construction Inc. has steadily built on its success with Viewpoint construction software's suite of builders' programs, and is currently beta testing Version 6 of the developer's solution.

"We are really excited about V6 because it is even more flexible and customizable than the version we are using today (V5.12). Individual users will be able to set it up to suit their working habits," said Susan Jaschke of Cameron Construction in Santa Fe, N.M. "Almost every program in V6 will allow data-entry in either a grid or form style. Non-required fields can be removed from view if desired. Filtering data has been greatly improved. Project Management has many new features we are looking forward to using, and the security features are greatly enhanced and easier to set up. We are beta testing V6 right now, and we seem to discover new features every day. I predict V6 will be greatly received."

Prior to its implementation of Viewpoint construction software, Cameron Construction had used an MS-DOS software, she said. Before moving into the Windows world, Jaschke researched many programs to determine the best-suited application for her team. She selected Viewpoint due to its features, integration capabilities and emphasis on customer support.

"Viewpoint's support people are really well-versed, they respond quickly, and they are always polite. Customer service is not just lip service with these folks."

Overall, Jaschke rated Viewpoint a perfect 10 out of 10.

What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
 
How long have you been using this tool?
 
Where did you obtain it?
 
How much did you pay?
 
How are you using this product?
 
Why did you pick this product?
 
Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made    this product better)?
 
Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool, what has changed?
 
Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?
 
Can you estimate how much time or money you saved or other measurable benefits your firm realized using this    tool?
 
What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
 
Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
 
What would you change about the product if you could?
 
Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
 
Who would you recommend use this tool?
 
How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
 
Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
 
Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
 
How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
 
When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
 
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?


What kinds of construction projects do you mostly work on?
We do a variety of commercial construction, new and remodeling, in both the public and private sectors, including schools, office buildings, churches, storage units, shopping centers, hotels, medical facilities and government buildings.

How long have you been using this tool?
7 years.

Where did you obtain it?
Directly from Viewpoint Construction Software, called BidTek in 2001.

How much did you pay?
It seemed like a lot at the time. In retrospect, it was a great investment.  

How are you using this product?
We use Viewpoint construction software for all of our accounting, job-costing and project-management.

Why did you pick this product?
In the late 90s I began to research the construction software market because at the time we were using a DOS product for accounting and job-costing, and I knew it would need to be replaced. I looked at a number of products, but picked Viewpoint construction software because it is so well-designed and so flexible. I was also very impressed with the folks at Viewpoint. I had every confidence they would give our company excellent support: I haven't been disappointed.

Did you look at other tools on the market before picking this one? What was it you didn't like about them (or made this product better)?
Yes, I looked at a number of them. I picked Viewpoint because it has an extremely well-designed payroll program which addresses even the most complicated payroll requirements. I think that anyone looking for construction software should first evaluate the payroll portion of that software because, if it's good, chances are the rest of the program will be too. I was able to eliminate quite a few vendors, just because their payroll programs couldn't handle complicated payroll requirements. I don't think there is a payroll scenario that Viewpoint can't handle.

People make mistakes when using software. Viewpoint allows easy correction of mistakes, while still maintaining a strict audit trail. With several other vendors I interviewed, the process wasn't so straightforward. Viewpoint is extremely flexible. We were able to set it up and customize it to suit our needs. Other programs I looked at didn't allow nearly the level of customization that Viewpoint does.

I also liked the fact that Viewpoint is friendly to both mouse and keyboard users. Many of our users grew up using a mouse, but some of us, having grown up in the DOS world, rely on the keyboard and keyboard shortcuts. Viewpoint construction software accommodates both.

Comparing the way you work now with the way you worked before you bought this tool…what has changed?
So many things have changed. Everything is now integrated. We have no more forms in Excel or Word, because they are now written in Crystal and put right inside Viewpoint. There are no more payment applications in Excel. Viewpoint's job billing allows quick and easy preparation, and automatically brings in approved change orders. The submittal program keeps us on top of the myriad submittals we must track. Our superintendents now connect to our system and record their daily logs, create and distribute Requests for Information (RFIs) and memos, and record employee timesheets. We don't use nearly as much paper as we did, because instead of making multiple copies for multiple recipients, we now just scan and attach documents to a record where they are available for viewing. I'm sure we have increased our profitability because the pending change-order program allows us to enter a possible change order as soon as a situation arises. In short, we are much more efficient and much more organized.

Can you give us an example of a job where this tool really made a difference?
We now have very good project documentation due to the Viewpoint Project Management module. That alone has saved the day on several projects.

Can you estimate how much time or money you saved or other measurable benefits your firm realized using this tool?
Not really. Our company has grown in terms of revenue since we began using Viewpoint, and we've been able to accommodate that growth without adding staff. I attribute that to efficiencies produced by the use of the Viewpoint product.

What are the best features (for your business) in this tool?
Having project management integrated with accounting and job cost. When we first purchased Viewpoint, we didn't buy the project management module because we had a standalone project management program. In less than a year we abandoned it in favor of the Viewpoint module. It was the best decision we ever made. The user database module has also been great for us. We have set up several tables and data-entry forms which allow us to capture information unique to our company. As a general contractor, we have really made use of the Subcontract Ledger module. Not only can we tightly monitor subcontractor compliance, we can also really track their billings in ways we never could before.

Do you think it's a fair value for the price you paid?
Yes.

What would you change about the product if you could?
Right now, the only way to get rid of old data is to purge it. It would be nice if there was a way to remove old data and put it into an archive database where it could be accessed if needed. It would also be nice if the notes fields had some word processing capabilities such as text formatting and tabs.

Are there features that you don't use? Why not?
There are several modules that Viewpoint offers outside of its core package that we don't need and didn't purchase. These include Material Sales, Inventory and Equipment Management, Requisition. We don't use any of the import programs. I suspect many companies use the import programs to bring in information from their estimating programs, but we don't because we have found that our project managers set up jobs much differently than the way estimators do. We are an open shop contractor so we don't use the payroll features which union contractors need. Viewpoint construction software comes with a huge number of standard reports, but we mostly use reports which we created in-house.

Who would you recommend use this tool?
All general contractors and subcontractors, maybe with the exception of very small companies who might not need all of the capabilities that the software offers.

How much computer experience do you think someone needs to use this tool effectively?
Minimal. If a person can type, they can use Viewpoint.

Did it take much training (or studying) to learn to use this tool?
It didn't take a lot of training, but it did take a lot of thought in doing the initial set up as it's complicated. However, the Viewpoint account manager assigned to our company was very helpful in this regard. Before we went live, we were able to set up a test company and practice with the program, and that helped a lot.

Have you ever called the company's support lines and asked for help? What was your experience like?
We called many times in the beginning, but not so much now. Viewpoint's support people are really well-versed, they respond quickly, and they are always polite. If they need to get on our system, they have that ability. If we need to show them something specific, they will set up a Webex session so they can see the problem. Customer service is not just lip service with these folks.

How would you rate the user documentation? Is it helpful?
It's good, and it is available at the field and the form level. Help can also be accessed from the main menu.

When the next version of this software comes out, will you upgrade to it?
Yes, most definitely. We are really excited about Viewpoint V6 because it is even more flexible and customizable than the version we are using today (V5.12). Individual users will be able to set it up to suit their working habits. Almost every program in V6 will allow data-entry in either a grid or form style. Non-required fields can be removed from view if desired. Filtering data has been greatly improved. Project Management has many new features we are looking forward to using, and the security features are greatly enhanced and easier to set up. We are beta testing V6 right now, and we seem to discover new features every day. I predict V6 will be greatly received.

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate this tool?
10