Buildertrend vs. Microsoft Dynamics SL vs. Procore

Buildertrend was made for a specific industry (building) and so I would recommend it to anyone in that industry, with the exception of Sales and Marketing. But for everything else from the financing to the permitting to the construction and all else, Buildertrend is exactly what our team has used and will ALWAYS use. Even with our decision to use other systems for Sales and Marketing, we have never given one thought to taking Buildertrend out of our process. We will always be with Buildertrend.

Incentivized

For a small to mid-size business, MS Dynamics SL is effective. We are capable of managing our finances with a very low risk of error. We have worked with MS Dynamics for almost 15 years and have more than doubled the size of our business in that time with very few issues from the program. We have exponentially increased our revenue and reporting demands and have found SL to be very dependable and stable. The program does have the occasional glitch and those are sometimes outside of the realm of expertise of our IT department. SL support is excellent, but their timeliness is not as urgent as ours.

Incentivized

It works great for project management and putting all job-specific documents in one place. We are able to share drawings, submittals, and forms with our customers and subcontractors in a safe and reliable platform. However, getting reporting data is somewhat lacking, so if your business needs advanced options, you might try and find a better product.

Incentivized

• Manages in one place - crucial for organization.
• Professional, across the board it provides companies with a seamlessly organized and flawless presentation - to subs/vendors/owners/etc.
• Time Saver - you don't have to dig around through files/create templates/flip through your contact binder - it's all there.
• Practical tools- designed for contractors. You get what you need - period.

Incentivized

• Provides flexibility for complex project based cost accounting
• Strong and flexible allocation processer for cost allocations, markups, and pricing
• A "Flexible Billing" module under the project controller series that allows for multiple billing formats ranging from fixed price schedule of values, T&M or Cost Plus, and scheduled billing.
• Flexible reporting with options using Crystal Reports, SSRS, a Quick Query tool, and ability to tie into MS Office tools such as MS Access and MS Excel
• Tight integration with Financials, but also the ability to integrate with modules such as Sales Order, Inventory, and Field Service
• Customization abilities ranging from a VBA (visual basic for application) foundation to allow customizing existing forms to the ability to use the SDK (Software Development Kit) to build more complex customizations that integrate with Dynamics SL.

Incentivized

• Does well Emailing me (If i am subscribed to a project) to let me know when revisions have been updated.
• Easy to navigate
• Great at Allowing me as a project Engineer to Upload my drawings to Procore. Not a lot of steps, and very easy to do.

Incentivized

• Onsite consultants. There is a demand for this service that is great enough to allow outside BuilderTrend Super-Users like me to partner with BuilderTrend and make this a reality.
• As their company grows, their support needs to grow as well.
• Provide incentives for Super Users that are helping BuilderTrend acquire new business. Advocates should be their best friend.

Incentivized

• Reporting in the Project module is lacking functionality. I understand that most companies have specific needs when it comes to tracking project information but the standard reports are not good.
• I would recommend a product like Management Reporter that is for Projects only. Project Reporter should allow users to pull in all Project related data into reports.
• Fixing suspended batches. Obviously all of us users have experienced this mess. SL knows what needs to be corrected and there could be some step by step fixes in a separate repair module to do the steps we do in Query Analyzer.

Incentivized

• Downloading drawing sets sometimes involves an extra step that holds up the process
• The dashboard is simplistic to the point that I don't feel like I am getting enough information about a specific project from the get-go
• Granting access to a project on Procore is not very straightforward as a consultant- restrictions sometimes cause hold-ups

Incentivized

Unfortunately, Dynamics' lack of ability to smoothly integrate with our CRM system is causing us to look at other solutions. The efficiencies that we gain by using Dynamics for our day to day accounting are lost in the constant headaches of getting sales quotes to import properly into the system for invoicing. Another major issue for us has been budgeting and reporting. We currently do all of our budgeting and board reporting in Excel, which is too time consuming and inefficient, especially when a system as robust as Dynamics should easily be able to handle this relatively simple task.

Incentivized

We will undoubtedly renew Procore as it has proven itself to be a means to better track and improve upon our efficiency and communications between job sites and their project managers as well as all other departments. Procore has made an incredible impact on how we, as a company, do our job on all levels; it is one of our most powerful and effective resources.

Incentivized

Its simple to use and intuitive. The level of support that we have from online videos, to access to customer support, and the ability to call anyone at anytime on the main line has been invaluable to utilize and not get stuck on something you don't know yet. We've never not had anyone that couldn't respond in time for us.

I rate it a 10 because we have removed the fields we don't need so users can really crank the data into the system. The software was designed for the professional services firm in mind but does a tremendous job for construction firms and "blended" companies that are both distribution firms but project centric as well. Perhaps they drop ship inventory to a project where their employees or subs need to work on a project for example.

Incentivized

90% of Procore is very intuitive and any user can pick it up and go. There are a few elements, more so on the Financials side that need some prior knowledge of systems in order to understand how and why it functions as it does. Once this is understood, it flows effortlessly

Incentivized

We have had only one unplanned outage for 2 hours in the last 30 months. We shut down for 30 min to 1 hour once a month, but that is for Microsoft OS updates to the servers. Being a 24/7 world wide operation, the reliability is really important. We do get an 8 hour window on the weekend that we can be down for a short period to install Microsoft Dynamics SL updates, but we do not have many of those. On our last version upgrade, we shut the users out at 9:30 am and were fully operational in less than 6 hours. The upgrade was New SQL server, New SL server and 2 new Citrix servers.

Incentivized

If you are working in an area with little to no signal, Procore will still allow you to get in the system and use it fully and will then update once you are at a place with a strong enough signal. Whether it be with wifi or LTE cell phone reception.

Incentivized

For the most part Procore is very responsive. However there are times when it's a little slow but it's minimal.

Incentivized

I highly recommend. The only suggestion I have would be to offer a free trial. They do offer a 30 day money back guarantee. The price point isn't daunting if you have had a 100 % no strings attached/no effort to cancel or try to remember to get your money back - no strings attached chance to try out the product. Especially for such a big purchase decision, I think Buildertrend would see an incredible increase in sales. They have the value and companies just need a chance to see it first hand.

Incentivized

Support is only used when needed, so unfortunately ,they get all the odd issues. It's a difficult business, but Microsoft and our firm do a great job of meeting customer needs. We get routine feedback that our support services are very good.

Incentivized

General Support for Project Management and Financials is consistent. The ERP support is never consistent and I do end up at times in a black hole. I have to continually reach out to get the issue resolved or get an update. The ERP support needs more of Procore's attention

Incentivized

Procore's Implementation Team does a great job of ensuring users are confident in using the system. They run through a process of training sessions based on the tools you have purchased, and lay ou ta plan to help the power users configure the tool to suit the company's needs. They provide useful resources for certifications, support and ongoing training as well.

Incentivized

Procore's certification program and focused how-to training videos allowed for easy training that did not feel overwhelming. The way the certification programs were broken up into small parts made it seem much less daunting to complete. The training feels focused and does not overload users with too much information all at once.

Incentivized

Just to let it take its course. The implementation for me once I became a part of my former organization was pretty seamless. Just get to know the basics and call the support team to ask questions if you need help on an issue, should they arise. They are ready, willing, and able to help!

Incentivized

Iron out your cost code list in your accounting software before you link with Procore. Once the link is established that list is more or less permanent. Review the permission matrix carefully. It controls so much. You want to ensure the information provided to your users adequate but you also want to protect your sensitive data. Procore Financials are organized in a total contract value style. Any markup or Profit will need to be sent somewhere on your budget. This may be significantly different than the Cost budgeting that many contractors do

Incentivized

The program has outstanding customer service. With project scheduling, project management, financial management, customer management, and service management capabilities in a single suite, there's really not much this program can't do! Owners generally love the use of this software as well, giving them the ability to view daily logs, photos, schedules, etc.

Incentivized

Of the comparable mid-range ERP systems, Dynamics SL competes at the lower end based on price, but also above the high-end based on flexibility, data, and reporting. Being able to stay with the same core accounting from a $100 million dollar company to a $3 billion dollar company shows the range of capabilities.

Incentivized

Procore has a clearer user interface and a wider variety of tools than any program I've used. Procore also lives up to their name in terms of helpful and fast customer service. There is always a Procore rep. that is available to contact, making any problems just a mini hurdle.

Since the backbone of the database is MS SQLServer, the database can be easily scaled.

Incentivized

once in awhile Procore is down for a period of time, its frustrating when it happens but doesn't tend to last long.

Incentivized

• The prior year cost me roughly $4300, which was barely reasonable for my volume. Some clients liked the format, some hated it and didn't participate. In my experience, few subcontractors or suppliers embraced the program, severely limiting the effectiveness.
• For the coming year the fees would have exceeded $17,000, far too much for a program with limited client, employee, and subcontractor appeal with as small a volume as I have.
• Honestly, for the last year, I feel they've been a burning tire hung around my neck and I regret not cancelling them in early 2019, I'd have $10,000 more in my pocket and no significant negative impact.
• I did appreciate the daily log as a way to report on progress, but less than half my clients made use of this option.

• More time is spent on manipulating reports which can and should be automated.
• Lack of electronic invoicing process and other green technology features creates more cost on printing and storage costs.
• The lack of a user friendly interface requires more training and a bigger learning curve for staff.

Incentivized

• The Procore service impacts on construction projects are effective and reliable on production acceleration.
• The collaboration is stable and easy files access and uploading of engineering drawings and plans is excellent.
• New project planning and project financial data management on Procore functions are excellent.

Incentivized